First reload, crimp quality check??

[mkl]

A .38 Special does not need a heavy crimp. Only reason for a crimp is to keep the bullet from backing out under recoil as long as we are talking about a .38 Special. Heavy crimps are needed on "hand cannons" such as max .357 loads or .44 mag. I have one of those "cannons" and can tell you from personal experience that a bullet will back out under very heavy recoil. The .38 does not have that degree of recoil and thus does not need a heave crimp; a light one will do just fine.

Some will say the crimp will help powder burn rate, but in a .38 Special that is not a consideration given the low pressure. Five grains of Unique behind almost any bullet will work well and give good accuracy with minimum crimp.

 

[webrx]

i typically crimp a little less than the first picture and a little more then the second, so have to agree with Black Mamba, halfway in between the two.

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[Obturation]

I'm a death crimper. If it ain't buckled , it's just right. I'll be honest, I don't see much difference in accuracy either way but I like my bullets firmly in place . I don't see anything wrong with the first picture and I highly doubt case life will suffer much if at all crimped like that. Just my 2 cents, worth what you paid for it.

As far as trail boss , I get best results with a max load. It's not smart to start at max but with trailboss I start close to max and find best accuracy and less crud up near the top.