Best slug crimp?

[mikeORB]

I have been loading shot shell for many years and just now getting the itch to give slugs a try. Most guys I know do a fold crimp and say it works just fine. I have been looking at the MEC Slugger press and its impressive and expensive. Before I go down that road or set up a roll crimp on the drill press, I wanted to get some feedback.

[Hogtamer]

The lee and lyman are for a star crimp.

[OBCoal]

If you decide to get a roll crimper, precision reloading roll crimp tool works great.

[duckey]

I have had decent results with slugs using an 8 star crimp. Also use a drill press roll crimper and an old hand roll crimper. I prefer the drill press roll crimper. I use bpi blue sabots, a gas seal put into a fiochi hull. Been using muzzleloading bullets with these sabots with decent success. Roll crimping a Winchester aa or similar wad tears em up.

[FullTang]

I load Lee slugs, both 7/8 and 1 oz. They'll work well with a fold crimp or roll crimp. Lee says their slugs are designed for fold crimps in a regular wad (not cut down, though lots of folks do this.) Personally, I prefer a 6 pt fold crimp, because I think it gives me better control over minor variations in stack height, but 8 pt works fine, too. When I roll crimp with the BPI tool on the drill press, I like to use an overshot card, especially the clear plastic frangible disks. These look a lot neater, and you don't need to fold over as much material. They seem to result in a much more consistent load, too, with even seating pressure, and you never need to worry about the slug working loose. Regular fold crimps are a lot quicker, and you can load them up in no time at all, but the roll crimp looks pretty snazzy.

[Ithaca Gunner]

For a roll crimp you'll have to start with hulls that were originally roll crimped, or new hulls.

[sparky45]

For a roll crimp you'll have to start with hulls that were originally roll crimped, or new hulls.

Not so; I simply cut off the fold crimp enough to start the roll crimp and it works real good (drill press setup).

[Ithaca Gunner]

You're right, I forgot about doing that.

[Cap'n Morgan]

What sparky said. Cut off the fold crimp!

This picture shows a number of slugs loaded in different hulls including a couple of paper hulls. All had the fold crimp removed except the two rightmost. The difference is obvious:

[OnHoPr]

A lot depends on the height of your designed load with any particular modifications to the wad column or density of powder. I will second the Precision Roll Crimping tool. It is really not necessary to cut off the fold crimps either all the time. Previously roll crimped hulls are preferred, but you can roll crimp with the previous fold crimps. They do make a tool IIRC called the spin doctor which with the drill press smooths out the folds. That lawn game called "Jarts" has throwing jarts. If you cut off the stem you can put it it the drill press and smooth out the folds if it might be a hull you would like to try. Maybe try to find something like that to put in the drill press for that application. Maybe a coned piece of hardwood dowel with a 5/16" lag screw in the but end with the head cut off. If you are going to roll crimp shot cup type slugs and want to roll crimp it is helpful to use an overshot card to help unroll the roll crimp to protect the following wad.

[vratar]

Where to buy roll crimper

[toallmy]

Ballistic Products roll crimper .

[jmort]

I started off with roll crimps but lately been folding them mostly. As mentioned part of it is your wad column. Sometimes that makes the decision easy.