The main question I have is do you always need to crimp you rounds. I have heard that certain powders, like slow burning, need crimped. But is that always the case. Right now I am loading 243 with 55g Noslers using H380 powder. I know that is on the slower side of burning. I have not been crimping my brass and I have been getting pretty good groups. But should I crimp and get better results or will it just speed up my velocity.

It's a while since I've loaded for the 243 but 380 behind a 55gn pill seems to be a bit too slow. Buyllet weights of 85gn up would be more suitable. However you ask about crimping, I doubt there will be any increase in velocity. Apart from tubular magazines the main reason to crimp (Lee Factory Crimp) is for more consistant neck tension and consequently more consistant starting pressure. IMHO

I am not sure it makes much difference. I crimp my hunting rounds under the theory that recoil might knock them around in the magazine and affect seating depth and COL (kinda like a polymer tip bulle resists deformation). On the other hand, the most experienced rifleman I know refuses to crimp anything thinking it pointless. I have not seen any noticeable difference between crimped and non-crimped rounds, but I have not really tried to either.

I didn't got any difference either! And I do not crimp my rounds, no matter wheter it is a target or a hunting load and also I shoot some hot and powerful loads with much recoil, I haven't had any troubles regarding affecting seating depth.

Bottle neck cartridges, No crimp, never.

Straight neck, I crimp only for the revolver.

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Originally posted by HL:
Bottle neck cartridges, No crimp, never.

Straight neck, I crimp only for the revolver.

Whats the difference?

quote:

Originally posted by geekay:
It's a while since I've loaded for the 243 but 380 behind a 55gn pill seems to be a bit too slow. Buyllet weights of 85gn up would be more suitable. However you ask about crimping, I doubt there will be any increase in velocity. Apart from tubular magazines the main reason to crimp (Lee Factory Crimp) is for more consistant neck tension and consequently more consistant starting pressure. IMHO

Whats wrong with H380 behind a 55g Nos. Hodgdon says right on there chart that this will push up and over 4k.

I would never crimp a .243 load, I crimp for 30-30 and .458win only

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Bottle neck cartridges, No crimp, never.

HL, does your theory work for EVERY/ALL bottleneck Cartridges? I ask only because I am soon to start loading for the 1st time for a .416 Rem. Mag. and I have had about a 50/50 response as to crimp or not to crimp it!

I don't crimp any of my reloads.

I'm gonna start reloading alot more for my 300winmag.....always heard to crimp 300wm rounds???? opinions?

I crimp for Revolvers and tubular magazines like 32 Winchester Special.

I don't have a Bolt action rifle I crimp for with one exception my .378 Weatherby. That includes a multitude of calibers from .17 to 8MM Remington Mag.

I am assuming now that nobody crimps on NEW brass. I started loading used brass last night and I had about fifty casing that I could pull the bullet out without and trouble. I could press the bullet in with my fingers. Are the sacings still fine. They have only been shot once.

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I started loading used brass last night and I had about fifty casing that I could pull the bullet out without and trouble. I could press the bullet in with my fingers. Are the sacings still fine. They have only been shot once

That is more than a crimping issue. Normally that can happen with old work harden brass. Doubt that would happen on one firing. Are you sure your sizer is correct? If you resize a used piece of brass and remove the expander does it hold the bullet? Crimping is not the way to fix your problem.

A lot of the brass were Federals that I was shooting up last week to get rid of.

I don't crimp anything that goes in my contender. No need to.

I don't crimp any of my rifle cartridges since I have never had any trouble with bullets jumping or being pushed in by recoil.

My Redhawk has the tendency with heavy loads for bullets to jump ahead in the cylinder, so I have a heavy crimp on those to keep all rounds the same.

IMO, if everything is loaded correctly, for the contender, and any pistol type cartridges are used, there is no need to crimp and would not serve any real purpose to do so.

That's just the way I've done it for the past 22 years of reloading and have had very good success and accuracy during that period, doing just that.

Good shooting,

HL

Our host, Saeed, did a test on this question some time ago. But for some unknown reason almost no one seems to look at his results.

You can find them at:

http://www.accuratereloading.com/crimping.html

The short answer is that, yes, crimping using the Lee Factory Crimp Die does increase accuracy slightly.

I have a Lee Factory Crimp Die for every caliber I reload for. I do not use a regular seater die to crimp with. The LFCD is easy to use and you can set it to put a light crimp on and you do not need a cannelure.

In identical 10 shot loads loaded-at-the-same-time shot-at-the-same-time in a 300 win mag the crimped load shot 6 fps faster and had 1/8" better accuracy.

I clean the inside of my case necks with steel wool, outside neck turn and chase runout into the <.002" range. The crimp is more to help keep a consistant bullet release than to keep the bullet from moving. Although I don't have to worry about that now either.

check this out

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/...=622105053#622105053