You were correct. I did know the answer and the methodology you describe has been my rule of thumb for over 35 years. I find the Lee factory crimp die to be excellent for crimping the 30-30 Winchester. I also find there is a lot of baloney on UA-cam regarding reloading procedures & practice. Thank you for setting the record straight. Now if I could get some primers, I could go back to my favorite hobby.
What you meant was affordable primers. It seems that I can find primers for 80$ a brick all day, but I've got primers that I paid 15-20$ a brick. Ridiculous!
@@richardkut3976yea but the jump from 35ish 1k to 80-120 for 1k is more than inflation. Personally I think its bc they want to keep those components so we buy what they load vs making our own. Hell I have primers for 9. But I can't load it as cheap as I can buy it right now bc if I replace the primers I use it will cost more than factory new. Might as well stock up new brass til they become reasonable.
Correct. It's called "crimp jump" and it is VERY problematic with very light revolvers, very hard recoiling revolvers, and semiauto caliber revolvers. You can also have those traits combined too, e.g. the Ruger LCR 9mm. With 147gr+P loads, the bullet has a lot of inertial resistance to movement and the gun recoils sharply because it's as light as a damn potato chip. The semiauto taper crimp sucks at holding the bullet because it's just pure neck tension alone. Can't roll crimp the cartridges because of headspace, unless the cylinder uses the moon clip to maintain headspace. The last bullet will occasionally leave the neck and fall to the front of the throat where the ogive sticks out and jams the cylinder from rotating. That last cartridge is subjected to the recoiling of all the previous being fired. It works exactly like a kinetic bullet puller hammer. The scandium frame .44 magnums will do it. The scandium J frame .357 magnums will do it. The Ruger Alaskan snubby in .454 Casull will do it. You get the point. Crimp jump will put a revolver out of action and a non-marring hammer and punch is needed to resolve the failure.
Yes. In simple terms the revolver can act as a bullet puller. When a revolver goes off it recoils backwards pulling the backward force on the base of the cases in the cylinder. The bullets in the cases being a separate component, want to remain in place while everything is rapidly recoiling backwards. The only thing stopping the bullets from sliding forward is the crimp. That’s the only part of the video I don’t think was explained well. But this is one of the best guys I’ve listened to on UA-cam.
I crimp all my 223/556 rounds now, because I had 2 failures to feed (FTF) which I attributed to not deburring the case mounth good enough after resizing. However, when the FTF happened the bullet was pressed completely into the case and powder spilled out into the breech and magazine of my AR. I've had similar FTFs with commercial ammunition and even when it moved the bullet deeper into the case it never pushed it all the way in. So to avoid having to clean powder out of my action and magazine, I crimp. This is a fairly new change so we'll see if it's effective or not when the next FTF happens. Great info in the video (as usual). Thanks! I really appreciate your channel.
I had that same problem with an Hk 33 rifle I carried in 5.56. The bullet would chamber just touching the rifling and if the case was ejected unfired, powder would go everywhere leaving the bullet in the leade. I carried a special rod in my kit to push the bullet back into the breach, because I didnt want to get stuck somewhere...
Thanks for your opinion. I recently purchased some used Lee reloading equipment and I a going to give it a shot. Never reloaded before, but I have a good support group among friends.
I never crimp 308 hunting loads. I size the rounds to a length that puts the ogive within 20 thousandths of the lands of the rifle. At that length the crimp would not line up with the cannalure so I take your point about the Lee crimping die. Great video as always. Semper Fi, Go Sox, and God Bless.
I am glad to see you are shortening your videos. Most folks are not going to invest more than about 20-min maximum into watching a video. Even better - 15 minutes. Your videos are full of knowledge, but if you cut them back to 20 or less, people will commit themselves to watching them. I just want you to know, "You're my horse, even if you don't ever win a race". Thanks for all you do to educate us reloaders/shooters.
@@Duhaubetahiks Well, you go right on ahead and watch them. I appreciate your loyalty. Meanwhile read my post again. It says, "Most folks". Adios, Brother.
@@GunBlue490 Well, I'm totally wrong then. Make 'em even longer and i bet even more people will watch them.................. I like them; they are mature and full of knowledge, but they are a stretch...........
Hand gun loads and some auto loading are the only ones I crimp. I sure enjoyed this as always. I enjoy the long and short videos and can't thank you enough for your efforts!
My 357max is a single shot BSA Martini cadet with a 19 inch barrel, I've never crimped the hand loads, it's not necessarily. Always crimp 357mag though as it's tube feed.
I encountered a bizzare situation with my .270 WSM model 700. I loaded up about 120 rounds and stored them for around 8 months. I go to the range and to my surprise the will not fit into the magazine. When I got home and measured them the were seated out an extra 15- 20 thou from what I originally seated them which was 2.86" COAL. My theory is that over this 8 month time the brass relaxed and lost enough of it's neck tension that the air inside the case slowly pushed the bullets back out- these were not full of powder either. My proof case for the load had no powder or primer so it didn't change. I tried reseatting those bullets and almost immediately they begun creeping right back out again regardless of how deep I tried to seat them. After that experience, I bought Lee factory crimp dies for every caliber I load and do it- no exceptions. I don't compete and rely on storing for potentially long periods of time so I don't want to have the same thing happen again. Anyone else experienced this?
Bullet insertion always displaces air. However, the volume of air is extremely small, and well within the normal holding capacity of the neck tension. I've stored handloads with compressed charges for years with no movement. Five factors can lessen that holding ability. 1. Oversize expansion ball or shaft. Very rare. The ball or largest diameter of the shaft should be exactly .001" less than bullet diameter. 2. Insufficient neck contact. The shank of the bullet should have one caliber of contact (not just seated depth, in the case of boat tails). So, the optimum case contact should be at least .277 to insure against rough handling. 3. Lubricant in necks. Tumbling or simple dry nylon inside neck brushing is normally sufficient to clean necks. If squeaking occurs, apply only a trace of lubricant to the neck brush. Never, ever, use sprays. Why they were ever marketed shows how profit, not wisdom, drives such sales. It's one of the most useless and costly snake oils we have. 4. Cases are too soft. Over heating brass during annealing can burn off harder alloys and irreparably ruin cases, and it's a common problem. Watch my annealing video. 5. Cases are too hard. Brass hardens during repeated cycles of firing and resizing. Hard brass loses its necessary elasticity that must grasp the bullet, just as an elasic band. WSM intensity is particularly severe on brass and will cause work hardening over a shorter number of cycles. .
@@GunBlue490 Thank you for your prompt response GB. I have used one shot spray but no more. Based on what you've told me I'll have to look at my annealing process with these cases- I've had one or two come out with small splits on the shoulder after firing despite only sizing back about .002" and using Sinclair mandrels so I may not be holding the torch to them long enough. I'll have you know after watching your video on big bore rifles, I acquired a Kleinguenther K-14 in .458 Winchester Magnum. I glass bedded the stock with the Devcon and free floated the barrel too- which I learned on another one of your videos. I have so much fun shooting 350 plated bullets with about 15 grains of Red Dot. 500gr Factory loads knock the crap out of my 145 lbs frame though. Thanks again GB.
Thanks for the heads up video brother,and I enjoy listening to you and have been watching off and on for years,never gave me but the truth and the whole truth.God Bless you and yours and to all who watch.👍❤️🙏
I had the opposite problem GunBlue490. I bought a box of Remington .38 Special 158 grain lead round nosed. I put it in my snubby and I fired a few rounds and the revolver jammed up. A bullet had worked out of the case enough to jam up the cylinder. I shot a few more cylinders and it happened two more times. I gave up on that box. Real pain to open the cylinder with a bullet halfway hanging out of the casing. The bullets were so loose you could push the defective ones back in the case to a point and unjam the cylinder.
Yes, that is the most common problem with revolver cartridges. "Bullet pull". The revolver snaps back in recoil and pulls the cartridge case with it by the rim. The bullet wants to stay in place and the case is pulled backwards off the bullet. Very common and THE reason revolver cartridges should be crimped. The heavier the bullets and the lighter the revolver, the worse it is. Snub nose .38s, especially lightweight ones like a S&W 642 are very prone to this. FWIW my "carry load" in a S&W M642 Airweight is the Buffalo Bore 158 gr. +P lead SWC-HP. I have not had a problem with this in my revolver.
I have been reloading for over 15 years , and Like you sir I love some of the great Ideas that Lee Precision has come out with,, As always I appreciate the sharing of your knowledge and your detailed descriptions on your videos, your never to old to learn , as I say be teachable you can never know too much and some people know more than you do just from experience, Keep up the awesome videos, Thank you.
I’ve had .40 S&W and especially .357 SIG have bullet setback on feeding from the magazine…the LEE factory crimp die made this issue with setback a thing of the past…I also give a fairly heavy crimp to my PC cast .452 bullets for Cowboy Action (I use the same loads in both Blackhawks and my rifle)…as an aside I always have cleaner brass when loading Hodgdon Titegroup if the heavy crimp is used…sooty cases with light crimps. I also use the LEE Factory Crimp on .300 Blackout and .556/.223 with a lighter medium crimp. The LEE company has kept reloading “honest” as well as affordable especially when starting out…I still use LEE dies in many calibers that I bought 30+ years ago (being a “thrifty” old man (some will use “cheap ass) I’m still rocking out ammo on a Dillon RL 450 I bought in the 1980s 😊😊😊…GunBlue490’s channel content is great with sensible videos delivered in a very clear easy to follow manner 👍👍👍…A BIG THANK YOU Sir!
Thanks for the information and video. I mostly crimp for my ar ammo and then it’s a light crimp. Some time when searching for a load for a particular loading for my 308 Winchester. Most of the time no crimping needed.
Well done and accurate, as always. Factory crimping practice has a lot to do with the manufacturers' biggest concern: what happens between the factory and the customer? Ammunition made in Missouri and shipped to New Hampshire by truck freight can experience 1 million cycles of 0.5g acceleration up and down before it arrives. This is like tapping your inertial bullet puller on the kitchen table through numerous cups of coffee! Newer packaging that supports the bullet and restrains the case helps reduce transportation damage and allows a lesser crimp.
Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpeneth iron; So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: So he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured. Thank you for another wonderful lesson.
Fantastic info on crimping. I love that silver plated .222 Remington case especially since I’m reliving and rediscovering the joys of the .222 and a vintage rifle of my childhood following my Pop around. I have vintage .222 factory ammo from Remington, Federal, and Winchester and there’s no discernible crimp on any of it. I recently purchased 100 rounds of newly manufactured Remington .222 ammo and all of it is heavily crimped and they used a collet type crimp die in the process. You can see the segments that a collet would leave behind when crimped excessively. We never crimped .222 cases in our handloads and as far as I can tell, factory .222 ammo did not get crimped in the old days but new Remington .222 ammo is. I wouldn’t think there’s an advantage to crimping this particular caliber but in my quest to find the most accurate load in this rifle with currently made new components, I do plan to test the results of crimped vs non crimped using the LEE factory crimp die. I do have Pop’s notes from decades ago that the Speer 50 grain .224 was his most accurate bullet in this rifle and I have acquired a new supply of them to start testing with. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I rarely crimp even in autoloading rifles, yes big bore dangerous game ammo needs to be crimped and inspected if you are always topping off these rifles durning the hunt. Bullet tip damage can occur in soft pointed projectiles when in the box mag, with the tip striking the mag front. Corbin offers a cannelure tool allowing you to place a cannelure where you want it. I almost forgot CH4D also offers a cannelure tool.
I had issues with .30-30 Winchester new and reloads when bullets would be pushed into case. A moderator on a gun board suggested that he did not crimp and tried that and never had a short cartridge. I had prior always limited my magazine to 5 rounds. Another factor in the tubular magazine is the closing of the lever releases the round in the magazine to smack rearward to fill the void in the elevator position. Gregor
Very informative like always! A couple of years ago I was sent a warning on FB from an experienced shooter: He lost some fingers shooting a lever action 45-70 by omitting crimping his rather hot hand load... it happened exactly how you described it. Also copper bullets seams to benefit being crimped and seated far of the land.
I worked at data circuits ! For 2 years abouts , we made circuit boards, with copper and gold dip tanks, the gold arsenic, was delivered by armed guard ( what a joke ) in small bottles . On the night shift I gold plated my shotgun triggers and my dad’s lee enfield trigger. That I now own ! Never got caught 😂
Im sorry for your loss, sir. I cant watch the video on Benny but i know the feeling of the loss of a dog (best friend). Its terrible. Thanks for what you do. Hope you and your family are doing well
BTW: I tried setting up an RCBS powder measure using the method you showed (placing the pre-measured load wanted in the measure and then adjusting the metering assembly against the back of the housing casting.) That was a great tip; it took very little adjusting to get it spot-on. I also experimented with two identical RCBS powder measures - except one had a large powder bore drum and metering assembly and the other had the smaller bore drum and metering assembly. I wanted to see if one threw more consistent loads than the other. I chose 6.0 grains of Unique as my test load, a typical piston/revolver load. The end result, for me at least, was that there was no discernable difference. In fact, if anything, the measure with the larger bore may have been a tad more consistent than the one with the smaller bore. I'm guessing that is possible because the powder does not have to drop down into as deep a cavity with the larger bore and therefore has an easier time of getting the same amount into the bore each time(?). Whatever the reason, I could find no reason to switch to the smaller bore drum and metering stem. Thanks again for your shows.
Thank you for your support. I'm glad that you performed your own test and discovered the best situation for your loads. As a matter of note, Unique and most pistol and shotgun powders charge very uniformly, and the reason you observed more consistent charges with the larger drum is because of their nature to stack flat and slide past the cutting surface agreeably, if you will. If you ever load with standard charges of extruded rifle powders however, such is not the case. They're shaped like logs, so any that are caught between the frame and drum must be forcefully sheared by the operator. The more granules that are exposed to the larger cutting surface, the more difficult it is to swing the drum, and the greater the number of granules that get randomized and upset the volume consistency. There's a very discernable difference that is easily observed just by the effort involved, and you can actually feel more granules being cut. So, don't let that small drum go anywhere in case you need it some day!
@@GunBlue490 I have found this too using Vit N140. I prefer to use the smaller drum. I'll be watching a lot more of your videos over the winter, a nice contrast to the younger guys that tend to be drawn to the latest shiny gadgets!
OUTSTANDING INFORMATION SIR! I'M RESTORING A SWISS VETTERLI (140 + YEARS OLD) AND WASN'T SURE IF CRIMPING WAS NECESSARY ON THE 300GR CAST BULLETS. YOUR ADVISE HELPED ME MAKE MY DECISION. LIKE ALL OF MY OTHER ANTIQUE RIFLES I THINK I WILL PROCEED WITHOUT CRIMPING - NECK TENSION SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR EXPERTISE!
I like a good crimp on my .223 rounds for use in AR box magazines. The case mouth edge will hang on the magazine when feeding without a decent crimp. And, of course, I put a good crimp on my 30-30 rounds, since they go into a tubular magazine. Great video!
As always, thank you for posting. I enjoy most of your videos! However, During recoil, if the bullets still in the cylinder move, they will pull forward, or out of the case, not further into the case.
You mentioned you sometimes use a crimp on .223 , could you explain why please as I am reloading .223 at the moment. Great info and so well explained thank you
It’s not required if your single feeding a bolt gun or have a short magazine 5/10 rds. What can happen is although the 223/556 is a low recoil cartridge, in the case of a longer magazine 20/30 rds the the cartridges are further away from the recoil of the firearm so they experience more backwards movement the further along they are in the magazine, if your a reloader and your trying to decide to crimp or not? It has been shown that consistently crimped cartridge are more accurate and more precise then non crimped bullets if thats important to you you should crimp…. That being said most application for shooting don’t require the degree of accuracy I’m talking about(plinking at the range) not all hand loaders crimp. However I would advice because consistency is the key to safety when reloading if you decide to crimp you should always crimp if you don’t then don’t. Be advised that most two dye reloader sets,the seating dye is also a crimping dye, it’s just that Lee makes a separate dye( very popular) just for crimping. It’s popular because it gives you a factory crimp, this is because it’s using the same collet mechanism to crimp that factory ammo used that’s why it’s very popular with reloader’s. Sorry I’m long winded. Hoping this helps
Many thanks for another tutorial vid on re-loading. I am starting to reload 9mm using Starlilne brass with 124gn Berry RNCP bullets. My question is on the taper crimp used for this. I have a Lee die set with a separate die for the crimp. How much crimp is too much ? I am used to reloading .45LC and no problems . . .BUT now doing 9mm hand loads using a taper crimp is a little confusing on how much crimp to use. I have Lee 9mm die set and RCBS .45LC die set....tks !
I used to reload 30-06 for and old Ruger M77 and quickly learned that I had to use a cannelured bullet with a solid crimp for the purpose of feeding. That rifle would hang up the case mouth on uncrimped loads.
That's a terrific controlled feed bolt. I suspect that it was catching on the sharp edge of the magazine box before the case slid fully up into the claw, which can occur with some rifles. In most situations, the remedy is to simply bevel the offending edge with a couple of strokes of a fine file, followed by a bit of cold blue.
Im fairly new to handloading and have bought a few different dies. So far I prefer Lee dies. They just seem to work better for me. The rcbs seating die is a tad more consistent a keep seating depths
I think that case neck tension has more to do with accuracy then crimping. I only do a taper crimp on handgun rounds, or cast. And even only on some cast rifle rounds, depending on if the rifle likes it.
Hope your doing well and getting ready for spring? Appreciate the crimp explanation especially about the factory taper crimp and how to use it for an auto pistol.
very good and informative. i have not reloaded pistol cartridges yet and it just seems so much more uggggh. the crimp especially. hope i do it right lol.
I have had some loads shift mostly in my 22-250 A.I. from compressed loads if you run tight neck chamber with a bushing die almost no grip at all after trimming necks down I just keep a eye on OAL cause it can get stuck in lands on a eject then you got a mess Never did like crimping but it needs to be done just not on baby bench rest
On my 6.5 Swede I have a problem getting enough pressure to get a good case seal. I'm loading a touch over max and its not bad but it still leaves the cases sooty. The primers show very low pressure so I feel like I'm safe. I tried crimping them to make the pressure increase faster to get a better seal but it only helped little if any.
Be sure to keep your chamber completely dry and free of oil, too. Oil will prevent proper brass to chamber sealing. Also, old military brass may have been fired with corrosive primers that crystalizes brass and prevents sealing with successive loads, so such brass should be discarded.
@@GunBlue490 I'm using recently purchased Nosler brass so thats not the issue. But the oil chamber is an intresting thought. I oil then wipe it out thoroughly afterwards, but maybe not dry enough. Thank you so much for the reply!
Great information, you mention several times of the bullet possibly traveling deeper into the case, wouldn’t it be more worrisome of the bullet moving outward from the case due to the recoil?
Thanks, I reloaded some snake shot to factory specs in my .38 special, after the first shot several the plastic shot holders moved forward causing a jam in the revolver, the gun was a S&W air weight, that’s what was leading me to believe that the bullets would move foreword from the centrifugal force of the recoil. Thanks again.
It has been my experience that bullets usually get pushed in under recoil, except revolvers- where the rest of the cartridges not being fired are accelerated rearward as the revolver recoils by their cases as they are generally head spaced by the rim. Mostly a problem with heavy recoil cartridges in light weight revolvers.
No think about when you fire a gun does it push you back or forward? You have two big feet and the rest of your body centering your gravity and it still pushes you back now think of the bullet, it’s rim is against the revolver, or magazine it can only go backwards assuming that the bullet has anywhere near the correct tension to hold it in place. You hear of bolt rifles having issues sometimes with a bullet getting stuck in the lands of the rifle, that happens because competition rifle shooters will often NOT crimp because they want the bullet looser then average. They practice something called bullet jump which is basically a longer bullet case over all length. This can and sometimes cause a bullet to get stuck in the chamber when they are told to clear the chamber for a stop in firing scenario, this as you can imagine is a disaster for the competitor because he now has to dig that bullet out and clean up all the spilled powder in the middle of a firing sequence while the opposition is firing, however this is a risk many take because their rifle shoots better with a longer over all length which is the case with many competition rifles, your better off crimping unless your a F class or ELR shooter. That being said that bullet jump is only practiced by a minority of shooters because they don’t want to risk a bullet jam which can sometimes happen if you “jump”.
It's still very much in progress, but August weather slowed me down, between 90+ degrees and torrential rains. Hopefully, things will resume full steam ahead through this month.
I crimp all pistol rounds, but not my rifle rounds. I found my 270 and 6.5 Grendel both had larger groups when crimped. The Grendel 1.5" groups crimped, and 0.5" without crimps. I also found my accuracy was much better when I anneal the brass.
Thank you for another great video. This video is exactly what I needed to see and at just the right time. Like all your videos, I learn as if I were back in college and even take notes for my reloading journal. I'm truly appreciative that you're on UA-cam and have tremendous respect for you and your channel. My only complaint is that Benny didn't make an appearance in this episode but it sounds like he was busy upstairs. Thank you again!
Thank you Captain for another informative and stimulating discussion. I purchased a Lee collet factory crimp die and was hoping to use it for one of my daughters loads. Now she chose a bit hotter load than I would have preferred and this video came at a very good time. She and I were both wondering if we applied the collet crimp, do you think we would experience more case pressure then if it weren't crimped? We are safely using published data from Nosler. What could we expect? Which pressure signs are more likely if so? A million thanks for all the education we receive from you. May God bless you!
@@GunBlue490 Good to know. I have had some trepidation about crimping with the lee die. I lightly crimp all my loads. I emphasize 'light' and I had begun to be concerned if there could be pressure problems. Thank you
Both the Lee Collet Sizing Die and the Lee Factory Crimping Die are marvels of engineering the average man can afford to own. Years back I tested bullet performance in the 7mm Rem Mag. 139 Hornady BT Interlocks and 150 Nosler Ballistic Tips (the very early ones, grenades!). Soaked for 2 days wet newsprint was my medium. An interesting thing happened when I crimped both bullets to maximum. The 139's could be seated out longer so the crimp was below the cannelure about where the so-called interlock ring inside the bullet is. The 150's have no cannelure but the Die swages a perfect ring into the Noslers that looks like the grooves on a Barnes TTSX bullet. Uncrimped bullets of both kinds essentially exploded in the newsprint inside of 200 yards. The maximum setting crimped bullets now performed similar to Speer Grandslams where the front of the bullet ahead of the heavy crimp fragments causing damage but the lead core behind the heavy crimp stayed in the base and drove through like the harder lead based Grandslams or dare I say Partitions. Even if the expanded jacketing ahead of the crimp sneered off the bases plowed straight through for another 12+ inches. Now the 139 Interlock was actually performing like advertised and the Ballistic Tips were turning whitetailed bucks boiler rooms into red jelly and blowing through the far side. Accuracy actually improved with the Ballistic Tips and the Interlock Boat-tails stayed the same out of the 26" barrel of my Browning LH A-Bolt Medallion rifle.
I just bought a number of crimp dies for lever actions and heavy recoiling rifles like 375 H&H, 405 Win, 416 Rem Mag and 458 Win. Also 45 acp and 9 mm. Actually, I don't consider the 375 to be a heavy recoiling rifle, but I bought the die anyway.
Thanks for the chat, crimp has been the hardest for me since I have not found a good way to measure other then a fingernail. My concern is overcrimping, but I suppose it comes with time and experience.
Thanks for your support. For the easiest method of crimping very precisely and uniformly, I recommend the Lee Factory Crimp Die. It's very easy to regulate any degree of crimp, and it's impossible to over crimp with it. Except for the situations I explained for handguns, tubular fed magazines, and very heavy calibers, crimping is entirely unnecessary anyway.
Between loading with my dad and in my own I have been at it close to 30 years. Have you seen any correlation between more consistent velocity and crimping? The story about you plating your cases was quite humorous, thank you for sharing it.
On the basis of the decades of benchrest records that have been set, and from my own personal observations with my various accuracy testing, I have every confidence that non crimped rifle ammo performs at its peak. One note: I have pulled countless bullets over the years from both non crimped and factory crimped ammo. While the former are virtually unmarred, crimped bullets have scrape marks along their entire shank. One of the most significant negative accuracy issues is flaws at the base of a bullet or at the crown of a barrel that diverts gasses at the moment of release. I have every reason to believe that the best bullet is a clean one, unscarred by the case.
I have found that the Lee FCD is very handy especially for semiautomatic handgun cartridges. I use the FCD religiously for all of my 9mm, 10mm, and 45ACP loadings. I like it not only for the uniform collet crimp, but also for the added benefit of post-sizing the case at the upstroke as the casing exits the die. I have had zero chamering/extraction issues in many thousands of rounds loaded with this great tool.
you the man gunblue love your videos i had a question for you in the backround (not the backround of this video ) on your reloading bench you had a little wooden roller looks kinda like a hand held manual steamroller and it looks yellow but im sure thats just color of the wood its made of any way what is that for? cause i have one and i cant figure what it is
@@GunBlue490 yes if you go to 30:54 time stamp on your "How to Clean and Maintain a Ruger Mini 14" video its right at the top of the screen on the tray
Good morning sir, great video, channel, and source of information. Thank you for your dedication to the sport. I am new to the channel and want to learn how to reload, my question is with head-spacing, if I follow the specifications in the manual will the head spacing be correct ? Thanks again. God bless.
I love the way you teach. You just sit there and impart the years of wisdom you've gained.
We could be brothers of experience, glad to have you expressing all you do for the young-uns.
You were correct. I did know the answer and the methodology you describe has been my rule of thumb for over 35 years. I find the Lee factory crimp die to be excellent for crimping the 30-30 Winchester. I also find there is a lot of baloney on UA-cam regarding reloading procedures & practice. Thank you for setting the record straight. Now if I could get some primers, I could go back to my favorite hobby.
Those FCDs are excellent in general.
What you meant was affordable primers. It seems that I can find primers for 80$ a brick all day, but I've got primers that I paid 15-20$ a brick. Ridiculous!
@@craigbraswell4269
Ridiculous? How about inflation, few things aren't pricer today.
Take care,
@@richardkut3976yea but the jump from 35ish 1k to 80-120 for 1k is more than inflation.
Personally I think its bc they want to keep those components so we buy what they load vs making our own. Hell I have primers for 9. But I can't load it as cheap as I can buy it right now bc if I replace the primers I use it will cost more than factory new. Might as well stock up new brass til they become reasonable.
Recoil forces in a revolver with a rimmed case are pulling the bullet out of the case and can jam the cylinder when the bullet hits the forcing cone.
Yes
Happened to me multiple times with one box of apparently defective Remington 158 grain .38 round nosed. It was an infuriating range trip.
Correct. It's called "crimp jump" and it is VERY problematic with very light revolvers, very hard recoiling revolvers, and semiauto caliber revolvers. You can also have those traits combined too, e.g. the Ruger LCR 9mm. With 147gr+P loads, the bullet has a lot of inertial resistance to movement and the gun recoils sharply because it's as light as a damn potato chip. The semiauto taper crimp sucks at holding the bullet because it's just pure neck tension alone. Can't roll crimp the cartridges because of headspace, unless the cylinder uses the moon clip to maintain headspace. The last bullet will occasionally leave the neck and fall to the front of the throat where the ogive sticks out and jams the cylinder from rotating. That last cartridge is subjected to the recoiling of all the previous being fired. It works exactly like a kinetic bullet puller hammer. The scandium frame .44 magnums will do it. The scandium J frame .357 magnums will do it. The Ruger Alaskan snubby in .454 Casull will do it. You get the point. Crimp jump will put a revolver out of action and a non-marring hammer and punch is needed to resolve the failure.
@@mannys9130 You seem to like talking about this stuff. You should get your own channel. I'm sure people would watch.
Yes. In simple terms the revolver can act as a bullet puller. When a revolver goes off it recoils backwards pulling the backward force on the base of the cases in the cylinder. The bullets in the cases being a separate component, want to remain in place while everything is rapidly recoiling backwards. The only thing stopping the bullets from sliding forward is the crimp. That’s the only part of the video I don’t think was explained well. But this is one of the best guys I’ve listened to on UA-cam.
I crimp all my 223/556 rounds now, because I had 2 failures to feed (FTF) which I attributed to not deburring the case mounth good enough after resizing. However, when the FTF happened the bullet was pressed completely into the case and powder spilled out into the breech and magazine of my AR. I've had similar FTFs with commercial ammunition and even when it moved the bullet deeper into the case it never pushed it all the way in.
So to avoid having to clean powder out of my action and magazine, I crimp. This is a fairly new change so we'll see if it's effective or not when the next FTF happens.
Great info in the video (as usual). Thanks! I really appreciate your channel.
I had that same problem with an Hk 33 rifle I carried in 5.56. The bullet would chamber just touching the rifling and if the case was ejected unfired, powder would go everywhere leaving the bullet in the leade. I carried a special rod in my kit to push the bullet back into the breach, because I didnt want to get stuck somewhere...
All of my reloading equipment is from Lee's. Been reloading since 1989. Even my casting molds are from Lee's.
Thanks for your opinion. I recently purchased some used Lee reloading equipment and I a going to give it a shot. Never reloaded before, but I have a good support group among friends.
I never crimp 308 hunting loads. I size the rounds to a length that puts the ogive within 20 thousandths of the lands of the rifle. At that length the crimp would not line up with the cannalure so I take your point about the Lee crimping die. Great video as always. Semper Fi, Go Sox, and God Bless.
They’ll still help grip some even without a cannelure. Try pulling em both and see
I am glad to see you are shortening your videos. Most folks are not going to invest more than about 20-min maximum into watching a video. Even better - 15 minutes.
Your videos are full of knowledge, but if you cut them back to 20 or less, people will commit themselves to watching them. I just want you to know, "You're my horse, even if you don't ever win a race". Thanks for all you do to educate us reloaders/shooters.
According to my stats, some of my highest viewership ranks with my longer videos. Thank you for your support!
I’ll watch them even if they are 2 hours long, he provides great info every time!
@@Duhaubetahiks Well, you go right on ahead and watch them. I appreciate your loyalty. Meanwhile read my post again. It says, "Most folks". Adios, Brother.
@@GunBlue490 Well, I'm totally wrong then. Make 'em even longer and i bet even more people will watch them.................. I like them; they are mature and full of knowledge, but they are a stretch...........
I love the long videos. Give me an hour!
Hand gun loads and some auto loading are the only ones I crimp. I sure enjoyed this as always. I enjoy the long and short videos and can't thank you enough for your efforts!
Thats pretty much everything though.
@@jimjab3631 that's about 1/3 of my reloading
The silver plating story lifted my morning.
Blessings from Australia.
Sir, your videos are so very instructional and I learn so much from them. God Bless…USAF Veteran, Green Mountain State
357 Maximum, I found crimping is necessary, 23.5 grains of H110, topped by a 158gr Hornady XTP.
Yes. that is consistent with his advice.
My 357max is a single shot BSA Martini cadet with a 19 inch barrel, I've never crimped the hand loads, it's not necessarily. Always crimp 357mag though as it's tube feed.
I encountered a bizzare situation with my .270 WSM model 700. I loaded up about 120 rounds and stored them for around 8 months. I go to the range and to my surprise the will not fit into the magazine. When I got home and measured them the were seated out an extra 15- 20 thou from what I originally seated them which was 2.86" COAL. My theory is that over this 8 month time the brass relaxed and lost enough of it's neck tension that the air inside the case slowly pushed the bullets back out- these were not full of powder either. My proof case for the load had no powder or primer so it didn't change. I tried reseatting those bullets and almost immediately they begun creeping right back out again regardless of how deep I tried to seat them. After that experience, I bought Lee factory crimp dies for every caliber I load and do it- no exceptions. I don't compete and rely on storing for potentially long periods of time so I don't want to have the same thing happen again. Anyone else experienced this?
Bullet insertion always displaces air. However, the volume of air is extremely small, and well within the normal holding capacity of the neck tension. I've stored handloads with compressed charges for years with no movement. Five factors can lessen that holding ability.
1. Oversize expansion ball or shaft. Very rare. The ball or largest diameter of the shaft should be exactly .001" less than bullet diameter.
2. Insufficient neck contact. The shank of the bullet should have one caliber of contact (not just seated depth, in the case of boat tails). So, the optimum case contact should be at least .277 to insure against rough handling.
3. Lubricant in necks. Tumbling or simple dry nylon inside neck brushing is normally sufficient to clean necks. If squeaking occurs, apply only a trace of lubricant to the neck brush. Never, ever, use sprays. Why they were ever marketed shows how profit, not wisdom, drives such sales. It's one of the most useless and costly snake oils we have.
4. Cases are too soft. Over heating brass during annealing can burn off harder alloys and irreparably ruin cases, and it's a common problem. Watch my annealing video.
5. Cases are too hard. Brass hardens during repeated cycles of firing and resizing. Hard brass loses its necessary elasticity that must grasp the bullet, just as an elasic band. WSM intensity is particularly severe on brass and will cause work hardening over a shorter number of cycles.
.
@@GunBlue490 Thank you for your prompt response GB. I have used one shot spray but no more. Based on what you've told me I'll have to look at my annealing process with these cases- I've had one or two come out with small splits on the shoulder after firing despite only sizing back about .002" and using Sinclair mandrels so I may not be holding the torch to them long enough.
I'll have you know after watching your video on big bore rifles, I acquired a Kleinguenther K-14 in .458 Winchester Magnum. I glass bedded the stock with the Devcon and free floated the barrel too- which I learned on another one of your videos. I have so much fun shooting 350 plated bullets with about 15 grains of Red Dot. 500gr Factory loads knock the crap out of my 145 lbs frame though. Thanks again GB.
I too thank your donors. Thank you for this marvelous video.
Lol That story about your Government work was Great.
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for the heads up video brother,and I enjoy listening to you and have been watching off and on for years,never gave me but the truth and the whole truth.God Bless you and yours and to all who watch.👍❤️🙏
I had the opposite problem GunBlue490. I bought a box of Remington .38 Special 158 grain lead round nosed. I put it in my snubby and I fired a few rounds and the revolver jammed up. A bullet had worked out of the case enough to jam up the cylinder. I shot a few more cylinders and it happened two more times. I gave up on that box. Real pain to open the cylinder with a bullet halfway hanging out of the casing. The bullets were so loose you could push the defective ones back in the case to a point and unjam the cylinder.
Yes, the sharp recoil of a small revolver will easily do that without a tight crimp.
Yes, that is the most common problem with revolver cartridges. "Bullet pull". The revolver snaps back in recoil and pulls the cartridge case with it by the rim. The bullet wants to stay in place and the case is pulled backwards off the bullet. Very common and THE reason revolver cartridges should be crimped.
The heavier the bullets and the lighter the revolver, the worse it is. Snub nose .38s, especially lightweight ones like a S&W 642 are very prone to this.
FWIW my "carry load" in a S&W M642 Airweight is the Buffalo Bore 158 gr. +P lead SWC-HP. I have not had a problem with this in my revolver.
I have been reloading for over 15 years , and Like you sir I love some of the great Ideas that Lee Precision has come out with,, As always I appreciate the sharing of your knowledge and your detailed descriptions on your videos, your never to old to learn , as I say be teachable you can never know too much and some people know more than you do just from experience, Keep up the awesome videos, Thank you.
Thanks for the info
I had a random feed problem with my 45 and 9 hand loads. I added a Lee factory crimp die to my progressive press and solved the problem.
I’ve had .40 S&W and especially .357 SIG have bullet setback on feeding from the magazine…the LEE factory crimp die made this issue with setback a thing of the past…I also give a fairly heavy crimp to my PC cast .452 bullets for Cowboy Action (I use the same loads in both Blackhawks and my rifle)…as an aside I always have cleaner brass when loading Hodgdon Titegroup if the heavy crimp is used…sooty cases with light crimps. I also use the LEE Factory Crimp on .300 Blackout and .556/.223 with a lighter medium crimp. The LEE company has kept reloading “honest” as well as affordable especially when starting out…I still use LEE dies in many calibers that I bought 30+ years ago (being a “thrifty” old man (some will use “cheap ass) I’m still rocking out ammo on a Dillon RL 450 I bought in the 1980s 😊😊😊…GunBlue490’s channel content is great with sensible videos delivered in a very clear easy to follow manner 👍👍👍…A BIG THANK YOU Sir!
As soon as I hear that warm, reassuming “welcome back”, I know I’m in for an entertaining and educational journey 😊
Thanks for the information and video. I mostly crimp for my ar ammo and then it’s a light crimp. Some time when searching for a load for a particular loading for my 308 Winchester. Most of the time no crimping needed.
Well done and accurate, as always. Factory crimping practice has a lot to do with the manufacturers' biggest concern: what happens between the factory and the customer? Ammunition made in Missouri and shipped to New Hampshire by truck freight can experience 1 million cycles of 0.5g acceleration up and down before it arrives. This is like tapping your inertial bullet puller on the kitchen table through numerous cups of coffee! Newer packaging that supports the bullet and restrains the case helps reduce transportation damage and allows a lesser crimp.
Great story about the plating
Excellent video
Thanks Mr Gunblue 😀😎👍🏼😊 Great Info To Know
Proverbs 27:17
Iron sharpeneth iron;
So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof:
So he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured.
Thank you for another wonderful lesson.
AS ALWAYAS i enjoyed listening to you speak on the subject of reloading or just about your life stories , a pleasure sir .
Thanks for going over this.
Fantastic info on crimping.
I love that silver plated .222 Remington case especially since I’m reliving and rediscovering the joys of the .222 and a vintage rifle of my childhood following my Pop around.
I have vintage .222 factory ammo from Remington, Federal, and Winchester and there’s no discernible crimp on any of it. I recently purchased 100 rounds of newly manufactured Remington .222 ammo and all of it is heavily crimped and they used a collet type crimp die in the process. You can see the segments that a collet would leave behind when crimped excessively. We never crimped .222 cases in our handloads and as far as I can tell, factory .222 ammo did not get crimped in the old days but new Remington .222 ammo is. I wouldn’t think there’s an advantage to crimping this particular caliber but in my quest to find the most accurate load in this rifle with currently made new components, I do plan to test the results of crimped vs non crimped using the LEE factory crimp die. I do have Pop’s notes from decades ago that the Speer 50 grain .224 was his most accurate bullet in this rifle and I have acquired a new supply of them to start testing with.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I rarely crimp even in autoloading rifles, yes big bore dangerous game ammo needs to be crimped and inspected if you are always topping off these rifles durning the hunt. Bullet tip damage can occur in soft pointed projectiles when in the box mag, with the tip striking the mag front. Corbin offers a cannelure tool allowing you to place a cannelure where you want it. I almost forgot CH4D also offers a cannelure tool.
I had issues with .30-30 Winchester new and reloads when bullets would be pushed into case.
A moderator on a gun board suggested that he did not crimp and tried that and never had a short cartridge.
I had prior always limited my magazine to 5 rounds.
Another factor in the tubular magazine is the closing of the lever releases the round in the magazine to smack rearward to fill the void in the elevator position.
Gregor
Wayne! I’m dying to see an update on the new deck! I hope it’s coming along well! Thank you for another great video!
Extremely informative as usual. Thanks for taking the time sharing your knowledge it truly is greatly appreciated.
Very informative like always!
A couple of years ago I was sent a warning on FB from an experienced shooter: He lost some fingers shooting a lever action 45-70 by omitting crimping his rather hot hand load... it happened exactly how you described it.
Also copper bullets seams to benefit being crimped and seated far of the land.
I worked at data circuits ! For 2 years abouts , we made circuit boards, with copper and gold dip tanks, the gold arsenic, was delivered by armed guard ( what a joke ) in small bottles . On the night shift I gold plated my shotgun triggers and my dad’s lee enfield trigger. That I now own ! Never got caught 😂
Im sorry for your loss, sir. I cant watch the video on Benny but i know the feeling of the loss of a dog (best friend). Its terrible. Thanks for what you do. Hope you and your family are doing well
I like to crimp the 30 WCF, 357 but overall not required for most calibers. Crimping required case length trimming
I forgot to mention that issue with regard to case length and regular seating/crimp dies. It's not an issue with the Lee Factory Crimp Die.
BTW: I tried setting up an RCBS powder measure using the method you showed (placing the pre-measured load wanted in the measure and then adjusting the metering assembly against the back of the housing casting.) That was a great tip; it took very little adjusting to get it spot-on.
I also experimented with two identical RCBS powder measures - except one had a large powder bore drum and metering assembly and the other had the smaller bore drum and metering assembly. I wanted to see if one threw more consistent loads than the other. I chose 6.0 grains of Unique as my test load, a typical piston/revolver load. The end result, for me at least, was that there was no discernable difference. In fact, if anything, the measure with the larger bore may have been a tad more consistent than the one with the smaller bore. I'm guessing that is possible because the powder does not have to drop down into as deep a cavity with the larger bore and therefore has an easier time of getting the same amount into the bore each time(?). Whatever the reason, I could find no reason to switch to the smaller bore drum and metering stem. Thanks again for your shows.
Thank you for your support. I'm glad that you performed your own test and discovered the best situation for your loads. As a matter of note, Unique and most pistol and shotgun powders charge very uniformly, and the reason you observed more consistent charges with the larger drum is because of their nature to stack flat and slide past the cutting surface agreeably, if you will. If you ever load with standard charges of extruded rifle powders however, such is not the case. They're shaped like logs, so any that are caught between the frame and drum must be forcefully sheared by the operator. The more granules that are exposed to the larger cutting surface, the more difficult it is to swing the drum, and the greater the number of granules that get randomized and upset the volume consistency. There's a very discernable difference that is easily observed just by the effort involved, and you can actually feel more granules being cut. So, don't let that small drum go anywhere in case you need it some day!
@@GunBlue490 Got what you're saying. Yes, they are shaped like little rods. Thanks much.
@@GunBlue490 I have found this too using Vit N140. I prefer to use the smaller drum. I'll be watching a lot more of your videos over the winter, a nice contrast to the younger guys that tend to be drawn to the latest shiny gadgets!
I am a new handloader. Thank you for the crimping discussion. I really enjoyed the story about the boss!
love that story about the boss 😂
great educational video today thanks.
OUTSTANDING INFORMATION SIR!
I'M RESTORING A SWISS VETTERLI (140 + YEARS OLD) AND WASN'T SURE IF CRIMPING WAS NECESSARY ON THE 300GR CAST BULLETS. YOUR ADVISE HELPED ME MAKE MY DECISION. LIKE ALL OF MY OTHER ANTIQUE RIFLES I THINK I WILL PROCEED WITHOUT CRIMPING - NECK TENSION SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR EXPERTISE!
THANKS for clarifying all of my crimp or no crimp questions.
This is the one I was waiting for! Thanks so much and God bless
I like a good crimp on my .223 rounds for use in AR box magazines. The case mouth edge will hang on the magazine when feeding without a decent crimp. And, of course, I put a good crimp on my 30-30 rounds, since they go into a tubular magazine. Great video!
I am so glad that I ran across your video today. Thank you.
As always, thank you for posting. I enjoy most of your videos! However, During recoil, if the bullets still in the cylinder move, they will pull forward, or out of the case, not further into the case.
Very happy to see you feeling well. May God grant you many more years. Your content is very good. I will be watching!
You mentioned you sometimes use a crimp on .223 , could you explain why please as I am reloading .223 at the moment. Great info and so well explained thank you
It’s not required if your single feeding a bolt gun or have a short magazine 5/10 rds. What can happen is although the 223/556 is a low recoil cartridge, in the case of a longer magazine 20/30 rds the the cartridges are further away from the recoil of the firearm so they experience more backwards movement the further along they are in the magazine, if your a reloader and your trying to decide to crimp or not? It has been shown that consistently crimped cartridge are more accurate and more precise then non crimped bullets if thats important to you you should crimp…. That being said most application for shooting don’t require the degree of accuracy I’m talking about(plinking at the range) not all hand loaders crimp. However I would advice because consistency is the key to safety when reloading if you decide to crimp you should always crimp if you don’t then don’t. Be advised that most two dye reloader sets,the seating dye is also a crimping dye, it’s just that Lee makes a separate dye( very popular) just for crimping. It’s popular because it gives you a factory crimp, this is because it’s using the same collet mechanism to crimp that factory ammo used that’s why it’s very popular with reloader’s. Sorry I’m long winded. Hoping this helps
Many thanks for another tutorial vid on re-loading. I am starting to reload 9mm using Starlilne brass with 124gn Berry RNCP bullets. My question is on the taper crimp used for this. I have a Lee die set with a separate die for the crimp. How much crimp is too much ? I am used to reloading .45LC and no problems . . .BUT now doing 9mm hand loads using a taper crimp is a little confusing on how much crimp to use. I have Lee 9mm die set and RCBS .45LC die set....tks !
I used to reload 30-06 for and old Ruger M77 and quickly learned that I had to use a cannelured bullet with a solid crimp for the purpose of feeding. That rifle would hang up the case mouth on uncrimped loads.
That's a terrific controlled feed bolt. I suspect that it was catching on the sharp edge of the magazine box before the case slid fully up into the claw, which can occur with some rifles. In most situations, the remedy is to simply bevel the offending edge with a couple of strokes of a fine file, followed by a bit of cold blue.
Im fairly new to handloading and have bought a few different dies. So far I prefer Lee dies. They just seem to work better for me. The rcbs seating die is a tad more consistent a keep seating depths
Lee factory crimp dies are excellent, I believe they can even improve accuracy when used lightly on bottle neck cartriges
I think that case neck tension has more to do with accuracy then crimping. I only do a taper crimp on handgun rounds, or cast. And even only on some cast rifle rounds, depending on if the rifle likes it.
Thank you. I am a new reloaded and you explained this topic perfectly. Glad Bennie is doing well!
Another very informative video…thank you so much for sharing your vast knowledge with the shooting community. God bless.
Hope your doing well and getting ready for spring? Appreciate the crimp explanation especially about the factory taper crimp and how to use it for an auto pistol.
very good and informative. i have not reloaded pistol cartridges yet and it just seems so much more uggggh. the crimp especially. hope i do it right lol.
Thanks for telling us about Benny
The only cartridge that I always crimp is the .375 Winchester. I anneal the necks and shoulders of bottleneck cases and call it good.
If i'm not mistaken, manufacturers are using a glue/adhesive for for bullet seating.
I have had some loads shift mostly in my 22-250 A.I. from compressed loads if you run tight neck chamber with a bushing die almost no grip at all after trimming necks down I just keep a eye on OAL cause it can get stuck in lands on a eject then you got a mess Never did like crimping but it needs to be done just not on baby bench rest
Thanks for this video. It was very informative, I have only been hand loading for 5 or 6 years now and always looking for more info on handloading.
On my 6.5 Swede I have a problem getting enough pressure to get a good case seal. I'm loading a touch over max and its not bad but it still leaves the cases sooty. The primers show very low pressure so I feel like I'm safe. I tried crimping them to make the pressure increase faster to get a better seal but it only helped little if any.
Be sure to keep your chamber completely dry and free of oil, too. Oil will prevent proper brass to chamber sealing. Also, old military brass may have been fired with corrosive primers that crystalizes brass and prevents sealing with successive loads, so such brass should be discarded.
@@GunBlue490 I'm using recently purchased Nosler brass so thats not the issue. But the oil chamber is an intresting thought. I oil then wipe it out thoroughly afterwards, but maybe not dry enough. Thank you so much for the reply!
New to the channel. Gave sub and hope to see more great things from you.
Welcome to my channel! I've got over 240 videos for you. God bless.
Great information, you mention several times of the bullet possibly traveling deeper into the case, wouldn’t it be more worrisome of the bullet moving outward from the case due to the recoil?
No, bullets always want to drive deeper. At the end of the gun's recoil rearward, the bullet inertia continues rearward into the case.
Thanks, I reloaded some snake shot to factory specs in my .38 special, after the first shot several the plastic shot holders moved forward causing a jam in the revolver, the gun was a S&W air weight, that’s what was leading me to believe that the bullets would move foreword from the centrifugal force of the recoil. Thanks again.
It has been my experience that bullets usually get pushed in under recoil, except revolvers- where the rest of the cartridges not being fired are accelerated rearward as the revolver recoils by their cases as they are generally head spaced by the rim.
Mostly a problem with heavy recoil cartridges in light weight revolvers.
No think about when you fire a gun does it push you back or forward? You have two big feet and the rest of your body centering your gravity and it still pushes you back now think of the bullet, it’s rim is against the revolver, or magazine it can only go backwards assuming that the bullet has anywhere near the correct tension to hold it in place. You hear of bolt rifles having issues sometimes with a bullet getting stuck in the lands of the rifle, that happens because competition rifle shooters will often NOT crimp because they want the bullet looser then average. They practice something called bullet jump which is basically a longer bullet case over all length. This can and sometimes cause a bullet to get stuck in the chamber when they are told to clear the chamber for a stop in firing scenario, this as you can imagine is a disaster for the competitor because he now has to dig that bullet out and clean up all the spilled powder in the middle of a firing sequence while the opposition is firing, however this is a risk many take because their rifle shoots better with a longer over all length which is the case with many competition rifles, your better off crimping unless your a F class or ELR shooter. That being said that bullet jump is only practiced by a minority of shooters because they don’t want to risk a bullet jam which can sometimes happen if you “jump”.
Great information, thank you sir!
Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us, God loves ya!
The only case I found that crimping was favorable, was a 30-06 semi-auto, but that was strictly for feeding issues I had with „untapered“ case mouths.
What's going on with your timber frame project ?
It's still very much in progress, but August weather slowed me down, between 90+ degrees and torrential rains. Hopefully, things will resume full steam ahead through this month.
I crimp all pistol rounds, but not my rifle rounds. I found my 270 and 6.5 Grendel both had larger groups when crimped. The Grendel 1.5" groups crimped, and 0.5" without crimps. I also found my accuracy was much better when I anneal the brass.
Thank you for another great video. This video is exactly what I needed to see and at just the right time. Like all your videos, I learn as if I were back in college and even take notes for my reloading journal. I'm truly appreciative that you're on UA-cam and have tremendous respect for you and your channel. My only complaint is that Benny didn't make an appearance in this episode but it sounds like he was busy upstairs. Thank you again!
Thank you Captain for another informative and stimulating discussion. I purchased a Lee collet factory crimp die and was hoping to use it for one of my daughters loads. Now she chose a bit hotter load than I would have preferred and this video came at a very good time. She and I were both wondering if we applied the collet crimp, do you think we would experience more case pressure then if it weren't crimped? We are safely using published data from Nosler. What could we expect? Which pressure signs are more likely if so? A million thanks for all the education we receive from you. May God bless you!
Crimping doesn't measurably alter pressure.
Thank you sir.
@@GunBlue490 Good to know. I have had some trepidation about crimping with the lee die. I lightly crimp all my loads. I emphasize 'light' and I had begun to be concerned if there could be pressure problems. Thank you
Thanks mate take care safe.👍💚🦘✌
Both the Lee Collet Sizing Die and the Lee Factory Crimping Die are marvels of engineering the average man can afford to own. Years back I tested bullet performance in the 7mm Rem Mag. 139 Hornady BT Interlocks and 150 Nosler Ballistic Tips (the very early ones, grenades!). Soaked for 2 days wet newsprint was my medium. An interesting thing happened when I crimped both bullets to maximum. The 139's could be seated out longer so the crimp was below the cannelure about where the so-called interlock ring inside the bullet is. The 150's have no cannelure but the Die swages a perfect ring into the Noslers that looks like the grooves on a Barnes TTSX bullet.
Uncrimped bullets of both kinds essentially exploded in the newsprint inside of 200 yards.
The maximum setting crimped bullets now performed similar to Speer Grandslams where the front of the bullet ahead of the heavy crimp fragments causing damage but the lead core behind the heavy crimp stayed in the base and drove through like the harder lead based Grandslams or dare I say Partitions. Even if the expanded jacketing ahead of the crimp sneered off the bases plowed straight through for another 12+ inches.
Now the 139 Interlock was actually performing like advertised and the Ballistic Tips were turning whitetailed bucks boiler rooms into red jelly and blowing through the far side.
Accuracy actually improved with the Ballistic Tips and the Interlock Boat-tails stayed the same out of the 26" barrel of my Browning LH A-Bolt Medallion rifle.
Edit: *sheared* off...
Thanks. Edit: The silver plating story at the end cracked me up.
I just bought a number of crimp dies for lever actions and heavy recoiling rifles like 375 H&H, 405 Win, 416 Rem Mag and 458 Win. Also 45 acp and 9 mm. Actually, I don't consider the 375 to be a heavy recoiling rifle, but I bought the die anyway.
Thanks for the chat, crimp has been the hardest for me since I have not found a good way to measure other then a fingernail. My concern is overcrimping, but I suppose it comes with time and experience.
Thanks for your support. For the easiest method of crimping very precisely and uniformly, I recommend the Lee Factory Crimp Die. It's very easy to regulate any degree of crimp, and it's impossible to over crimp with it. Except for the situations I explained for handguns, tubular fed magazines, and very heavy calibers, crimping is entirely unnecessary anyway.
Thank you
Between loading with my dad and in my own I have been at it close to 30 years. Have you seen any correlation between more consistent velocity and crimping? The story about you plating your cases was quite humorous, thank you for sharing it.
On the basis of the decades of benchrest records that have been set, and from my own personal observations with my various accuracy testing, I have every confidence that non crimped rifle ammo performs at its peak. One note: I have pulled countless bullets over the years from both non crimped and factory crimped ammo. While the former are virtually unmarred, crimped bullets have scrape marks along their entire shank. One of the most significant negative accuracy issues is flaws at the base of a bullet or at the crown of a barrel that diverts gasses at the moment of release. I have every reason to believe that the best bullet is a clean one, unscarred by the case.
@@GunBlue490 Thank you for such a thorough explanation.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Hahahahaha 😂. That was hilarious!! It never fails Lol
I have found that the Lee FCD is very handy especially for semiautomatic handgun cartridges. I use the FCD religiously for all of my 9mm, 10mm, and 45ACP loadings. I like it not only for the uniform collet crimp, but also for the added benefit of post-sizing the case at the upstroke as the casing exits the die. I have had zero chamering/extraction issues in many thousands of rounds loaded with this great tool.
you the man gunblue love your videos i had a question for you in the backround (not the backround of this video ) on your reloading bench you had a little wooden roller looks kinda like a hand held manual steamroller and it looks yellow but im sure thats just color of the wood its made of any way what is that for? cause i have one and i cant figure what it is
I'll have to investigate that! Can you tell me which video?
Sounds like a wooden bullet mold mallet. Sprue wacker?
@@GunBlue490 yes if you go to 30:54 time stamp on your "How to Clean and Maintain a Ruger Mini 14" video its right at the top of the screen on the tray
Great video I learned a lot. Thanks.
Thanks again.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I really like the Lee crimp die. It’s simple and effective.
I generally give everything a light crimp except for my tube magazine fed rifles (lever guns) which I put a fairly heavy crimp on.
Excellent video..Thank you.
Thanks for the video. A small error in the video indexing . It's written "Crimping without cantaloupe" instead of cannelure
Great information! Thanks
Good morning sir, great video, channel, and source of information. Thank you for your dedication to the sport. I am new to the channel and want to learn how to reload, my question is with head-spacing, if I follow the specifications in the manual will the head spacing be correct ? Thanks again. God bless.
Always precise and useful information. 👍
I very much enjoy your channel your information is always relevant and useful.
Very good information! Thank you!
Awesome video, you've answered all my questions, thanks!