Wow, today has not been fun. So I just got a .45 mould and I cast some 230 gr lrn, lubed and sized them. I went to load them under the gold standard of 5 gr of bullseye. I just could not get the crimp set up correctly. First I was giving them too much crimp and crumbled two cases that I salvaged. Then I was shaving brass off the mouth. Finally after hours of frustration I got the crimp right where I want it. Good to go, thought I could relax. As I was eating dinner I thought about my 9mm. I went downstairs and looked at them. O geez...hardly any crimp at all. So I spent a few more hours crimping 400 rounds of 9mm. The blasted taper crimp!
The taper crimp
- Thread starter Okcafe86
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Is what made me think you might be over crimping. It would take a serious taper crimp to buckle a case, unless it is not a true taper crimp, like the Hornady insert in their 9MM seater. Unless of course they got smart and changed the way they do it.
1SOW
Member
Like Walkalong showed with the 45s, all you want is to close the belling plus maybe .001" or two With a .355/.356 bullet, .376"- .378" measured should feed smoothly.
It does sound like you had a heck of time setting up your taper crimp die. Were you loading lead oversized bullets in 9mm or plated/jacketted?
What press and die type were you using. Is it a separate taper crimp die or a combined bullet seating and taper crimp die?
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bandur60
Member
I did my first 45s today, with Hornady taper crimp dies. My main takeaway was, I flared them too much, ruined 7 of the first 50, seating 230gr Montana Golds. Might I get by with "no" flare --- with jacketed bullets? Once I got going they came out great though, OAL and plunk were right on. (Even salvaged the primers, so it's the price of education for me.)
1SOW
Member
With .356 lead--like MBC sells, it' only a skosh bigger - but softer than jacketted., so a little more belling and a little less taper crimp should put you close. A separate crimp die would make it a lot simpler.
You can screw down a taper crimp die enough to "size" bullets. In my early years I tried the idea of if a little is good, more must be better. Ruined 50 expensive Sierra 185 jhcs, which wound up miking around .448, down from the original .4515. Take em down to the magic .471 at the outside mouth of the case and you are good to go.
Personally, I read too many people spending too time trying to find the perfect taper crimp, without doing any shooting at different crimps to tell the difference.
If you chamfer a case slightly once, you can eliminate the flare with jacketed bullets in almost all cases and forget about taper crimping.
Again, taper crimping is NOT like roll crimping. Taper crimping is only to eliminate the case mouth flare. We old-timers did it by looking at the case for any residual case mouth flare or by simply running a finger along the bullet down to the case to feel if there was a flare. Today, everyone wants to measure.
So, if you want to measure, then take the SAAMI case drawing, that should be in most reloading manuals, and crimp to the case mouth drawing dimension (0.473", I think for .45 Auto) or 0.001-0.002" smaller. If you pull a seated/crimped bullet, it should show no ring from crimping.
Otherwise, you can take a factory round, put in the shell holder and raise the ram. Lower the taper crimp die until it just touches the case (do not turn any more, as you will be crimping the case), lower the ram, turn the taper crimp die in ⅛ turn, run an empty case in the die, and lock the lock-ring down.
If you chamfer a case slightly once, you can eliminate the flare with jacketed bullets in almost all cases and forget about taper crimping.
Again, taper crimping is NOT like roll crimping. Taper crimping is only to eliminate the case mouth flare. We old-timers did it by looking at the case for any residual case mouth flare or by simply running a finger along the bullet down to the case to feel if there was a flare. Today, everyone wants to measure.
So, if you want to measure, then take the SAAMI case drawing, that should be in most reloading manuals, and crimp to the case mouth drawing dimension (0.473", I think for .45 Auto) or 0.001-0.002" smaller. If you pull a seated/crimped bullet, it should show no ring from crimping.
Otherwise, you can take a factory round, put in the shell holder and raise the ram. Lower the taper crimp die until it just touches the case (do not turn any more, as you will be crimping the case), lower the ram, turn the taper crimp die in ⅛ turn, run an empty case in the die, and lock the lock-ring down.
I think the above is your problem;
The Hornady New Dimension Die Set for 9x19mm comes with a seating die which roll crimps . So, unless you got their newer Taper Crimp seating die, you're not taper crimping at all
I happened upon this when I almost bought the Hornady Seating die on Clearance from Midway. Reading the description, I noticed that it roll crimped. The Seating Die with a taper crimp wasn't on sale; neither was their separate Taper Crimp die.
I love the way the Hornady Seating die has a sleeve when helps guide the bullet in and am looking seriously at their Micrometer Seating insert, a separate Crimping Die makes life much easier
bigfinger76
Member
I do this as well.
GBExpat
Member
I consider this to be one of the handiest reloading tricks that I tumbled to long ago.noylj said:
emptybrass
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I got my Hornady AP press a couple of weeks ago (first progressive) and started learning with it on .380. With my fat fingers, I went with the powder through expander to make it easier to set the projectile on the case which then led to a lot of tinkering to get the Hornady bullet seater/crinmper set up correctly. I decided to try a Hornady taper crimp since I had a slot left in the press and it sure has made my reloading experience a lot better.
lauderdale
Member
I was in a hurry the other night and orderd a set of the HORNADEY dies w/roll crimp, for nine as I like to do my work ups on my T-7 turret and then use my dillion. Is this die set up for crimping lead/or jacketed bullets? w/crimp grooves? what am I missing before I start researching? I really went off the reviews? don't mean to HI-JACK thread sorry!
lauderdale
Member
Re-read this thread! Didn't have my coffee yet!
I get it! Thank U Fella's!
I get it! Thank U Fella's!
lauderdale
Member
Yes it is! I usually research it better. I am sorting 1000 rnds. 9mm once used to head stamp I think that will help me to keep size intact. the Dillion SDB spoiled me and I need more time in on standard dies! loaded 500/124g EXTRMS. H.P. iam loading 500 F.P. then 500 R.N. been loadind XTP's. but after following BDS's range reports and the rest of the fellas it been so great to ride along w/the pack!
bigfinger76
Member
Still looks a bit heavy to me.
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