Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns 45 long colt crimp?

I just have the standard RCBS carbide set. Is there and better crimp? Lee makes a taper crimp, any advantage?

I've used the Lee factory crimp for 45 rifle and pistol for many years without any issues.

I've found the Lee crimp does to be better than the RCBS but that was years ago and things may have changed. I'm still using the Lee.

My old 45 Colt Hornady dies came with a roll crimp seating die. It works fine for me because don't routinely load any bullets in that cartridge, which don't have a crimping groove. I have found it sufficient to keep 335 grain bullets from 'walking' with Mongo loads that generate plenty of recoil to test the crimp.

I have, on occasion, loaded a few 45 ACP bullets that do not have a crimping groove. For those I have a spacer that allows me to use my 45 ACP Taper Crimp die, with no further adjustments.

IMHO a taper crimp is less strong than a roll crimp and is only useful for bullets w/o crimp grooves. I suppose if someone were truly inept with the use of a roll crimp a taper crimp might be stronger but it seems unlikely such a person would use a taper crimp correctly either. Seems to me like an answer in search of a question. I would stick with the RCBS seater and crimp. Then, if you have problems, ask for advice regarding how to use them more effectively, but don't go looking for a problem you haven't encountered yet. Again, though, that's IMHO.

Tom

Std. roll crimp.

A lot depends on the type and diameter of bullets you're using. The LEE factory crimp die is built around factory jacketed bullets and those under .452 for certain.

I'm usually using .455 sized stuff, so I usually use the roll crimp on RCBS Cowboy dies.

Roll crimp!

My dies are Redding Pro’s. I used Hornady’s prior. I believe the roll crimp is the most important component of a hunting handgun load.

Readily available taper crimp dies were a great improvement for those of us who were trying to reload good, reliable auto pistol ammo.

Some years back I had a 300 grain 44 Mag load that was bad about walking out bullets from my 4" Model 29. I tried a combination of taper followed by roll crimping. The eventual solution was to turn the expander down about .004" and after that, the standard roll crimp worked fine.

Just for the record my Lee crimp due us not the factory crimp die

It is something because Lee make 3 types of crimp dies.
I have 1000 Ranier no canelure 250 grain brass plated rounds. So I wanted to use those up.
I am going to run out to the big gun shop (Grice) and see what they have. I thing I'll get the taper, and the collet style if they have both. Looks like no one is saying Lee crimpers are not good mated with the appropriate bullet. So I'll give it a whirl.

Yes, turn your existing seater die down more, research these pages to find a thread by MakaySagebrush and RJM talking about the stepdown? crimp, I learned it right here and have the same RCBS dies you have in 44 magnum, 45 Colt and 454 Casull, went back and re-crimped all my 44 and 454 loads, the bullets will NOT walk when so crimped.

I use Lee carbide crimp dies.

https://leeprecision.com/reloading-dies/hand-gun-dies/lee-carbide-factory-crimp-die/


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOrHwT4NFKI

Lee makes a collet crimp die for .45 Colt. I have one but cannot comment on how good it works because I haven’t used it yet. I like how the collet crimp works on my .375 Winchester though, so I can’t imagine it not working well for the .45 Colt.

Depends

For heavy, hunting loads, I roll crimp with RCBS dies.
For Cowboy Action loads, I use the Lee taper crimp.


Heavy loads, especially when in a tubular magazine rifle; requires a good crimp, to prevent bullet setback.