Consistent Crimp Handle

[PatMarlin]

Anybody using this tool here? Couldn't find any posts in a search.

Let me know how you like it. Looks like a great idea.

http://www.bulkreloadingsupply.com/r...rimp-products/

[texassako]

I might need one of those. I use a regular torque wrench for a few calibers on the bolt head opposite the handle on a Lee press. It is a great way to increase the consistency of Lee FCD's and collect neck dies.

[Walter Laich]

Interesting idea but out of my price range right now.
see it for folks like benchrest shooters

[ubetcha]

I believe Titan Reloading has something similar on their website. I think it's a torque wrench made to fit the press handle.

[tomme boy]

Lee make one. Another gimmick if you ask me.

[Pepe Ray]

The kits that are included are designed to attach the instrument to your press on the port side.
BUT there is no adapter to attach it to a Rock Chucker. A call to RCBS looking for a knuckle with both port & starb'd handle holes got me a big "no dice"! I have reservations about that but I keep notes.
Come good weather I'll truck up the road to my friendly neighborhood machine shop and have the problem rectified.
Pepe Ray

[seanhagerty]

I have one. I use it for AR reloads when I cant vary the OAL past mag length. It works much the same as adjusting neck tension does.

Some folks have called it snake oil, but I use it as another tool in my reloading toolbox.

Sean

[William Yanda]

Not sure I understand the concept. Could the same thing be accomplished by pulling on the handle with a spring calibrated appropriately? One could buy a lot of springs for $100.

[PatMarlin]

I think it's definitely a nice tool if you're into improving accuracy, with a firearm that can take you there. Any edge you can get specially with something like a consistent crimp is important. Be real interesting on my 550B to try out. But unless you've got the patience for things like weighing your cases and boolits, and the whole consistent process for bench, it's not for everyone. I'm surprised more guys haven't tried it here on CB.

These are all from the same manufacturer. His name is Scott and he does have a version for the Rockchucker.

I'm still thinking it would be killer for the Dillon presses, cause you will have consistency with every stroke of the process. AND I use the 550B more for bulk and fast reloading, so if the handle will give you an overall edge with your Dillon press, that would be very cool indeed.

[Doc Highwall]

I am not sure how well it will work as crimp dies as well as all dies should be adjusted at the rams top most travel and the variable of the crimp if the bullets are the same diameter will be case length and case wall thickness only.

People who neck turn and trim case length do not usually crimp match bullets.

[mdi]

I understand how a torque wrench works with torque applied perpendicular to the handle, but how would that tool work with force applied in line/parallel with the handle?

[PatMarlin]

I've gotten my best accuracy with crimping. I always crimp. I like LEE factory crimps as well. Depends on the type of torque wrench, and the position of it. Being able to rotate the handle should fix that. I don't think being parallel with the handle would make a difference (if) you can measure and repeat consistent pressure/force. I'm building a monster heavy bench 30'06 1903 Springfield. Probably going to be at least 25lbs with scope just for cast. Testing stuff like this will be fun.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I personally think that this is a pointless device. Here's my reasons why.

If you set up your crimping die so that the press cams over center at the end of the travel, (which is what you should be doing anyway) it will insure that the case is going into the die the same amount everytime. In other words you are in essence setting up a mechanical stop. The case goes in to the die until the press "cams over center" after which the case actually comes back out a little. IN other words the motion of the press toggle links are thru a "radiused path" and the high point of that path is where the maximum travel of the press' ram is achieved. It is also where the press achieves it's maximum amount of force when sizing a case.

Then the only variations that could exist with the crimp would be caused by inconsistent case mouth wall thickness or variations in case length, both of which you would have been standardized during your case preparation.

In the case of the case mouth wall thickness, the variations between different cases of the same headstamp are going to be pretty minute, and unless they vary more than .001-2 thruout the batch the small differences will have no significant effect on anything.. If they do vary that much then you need to cull out the offending cases and load them separately or recycle them.

The OAL of the cases is the one thing that would affect your crimp more than any other single factor and that should have been dealt with when you trimmed your cases.

The only place that I see this tool making any discernible difference is if you were loading for Benchrest Competition,,, But then nobody crimps for that, and they mostly use Wilson hand dies so there is no place to put a torque wrench.

On bottleneck cases if the bullet has a nice roll crimp that is placed at the lower edge of the bullet's cannelure then that will prevent the bullet from being dislodged forward and provide the extra bullet "Pull" to insure good ignition and more complete powder burn.

I roll crimp all of my high power and revolver cartridges. I taper crimp all Auto Pistol rounds and some boolits, but that is another subject entirely.

I use a Lee FCD to crimp my .223/5.56's for the simple reason that I don't trim these because they are once fired and each one of the cases that I fire will most likely never be found for a second trip thru the process since they are all fired in Semi-Autos and get sent winging into the surrounding area.

The Lee Die Collet Style Crimp Die copes with small variations in seating depth and case length better than roll crimping does, and locks the bullet in place very well. Once again, the amount of crimp is set up by the press stopping at the end of travel and the adjustment of the die governs the "amount" of crimp. The position of the crimp with respect to the case neck is built into the die and cannot be changed other than by the length of the case neck itself.

I set the bullet seating depth so that the top edge of the case mouth is about 2/3 the way up the cannelure, that way any small variations in the length of the cases or position of the cannelure on the bullets themselves will still result in a decent crimp somewhere in the cannelure. This is good for about +/- .005 variance. IN other words when producing 400 rounds per hour there is going to be some variation in the individual rounds, however all of them will be within a certain range that will function in all of my guns.

This is why I do what I do and is not meant to dissuade anyone from doing anything. Reloading can be made as simple or as complicated as the individual wants and that is one of the beauties of the hobby.

There's an **** for every seat.

Randy

[country gent]

I see several things with this tool. First off when working to a measured force applied then brass thickness, hardness is going to be a variable. Consistently annealed necks will produce good results range brass, brass fired uneven number of times, reformned brass will all vary in hardness / springiness. Necks varying in thickness also will have a varience working to force applied. Cases trimed, annealed, and consistent crimped to over center top of stroke should be very consistent as dead lentgh is the same everytime. When stamping parts in manufactuing the dies work to a depth of stroke very seldom force applied. I have found varying neck tension is better than crimps when possible. But this also requires consistent necks to work. On several of my match rifles neck tension can make the diffrence between xs and 10s.

[tomme boy]

Here is the other thing I can see on a progressive press. If you stop the stroke because of the 'Click" or whatever it does, what is going to happen to that crimp on a hard to size case. It will signal to stop before the case is all the way sized.

[seanhagerty]

Not designed for a progressive. Should only be used on a single stage. Look, I know a lot of you don't like the idea. I saw how it moved my groups around, and made smaller or larger group size based on the amount of crimp. Lee's Factory Crimp die literature talks about different crimps (light, medium of heavy). This gives you a way to quantify the amount of crimp.

Use it or dont use it. Like or don't. Try it or don't I look at it as just another tool in my toolbox.

[PatMarlin]

Here's the design for the Dillon 550 with an interesting video on groups vs. crimp pressure:

http://www.bulkreloadingsupply.com/d...illon-adapter/

I want one.

[William Yanda]

It's getting clearer. Linear motion is limited by the torque wrench concept. Harbor Freight showed a choice of torque wrenches for about $12 in the flyer I got recently. shouldn't be a big step to adapt one of them to any single stage press.
Lot's of handy guys here.
Bill

[r1kk1]

Pat

I'm thinking of one too, not sure which press I would use at this point.

I noticed his website changed.

Take care

r1kk1

[mdi]

Mebbe I'm just dense, but I have used torque wrenches on everything from 6-40 nuts to 1 1/8-7 nuts and even a hydraulically operated wrench to tighten crane turrets. But with a torque wrench torque is applied in a perpendicular manner to the handle. The illustrations/pics show a torque wrench pointing to a press, and from the implications, the "torque handle" replaces the original press handle. I was wondering how the wrench can measure force in parallel to the wrench handle?