Did I load it right?

[cs86]

60413
60414

These are some lee 230gr tumble lube molds I made for the round. I tried loading a few dummy rounds to see how they would chamber into my .45 1911 and XDS. Both barrels seemed to pass the plunk test, and they loaded up the ramp feed into the chamber really easy. Bad part is I don't think these guns are ment to unload a loaded (long) round. They would hang up in the action and I would have to fiddle with it to get them out.

My current COL is 1.293 and it looks like my hornady book recommends 1.245. I'm not sure if I can make this any shorter if I'm suppose to crimp it where it shows. Is the case suppose to have a slight crimp before the last ring? I posted the pic to show what I did. I have a hornady die set that has the roll crimp with my seating die. I tried putting a small roll crimp to help hold the bullet slightly for when its feeding into the gun.

[youngda9]

If it feeds it's all good.

[drklynoon]

Here's my two cents, for what it is worth, Roll crimping is a bad idea. The case headspaces on the case mouth and a roll crimp can mess you up. I would also pay special attention to the Overall length of the case. Once those two parameters are met you should have great success.

[chevyiron420]

Looks like you have a roll crimp on a 45 ACP case. My understanding is thats a no-no. The cartridge head spaces on the case mouth.

[HiVelocity]

As a rule, when loading 45 ACP, I don't crimp. I bought a separate FCD (Factory Crimp Die) to just lightly put tension on the case mouth to hold the bullet. I use the seating die to just "seat" the bullet. Then into the FCD. This may solve alot of your problems.

Just my .02 worth.

HV

[725]

These guys are right. .45 ACP needs a taper crimp (different die), and don't worry about the case clearing the ejection port. When the case does leave the gun, the boolit will be down range and the empty case won't be as long as the loaded cartridge.

[MtGun44]

Ditch the FCD and get a real taper crimp die that won't turn on you and bite you
one day.

Bill

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Your pic is definitely showing a roll crimp. With 45 ACP, the case when loaded is supposed to seat on the case mouth or else it may be driven too far into the chamber resulting in a failure to fire (FTF). Usually a taper crimp die is used to squeeze the case mouth enough to hold the bullet...not too much either or you have the same condition as with a roll crimp. Using any decent micrometer it is fairly easy to set the TC die to .470 or .471 and you're good to go. Once your die is set...lock it down. The only thing you have to watch is that 45ACP cases tend to shorten with repeated firings so you have to keep track of what is going on in that regard. LLS

[Phoenix]

Ditch the FCD and get a real taper crimp die that won't turn on you and bite you
one day.

Please explain this. I have loaded 1000s of round in 7 calibers all using the FCDs Never had an issue. I am curious.

[Blammer]

seat a tad deeper and just "IRON OUT" the flair, no crimp

I do worry about ejecting a live round and adjust my ammo so I can easily and safely eject a live round. I recommend the same to others.

[John Allen]

Phoenix, 9mm, 380, 40, 45 acp and many other head space on the case lip. By using a taper crimp the bullet is gently squezed through a taper of the die. A roll crimp rolls the edge over and can lead to headspacing issues.

[Phoenix]

Phoenix, 9mm, 380, 40, 45 acp and many other head space on the case lip. By using a taper crimp the bullet is gently squezed through a taper of the die. A roll crimp rolls the edge over and can lead to headspacing issues. I understand that but the FCD is a taper crimp. I was just asking why MTGUN44 said what I quoted.

Here is a quote from Lee's site:
A perfect taper crimp is applied to auto-loader rounds. The crimper cannot be misadjusted to make a case mouth too small to properly head-space.

[Sweetpea]

I have a hornady die set that has the roll crimp with my seating die. I tried putting a small roll crimp to help hold the bullet slightly for when its feeding into the gun.

I have that same die set and came up with the same problem... I spent an hour on the phone with hornady, and the easy answer is that you should set up your die to stop just short of the "roll crimp".

It actually tapers to that point, and once you have hit the "crimp", you have gone too far.

[DrCaveman]

If I'm not mistaken 1.275" is the book listed max OAL for 45 acp. That being said your boolits look to be seated to the same depth as mine, more or less. One TL band exposed. I have the same mold, like it a lot.

Ditto on the roll crimping being the wrong move for this cartridge.

There are a lot of Lee Factory Crimp Die bashers out there, but most seem to think it is ok in 45 acp... Main prob seems to be that it might size down your boolits below optimal due to carbide sizing ring.

Didn't think the crimp itself was the prob. Others have removed the sizing ring to avoid this issue but I'll bet just as many have finally experienced 45 load success because of this simple de-belling tool.

Maybe it means I am doing other things wrong but hey it seems to work.

[cs86]

Thanks for all the insight. I didn't think a full on crimp was safe because of the headspace issues. The main safety issue I was afraid of was if I didn't have enough pressure or a slight crimp that the bullet could possibly get shoved deeper into the case (from being forced up the ramp into the chamber) possibly causing high pressure when fired.

By getting rid of the slight roll that I have, which i felt was the only good place to put it for the purpose I did it, this will allow me to push the bullet deeper to the recommended COL. I will have to make sure that my die can put enough taper crimp on the bullet to hold when being forced up the ramp. Remember these are dummy rounds and maybe I'll have to tap the bullet head, increasing the strength of the tap, to see how much it takes to make the bullet move.

I've never had a problem with FMJ bullets by running the bullet in and letting the die take the flare off just before it would crimp. I wasn't sure if lead bullets have a tendency to slide easier in the case.

[DrCaveman]

Your concern is legitimate inasmuch as a boolit getting shoved deeper into the case would cause increased pressure.

45 acp runs at pretty low pressure anyway, and hopefully you are not planning to run the cast at full tilt until you get a few (hundred) test rounds in.

I think something that pertains here is neck tension. It is accomplished through minimal flaring of the case, along with ideal boolit diameter. I think it is why people can get away with little to no crimp with 45 acp.

I may be mis-applying this, please correct me if I am wrong.

[captaint]

Bill mentioned not using the FCD because that die will swage down your boolit, along with the brass. End result - boolit too small. Lead left in barrel. No fun. Get a real taper crimp die and enjoy. Mike
And another thing. After applying the taper crimp, your case mouth should be around .471. That'll get er done.

[DLCTEX]

Many criticize the Lee FCD for swaging the boolit. I have no problems with any of the 45's we load for in this regard, as I size to .452 for all the guns. The only time the carbide sizing ring touches a round is when the case has been bulged for some reason. The round will not load in the chamber correctly, so it's time to figure out what is wrong. If I had a gun that required oversize boolits, then I would not use the FCD.I do not have to worry about case dia. being off when using the FCD.

[drklynoon]

cs86, you are right in assuming that the boolit will strike the load ramp with considerable force. Just by hand cycling my kimber and a rock island I noticed considerable bullet set-back with factory ammunition. The taper crimp is not at fault here its just a design quirk. Unless you are driving the boolit back a serious amount and causing feed problems I would not worry about it if you are getting the .471 that others mentioned.
DLCTEX, I have fund the same thing as you with one exception, winchester cases. They seem to be thick enough to cause me problems with boolit swedge. I size my boolits to .451 and still experience swedging with winchester cases.

[cs86]

Bill mentioned not using the FCD because that die will swage down your boolit, along with the brass. End result - boolit too small. Lead left in barrel. No fun. Get a real taper crimp die and enjoy. Mike

Makes sense.


and another thing. After applying the taper crimp, your case mouth should be around .471. That'll get er done.

I will have to measure and see what I come up with. I don't really want to buy another die right now so i'll probably back off my seating die untill i get rid of the roll. Then take a measurement, and see how well the bullets are holding.

Thanks for all the info!

[popper]

Yes, just back the die out a hair until it only removes the flair. Neck tension should keep the CB in the case, adjust it until you get no setback when feeding. You can taper crimp into the crimp groove but might get leading and lose accuracy. I don't load so long that the CB is into the lands with a SA, could cause a slam fire.