While reloading 308 rounds last night I discovered my Lee Factory Crimp Die is not crimping. I evidently don't have it set far enough down. That means the last 2 test batches I've shot for my 308 were not crimped when my intent was to give them a light crimp per the instructions. They are for a semiautomatic, so my understanding was crimping was recommended. I am getting accuracy beyond my expectations. It's not outstanding, but with the proper load it is 1 MOA or less, which is much better than I had expected from this rifle.
All that said, should I go back and add the light crimp I intended to use, or leave well enough alone? Does crimping generally improve accuracy or will it degrade?
For reference this rifle shoots about 1.25 MOA with factory Federal 150 gr hunting ammo and a disappointing 2 MOA with factory Fiochi match. The load I'm using is 175 gr Sierra Match King with IMR 4046 and CCI #34 7.62 NATO primers. The Fiochi uses the same bullet. For the record I'm disappointed by the Fiochi ammo. I bought the rifle with an expectation of 2 MOA, so anything better is a bonus.
