Tom
A little more info please , were these jacketed or cast bullets ? also do they have a profound roll to the end of the case or just a slight taper ?
As stated if you had buckeled the case with too much crimp , you would not have been able to chamber the rounds to fire . Also what load were you using ?
Once you size and bell the brass the crimp or taper will be removed from the case so it will not be a factor in reloading these cases .
As far as how much crimp is needed will depend on the bullet make-up and style along with the powder and load being used . in most cases only a light crimp will be needed to hold the bullet . hope this helps some .
stimpy