Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Lee Factory Crimp dies for cast bullets?

I reload for about 12 different revolvers and every one of them is more accurate with jacketed bullets than cast lead. In some the difference isn’t so much, with others it is.

Jacketed bullets I buy for my .44s are either 0.429 or 0.4295” dia., cast bullets are usually 0.430”. I crimp all of them with a Lee Factory Crimp die which resizes them. I’ve started to wonder if that’s a mistake with the cast bullets. What is the best way to crimp cast bullets?

Thanks!

If you want to get serious with lead. Missouri bullets sells some soft lead you can slug your bore with. Then they will sell you the right diameter lead bullets.
As to the Lee die that’s what I use most of the time for both. Lately I have been trying a Redding crimp die in 45 acp with good results. Hasbeen

I found a LFC would size down the lead bullets, defeating the purpose of buying them over sized.

You can knock the carbide sizer ring out. I did it with a .44 mag die I was using to load for my Super Blackhawk. Helped quite a bit. I need .432" in that revolver.

Best answer! Tried and true.

Yep, I’ve done that to several and it fixes the resizing problem.



I also bought a .44 collet crimp die that works great.


https://leeprecision.com/44-magnum-custom-carbide-factory-crimp-die.html

Hey thanks guys! I just removed the resizing ring from mine. Now, will a collet crimp die still give better results?

With most bullets I have seen no difference.


I have one 300gr cast flat nose that the crimp groove is low on so a lot of the bullet is above the case mouth. The standard crimp die would push it deeper, the collet die fixed that problem. That one bullet is the only bullet I use the collet die for. Everything else gets the regular FCD with the ring knocked out.

I have always roll crimped revolver reloads and have never had a problem. I taper crimp cast bullet auto reloads, closing the case mouth just enough to bite the bullet, for lack of a better term, and I've gotten good accuracy with them too. On the press handle this amounts to a light bump at the end of the stroke. You can definitely have too much of a good thing though and if you overdo it, accuracy will suffer.

I like the Redding profile crimp die for cast bullets in my 45 Colt Ruger Bisley.

+1

The Collet die is better at folding brass into the crimp groove. I use both for 44mag and I like the collet for hard recoiling loads where I'm concerned about bullet pull.

https://sites.google.com/site/hobbyhintstricksideas/home/crimping-44-magnum

LEE always has a dog schit solution to things I've never found that complicated or not remedied better by something someone else makes or a general understanding of run of the mill dies.

They do have the markets cornered on cheap and menially serviceable, I'll give them that.

The two times I tried a FCD, I threw them away. I've never had any trouble using the RCBS taper crimp dies for autos, or the regular roll crimp dies for revolvers. I am really unimpressed with the LEE FCDs. They just don't fulfill any needs I've had when loading ammo. I did load some .40 S&W loads in 10mm dies that needed a vague taper crimp, but even then the FCD didn't really do much. I can easily live without them.

Some 357s loaded on a Dillon Square Deal and then finished with Lee Collet Die. 185gr LFGC Beartooth, 180gr Horn JHP, 173gr Keith (orig Lyman mold), 170gr "Keith" Leadheads. I was getting a little flare (convex) with SDB under heavy crimp, so I gave the Collet Die a whirl.

Well, THAT is what I would call a heavy crimp!

I’ve yet to have a problem crimping with the bullet seating die; regardless of brand.

I use whatever came with the Lee 40 S&W dies. I spend a while setting everything up, but I seat and taper crimp at the same time. I've got an old 6 hole Spar-T press, so I just leave that set in place. I've probably run 1200-1500 of them like that n the last year and those reloads function and shoot as well or better than factory loads.