I went shopping for 00 buckshot ammunition for my newly acquired shotgun. I notice a difference of crimping. Some use a roll crimp that contains a solid cylindrical plastic plate. Some use a star crimp.

All ammunition I checked are high brass plastic cased. They both contain 12 00 buckshot pellets. I made a choice based on nothing in reality. My instinct favored the roll crimp ammunition, but I have no reason to believe it is superior in any way from star crimp. I chose the roll crimp even though Winchester and Federal ammunition is star crimped.

Why choose one crimp style be chosen over the other?

quote:

Why choose one crimp style be chosen over the other?

Star because I Win Rem or federal.

Roll crimp classically will not be as waterproof as a fold crimped shell.

Performance wise, there will be no major difference. (Well, there is, but it can be dealt with in differing ways so performance functionally is the same.)

Easier to do the star crimp by machine/press/hand...marginally...maybe...I've done both by hand and only star by press...with a couple extra additional steps of doing the roll crimp in my drill press, home made case holder and roll crimping tool - relatively easy to do but more steps in the reloading process for certain roll crimped reloads...but most shotshell reloads with a star crimper in my reloading tools, hand AND press...not a problem with factory shell makers and AUTOMATED machines.

Star crimps are just easier I think for reloaders...

ALSO...you can seal BOTH case mouths by using the products available at shotgun reloading products stores or online....good thing to do if you want to store the ammo for a long period in humid conditions, even IF you put the ammo in doubled/tripled plastic storage bags...animals can render a storage bag useless in about 2 seconds of chewing and plastic makes good bedding material.

Good question...never really thought much about the differences except when actually roll crimping and having a hiccup now and then.

Precision Reloading, https://www.precisionreloading.com, is a good place to go for reloading components AND information...someone there might have a better answer...many other shotshell reloading forums you can search also.

Good Hunting

Rollcrimp gives greater capacity in the case. So this is better in that eiher a slower powder and/or a deeper driving wad can be used. Both giver better performance in my experience. Only down side with small shot (bird shot) of a rollcrimp is possible "blown" patterns in open choke guns caused by that overshot wad.