What Kind of Crimp Does Buffalo Bore Use?

[Southern Shooter]

Hello,
What kind of crimp does Buffalo Bore use in this picture?

42151

Thanks

[littlejack]

SS:
That is what I would call a "heavy factory crimp"
Jack

[cf_coder]

That is the type of crimp you'll get from a Lee Factory Rifle Crimp Die. There is a collet that squeezes down around the edge of the round. A roll crimp is what you'll normally find on pistol ammunition. Though with the Lee FCD, in the pistol calibers, there is an additional carbide sizing ring that will swage down your boolits along with the cartridge.

Ranch Dog outdoors sells a Lee FCD for .357 that uses the rifle type collet to crimp and doesn't have the carbide sizing ring. Lets you use your boolits without worry of them being swaged. He may have some for other calibers.

[Gohon]

It's a type of stab crimp normally used on rifle cartridges. The Lee Factory Crimp die still uses a roll type crimp for the 357 magnum but as mentioned Ranch Dog had a special order of collect type crimp dies made for the 357 and as mentioned, without the carbide sizing ring that he sells. What ever Buffalo Bore uses, it is a lot cleaner looking crimp that the LFC die though the Ranch Dog LFC die is still a good product because it eliminates crimp jumping and case bulge at the case mouth so often experienced with standard roll crimps.

[MtGun44]

A HEAVY crimp with a Lee rifle type Factory Crimp Die, which is a collet die and functionally
unrelated to the Lee pistol type Factory Crimp Die, which is a taper crimp inside of a
carbide FL sizing die.

Bill

[405]

Excellent posts with good explanations of Lee "rifle" and "pistol" type FCDs. The Lee "rifle" FCD is the cat's meow. On the other hand, I've never warmed up to their "sliding ring" pistol FCD system.

As to the OP, I don't know the type of equipment BB uses for crimping that cartridge but it sure looks like a really heavy crimp produced by something similar to a Lee "pistol" type FCD.

BTW, I'm not shooting that ammo in my 1st Gen Colt! That stuff is best suited for a strong carbine or rifle.

[Gohon]

The Lee Factory Crimp die for the 357 magnum/38 Special and 45 Colt are not taper crimp dies. They are roll crimps......I have both.

The LFC die I have for the 45 ACP is in fact a sort of taper crimp. Lee Pistol crimp dies have no means of actually putting any type of crimp on the round. Basically all the pistol die does is flatten out any flare that may have been used to seat the bullet so the cartridge will head space on the case mouth. Also, the Lee die I have for the 45 ACP does not contain a carbide ring that sizes the cartridge. Only revolver dies have the carbide ring.

From Lee....."Revolver dies roll crimp with no limit as to the amount. A perfect taper crimp is applied to auto-loader rounds."

I also have the special dies from Ranch Dog for the 357 mag/38 Special and 45 Colt and they are collet type dies that perform a stab crimp like the Buffalo Bore crimp. Lee will not sell anyone a revolver collet crimp die......only available from Ranch Dog.

Bottom line is there are actually three types of LFC dies. Revolver (roll), pistol (taper), and rifle (collet). Each one performs a different type crimp plus the revolver/pistol die has a carbide ring which sizes the cartridge to factory specs.

[stubshaft]

Looks like you don't have to worry or need a crimp groove with that.

[Frosty Boolit]

It's a "now a bottleneck wildcat" crimp.

[Sonnypie]

Looks like a Dad-Burned bottle neck! :holysheep

But I agree, the Lee FCD would probably give that back to you, maybe.
The FCD will only squish so much....
Once it's closed, that's all she wrote.
I've got pictures of mine in action (http://s1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa382/Sonnypie/Lee%20Collet%20Crimper/), if that might help.

[runfiverun]

wow,,, i'd call it the kind that shortens brass life to two or three shots.
that's not a crimp thats a clamp.

[Southern Shooter]

Thank ya'll for the input, folks.

I have the .454 Casull Lee Factory Crimp Die. I was wondering about that crimp on Buffalo Bore's ammo because mine was nowhere near that. My crimping looks more like just a regular roll crimp. Perhaps I do not have the adjustment set correctly?

Thanks

[Southern Shooter]

I found this image on-line. Is this a more "normal" factory crimp?

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Thanks

[Gohon]

Yes it is...........that picture is one that Ranch Dog posted to show how his special collet dies work on straight wall cases.

When a standard or LFC die is used on straight wall cases such as the 357mag, 41 mag, 44 mag, 45 colt, or 454 mag a roll crimp is produced. The roll crimp pushes the case rearward as it turns the case mouth inwards towards the bullet. This rearward movement often causes the case to bulge behind the case mouth. Usually this bulge is not visible but a set of calipers will show you it is there. When this happens the grip the case wall had on the bullet is degrated.

If you load over sized bullets like a lot of us do, you most likely have experienced the swell of the case the length of the bullet that is inside the case. Often as not you have noticed the swell is more pronounced on one side of the case. Now what you have is not only a loose case to bullet grip but a bullet that is no longer aligned straight inside the case.

When the collet die is used, the crimp is formed by pushing from the rear forward on the case. This eliminates the problem of using a standard roll crimp. RD doesn't sell the collet die for the 454 but the Redding Profile crimp die, though still a roll crimp and not as good as the RD collet die, works very well and is abetter alternative to the standard crimp die or the LFC standard roll crimp die.

I have no connection with Ranch Dog or Lee products but this particular crimp die is in my opinion a outstanding product for those of us that cast and load over sized casts.

[DLCTEX]

My Lee 45 ACP FCD does have the carbide ring to post size the case. Maybe yours fell out? Or maybe Lee quit putting one in the 45 ACP as I bought mine early in the production of them.

[Southern Shooter]

My die does have the carbide ring. This drawing represents what my die somewhat looks like.
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[Gohon]

My Lee 45 ACP FCD does have the carbide ring to post size the case. Maybe yours fell out?

Well.......mine didn't fall out but I should have double checked before I spoke. My Lee 45 ACP crimp die is a standard Lee taper crimp die, not the Lee FCD. I bought it separately because I didn't like the way the seating/crimp die that came with the Lee die set was crimping. The straight Lee taper crimp die I have is different than the one that comes with the kit and has no means of seating a bullet. Actually all it does is iron out any flare that may have been put on a case mouth. It's just as well as I punch out the carbide rings on all FCD dies that have them because I use over sized casts. My mistake so I apologize for the misinformation on the 45 ACP FCD die.....:oops:

[sharpshooter81]

Sorry folks, I have a Lee FCD for my 45/70, and at the heaviest crimp setting (which I use all the time), it looks NOTHING like the original posted picture. That looks like a clamp crimp to me!

[Gohon]

http://i40.tinypic.com/9ad56h.jpg

Lee advertizes the die on the right as a taper crimp. Some call it a stab crimp but in my opinion it is kind of a modification crimp that incorporates both types. Either way it produces a crimp almost identical to a factory type rifle cartridge crimp.