Seating 45ACP

USSR
With a revolver I use to trim my brass so the roll crimp would be the same , revolvers OAL an without the proper crimp you risk having the bullet moving forward binding the cylinder . You can get away with it easier with a auto . Seating an crimping in separate steps takes alittle longer but the end result is much smoother , and I believe much more accurate OAL. That squeeze an press at the same time is tuffer on the reload . Works fine if you want to get the job done fast , I'm in no rush only loading 50 at a time so two steps I like better .
 
cw308 when I started with the 45acp I was loading as I was everything else and seating/crimping in the same step. Then came the Witness and I started having trouble with any and every reload in it. A couple different people at the CZ/Tanfoglio forum suggested right away that I go to the FCD and yes I resisted.

The FCD has a carbide insert that also has a taper to it and applies a longer taper crimp to the case or so I'm told. Anyway, it worked and works well.
 
USSR said:
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In the reloading course I teach, I teach to seat and crimp in separate operation for pistol rounds. With revolver rounds, on the other hand, both operations can be done at once.

Can I ask why? I seat and crimp with the RCBS carbide for pistol (.45acp, 9mm, .380acp) but found using a Lee FCD in a 4th step to crimp/finish revolver (.38spl, 357 mag and .45Colt) was better. I had done it in 1 step at first but got a FCD after a while and like it.

This is opposite of your technique and I am curious. Thanks!
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Sure. First, you're asking a lot of a pistol round. Come out of the magazine, hit the feed ramp at the proper angle, and chamber cleanly. You know when your loading a revolver if all your cartridge will chamber, not so with an autoloader. Second, the crimp used is totally different and serves a different purpose. With a revolver, the only part of the case being crimped is a small part in the case mouth area, and it is being pushed into a hollow area comprised of a crimp groove. Unless you get carried away with the crimp, there is no problem pushing the bullet deeper into the case while applying the crimp. However, with the taper crimp being applied to a pistol round, the crimp area is much larger and is being applied to the side of the bullet while you are continuing to push the bullet deeper in the case. This squeezing of the upper portion of the case while seating the bullet can cause some distortion of the thin brass case below the base of the bullet. For this reason, I recommend setting up a pistol seating die to do only bullet seating and seating all the bullets to the proper OAL, followed by setting up the seating die to only apply a crimp. Hope that makes sense.

Don
 
kmw1954
It's nice when the right tool makes the problem go away . Now go shoot the heck out of your new pistol .

Chris
 
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Thanks, and you bet! Chased these loads around for about 4 weeks trying all sorts of things. Now this gun performs just as I expected it to and is a blast to shoot.. Now kind of wish I was 20 years younger with eye more focused and hands that didn't shake as much.
 
USSR said:

However, with the taper crimp being applied to a pistol round, the crimp area is much larger and is being applied to the side of the bullet while you are continuing to push the bullet deeper in the case.
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Thanks for your time and explanation. I thought the taper-crimp was mainly (solely?) to remove the flare and hold the bullet? All the rounds I've made incorporating seating/crimping in one step have worked well. The flare gets "ironed out" as the bullet seats to get OAL as per manual and plunk test. I set it so that it works as one motion so length isn't decreased.
 
Robert,

Yes, the taper crimp is used to remove the flare and help prevent the bullet from being shoved further in the case during chambering, but the internal taper in the die which allows for a varying amount of crimp by varying how far up in the die the round goes, will apply a decreasing amount of crimp below the case mouth. This is good because .452" lead bullets in some brands of brass (PMC for one) will show a bulge where the bullet is, and the taper will allow for better feeding. I normally taper crimp lead bullets to .469".

Don
 
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