[lonewolf101]

The qustion I have is how does a good crimp look? Last night I loaded some rounds that the crimp looked good and what I did is this I turned the round around in my hand the bullet was facing down and I hit the table top of my bench with it and drove the bullet in side of the case!I alway thought if you had a good tight crimp that the bullet would hold.

[JonM]

It helps but there is no cure. What you did was way more force than what the round still in a magazine will expierence on recoil. A properly sized case does 90% of the work of holding the bullet in place.

My personal practice is crimp only those bullets that have a cannelure for crimping. Everything else gets only enough to remove the belling operation. The ones that do get crimped i only crimp .010 into a cannelure. Mileage may vary. Its just what i do.

[lonewolf101]

Thats what the guy from Lee said to me today - he said to put the bullet on the table top and press down to test the crimp, he also said lead dosent hold like brass when you crimp it.

[Txhillbilly]

Lonewolf,Are you using the crimping die that's built in the bullet seating die,or a seperate Lee factory seating die after seating the bullet.They have both styles.The one that's in the seating die is like a rolled crimp.The other die works like a collet,the more pressure you put on the handle,the more it squeezes the case to the bullet.

It looks like your bullets have a cannelure,if you screw the seating die in 1/4 turn at a time,you can increase the rolled crimping in the die.Just remember to back off the seating plug on top,or you will push the bullets in the case deeper,or it will damage the case wall on the brass.

[lonewolf101]

Its a seprate die TxHillbilly

[robocop10mm]

That looks like an adequate crimp. I might increase it a little but not alot. The crimp in a heavy recoiling round like the 45-70 is to prevent the bullet from backing OUT of the case. There is not that much pressure on the loading cycle, but there can be a lot of force in recoil that can cause the bullet to move forward and out of the case because of the inertia of the heavy bullet.

[lonewolf101]

Your right Robocop10mm that round when I pressed the bullet top on the table the bullet went inside the case!!!.After turning the die down again I loaded anoth round crimped it and when I press it down it did not!......so its good now.