Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Crimp or not to crimp?

Should get style points, crimping those Barnes grooves...

Doubt it makes them shoot any better.

DF

In more than 40 years of reloading I have never crimped any rifle cartridge no matter if it was for a bolt action, lever action or slide action. Never have had any issues with bullet setback, so I see no reason to add an extra step.

I don't crimp any of my hunting ammo except my 9.3x62 stuff

I do however crimp for our AR15 shooting habits

Mostly because the crimp is station 5 in both of our progressive presses and isn't any extra step in a progressive situation

I crimp loads for my .375 Ruger.

I know most do not crimp. How ever I have found that in a lot of cases a lee factory crimp will make standard deviation better and increase accuracy. Most of my testing was with 308, 223/5.56 and 6.8. For what it's worth it seems to make a more consistent neck tension. I can't say I always crimp because some case bullet combinations just work well, but crimping is something I keep in my box of tricks to some time get an extra .1 or .2.

I'm working with a new (to me) .22 Hornet.

From what I'm reading, partial neck sizing, making sure the case neck is slightly belled and/or well chamfered, and using the Lee Factory Crimp die is the way to go.

We'll see.

DF

Dirtfarmer...my bet is your going to find the hornet likes a crimp.

I'm a believer that using a Lee factory crimp improves accuracy consistency, especially when your maximum OAL is dictated to the magazine length. Most handloader search for optimal seating length to find out there hunting bolt action rifle is now a tack driver single shot
Lee Factory crimping has worked very well for me on hunting rifles......I'm a crimper and not ashamed to admit it

This.

Hunting ammo I can find no reason not to crimp. Lee crimp dies are cheap. Hunting brass doesn't require long life. Crimping gives more consistent ammo, which is exactly why factory ammo gets crimped. Crimping is a personal choice. Some guys think the earth will explode if you think crimping is a good thing. I just follow the Professionals lead. Crimp hunting ammo, It has no down sides when using a Lee crimp die.

I've not adequately studied this to make a definitive statement, but it seems to me, the Lee Factory Crimp die helps with runout.

Just a hunch. I need to check before and after runout and see what if any difference it makes.

Anyone BTDT?

DF

I'm not interested in crimping into non-cannelured bullets, nor always letting the placement of a cannelure set the OAL for me.

I don't let cannelures dictate COAL.

Sometimes a mild crimp with the Lee die on a soft bullet like the VLD doesn't seem to affect accuracy.

The above post about runout should have been prefaced by "some rounds", especially those without full caliber seating into the neck. Like 130'a in an "06.

Longer bullets with full neck contact, even into the case cavity, probably not so much.

I find some rounds very hard to move with the TruTool, others very easy, almost too easy. To me the latter group may be the ones benefiting from a Lee crimp. Each situation seems unique.

DF

I crimp all of my Rifle Semi-Auto handloads with the Lee Factory Crimp die.

No only does it help secure the bullet from forward creep, it improves accuracy.

What's not to luv?

I have a M70 375HH using 270 TSXs that gets crimped because it feeds much better with the crimp. I lost a small bit of accuracy due to having to seat the bullet slightly deeper to crimp into the cannelure. I load for about a dozen other calibers and don't crimp for anything else (all bolt guns.

There was a study done over on Accurate Reloading on this very subject, and the conclusion was, there is a slight improvement in accuracy with crimped cartridges. Reason being, it affords a more uniform "grip" on the bullet, and thus more consistency. I used to never crimp, but with the advent of the Lee Factory Crimp Die, I now crimp just about every caliber I shoot.

That old 300 Savage likes a bit of lovin' from a Lee FCD against those 180 Speer rn hot-cores.