[Blakenzy]

Is using the Lee Factory Crimp Die worth the extra step or is it superfluous when it comes to applying crimp to pistol and revolver cartridges?

[rcmodel]

Totally superfluous if you are doing everything else right.

I do like the rifle collet-crimp version for .223, 30-30, 25-20, 44-40 and such, but have never found the need to resize handgun ammo to crimp them.

I crimp handgun ammo in the seater die, as I have been doing since 1962.

If you do a search here, or just read the posts for more then a day, you will find
people either despise them, or think they are a better invention then sliced bread.

rc

[CU74]

Not to Pelosi in your porridge, but neither of the poll choices reflects my opinion of the use for the Lee FCD - and they appear to be a wee bit strongly stated as well:(. I do not consider the LCD to be a waste of time, nor do I see it as necessary to get a proper crimp. I prefer to use the bullet seating die for seating and the FCD for crimping. I do not consider the FCD a panacea, just another handy tool that lets me reload like I want to.

[Otto]

Threads like this have a tendency to polarize readers that have violently differing opinions in hopes of creating a conflict. IMO, it's a form of trolling. Might as well start a Dillon vs Hornady poll.

[NCsmitty]

As other posters mention, normally I do not crimp my ammo . I only use the LCD on my military ammo that I pull the bullet from and reuse. The crimp groove in the milsurp bullets are different from a cannelure in a factory bullet. I find that LCD works best when reloading that type of bullet.
The only other round that gets crimped is the 30-30 and the regular seating die usually takes care of that.

NCsmitty

[bullseye308]

Could be either depending on caliber and many other factors. If properly set it could be good for half of us. It is not necessary though it you set your seater correctly. I prefer it myself.

[jcwit]

Had used it and it solved chambering problems but had lousy accuracy and with my shooting abilty with pistols it has to be REALLY bad for me to say so.

Any way after listening to the top 3 reloaders here and following their instructions to the letter was able to do away with using the FCD and I didn't realize I could shoot so accurately.

Other than this I like Lee products mostly.

[The Bushmaster]

As I stated in a previous thread. Yes and no. Depending how and when you use it. If you are using it to post resize a a "bad do" on a cartridge then it's NO. If you are using it for crimping then yes...

I couldn't participate in the poll because you didn't have "Both"...

[MMCSRET]

I have to fall in line with CU74, I use them on occasion, but they are not required for all loading. Your wording of the poll questions was presumptive and inflammatory, so I'll leave it at that. I use them for some situations, do I smell my self being redundant?

[cochise9424221]

I use it but then I use a Dillon for my handgun ammo and it has room for the extra die.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

I use it quite a bit for my .223 reloads (thru an ar-15) and also use it when reloading 38/.357 (same die set). It makes it so much easier not having to set up the bullet seater die to seat and crimp when I load 38's and then 357's in the same reloading session. I can use my dummy rounds to get my oal dialed in for the seating process, and the fcd is easy to set up with a loaded round. As for 9mm, .45 acp, and .45LC i just use the seating die cuz it does a great job and is FASTER. No crimp on the .243 rounds. So what I am trying to say in a long-winded way: The FCD is not necessary, but can be convienent. It may be good for newbies that have problems setting up their seating die to perform 2 operations in one stroke. This is knid of a shame because I think that every reloader should know how to do this...It really isn't hard. Lee is just trying to spoil us!!!

[bobotech]

I use it for 308 only because I shoot an autoloader and don't want the bullets to sink in from recoil while in the mags.

[ArchAngelCD]

I like the FCD and prefer to use it but it's not necessary to get a proper crimp. I bought a Lee Classic 4 hole turret press the the 4 die sets are cheap enough to use. Since IMO I get a more precise crimp with a separate crimp die I use it but like I said, it's by no means necessary.

I do like the Lee rifle crimp dies a lot though.

[freakshow10mm]

I seat separately but use a Redding crimp die. The Lee FCD is overrated.

[lgbloader]

I didn't participate in this poll either, as it was to the extreme either/or.

I have crimp dies but you still have to set up the rest of the dies correctly. You can't halfassit and then try to correct everything with a crimp die. You should learn to assemble rounds without it first to make sure you get it right. Look, you should'nt depend on it. That's all I'm saying.

Sorry for preaching...

LGB

[cyclopsgrips]

when storing large amounts of .223 in ammo cans loose i think it is wise practice to crimp them,but thats about it.

[Steve C]

I didn't vote on the poll since its not a simple single response.

IMOFWIW

For loading semi auto pistol cartridges with taper crimp the Lee FC die IMO is one of the best tools to produce reliable feeding ammo, esp. when using mixed brass or you want a very tight taper crimp on jacketed bullets that will always be within SAAMI dimensional standards.

For straight walled revolver cartridges using a roll crimp they're as good as any crimp die including the one that comes standard with any reloading set. In other words, for this application they're not needed or of any extra benefit

For rifle cartridges when loading cannelured bullets for semi auto cartridges that will be fired in military type rifles from clips, detachable box magazines or in tube fed rifles the Lee FC collet rifle dies work great. For the typical bolt action rifle or rounds from a single shot they're not really needed and don't add any benefit.

[evan price]

If you are doing the job right- setting up the other dies in the process correctly, using in-spec brass, properly sized bullets, right amount of flare, etc, the FCD is not necessary in nearly all cases.
The only case that the FCD is needed imho, is when you have a gun with a tight chamber, that is finicky as to what it will accept. In that case the FCD can be set to size reloads to match the extra-tight chamber. In all other cases, pistol reloading can easily be accomplished in 3 dies if the loader correctly sets everything up in the beginning.

[Walkalong]

The post sizing part is totally unecessary if everything is done right, unless you have oversized bullets etc. The crimp part is no better or no worse than other crimpers. It kind of floats, so I guess an argument could be made that it helps if your brass is all different lengths. Auto brass won't vary enough to matter, and I trim my revolver brass. Even untrimmed revolver brass does fine though, just not as well as trimmed.

I think they are a bane to new reloaders, a shortcut that makes it unecessary to hone their skills and load better ammo without depending on the FCD to squash it into feeding. :)

If you have all kinds of beat up mixed brass, and are using cheap bullets that may be oversized, and you don't want to gauge them all, it will at least, I am told, ensure thay don't muck up your day competing, so they are good for something at least.

[R.W.Dale]

IF you're going to bother to crimp at all

in my opinion ANYTIME you separate crimping & seating you're improving your ammo's quality. For this the FCD excels, particularly with rifles. The reason is crimping becomes independent of case length so a cases that vary .004 for example still get the same crimp. Or another way to look at it is when you set up to crimp die on a "short" case a slightly longer case doesn't get the shoulder buckled. I'm certain you non FCD'ers have ruined more 30-30 cases with a buckled shoulder than you'd EVER admit.

I also like the fact that you can crimp the piss out of bullets without a cannelure as in the case of using the bullet seated @ the rifling to help hold headspace on fireforming loads for wildcats.

To me not using a FCD die to crimp is like using a rotary phone in your house. Sure they both make calls, but one is just way easier and faster to use.

Now for pistols and revolvers.......not so much......well excluding this one that gets the FCD hard on every round


http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y96/krochus/1102081049-00.jpg

[The Bushmaster]

Yup, yup... .30-30 cases...Yup...Those are the ones...

[kostner]

Not on handgun ammo but always on 30/30, 30/06 and 303.

[SlamFire1]

For pistol ammo, heck I don't know. I do crimp pistol bullets hard. And I reduce the cases so I get a darn tight fit. And if I can hit a 12" gong target, offhand, at 50 yards, I am very happy.

However, for rifle ammo, I do not crimp match bullets. Maybe for elephant guns. Maybe for steel core bullets. But match bullets, you will damage them like these 6.5 SMK's were damaged by a Lee FCD.

I rely on a tight case neck fit. Never had a problem in Garands, M1a’s, AR’s, FN/FAL, PTR 91.

One other point, I have never ever met a match rifle shooter, Highpower, Benchrest, F class, who ever used a FCD on his ammo.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/SlamFire/Reloading/ReducedLeeCrimped65SMK.jpg