Recognizing crimped primers

[BJB]

24 minutes ago, BHogan said:

1) how much variability should I be seeing in the powder throws, is like .01 (full tenth) pretty normal?

Depends on the powder somewhat.  I don'r have experience with 3n37.  I have used N320 and it would vary a little throw to throw.  I currently use Sport Pistol & it meters like water.

 

26 minutes ago, BHogan said:

2). Is this too much crimp? I'm trying to just take out the bell like I've read but it seems so go from bell to taper all at once. 

It looks to be a little too much crimp.  The casing looks to curve back into the bullet.  You'll find plated lead is softer than hardcast and more prone to damage from you.  Measure your crimp.  Set it to 0.378" or 0.379" and you'll be good to go regardless of the projectile.  Pull that bullet & look for a line made by crimping.  If these's a line back that crimp off until there's no line or a line that's just ever so slightly noticeable.  Same for coated bullets.  That taper crimp doesn't hold the bullet, neck tension does.

 

[looking4reloadingdeals]

Thanks for the additional input guys, I really do appreciate the help as I get started.
 
Ran a few tonight as a maiden voyage, plated 124 Xtreme round nose over Vihtavuori's recommended starting load of 3n37, 5.4gn.
 
A couple things I learned (like just how bad that ski jump really is, and why there's so many things on the market to  smooth out the shell plate indexing, WTH!).  A couple new questions too:
 
1) how much variability should I be seeing in the powder throws, is like .01 (full tenth) pretty normal?
2). Is this too much crimp? I'm trying to just take out the bell like I've read but it seems so go from bell to taper all at once. 
 

From the picture it looks like it could be too much crimp, but the easiest way to know is to pull the bullet and see if the crimping operation swaged the bullet down to a smaller diameter than the manufacturer made them. With plated bullets like that, I personally set my crimp to just barely put a ring onto the bullet, but not change the diameter. The crimp dies are usually very sensitive to changes, Johnnys Reloading Bench on YouTube did a video on adjusting the crimp die (although I’m pretty sure it was for rifle), but he found that somewhere around 1/2-3/4 turn of the crimp die is all it takes to go from basically no crimp, to an extra heavy crimp.

For the powder it sounds like you’re using the Dillon powder measure? I don’t have any experience with that yet as I’m still using my Hornady measure on my dillon, but that one will usually throw exactly what I want 90-95/100 times, and the other 5-10 rounds may be 0.1gr off. I think most measures advertise +-0.1 gr, so essentially 0.2gr total variation, although it isn’t often I see that much variation. Someone with experience with the Dillon will likely chime in with data using that though.


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[Swiley383]

9mm shouldn’t need much crimp just take the bell off. Use the thumb test place a seated bullet in a resized case. Measure your setting depth and the press the bullet against you bench then remeasure. If it moves check your resizing die before you adjust crimp. Been there done that.

 

[Sarge]

33 minutes ago, BHogan said:

Thanks for the additional input guys, I really do appreciate the help as I get started.

 

Ran a few tonight as a maiden voyage, plated 124 Xtreme round nose over Vihtavuori's recommended starting load of 3n37, 5.4gn.

 

A couple things I learned (like just how bad that ski jump really is, and why there's so many things on the market to  smooth out the shell plate indexing, WTH!).  A couple new questions too:

 

1) how much variability should I be seeing in the powder throws, is like .01 (full tenth) pretty normal?

2). Is this too much crimp? I'm trying to just take out the bell like I've read but it seems so go from bell to taper all at once. 

 

.1 is a full tenth. .01 is only a hundredth 

[BHogan]

30 minutes ago, Sarge said:

.1 is a full tenth. .01 is only a hundredth 

Good catch...I did mean .1! 

[Sigarmsp226]

B Hogan - Allow me to recommend a great and simple solution for your mixed brass situation.....  A Plus Brass (Todd) in the classified section of this forum can be your solution...Message Todd and tell him your situation...Todd has an imaging system that sorts 9mm brass by head stamp and he can remove ALL military crimped and stepped brass...Todd sells brass and he will also sort your cleaned brass....Todd if finishing up on a run for me where he is sorting my brass...I sent him cleaned mixed brass and he is sorting and polishing my brass and then sending it back to me. Whatever he has to cull he back fills with his sorted brass so that the box he returns to me is as full as it was when I sent it to him.....His prices (very reasonable) will surprise you...

 

Todd is a great guy and can help you - might want to send him a message.....Mark

[BHogan]

Thanks for the info sigarms, I'll definitely check it out.  I went through and sorted 1000 rounds myself, in the end there were like 8 WCCs and just a few other crimped cases, so to make it simple I just took them out of the mix.

 

Had a chance to pull a few.  Obviously the three on the left are over crimped, but what a out the one on the right.  Should I be trying to have zero scoring of the bullet or will there always be some? Again these are x-treme standard plated. 

Edited February 11, 2020 by BHogan

[BHogan]

On 2/8/2020 at 9:10 PM, looking4reloadingdeals said:

With plated bullets like that, I personally set my crimp to just barely put a ring onto the bullet, but not change the diameter. 

 

 

Well, now I'm just blowing off work, this is way more fun.  Is this about right or still too much? 

[BJB]

Too much crimp.  Bullet looks deformed. 

Back it off until you see no mark on the bullet, or just a very faint mark.  Go to 0.378" to 0.379" and never have to touch the crimp die again.

[Hi-Power Jack]

I presume you're not shooting 9mm Major, but if you are, you also

have to look for   1.  stepped cases (inside) and 2. steel cases.

[BHogan]

Here's the final, if I go any less than this there's still bell.  Thanks for all the help everyone, I may be back with more questions! (HPJ thanks for the heads up on other things to watch for).

 

[Sarge]

Xtremes are soft bullets with thin plating. That will always make them look over crimped when pulled. While the three in the pic were obviously over crimped the 4th wasn’t horrible. Maybe a tad too much but wouldn’t even show up on a jacketed bullet

[looking4reloadingdeals]

Here's the final, if I go any less than this there's still bell.  Thanks for all the help everyone, I may be back with more questions! (HPJ thanks for the heads up on other things to watch for). [emoji106]
 

That last one looks better. I don’t think I’d put a heavier crimp than that on your bullet, but that should work out without any problems.

When I’m adjusting my crimp I don’t usually look at the diameter of the outside of the case, I look to make sure the bell is getting taken out of the case and the bullet isnt getting messed up, but I know a lot of guys will just measure and go with it.


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[dave33]

If you stick with the Xtreme plated bullets, they sell a heavy plated bullet that may work better for you.  I have run the heavy plated bullets in 9mm major with no problems and excellent accuracy.  When I have pulled plated bullets for whatever reason they have the very faintest line around them with basically no indention.

[Steve RA]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is different case length.  Unless you trim them all to the same length, you will have some variation in crimp amount with each cartridge.  Measure 4 or 5 of the same brand and you'll see some slight difference in length, if your die is set to bottom out on the shell holder you have no variation in the distance from the case position in the shell holder to the crimping area in the die body.  If the case varies in length you will then have more or less crimp on each loaded cartridge.  There isn't much difference in the case length so it's usually not a big deal - but it is a factor in the amount of crimp each cartridge will have.