Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 375 H&H -- Need to crimp?

I'm about to start loading for an upcoming safari, and I've not loaded for 375 H&H before. Is this a round that absolutely needs a crimp? The bullets are 260 grain Accubond, and they do have a cannelure.

Any recommendations in this regard? If so, can I achieve the crimp with a Forster Ultra seating die, or do I need a separate die? I've not previously handloaded rounds that required crimping.

I purchased one of the Lee Factory Crimp dies for my .375 Ouch & Ouch because the recoil of my top loads drove a bullet back into the case if I left one round in the mag and reloaded another 5 cartridges (i.e. the 12th round -- first 11 were OK and showed now bullet set back).

Yeah, I know bullet tension should be enough but even after reducing the diameter of my expander ball slightly I still had this happen. Also, that the bullet in the 12th round was very slightly driven into the case from the previous 11 shots is not going to be a frequent problem in the field either! (I only discovered this bullet setback in winning a bet on how many times I could bang a gong in a given time period.)

Anyway, this die solved the (very slight) bullet movement problem. I also found it more convenient to use this separate die when needed rather than screw up my normal die settings by adjusting to crimp (lighter loads or bullets needed no crimp).

John

I shot the same bullet in my Mk. V .375 H&H both here and in Africa, and I had no problems with bullets moving in the cases from recoil. Shoot a few bullets with the magazine loaded and see what happens. If you're a belt and suspenders kind of guy, do as jpb suggests and buy a crimp die...

I only crimp straight sided cases, .45/70, .458. .500 S&W etc. I do not crimp bottleneck cases, even the .460.

I have found over the years that bullet slip is caused more by lousy dies not sizing the cases properly and these days I happily toss loose sizing dies in the trash and buy again until I am happy.

JW

With any round intended for use against something that can hurt you in return, I feel more confident with some degree of crimp on the bullet. Personally, I favor the Lee Factory crimp dies that are not dependent on the bullet having a cannelure. I also feel that the addition of a moderate crimp aids in the consistency of powder ignition.

"Any recommendations in this regard?"

If the factories crimp a round it makes sense for reloaders to do it also, right?

I'd suggest sticking to factory ammo for your safari.

No, not absolutely.



Use a Lee Crimp die and crimp at the cannelure. Better yet, find a safe, accurate load that fills the case to just below the bullet base with the cannelure at case mouth.