I reload 45ACP.I recently bought a Franklin max cartridge guage to check all the dimensions of my reloads(the cylindrical guage that fits a fully loaded cartridge). For a while, my finished loads would not seat fully into the guage.I found that if I set a strong crimp the cartridge would then fit perfectly in the guage. I tried not flaring the cartridge so much and that helped. I think the reason i have to put a crimp is because a small portion of the flare to seat the bullet was sticking out and causing the round not to seat in the guage. Is this normal? I thought one didnt have to put a crimp on this type of load. When I flare the case, i dont flare it very much, just enought to set the bullet in place. For the record, it was a 230gr FMJ seated to 1.275OAL

crimp is needed

A (heavy) crimp will often cause the cases to flare right below where the crimp is applied. How much they flare and whether this will cause the rounds not to fit your gauge, only you can tell. Too many variables involved.

If the purpose of your gauge is to check the dimensions resulting from your reloading setup - as opposed to checking every round (?) - what is wrong with checking a round done without the crimp??
- mike

quote:

Originally posted by Joe 45:
I reload 45ACP.... if I set a strong crimp the cartridge would then fit perfectly in the guage....

Hey Joe 45, There are about four different styles of crimps I'm aware of and there may be others I've forgotten.

Roll crimp, Profile Crimp, Taper crimp and the crimping tool Lee puts out which does a Stake crimp which I think they refer to as a Factory crimp.

If you are shooting the 45ACPs in a Revolver with "Clips" in the Extractor Groove, then the Roll, Profile or Taper crimps will do fine for you.

If you are shooting the 45ACPs in a Pistol, then you would be better off using a Profile or Taper crimp Die Set. The reason for this is because the 45ACP "headspaces" off the Casemouth. So, if you use a Roll crimp, you remove what the cartridge Headspaces on.

If all you have is a Roll crimp Die Set, simply adjust the Seating Die so it realigns(straightens) the slightly flaired out mouth with the rest of the Casebody. You can do it by feel or lay a Straight Edge along the side of the case and it will be self-evident when the adjustment is correct.

By the way, your gauge might be wonderful, but I've never used one of them. I just remove the barrel from my 45ACP and drop the Loaded Cartridge in to make sure everything is the proper size(flare reduced enough and bullet not out too far).

Best of luck to you.