How Much Crimp for a Lever Gun

[snaketail]

I discovered that my .45 Colt loads in a .454 need to have the boolit seated longer than normal - to reduce the jump to the rifling. I'm seating a 250g LRNFN to near .454 Casull length, so I'm crimping on the driving band. Should I crimp heavy or light? I'm using a Lee die that applies a roll crimp.
(Yes, I know the answer is to use .454 cases, but have you tried to buy small rifle primers lately?)
Thanks
M
Photo of a .45 Colt really-long
76990

[ReloaderFred]

Just crimp into the side of the bullet. If you don't crimp, the magazine spring tension will collapse the bullet into the case and affect feeding from the magazine tube.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[snaketail]

I decided to buy some .454 brass - but when I saw the price I had some 2nd, 3d, and 4th thoughts! Winchester brass for .454 Casull is $2.00 each; 50 cases = $100.

Am I seeing panic pricing? The same store is charging $35 for 20 factory loads - it's less expensive to buy loaded rounds!

[TXGunNut]

With good neck tension it only takes a light roll crimp for a levergun. Crimp in the pic looks about like a factory crimp, I generally go a little lighter.

[popper]

Crimp looks like it is buckling the case.

[Salmoneye]

It's not just loading and spring tension that set bullets back...

Under recoil, bullets in a tubular mag see some serious slamming...

This is a pic I took a while back of some Siearra 240gr that I had loaded in the mag tube of a Marlin 1894S...If I remember correctly, this is what they looked like after firing 5 rounds of under max loads of 4227...

The one on the far right has not only had the meplat squashed, but the bullet has been set back by half the cannelure...As evidenced by the 'hourglass' shape of the cases, you can see, there is 'sufficient' neck tension...Without a strong crimp, those bullets would have been set back more, thus decreasing internal volume, and thereby raising pressures...
77122

http://i47.tinypic.com/opbkv4.jpg

[gwpercle]

Like popper stated, too much crimp will cause the case to bulge/ buckle which will interfer with chambering. Put enough crimp to hold the bullet without bulging the case. Without a crimp groove or cannelure , trial and error is about your only recourse. I would use the lightest crimp that holds the boolit and no more.

Gary

[Hatiwolf]

if you want it new I can get it for well under $1 per. probably in the 60-70 cents range.

[OverMax]

If your crimping on the drive band and not in a lube grove. I would consider buying a tool like this if you intend to make a lot of cartridges and use that same profile of bullet.
Tip: Otherwise a medium roll crimp along with a light coating of cheap generic super glue applied to the mouth of the cartridge case just prior to its bullets seating. Don't laugh, gluing does work well to hold a bullet in-place under your type of circumstance so long as your bullet wasn't tumbled lubed prior. Tedious & slow but it gets the job done.

http://www.ch4d.com/equipment/bullet-tools/CanToo

http://www.gunstop.com/Store/Reloading%20Accessories/CH-Tool--Die--4D-Custom-Die/CHT12000

O/M

[ironhead7544]

Why do you need to seat the bullet out that far?

The Lee Factory Crimp die should work. I would used the full crimp setting on that round. The LFC die will iron out any bulges.

[Slow Elk 45/70]

To each his own....

[popper]

Buckled case means less neck tension.