kimberfan
Member
to have a TAPER CRIMP DIE if your reloading 45ACP for a ruger P90 and a kimber 1911??
how important is it?
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Sheldon
Member
The taper crimp die is more forgiving of any length variation you may have in the brass you're reloading, whereas the roll crimp isn't. Most of the 45 ACP pistols will be very forgiving of headspace as the extractor will generally prevent the case from going too deep into the chamber.
kimberfan
Member
well i just need to know if my reloads will feed ok with out it?
Sheldon
Member
I'm sure they will work fine as long as you adjust the roll crimp to only remove any belling on the casemouth ....and NOT actually roll the casemouth in.
dmftoy1
Member
Take a "finished" round (after just removing the belling) and put it against the edge of your bench with the nose of the bullet on the bench and your thumb on the back of the case. See if you can push the bullet deeper into the case . ..if you can then I'd say you need a taper crimp die. (or you can pick up a Lee FCD for about $9)
Just my .02
Regards,
Dave
Just my .02
Regards,
Dave
The Bushmaster
Member
If you are loading .45 ACP the seating die that came with your set has a taper crimp. Especially if it is a Lee set (I know because I called Lee to find out quite a while ago). On .45 ACP all you have to do is remove any bell left after seating the bullet. If you must crimp the case mouth be careful not to crimp it too much as you may damage (distort) the bullet and as the .45 ACP headspaces on the case mouth it may set too deep in the chamber for the firing pin to reach it. True...On most .45 ACP pistols (especially those base on the 1911) the extractor holds the case head against the breech face, but I would not trust it to fire every time. I would rather insure that the cartridge headspaced on the case mouth...As it's supposed to...A good measurment at the mouth of a finished .45 ACP is .468 to .472. I just rechecked my loaded rounds and all of them are at .471 to .472......
Shoney
Member
Bushmaster: Excellent response. However, 45ACP dies can be either Roll or Taper crimp. You must look on their box to see for sure. Many revolvers are set up to fire 45ACP with half moon clips and therefore need a roll crimp.
Check out the attached headspace illustration:
Check out the attached headspace illustration:
Attachments
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
All standard .45 ACP die sets will do a taper crimp.
Some, like Lee may do both.
Generally, if you want to roll-crimp for a .45 ACP revolver, you need a .45 Auto-Rim seating die, or a Lee FCD for roll crimping revolver.
It would be almost unheard off for any standard .45 ACP seating die to not be able to do a simple taper crimp for use in auto-pistols.
That's what they are made for!
rcmodel
Some, like Lee may do both.
Generally, if you want to roll-crimp for a .45 ACP revolver, you need a .45 Auto-Rim seating die, or a Lee FCD for roll crimping revolver.
It would be almost unheard off for any standard .45 ACP seating die to not be able to do a simple taper crimp for use in auto-pistols.
That's what they are made for!
rcmodel
Taper "crimp" relies on neck tension for bullet retention, and to me is nothing but a bell removal die. Roll crimp actually bites into the bullet adding resistance to bullet movement along with neck tension, and definitely what I would want if shooting a revolver.
I do not use the Lee FCD for pistol ammo, as it destroys the optimal diameter that I want for my cast bullets.
I do not use the Lee FCD for pistol ammo, as it destroys the optimal diameter that I want for my cast bullets.
kimberfan
Member
my dies are hornady, i'm not loading for a revolver, i'm loading 1911 and a ruger P90.
how do i remove the bell?
and would it be ok to just load a round and shoot it? or will my 1100$ kimber blow up?
how do i remove the bell?
and would it be ok to just load a round and shoot it? or will my 1100$ kimber blow up?
Roll crimps are for "rolling" the brass into a crimp groove (which is shaped like a curve, not a even bottomed groove) in a lead bullet or the cannelure of a jacketed bullet. Sometimes it is used to roll over the front edge of 148 grain plated DEWC's. 148 Lead DEWC's usually have a crimp groove. Some folks lightly roll crimp .45 ACP rounds, but mostly people taper crimp all auto rounds. It only needs to be enough to remove the bell or a bit more, depending on your preference. Neck tension does 90% to 99% of the job of holding the bullet and getting good start pressure on auto rounds. The fact that the bullets get into the rifleing right away compared to a revolver also helps start pressures.
dmftoy1
Member
You should be able to see the belling if you hold the round up, but in the case where you're just barely belling the round it can be a little tougher. I find I can feel it with my fingers. (are you loading cast or jacketed?)
Anyway, what you'll do to remove the bell is to raise the ram to it's highest point with a shell in the shellholder. Screw down the die until you feel it contact the casing. (back the bullet seating stem way out) Drop the ram and turn it another 1/8 - 1/4 turn and then raise the shell back up into the die. It should remove a little bit of the belling. The best thing to do is use your mic or caliper to measure and see where you stand. Repeat until satisfied. (this assumes you're crimping in a separate step from seating.)
kimberfan
Member
ok new problem.
i just loaded 100 45acp's(230gr. JHP on top of 5.5gr of universal clays)
my kimber will shoot them just fine except i had one failure to eject(anyone know way this happened?) but in my dads P90 they will not feed, can anyone tell me way??.
i just loaded 100 45acp's(230gr. JHP on top of 5.5gr of universal clays)
my kimber will shoot them just fine except i had one failure to eject(anyone know way this happened?) but in my dads P90 they will not feed, can anyone tell me way??.
JackOfAllTradesMasterAtNone
Member
Not enough information in your post.
What is the exact bullet you're using? Is this designed for 45acp or 45LC? What is the OAL? Can you tell us what is happening when it fails to feed? Is the HP catching on the chamber flange/opening? Does the first round chamber but subsequent rounds won't feed after the first is fired? Is the diameter of the loaded round, consistent up to the crimp area? Are the loaded rounds chambering part-way? or Not at all? Did you taper crimp or roll crimp? Are there any bulges in the loaded rounds that won't feed?
I'll ask you a question... Why does my head hurt?
-Steve
What is the exact bullet you're using? Is this designed for 45acp or 45LC? What is the OAL? Can you tell us what is happening when it fails to feed? Is the HP catching on the chamber flange/opening? Does the first round chamber but subsequent rounds won't feed after the first is fired? Is the diameter of the loaded round, consistent up to the crimp area? Are the loaded rounds chambering part-way? or Not at all? Did you taper crimp or roll crimp? Are there any bulges in the loaded rounds that won't feed?
I'll ask you a question... Why does my head hurt?
-Steve
kimberfan
Member
there hornady 230gr. XTP JHP's in 45ACP. OAL is 1.208-1.214 on all of them(some factory rounds very more and some are longer and they work fine)
it wont eject the shot round and the next round wont feed, but they shoot fine in my kimber. it might be a head-space issue IDK.:banghead:
it wont eject the shot round and the next round wont feed, but they shoot fine in my kimber. it might be a head-space issue IDK.:banghead:
JackOfAllTradesMasterAtNone
Member
Failure to EJECT, is not failure to FEED.
Failure to EJECT, is not failure to EXTRACT.
You must know these differences before anyone can give advice about why these loads do not function in the Ruger.
Could headspace affect Extraction/Ejection? Normally I would be doubtful, but if the cartridge wasn't seating properly in the chamber, then I could believe the possibility that the extractor was not engaging the brass correctly. I could see this, if the loaded/fired cartridge was allowed to go too deep into the chamber. Tighter tolerances in the Kimber may not be allowing this to happen. Too much roll crimp?
Anyone else care to chime in?
-Steve
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
First thing to do is take the barrel out and chamber-check all of them.
If they drop in the chamber freely until flush with the back edge of the barrel, and fall back out freely, your crimp is fine.
As is your headspace.
Most likely an OAL issue.
Some guns won't work with some bullet shapes until you find the "sweet spot" OAL they have to have to feed.
Headspace will not prevent a round from ejecting.
If it goes in the chamber and fires, it should eject, no matter what the headspace.
It is also possible that your light loads using Universal Clays do not have enough power to fully cycle the Ruger.
Univ. Clays is not an especially good choice of powder for .45 ACP unless run at close to max pressure loads.
rcmodel
If they drop in the chamber freely until flush with the back edge of the barrel, and fall back out freely, your crimp is fine.
As is your headspace.
Most likely an OAL issue.
Some guns won't work with some bullet shapes until you find the "sweet spot" OAL they have to have to feed.
Headspace will not prevent a round from ejecting.
If it goes in the chamber and fires, it should eject, no matter what the headspace.
It is also possible that your light loads using Universal Clays do not have enough power to fully cycle the Ruger.
Univ. Clays is not an especially good choice of powder for .45 ACP unless run at close to max pressure loads.
rcmodel
kimberfan
Member
rcmodel
yes we took the barrel out and are reloads fit like factory loads, some were a bit "sticky" but we fixed that (sizer die wasn't low enough).
OAL is not the problem, Federal factory hydra shocks measure out to be about 1.206-1.207, CCI gold-dots are 1.214, and UMC ball are 1.224 and they all fire fine in the P90. hodgdon says 5.6gr. is max load(is this true?) and I'm averaging 5.5-5.6gr
is it safe to go up too 5.7-5.8?.
yes we took the barrel out and are reloads fit like factory loads, some were a bit "sticky" but we fixed that (sizer die wasn't low enough).
OAL is not the problem, Federal factory hydra shocks measure out to be about 1.206-1.207, CCI gold-dots are 1.214, and UMC ball are 1.224 and they all fire fine in the P90. hodgdon says 5.6gr. is max load(is this true?) and I'm averaging 5.5-5.6gr
is it safe to go up too 5.7-5.8?.
kimberfan
Member
Jack
it had both FTF and FTE
the first round fired but didn't eject, then when we took the case out it would not feed the next round.
it had both FTF and FTE
the first round fired but didn't eject, then when we took the case out it would not feed the next round.
kimberfan
Member
seriously i want to reload some more rounds, does anybody know whats wrong with my reloads or my dads P90??.
JackOfAllTradesMasterAtNone
Member
(eject)
Well then, I'm no expert like RC, but it would appear that there two problems. I would focus on one at a time.
Failure to Eject-
Is the slide cycling completely when firing? Will these reloads function fine when shooting single shot? (with/without a magazine inserted?)
-Steve
A bullet without a crimp groove was not designed to have a crimp "bite in to it".
The taper crimp is DESIGNED for semi auto pistol cartridges that are supposed to headspace on the case mouth l(even if the extractor prevents it from doing so).
The purpose is to restore the case walls so they're straight. Check out the dimensions of a factory round, virtually all of which are taper crimped, and then use your taper crimp die to duplicate.
Walkalongs' post accurately describes the proper use of the taper crimp.
Without a crimping groove (cannelure), the roll crimp does little more than deform the bullet.
The roll crimp works well for cannelured revolver bullets, or slight crimp over a wadcutter.
Semi-auto rounds still work, in spite of it, because the extracter prevents the improper roll crimp from allowing the case to travel too far forward, which could otherwise be quite problematic if the bullet didn't engage the rifling soon enough to still allow the firing pin to hit the primer.
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