[Nicodemus38]

I have seen references made to using a modified pair of pliers as a crimping tool for lead bullets. I have a few questions on that practice.

is that going to cause to much deformation of the bullets base?

Is that going to prevent proper alignment with the bullet and case mouth?

if you load a rb seated deep in the case on bp, would you crimp on the bulelt or above the bullet to remove any issue of case damage?

[Grumulkin]

Pliers for a crimping tool????????? Not me.

The very best crimping tool you can buy would be a Lee Factory crimp die. They're pretty inexpensive but they don't make them for the smaller pistol cases. The other way to crimp is with the die you seat the bullets with; that should work just fine with lead bullets.

[Walkalong]

Yep.

Why use pliers when all the die makers have perfectly good seater/crimpers and crimp only dies that work great, and will be much more consistent than pliers by hand.

Hmm....I wonder if he is talking about a cannelure in the case under the base of the bullet like some makers use?

Just wondering....

[loadedround]

Walkalong is 100% correct. :)

[rcmodel]

I have seen references made to using a modified pair of pliers as a crimping toolWondering where you saw that?

I have never heard of it.

rc

[Nicodemus38]

most of the referencing has been in cast bullets in lever action rifles. namely 30-30.

[rcmodel]

I simply can't imagine why.

Every reloading die set ever made includes a perfectly good seater / crimp die appropriate for the caliber.

rc

[godsey5]

Unless you're talking about an original reloading tool. I have one for a 45-60. They look somewhat like pliers and they seat and crimp.

JIm

[rcmodel]

+1

The old Lyman Ideal #6 & 310 reloading tong tool, and others made by Winchester, Marlin, etc. look like pliers, but they are not.

http://cwsimages.wsmgt.net/clients/404/mid/mid_full_3138_photo1.jpg

rc

[Nicodemus38]

I found the website through a link in this website, possibly in hunting or rifle. In this website article the author talks about how he took a good pair of lineman type pliers with flat jaws and ground a hole in the middle that created a perfect fit around a loaded cartridge case. And then he went on about how well it worked to make quick ammo in his lever gun.

Ive been trying to find the site to link to here, but just no luck.

[rcmodel]

I still don't understand why?

If he used a reloading press to size the cases, and to seat the bullet, he could have crimped it perfectly at the same time in the seating die.

Was this like a live-off-the-land survivalist nut-job story or something?

rc

[jim147]

Was this like a live-off-the-land survivalist nut-job story or something?

rc
I've got to remember that line.

Pliers for crimping? I've never seen any like you describe.
Your other question about loading a round ball over black powder. You just need to remove the bell from the case. The round ball should stay on the powder as long as you don't get to wild with them. The are specialty cartridges and should be treated as such.

jim