Crimping 41 spl with 41 mag dies

[blue32]

I've read that one may run into problems trying to crimp 41 spl with 41 mag dies. This has happened to me before with 32-20 and required a gunsmith to take some length off the bottom of the seat/crimp die. Has anyone else had this problem, and are there certain brands of die sets I should stay away from? I'd rather not buy individual dies plus a Lee FCD if I can avoid it.

 

[Sunray]

130 thou difference in case length between the Special and the Mag. You might be able to screw the Mag seater die down enough though.
"...required a gunsmith..." Lots of .32-20 stuff around. No need to damage that die set.

 

[FROGO207]

I would just buy a set of 41 SPL dies and adjust the flare/seater/crimp dies out for the longer brass. I would not waste my money on a FCD for this, just trim all brass the same length for each and use the built in roll crimp. No need to over think this. This is what I do for my 44 SPL/MAG, 38 SPL/MAG, 500 S&W SPL/MAG and the various 32 cal revolver ammo I make. I buy the dies for the shortest loading and adjust them out for the longer cases. In fact I use a set of Lee 32 ACP dies with a shell holder to fit the rimmed brass to load my 32 ammo all the way to 327 FED.

 

[Walkalong]

When using a crimp die in a separate operation, I set them for a heavy crimp and use spacers to adjust them for less crimp. One good reason to crimp separately. I get the same exact crimp every time with no need to adjust the lock ring. Just use the right spacer and there you go.

You can also do this for .38 Spl/.357 & .44 Spl/.44 Mag using fatter spacers. RCBS and Redding both sell those particular ones.

 

[RealGun]

Handloader mag article indicates the Hornady as the 41 Mag crimp die which will do 41 Special. I found that to be true.

 

[blue32]

thanks for the replies

 

[Hondo 60]

I would not waste my money on a FCD for this, just trim all brass the same length for each and use the built in roll crimp.

Frogo - I wouldn't waste my time on trimming pistol brass!
The FDC is a one-time cost of less than $20

 

[FROGO207]

Yeah I have never trimmed a piece of pistol brass in my life. I do however trim the revolver brass when I first get it to get a consistent roll crimp though. You do need good roll crimps on heavy recoiling rounds in a revolver and I want all the rounds to act the same each trigger pull. That and I get a built in roll crimp on my seating die without buying that extra die. ***I own several FCD, both rifle and handgun but do not use them anymore with the exception of my 30-30 FCD. YMMV

 

[RealGun]

Frogo - I wouldn't waste my time on trimming pistol brass!
The FDC is a one-time cost of less than $20

If wanting a real quality roll crimp, brass should at least be sorted into ranges of case length, say +-.005, possibly tighter. You would need a separate crimp die setting for each range (batch). The alternative would be to trim to a minimum and chuck the rest.