jack44
Member
243 win.do I need to crimp?.
to crimp or not to
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NeuseRvrRat
Member
need to? certainly not.
tightgroup tiger
Member
.243 doesn't have enough recoil to justify it. As long as you have good neck tension on the bullet it isn't necessary.
The purpose of the crimp is to keep the bullet in place and add some extra resistance to its exit when shot. For a bolt gun or single shot you don't need to crimp. If shooting in a semi auto where the bullets gets jammed into the feed ramp and can severely set back to the point it doesn't feed properly or more than once a crimp is generally needed.
Most tests have found that a proper crimp improves accuracy but your results may be different.
Most tests have found that a proper crimp improves accuracy but your results may be different.
jack44
Member
I didnt think so but wanna make sure- Thanks.
Crimp, much cheaper than a new face. Don't care how you look then don't crimp and have a bullet set-back in the mag by recoil and raise pressure of the case being fired 5 inches from your nose.
Me, I'll keep my nose just where it is thank you.
Your choice
Jim
Me, I'll keep my nose just where it is thank you.
Your choice
Jim
FROGO207
Member
If there is enough neck tension there is no need to crimp any rifle round. Still I do crimp my rounds that are used in any tube feed magazine firearm (30-30, 35 Remington, 33 Win, and 32SPL) just to be safe against set back due to recoil. They do it on factory rounds so I said why not also. Other than that I do not anymore. I tried to crimp with the 223 and 308 and shot batches to compare with non crimped ammo.Well at 100-400 yards I found no difference in accuracy using 5 different 223's and 3 308's. So now I don't bother any more.
YMMV
YMMVj. rap.
Member
Depends what bullet if It has a cannelure then why not. For me i always crimp rifle bullets but if there is no canelure i just use a lighter crimp so as not to damage the bullets jacket
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Because crimping rifle calibers that don't need it shortens case life?
For a reloader that's a fairly small size Big Deal.
There is no logical reason to crimp .243.
Unless you are shooting an auto-loader that doesn't feed right.
rc
For a reloader that's a fairly small size Big Deal.
There is no logical reason to crimp .243.
Unless you are shooting an auto-loader that doesn't feed right.
rc
Hi RC.
Shorter than what? 5 uses?. Unless you anneal the case after evey second use, you are case hardening the case and mouth each time you full lenght re-size it, unless you are just doing neck sizing. I can put my 243's down range at 4,000 fps (yes it shortens the barrel life, I know), that's a lot of pressure to trust to a non-crimped case that might have a set-back bullet in it.
Like I said, it is each persons choice. Just don't make it a hard and fast rule.
Jim
Shorter than what? 5 uses?. Unless you anneal the case after evey second use, you are case hardening the case and mouth each time you full lenght re-size it, unless you are just doing neck sizing. I can put my 243's down range at 4,000 fps (yes it shortens the barrel life, I know), that's a lot of pressure to trust to a non-crimped case that might have a set-back bullet in it.
Like I said, it is each persons choice. Just don't make it a hard and fast rule.
Jim
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
How exactly is a .243 going to suffer set-back, regardless of the velocity??
If you have proper case neck tension on a .243 to begin with?
It should take around 50 - 70 pounds to move the bullet, without it being crimped.
rc
gamestalker
member
There are very few exceptions in ehich a crimp is necessary for a bottle neck cartridge. A good 90% + of reloaders who load for bolt action never crimp nor have reason to. And in doing so can introduce issues one would other wise never experience reloading bottle neck cases.
GS
GS
NeuseRvrRat
Member
yeah, like flood insurance on a house in the desert
Just out of curiosity, has anyone compared the velocities of crimped bullets to non-crimped bullets? How about accuracy? I have a Lee Factory Crimp die and it will crimp whether or not there is a crimp groove (cannelure) or not but it will also distort the bullet by squeezing a ring around the bullet. I do not have a chronograph.
gamestalker
member
Regarding high powered rilfe cartridges that are in the upper pressure range, such as is the .243 win., crimping is not going to have any noticable effect on velocities. I have crimped a few in my earlier days of reloading, not knowing of course that it is unnecessary to do so, and saw no evidense that a variance between the two exists.
Other than the first few boxes I crimped more than 30 yrs. ago, I have never crimped a high powered rifle cartridge since then, and can find no benefit in doing so. Unless in rare circumstances one would experience set back, it would probably just add one more variable to the process, and possibly some head ache from what I can remember of it.
GS
Other than the first few boxes I crimped more than 30 yrs. ago, I have never crimped a high powered rifle cartridge since then, and can find no benefit in doing so. Unless in rare circumstances one would experience set back, it would probably just add one more variable to the process, and possibly some head ache from what I can remember of it.
GS
Well how does it do at 500 yards, 600 yards, 1000 yards?
Mangled bullets will actually shoot well out to 300 yards, because I have done it. But past that? No.
Crimping just deforms the core of the bullet: a soft lead item behind that thin copper jacket. Deforming the core with a crimp die unpredictably changes the center of gravity and moves it from the axis of rotation.
Just like a thrown knuckle ball, it takes distance for the ball to break, and these crimpers are not shooting far enough or with enough skill, to see the funny acrobatics that will result from mangling their bullets.
There are people who shoot far enough to see what happens when you deform good bullets with a crimp die and those are the long range shooters. One outstanding person I shoot with just won a 1000 yard match on Sunday at Camp Perry. That shooter, and every other good shooter on the line, none of them use a crimp die. They reason is they want to win and damaging good bullets with a crimp die is ...... pick a word........
There are mid range matches all over the US. Shoot three 500 or 600 yards matches and see how your loads perform at range. There are usually very good shooters at these mid range matches, just ask then what they think of crimping.
Only crimp for lever guns, elephant guns and chain guns. Heavy recoiling revolvers need a heavy crimp but no revolver shooter is ever going to be winning the Wimbledon Match from now into the distant eternity.
Mangled bullets will actually shoot well out to 300 yards, because I have done it. But past that? No.
Crimping just deforms the core of the bullet: a soft lead item behind that thin copper jacket. Deforming the core with a crimp die unpredictably changes the center of gravity and moves it from the axis of rotation.
Just like a thrown knuckle ball, it takes distance for the ball to break, and these crimpers are not shooting far enough or with enough skill, to see the funny acrobatics that will result from mangling their bullets.
There are people who shoot far enough to see what happens when you deform good bullets with a crimp die and those are the long range shooters. One outstanding person I shoot with just won a 1000 yard match on Sunday at Camp Perry. That shooter, and every other good shooter on the line, none of them use a crimp die. They reason is they want to win and damaging good bullets with a crimp die is ...... pick a word........
There are mid range matches all over the US. Shoot three 500 or 600 yards matches and see how your loads perform at range. There are usually very good shooters at these mid range matches, just ask then what they think of crimping.
Only crimp for lever guns, elephant guns and chain guns. Heavy recoiling revolvers need a heavy crimp but no revolver shooter is ever going to be winning the Wimbledon Match from now into the distant eternity.
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