OAL for Tumble Lube bullet

[dradave]

Friends, I just purchased a .32 Cal Tumble Lube Lee mold TL314-90-SWC for my Taurus .327 Magnum pistol. I'm shooting .32 H&R Magnum through it right now as it's a good round for my wife. The mold drops boolits at .316 @ 91-93 gns so it should be a good fit. I have a question pertaining to crimping this round. When I am shooting Hornady HP out of it with a cannelure, the roll crimp works fine, however, with the tumble lube bands, I'm curious about the OAL and whether I should use a roll crimp or a taper crimp. I can set the OAL where it would fit one of the spaces between the lube bands or I can set the OAL where a taper crimp would work on one of the bands itself. I am curious on what my best option would be.

If a roll crimp would be the best answer, I'm looking at the Redding Profile crimp for this round. Right now I'm using the Lee FCD but I do not won't to use it with lead bullets. If a taper crimp would be best, the Redding taper crimp die would be my choice.

These rounds are loaded at the low end of the range so bullet set back should not be a problem.

Thoughts and suggestions are appreciated.

Merry Christmas...

[prs]

Typically the crimp is applied at the top drive band on TL boolits, but go by your sources' published OAL for finished cartridge. I reckon you could roll crimp into the top most lube groove if that does not violate the OAL or bind your revolver.

prs

ps: Welcome to the fire, noticed this was your first post.

[ku4hx]

Published cartridge OALs are just guides and you need to use the length, within safety limits, that works for you . What prs says is right but don't get all hung up on OAL in a revolver. If the round chambers and the cylinder spins freely your length is OK. You can play with it a bit to see what works best.

I generally use the first groove at the bow (front? top?) of the boolit but that's a personal choice. In some loadings a mild to moderate taper crimp is fine. Crimping is used to hold the bullet in place and to help keep the case from backing away from it under heavy recoil. Some rounds just don't need a crimp past removing case mouth belling. And the less crimp the better given that, in my experience, the first place I see case cracks is at the mouth. And that's the part that gets the most fatigue weakening from repeated belling and crimping. Go easy on your brass, if your loads are minimum you likely need only a light taper crimp to just true-up the case mouth.

[williamwaco]

Use a very light roll crimp into the top groove.

Crimp it with your bullet seating die.

You do not need another die.

If you find for some reason that you don't like you bullet seating die, then think about another die but not until you try the die you already have.


See \\\http://www.reloadingtips.com/how_to/crimping_revolvers.htm


for examples.



.

[evan price]

I roll-crimp my TL 44 mag bullets into the topmost TL groove. If that's too long for your cylinder then you could seat it all the way down and roll crimp over the end of the driving band.