To crimp, or not to crimp... .357 Mag / Max

[schuetzen]

I was talking to someone at the range about loading .357 Maximum/Magnum and saying he doesn't crimp his .357 loads for single shot guns.  I can get away with this with .308 seating boat tail bullets without crimping because there is no expanding first.  But, can one seat .357 bullets without expanding the cases first?  By mistake, I once tried seating a .357 copper plated bullet on a piece of brass that I forgot to expand first.  It started to tear the copper plating on the bullet and I believe it started to crush the brass, if I remember correctly.  Perhaps seating without expanding works OK with thicker jacketed or lead bullets?  Do people load .357's by expanding them and then skip crimping them after seating a bullet?

[sr sawyer]

What I do is chamfer the case mouth and then expand just enough so as not to shave jacket material when seating.  I have done this without crimping on the 38/357mag, 44mag and 45-70 with good results.
 
 
Ken

[irold]

I believe many powders require a stout crimp for proper performance. 
 
regards , irold

[tacklebury]

I use an FCD to crimp all my pistol loads.  I've found pistol powders are often less consistent without it.  Plus they get loaded and unloaded often, sometimes giving more opportunity to be dropped etc.  It's not much longer to run mine through as a final step and I'll be doing it as long as I reload I figure.  Just cause you crimp doesn't mean it has to be super hard or modify the bullet diameter either like some wish to say.  Mine is just a kiss on flat sided bullets and if there's actually a groove, it's just enough to make it settle into the slot/cannelure. 

[schuetzen]

If it were possible to seat a bullet in a sized straight wall case, such as a .357 Mag without expanding first, I could see that one might be able to skip the step of crimping and still get consistent results (such as seating a .308 Win for a single shot gun).  However, as long as it is necessary to expand the case to seat the bullet, I can't believe that crimping is not useful, albeit an additional step.   I only use a mild crimp myself (1/2 turn on Lee crimper).

[huntducks]

I'm sorry but your saving zero time I use the roll or taper crimp built into a RCBS seating die.

[irold]

Hey Huntducks ,  I kinda agree ,, however when I load for my .45s , I MUST run them through a Lee F.C.D. or they don't chamber...seems the bulge from the bullet ( .451 ) is large enough to hinder the chambering. That includes a Springer Range Officer , Springer Mil-Spec and my Ruger P-345....Sometimes the Ruger will chamber them , but its sporadic and unreliable.  After running through the F.C.D. , all chamber and are 100% reliable.  Guess we're a little off-topic....sorry
 
regards , irold

[stimpylu32]

I've found that with having more than one gun in 357 mag it is just easier to crimp , also all my ammo is loaded to a level so that it will work in the weakest action gun with out being a problem , just grab a box and go .
 
stimpy

[kynardsj]

All my handguns are wheel guns and my favorite Encore sports a 20 inch 45 long colt barrel. I crimp all the reloads for them. Only reload I don't crimp is 308's for my Savage Model 16. 

[huntducks]

Hey Huntducks ,  I kinda agree ,, however when I load for my .45s , I MUST run them through a Lee F.C.D. or they don't chamber...seems the bulge from the bullet ( .451 ) is large enough to hinder the chambering. That includes a Springer Range Officer , Springer Mil-Spec and my Ruger P-345....Sometimes the Ruger will chamber them , but its sporadic and unreliable.  After running through the F.C.D. , all chamber and are 100% reliable.  Guess we're a little off-topic....sorry
 
regards , irold

I hear ya none of my 1911 will chamber them either GI or Springfield, I got some 230gr RN copper plated that's the offender but the taper crimp die takes it right out this is the only 45 bullet I don't load on my Dillon SDB.

[mdi]

For single shot guns, neck tension should be enough to insure proper ignition with slower powders. Size/deprime and flare as usual. After seating bullet you may want to slightly run the crimp die down just enough to remove the flare to insure proper chambering, and not "crimp" (move brass into cannalure/crimp groove) as usual. Kinda silly not to crimp when straightening out the case mouth 'cause you're right there with the case/die. Without flaring the case mouth it may be difficult to start the bullet straight, or eliminate shaving lead on a cast bullet.

I put a hefty crimp on all my .357 Magnum and .44 Magnun ammo whether used in a revolver, single shot (Contender) or lever action rifle. BTW I had a Lee Factory die in .44 Mag., used it on 2 cartridges, put it in a drawer somewhere...

[gypsyman]

Easy to ignite powders you can get away without crimping. But with 296/H110, and 2400, I use a Redding Profile crimp die. You can get away with it in the single shot pistols/rifle's,(T/C's,Handi's, MOA's and BF's) but in a revolver, I would put a little crimp, just to keep the bullet from walking out on you. Even if you have the ammo light loaded. gypsyman

[Bart Solo]

It has never occured to me not to crimp a straight walled pistol round.  Why would you want to?  I run every pistol round I load through a Lee FCD.  Even my 45 ACP gets a taper crimp.  You never know when you are going to load a 357 round in a revolver.