Crimping .45 LC?

[mastiffhound]

My dad has been reloading .45 LC for longer than I've been alive. I recently started reloading myself, .223 REM though. I picked up some new dies for his .45 LC recently. I asked him about the crimping die as I don't reload lead cast for my .223 and crimping for it is easy. He said he has never crimped a .45 LC before. Now I have the Win 231 powder, 250 gr bullets, and some Rem primers for it. He has his revolvers and has never had a problem. I loaded up 3 shells with the starting load from Hodgdon (6.5 grains) and shot them. After the first and second round I checked the remaining rounds with my calipers and they had not moved even one one-thousandth or anything at all for that matter.

These will never be shot in a lever gun as my dad or myself don't own one. Do I need to crimp these or am I ok? If I loaded all the chambers would it have made a difference? I am trying to be thorough that is all. Any insight will be much appreciated, and thanks in advance guys!

 

[Gryffydd]

The situations where you need to use a crimp are mainly the tubular magazine you already mentioned, or when you're using a slow powder like H110/W296 etc. These powders need that extra bit of time to get the pressure up to where they perform best.
There's also the possibility in some load/revolver combinations where you can have bullets walking out of the case due to recoil. This isn't quite as common in the 45 Colt revolvers as some others as the guns chambered in it (and also capable of handling the heavy loads) tend to be pretty heavy.

 

[rcmodel]

Your seating die is also a crimping die if you adjust it to do so.

A little roll crimp never hurt any revolver cartridge as it makes them fall in the chambers like corn through a goose.

If you don't mind the case mouths hanging up on the chamber edges when loading fast, or get any bullet creep with heavier loads?

Don't need to bother, I guess.

But I always bother, at least enough to take the sharp edges off the case mouths for slicker loading.

rc

 

[Hondo 60]

A good crimp makes for very consistent ammo.

Now, did your dad say he never crimps? or never used a crimp die?
As rc said, the bullet seating die will crimp very nicely when properly adjusted.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I also add a light crimp to all my .45 Colt loads. Eventually you will probably get a little bullet pull and it might be enough to bind the revolver.

Since you mentioned W231 and a 250gr bullet, that's what I use. As long as those bullets are lead a charge of between 7.0gr and 7.2gr W231 makes for a very good .45 Colt load.

 

[mastiffhound]

I went 6.5 grains because he has arthritis now and he is sensitive to recoil, sucks getting old. I am using lee dies, bullets were seated to 1.600" as per Lyman 49th edition. The cases slid in like greased pig crap. So maybe it is putting a light crimp on them, never would have known. He said he has never crimped. I have the die adjusted to the end of the stroke so I can't seat the bullet any deeper than the specified OAL. I also check every single cartridge for OAL with my caliper. Is this the right adjustment for getting the seating die to crimp? Sorry, as I said I'm new to this and I'm just crossing my T's and dotting the I's.

 

[Walkalong]

Medium Roll Crimp on a .45 Colt 265 Gr SWC-HP (Cast by USSR)

A good crimp makes for very consistent ammo.

This.

 

[rcmodel]

Is this the right adjustment for getting the seating die to crimp?

No.

Start out by backing the seating die out a couple of turns.
Then put an empty sized case in the press and run it all the way up.

Now screw the seating die in until you feel the crimp section of the die make contact with the empty case.

Next seat a bullet to the crimp groove.
Now back the seating stem out a couple of turns.

From that point, screwing the die in just a little further will produce a light roll-crimp. Screwing it in a little further still will produce a heavy roll-crimp.

When you get the crimp you want, lock the die lock ring, then adjust the seating stem down to contact the bullet, and lock the lock-nut.

From then on, you are seating & crimping in one stroke of the press handle.

rc

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Walkalong,
AC, I don't know how you take those pictures of loaded cases and crimps but they real are great. They say a picture is worth a 1000 words and with pictures that clear it's true.

Thanks...

 

[mastiffhound]

Thanks guys, got it set and crimping properly!