45/70 crimp

[Tad Houston]

I am having a hard time getting a good heavy crimp on jacketed bullets without crushing the case. I am using a RCBS roll crimp in the seater die. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[davem270win]

Get A Lee Factory Crimp die.

[AtlLaw]

Get A Lee Factory Crimp die.

+1  I use them on all rounds I crimp!  Including the 45/70!!

[cwlongshot]

Your properly set up dies will crimp perfectly.
I am no fan of the LEE crimp die, it simple squishes everything resulting in what lee considers a "crimp". I'll not be popular for saying it, but IMHO its junk.

 I suggest you try seating and crimping to two steps. First you need to be sure your cases are the same legnth as you will be setting everything up based on a set legnth. If that legnth varies very much you will have problems. SO, either trim or segregate the cases based on OAL.

 Frist lets adjust the die NOT crimp. Back out the die a full turn and readjust the seating stem to seat the bullet so the cannalure lines up with the case mouth. Seat all bullets.
 Now go back to the die and back out or remove the seating stem. With die removed from press put a loaded shell in the shell holder and raise it all the way up inside the press. Reinstall the die on top of that shell and stop when you feel the shell contact the bullet. Spin the die nut down until it contacts the press. Then lower ram and shell out of the way. Now twist the die in another quarter turn or so and tighten the die nut to lock the die to the press. Crimp and inspect your first crimped bullet. Adjust as necessary.

Good luck and Merry Christmas,
 CW

[Tad Houston]

That is exactly how i was doing it- and in two steps, unfired brass. The case would start to collapse before I could get a firm crimp. I will try the Lee- works for me on everything else i load.

Thanks guys!

[stuffit]

Maybe there is more information somewhere so forgive me if I missed it. However, the best sort of crimp would, from my perspective, depend upon what firearm you are loading for. 

My  .45-70 is an H&R BC rifle and, for best results from it,  usually with cast bullets, I like the Lyman taper crimp die designed for the caliber.  It provides good neck adhesion and should do just as well, I'd think for most firearms other than those with tubular magazines.  However, the Lee standard seat and crimp die, utilized as described by the gentleman above,  should perform very well for you. 

I'll belabor one point made though.  There are two types of Lee Factory Crimp Die and, I think, the .45-70, having a slight taper rather than being straight walled, uses the collet type of LFCD rathen than the often praised and just as often maligned "straight-walled" type that is often mentioned in discussions of more common straight walled handgun cartridges.
 
stuffit

[cwlongshot]

That is exactly how i was doing it- and in two steps, unfired brass. The case would start to collapse before I could get a firm crimp. I will try the Lee- works for me on everything else i load.

Thanks guys!

 Than I think you may be trying to apply too much crimp. Something else,  brand new brass is softer than even once fired stuff, (ESP REMINGTON!!) this too may be contributing to your problems.

But I have to say I have loaded countless thousands of 45-70's from new brass and never felt I hadn't been able to get enough crimp. Generally, as long as you know your dies are fully functional and clean, a collapsing case is the result of too firm a crimp, a bullet not aligned up with its cannalure or a too large dia bullet.

 What bullet and brass combo are you loading?

CW

[AtlLaw]

That is exactly how i was doing it ... unfired brass.

Hummmm    Do me a favor will ya?  Try again after the brass is (at least) once fired and let me know what happens.

Oops, I see cwlongshot was thinking the same thing I was... 

[Lazermule]

Get A Lee Factory Crimp die.

+2

[Westbound]

When i bought my 45-70 dies Cabelas was out of Lee and RCBS dies.
Since I'm really patient....
i decided to try the Hornaday dies that they had in stock.

i haven't loaded more than 50 rounds, but I already like these dies.
The seating die will also crimp.  it took forever to get set up, but now it gives me the perfect light crimp i was wanting.  I haven't tried it for a heavy crimp though.

[cwlongshot]

When i bought my 45-70 dies Cabala's was out of Lee and RCBS dies.
Since I'm really patient....
i decided to try the Hornady dies that they had in stock.

i haven't loaded more than 50 rounds, but I already like these dies.
The seating die will also crimp.  it took forever to get set up, but now it gives me the perfect light crimp i was wanting.  I haven't tried it for a heavy crimp though.

 Glad you got it!!

 I find it helpfull to make up a dummy cartridge and keep it in the die box. Just be sure of the case dimensions as this dummy will be the basis for all loaded rounds. So trim to exact legnth and seat bullet to correct for your rifle OAL. THEN go back and crimp. Now do this for what ever bullets you load for and you van very quickly get your die back to the proper settings for what ever particular bullet you want to load. Exact or at the very least consistant case lengths are tantamount to creating nice even and consistant crimps.

  I just went thru this myself, with my Whelen. I picked up some Nosler AccuBonds. In preparation for an upcoming elk hunt. Turns out the Accubonds are dimensionally identical to the Nosler BT I do load for so I got off easy. But I prepped 100 new cases. Deburr flash hole, re-size, trim to 2.485, deburr inside and out and set aside for loading.

CW

[Westbound]

a dummy cartridge is great advice!!

i built one as soon as I got the dies set up.  I hate setting up dies with a passion, so to start from scratch each time would make me hate handloading... until I go to Cabela's and see factory prices!!