Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles To crimp or not to crimp, that is the question

My rifle is a Winchester model 70 and I have been loading Hornady 150 and 165 BTSP interlocks with 42 and 44 grains of 4064.

And thanks for all the replies, I appreciate them.

The most reasonable explanation I have read on this thread !

Your math isn't worth a $hit.

Nothing like a bunch of dumb [bleep] paper shooters that seem to know almost nothing about reloading, cartridges, or headspacing. In the real world we need reliability. Buy a reloading manual and read it from the begining.

"It's common for crimped bulets to produce more consistent powder burn when using smokless propellants."

I try to respect everybodys opinion...but

The responses showed little knowledge of how powder burns or how some cartridges headspace. All this info is in the begining section of an inexpensive reloading manual. Failure to crimp with some powders will result in bullets lodged in the barrel which can ruin a gun or injure/kill somebody.

The responses showed a few members entering into a battle of wits with the unarmed....

Always carry a good hardwood dowel,lard and a small hand sledge to the range, it comes in handy for those dangerous half azz boolits that don't leave the bore!

I crimp everything. I love to crimp!
I'd crimp your crank if I could get the little thing in my press.
Cisco

I do not always Crimp,

But when I do, I use Lee Factory crimp dies (except for my 480R)

I Do crimp:

All Handgun ammo

and

All AR10 & AR15 Ammo

And

All Levergun ammo

Never any Bolt action ammo or BAR ammo

I'm not against doing it... I just don't

That is all

Snake

Please explain.

Chirp, chirp...

Could you let us know specifically which load that would cause that phenominum !!

I'm with temmi on this one. I crimp handgun, anything in a tube feed, or semi-auto. Anything bolt action does not get a crimp. Lee crimp dies are all I use when I do crimp, best thing since sliced bread IMO.

That is because you are both wise and experienced beyond your years Fotis. I concur. Also agree with a previous post that bench rest shooter and long range shooters would never consider it but listening and advising are mutually exclusive. The advice is there for those who want it.

A bullet lodged in the barrel is a dangerous situation!!
For our safety we're still waiting for those loads that'll stick a bullet in the bore if not crimped

NRA High Power shooters have known for a long time--1960 or so--that crimping has a slight but negative effect on accuracy. This is because the crimping pressure variation is just one more slight variable. The only valid reason for crimping, in my experience, is if the bullets slip in the cases due to recoil in the magazine. Whether the rifle is a semi-auto or not makes no difference that I can tell. Unless your sizing dies are incorrect, crimping is not needed for anything in the 30-06 or .300 magnum class.

I do not crimp .375 H&H 300 grain 2500 fps soft point loads because I need to seat them slightly deeper to get them to feed well. The bullets do not shift in the cases. I do crimp 300 grain solids because they have many little grooves, not just one cannelure.

I get a kick out of the "debates" that materialize on most forums lately. People seem to be thinking their opinions are what should be accepted and none other's matter. I've been reloading for about 40 years now. I crimp 30-30 Win and ONLY when it is going into a tubular magazine. For the purposes of this discussion, who gives a flying [bleep] WHAT you do with handgun reloads? More and more people are showing up here that just what to see their,,,,,,,,,,,,,,aw nevermind. It just isn't worth it.

That's pretty much what I do as well. Also over on Accurate Reloading, there is a good treatise on crimping vs non-crimping bullets and the results showed a slight improvement in accuracy when a uniform crimp was applied and that is why I use it. For doubles, there is also some good info in Graham Right's book on the subject and he comes to the surprising conclusion (at least to me) there was no need to crimp even the biggest doubles. Also there is a note in there about the 416 Rigby magazine rifle where no amount of crimping prevented at lest some dislodging of the bullet. Lastly, do the opposite of whatever that inbred doofus Swampdick says to do. jorge

Back in the early 80's I was loading for a Win 70 Featherweight .308 win using 165gr Horn BTSP's and used a slight roll crimp at the cannelure. That particular load of BL-C2 with ww brass, and win primers shot ridiculously well.

Was young and dumb in those days and never tested without the crimp. But because of how well it shot, I just kept crimping them.

Again, I used a slight roll crimp. You should try it and see how it works out for you. I never crimped any bullet that did not have a cannelure though and today I don't crimp at all.

That was one of those rifles I wish I never sold.....