Trying to set crimp...

[WhoKnowsWho]

41 Magnum, trying to set a taper crimp for usage in a Desert Eagle... should I be able to see any sort of change or will I have to try and measure for the .002 difference in case width? Any tips are appreciated!

 

[Mal H]

Yes, you should be able to see the taper crimp. It's hard to put in words, but it will look different for the 1 to 3 mm of the crimp from the normal color of case. It always looks a little shinier to me.

 

[WhoKnowsWho]

Hmm, okay, I can see a shinier area.

Actually, since the cartridge is rimmed, should I just roll crimp it? Or will the DE like the softer taper crimp better?

 

[Mal H]

I'm not sure which crimp the DE is designed to use, not that familiar with them (shot a .50 AE a couple of times, but that's it). But since they take traditional revolver rounds (.357 Mag, .41 Mag, .44 Mag) and 99% of commercial ammo for those calibers is roll crimped, I'm willing to bet a roll crimp will work just fine.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Actually, since the cartridge is rimmed, should I just roll crimp it?

I'm unfamiliar with the pistol, but have found taper-crimped brass tends to last longer than roll-crimped.

 

[WhoKnowsWho]

Standing Wolf, that's the argument I have against doing an easy to see Roll Crimp, I'll try this first batch with a taper and see how it is doing. I can always change it to a roll crimp if needed, not so easy to change it the other way. Once the gun arrives, I will load it with my dummy rounds and see how much setback occurs, and if too much happens, I will increase the crimp. Thanks.

 

[C.R.Sam]

Just keep an eye out for set back of the others when you fire one.

Sam

 

[Powderman]

For Magnum ammunition used in a Desert Eagle, you can roll crimp with confidence. It headspaces on the case rim anyway.

From what I've heard, the Lee Factory Crimp die is the way to go if you crimp in a seperate step. The Redding Profile Crimp Die is also well received in handgun calibers.

 

[WhoKnowsWho]

They didn't have a 4-die set for the .41 Magnum... and I forgot to order the factory crimp die... after messing with depth, crimp, depth, crimp, etc, I will be ordering the crimp die and 4 die sets from now on.

 

[Mal H]

I will load it with my dummy rounds and see how much setback occurs ...

Dummy rounds really won't show up any setback problems. It takes the recoil of firing and/or the slide slamming back and forth at full speed to cause setback.

If you get setback with your dummy rounds, then you really have some loose crimps.

 

[rammy]

From what I have read it is best to use a tapper crimp on all semi-autos to help with the loading and ejection.

 

[Mal H]

In general that's true. But the Desert Eagle is a different beast. It uses some unconventional autoloader rounds; rounds that are usually reserved for revolvers.

 

[WhoKnowsWho]

Well, the DE isn't even here yet and I have 50 rounds with 2 different powders and 5 different loadings. But I can't shoot them yet to see if I applied enough crimp. I added a little more just in case, but alas, waiting is horrible, and it isn't even my gun!

I'll let you know how it goes.