I just bought a Dillon RL550B and decided to start reloading my 7mm-08 Rem. I think I have almost everything figured out except for my last station. I have a set of redding dies and the last is a seat/crimp die. After reading many posts saying there's no need to crimp I'm unsure if this is the die I want to be using. If someone could please explain the crimp that this die is actually applying i would appreciate it. thanks

With bottle neck rifle dies you will:
size in stn. #1
powder charge in stn. #2
seat in stn. #3
Station #4 will not be used for your 7-08 unless you want to use something like the Lee FCD.

quote:

Originally posted by TommyBoy:
I just bought a Dillon RL550B and decided to start reloading my 7mm-08 Rem. I think I have almost everything figured out except for my last station. I have a set of redding dies and the last is a seat/crimp die. After reading many posts saying there's no need to crimp I'm unsure if this is the die I want to be using. If someone could please explain the crimp that this die is actually applying i would appreciate it. thanks

IF your seating die has a crimping shoulder in it, you don't want to screw the die in far enough for the case to reach that shoulder if you are seating jacketed bullets. The majority of these don't have a cannelure for crimping, so if your die "tries" to crimp the case, the die will buckle the case shoulder because the case neck metal has no place to go without a bullet cannelure.

Using your setup, with bottleneck cases and jacketed bullets, FORGET crimping!

quote:

IF your seating die has a crimping shoulder in it, you don't want to screw the die in far enough for the case to reach that shoulder if you are seating jacketed bullets. The majority of these don't have a cannelure for crimping, so if your die "tries" to crimp the case, the die will buckle the case shoulder because the case neck metal has no place to go without a bullet cannelure.

Using your setup, with bottleneck cases and jacketed bullets, FORGET crimping!

Very good advice.

Place a case in the shellholder of your press and raise the ram to the top. Screw the seater die in the press until it contacts the case. You will feel the crimping shoulder of the die make contact with the case mouth very solidly. Back the die off 1/2 to 1 turn and lock it in place, then adjust the seating stem for the COL you want the bullet set to. This will prevent the die from crimping and allow you to seat the bullet without possibly buckling the shoulder of the case.

Tommy,

Don't crimp. Unless the bullet has a locking grove there is nothing to "crimp". A "crimp" holds a heavy recoling cartridge bullet in place in the magazine.

Thanks for the advice, this should give me a little more confidence the first time I fire these.