Lee Rifle Factory Crimp

[ewokUk]

Hi guys & gals,

After reloading pistol rounds for about a year now, I've started reloading rifle rounds.

I was having success with Lee Factory crimp dies for .45ACP, so I decided to use one on my rifle set up, but didn't know just how much crimp to apply.

I set up the die to the minimum setting Lee advise, made up some rounds, then made two more sets, increasing the crimp 1/8 of a turn each set.

I then discovered that I hadn't set up the auto disc correctly & it was producing light & inconsistant powder loads, so I pulled all the bullets & was shocked to discover the amount of distortion applied to the bullets. Even on the lightest settings, the die produced a crimp ring deeper than any cannalure ring that I've seen on a bullet.

Won't this upset the BC of the bullet? Does it have a detrimental affect on accuracy?

Does anyone have experience with these dies & how to use them?

Thanks in advance for any help/advice

Mike

Edited May 24, 2006 by ewokUk

[Dan Sierpina]

Mike,

I've been loading .223 and .308 for quite a while. The ammo is used in gas guns, AR and M1A. I have never crimped ammo in either caliber. If you decide to crimp rifle ammo, make sure you only do it on bullets with a cannalure, not a smooth sided match bullet. Proper neck tension is sufficient to hold the bullet.

[D.Hayden]

I tried the Lee FCD for .223 - I had the same experience, looked like too much crimp. It's in the pile of unused dies now.

I went back to the Dillon, for whatever reason, I was able to adjust the Dillon to exactly what I wanted, but not the Lee..