9mm crimp

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tggdeer

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I have the hornady 3 die set for 9mm.. Question is , do I need any other die for crimping other than the seater/ crimp die? I will be using a Hornady L N L ap press.
 
I'm not familiar with the Hornady dies but you should be able to crimp with the seating die. 9mm doesn't require much crimp.
Rusty
 
My Hornady sleeved 9MM seater does not have a taper crimp built in. I crimp in a fourth step with a C&H crimp die.
 
I use the Hornady dies to reload 9mm. As this cartridge headspaces on the case mouth, you don't want a crimp like you would have for a revolver. Removing any mouth "bell" is all you want your seater/crimper to do and your Hornady dies should do this very well.
HTH
Doug
 
thanks

I thought I was on the right track.Good to hear it from those of you with more exp..
 
I'm not familiar with the capabilities of the Hornady seating die (I have several sets) because on 9mm I always taper crimp in the forth die position using a Lee TCD.

I really prefer how the Lee TCD works, even in place of my Dillon TCD.
 
which Lee crimping die

RFwobbly,

You mentioned using a Lee TCD. I looked on their site and they have a TCD and also a carbide factory crimp die. Which one do you use and why?

I don't really understand the difference.

I am loading 9mm luger rounds, and using RCBS 3 set dies. I don't think the seating die tapers though. The directions talk about crimping but say if you want to taper crimp, then you need a TCD, Does that make any sense?

Thanks.

Karl
 
You mentioned using a Lee TCD. I looked on their site and they have a TCD and also a carbide factory crimp die. Which one do you use and why?
Click to expand...
The taper crimp die taper crimps only, and that is all you need.

The FCD die also "post sizes" which is unecessary, and potentially harmful. (This is a subject of debate, but that is my take)

The RCBS seater will taper crimp.
 
Lee now sells a 4 die set which includes the taper crimp die....and it still includes the pre-sizer. I'm told by a number of experienced reloaders that the taper crimp die does a better job than just the presizer.

Mine is on my bench waiting for my loader to get here from Midway.
 
Hornady die sets come with roll crimp dies, and you need to buy a seperate taper crimp die in the case of 9mm or 45....or 10/40 S&W.....
 
My Hornady sleeved 9MM seater does not have a taper crimp built in
Click to expand...
Not sure bout the 9mm but the seating die in my set of .45 acp Hornady dies taper crimps and it does have the sleeved seater. Would expect the same from the 9mm.

Hornady does sell a taper crimping die for all 9mm and .38 caliber cartridges without the ability to seat the bullet.
 
still confused

Walkalong,
The taper crimp die taper crimps only, and that is all you need.

The FCD die also "post sizes" which is unecessary, and potentially harmful. (This is a subject of debate, but that is my take)

The RCBS seater will taper crimp.
Click to expand...

The only adjustment on the seating die appears to be the depth of the seat of the bullet in the case. I have the die touching the shell holder at the apex of the piston, and it is not changing the bell on the lip of the shell that was created by the 2nd die... I don't know if you call it a flare or what.

I was at Cabelas tonight and ended up picking up a Lee Factory Crimp Die. They didn't have any TCD's in for 9mm.

Is there a danger in using this die for 9mm, and if so, why on earth would Lee make it??

I'm definitely new at all this...and I think I understand the concept, but I guess I still don't understand the differnce.

Thanks for any help you can offer.:banghead:
 
Karl,

I cant help you with the 9mm RCBS dies because I don't have any RCBS pistol dies. The RCBS site shows only two types of 9mm seating dies: taper crimp and roll crimp, so you may want to call RCBS for clarification.

However, I do use the Lee FCD die when reloading 9mm and have never had a problem. On my rounds it smooths out the "bell" and puts a nice taper crimp on.

I adjust for a light crimp with 9mm.

What type of bullet are you seating? With plated bullets you can over crimp and produce other problems.

Good luck.
 
RFwobbly,

You mentioned using a Lee TCD. I looked on their site and they have a TCD and also a carbide factory crimp die. Which one do you use and why?

Thanks.

Karl
Click to expand...

Karl -
My die is marked "Lee 9mm-J4". It came originally with a Lee 4 die set which I bought used. I've since used it with several die sets, especially after I found it worked better than my Dillon version. (That is not to say it works better than ALL Dillon taper crimp dies, just my used one.)

This die is nothing but a tube with a tapered interior. No visible step inside or anything like that.

I set this die about a year ago to its current .377 crimp dia and have left it set in my Dillon 550 tool head for loading every weight (115, 121, 124, 130, 147) and type bullet (lead, moly, plated, jacketed) and they all load and shoot great.

Hope this helps!
 
I would call Lee for an explanation of the difference between a Factory Crimp Die and a Taper Crimp Die. They may well be one and the same.
 
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I'm assuming the FCD, aside from having a carbide insert for post sizing , is called the Factory Crimp Die and differs from the Taper Crimp Die because it applies the taper crimp with a collet, like factory ammunition is produced, instead of an inside tapered die.
 
No you don't need it. The 3 die set has the roll crimp when you use the seating die. It takes some trial and error to get the roll crimp right, at least on my xd's it did, but it does work. What I found out is I ran about 10~12 blank rounds with the roll crimp using my SS LnL. On the xd when I didn't have enough crimp the cases tended to hang on the feed ramp when I chambered a round. When I put too much crimp the slide wouldn't close all the way. But after I got the right setting it worked fine.
I know Hornady sells the FCD separately for the .40SW but I don't know about the 9mm.
I eventually broke down and got the lee FCD for all my hand gun calibers and bought the cheapest lee SS Lee had, 30.00, to set the crimps. It's much faster than swapping dies when I have a lot of rounds to load.
 
The lee TCD is probably the same as a regular taper crimp die, but doesn't seat the bullet at the same time.
 
I normally will crimp in a separate step from seating. Its just easier to get things adjusted that way. Most of my loading is done with a dedicated crimp die and I will usually end up with a crimp only die of some kind. For auto's I will get a taper crimp die just to make things easier. You can use a roll crimp die for autos but the adjustment gets a bit touchy and the brass necks may not last as long. Thats why I end up buying a taper crimp die if the set did not come with one. Also, if you are using a progressive press its better to crimp in the last station after seating the bullet.

I have found that the best way to judge proper crimp on a auto is to apply the crimp to the point that the round will just slide into a case gauge with no resistance. It takes a bit of trial and error adjusting on the crimp die but if you go slow with small adjustments you will find the sweet spot. If you do not have a case gauge you can use the barrel of your gun, just field strip the gun and use the barrel as a gauge. If there is any resistance at all the crimp needs to be adjusted. The round should slide into the gauge or barrel without any force other then gravity.

KeithET
 
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