Where do you crimp your micro-groove bullets?

[Thuban]

Take for instance the 45 ACP, 230 gr Lee TL 452-230-2R. Taking your OAL into account, where do you crimp your case, in the groove or on the hump?

Thanks,
Thu

[wallenba]

On my 38 wadcutters and my 45 200 swc's I use the top groove just below the driving bands. If your 230 is for an autoloader a taper crimp might be better just on top of the driving band.

[geargnasher]

There are zero advantages to crimping the .45 ACP and many disadvantages. Just use the taper crimp die to barely straighten out the bellmouth. I seat that boolit to where the front shoulder just barely sticks past the case mouth, .005" or so.

Gear

[Thuban]

Yep, that sounds good but...

For some reason, and I'm not the only one having problems, the case being extracted is catching on the case mouth of the case waiting in the mag. Win factory FMJ will run but you can feel what I'm talking about when you slowly rack the slide.

XD45 ACP running Lee 230 gr cast bullet, micro-groove. While the win FMJ has a case mouth thickness of about .011 the combination of the case mouth and height of the micro groove or driving band, equals about .020!! The ejecting case rim will rip a piece of brass out of the waiting rounds case mouth driving the waiting round nose down into the mag...WOOF! The ejector is tearing up the case rims from the strain. Wonder it's not broken.
So you either run factory FMJ (bummer) or get a cast bullets you can get the crimp down right against the bullet.
I'd rather have a firm crimp than a bullet pushed back from hitting the ramp. I use a separate seat and crimp die set up like the instructions call for and have had no problem in that area...knock on wood.

I'm wondering if the mag lips ( on both mags?) aren't spread a bit to hold the bullet just right to cause this to happen? BTW, this thing has a slide spring from hell! When it goes home it mashes cases!

I thought that if I crimped IN the groove of the micro-groove ( I don't think they are big enough to be called drive bands on this one) rather than on top of it ( if my OAL will give me the leeway) the extracting case might ride up over the waiting cases lip and she'd run.

(Looks at that sentence...Woof, it's early!)

Thanks'
Thu

[timkelley]

Thuban, using that same boolit I had the same problem with an XD45. After experimenting a bit I found I could stop the problem by sizing the boolit down to .452. It seems the XD45 feeds really flat, same thing that caught in the XD would feed fine in a Gold Cup (MkIV). Geargnasher is right about the taper crimp, you don't want a roll crimp.

[mdi]

There are zero advantages to crimping the .45 ACP and many disadvantages. Just use the taper crimp die to barely straighten out the bellmouth. I seat that boolit to where the front shoulder just barely sticks past the case mouth, .005" or so.

Gear

There's your answer for ACP loading. For a micro-groove boolit in my revolvers (38/357, .44 Spec/Mag) I vary the crimp position looking for best accuracy. I crimp (heavy roll crimp for my Magnums) in the micro-groove starting at the second from the top. Next batch will be third and I'll work down. Still in progress, but so far it's looking good.

[Thuban]

Sorry to be getting back with you so late. I think winter is finally gona hit North Texas.
Ohh, Thanks for the good info. I'm using a Lee carbide crimp die set like the book says. I ask Lee the question of how the die worked. Seems like they said what amounted to "differently depending on wheather the bullet in question was copper jacket (like FMJ) or lead".

Sure enough, depending on a 1/4 turn or so you can get a straight crimp on an FMJ or crank it up and get a bold roll crimp on a lead bullet. But "it ain't us" this time! It's the pistol. I sent my XD in for repair and I miss it already! I'm hunting Hogs with a 50 flintlock and I use the Xd45 for backup. I'm in my 60's and too old to run or climb. Sure hope they can fix it.

I sure like having guys around I can bounce things off of.

Thank you much!

Thu

[mroliver77]

I set me boolit depth with my barrel. I load it long at firST AND KEEP PUSHING IT IN A COUPLE THOU AT A TIME UNTIL IT WILL FIT FLUSH WITH THE HOOD IN THE 1911. Caps lock!!!!! grrr I then set the dillon taper crimp to just give a very slight crimp mostly just ironing out the flare. In revolvers I like to load as long as posible so as to help align boolit in the throat. If using micro groove I crimp in nearest groove that will allow chambering. Jay

[Boolseye]

I seat the bullet so that all grooves are inside the case, regardless of the bullet...taking into account correct OAL and seating depth. 200 grain .452 LSWCs won't chamber in my H&K USP unless they're seated nearly to the start of the cone's taper.

[35remington]

I seat such that half to two thirds of the first band is outside the case in 45 ACP. Resulting overall length is in the 1.265-1.270" region.

This with the 230-2R.

And yes, only enough taper crimp to turn in the flare. Taper crimping on such a tiny piece of real estate really doesn't help the bullet stay in the case any better.....the tapered surface, small area involved and springback of the brass don't lend much help to bullet retention abilities.