crimp groove?

[EScott]

Is a crimp groove necessary with a lever action 30-30 if you use a Lee crimp die?

Thankyou,
Scott

[44man]

I prefer a roll crimp in a groove instead of mashing brass into a boolit. The FCD is also hard on brass.

[EScott]

Thanks I was just wondering.

[gray wolf]

You may be better served with a Lee COLLET crimp die, crimp groove or no crimp groove.
Most factory crimp dies for rifle rounds are of the collet variety.

[EScott]

I apologize for the confusion I ment the Lee collet die.

[Bullwolf]

Is a crimp groove necessary with a lever action 30-30 if you use a Lee crimp die?

Thankyou,
Scott

That's a hard question to cover with a blanket answer.

Sometimes it will work, other times it doesn't work so well. Neck tension will also be a big factor in this. There are a few things you can do to stack the deck too, like using an over sized boolit, or an undersized expander, use a collet crimp die, or crimp in a lube groove.

My advice is to grab a sized boolit, and then load yourself up a dummy cartridge... Then apply a crimp to the dummy cartridge using your collet die.

After you have a dummy cartridge all made up, set the pointy end of your boolit on a piece of hard wood. (I keep a knotty piece of wood by the bench for this) Use your hand, with most of your body weight firmly behind it try really hard to press the boolit into the case past the crimp.

If you easily can push the boolit into the case, I would not recommend using that combination in a tubular magazine.

If you simply can not press the boolit into the case despite your best efforts, I would try things out with a few loaded cartridges.

Keep checking on the cartridges OAL (Over All Length) after each shot fired looking for any boolit set back with the loaded rounds in the magazine tube. If you have no measurable boolit set back, I would say that things are all good.




- Bullwolf

[MT Chambers]

Don't use the Lee crimp die, not necessary, crimp with your properly adjusted seating die.

[Tech2]

Come on now The seating die method assumes several things.
All cases are trimmed to a single length.
Cases are soft enough to be roll formed .
Shoulder angle is flat enough to not buckle the brass.
Yes the FCD can be easily overdone and put a serious dent in your boolit.
More is not better.
I almost never find the crimp grove in the correct location for my rifle so a light crimp gets it done.

[44man]

Since my last group at 100 yards from my Marlin 30-30 was 1/4" and it will hold under 1" all day by roll crimping in the groove. I see no need for funny stuff.
I do have a .30 caliber Silhouette mold with no crimp groove that is deadly from a single shot but I won't load it for the lever gun.
My friend loves it for his 30-06 bolt gun.
I have one Lee FCD and it will be my last. I also bought a Lyman neck die for the 45-70 and without an expander, a .460 boolit will fall in the case. Zero tension.

[Mauser48]

In my lee crimp die instructions it says even if the bullet does not have a crimp groove, it will make one on the bullet when it is inserted into the die. Hope this helps.

[44man]

In my lee crimp die instructions it says even if the bullet does not have a crimp groove, it will make one on the bullet when it is inserted into the die. Hope this helps.
It will but read tests done where it ruined accuracy.

[prs]

WOW! That be one fine lever gun and shooter!

I use traditional old stand-by boolits in my 30-30 and 32 special. Roll crimp into the provided groove as a separate step from seating. Yields pretty much the same COAL as common factory fodder and cycles well. Not sure how it prints on paper, but easily minute of dear heart 'n lungs inside of 75 yards; which is about the limit of seeing in our local cover.

prs

[trixter]

I believe if you study the art of crimping you will find that you do not need to exert very much much pressure to get the desired result. I use a Lee FCD on all of my 45ACP to be sure that I have taken all of the flare out of the case. It works perfectly. I use it on my .223/556 to do the same thing, although it works a little differently. The die is fully adjustable, so you do not have to squish the bullet/boolit; just exert enough pressure on it to make it come back into factory specs and you will be fine. The die is capable of forming it's own canalure, but you be the judge of how much "squeezin" it needs. I have found
that the factory canalure isn't always where I want to crimp the bullet, to get the proper COAL.

[fivel_976]

Vary helpful

[44man]

Here are my last shots at 100 with my Remlin.112905 Nice round group on paper, then I shot the can 3 times. I made the mold, boolit weighs 187 gr. 26 gr of 3031, Felix lube, fed 210 primer. Cases neck turned to eliminate run out. !900 fps.
I size .311". COWW metal. Shots on the can are actually 5/16", not 1/4". I won't argue over 1/16"! I have been down to 5/8" at 100 with this boolit, on paper.
One thing to do with a lever gun is to hold the forearm and put your hand on the front bag. Don't rest the wood.
Heat has not changed it, by the time I shot these the barrel was blazing hot. I was also trying 25 gr of 4895 and it shoots pretty good too. I just keep shooting with no cool off time.
I use Hornady dies and seat, crimp in one operation.

[EScott]

Thanks again. The questions revolves around an lbt mold that fits two guns,but the crimp length is different. Feral said to use the collet crimp and move on. I am new to it and wanted to see what others thought.

[covert]

Great info thanks

[MT Chambers]

You really don't want a crimp die to be altering your cast bullets size or crimp groove/s, that is counter productive. I wouldn't crimp at all for the No.1.

[fatelvis]

I use traditional old stand-by boolits in my 30-30 and 32 special. Roll crimp into the provided groove as a separate step from seating. Yields pretty much the same COAL as common factory fodder and cycles well. Not sure how it prints on paper, but easily minute of dear heart 'n lungs inside of 75 yards; which is about the limit of seeing in our local cover.

prs
I seat my 311041 to the crimp groove and apply a light roll crimp into it, and coincidentally it is THE PERFECT length for my old 336 and M94, allowing a few thousandths engraving of the boolit in the 336, and just about touching in the M94. I think over the many years of making this boolit/rifle combo, they may have refined things to being almost "dummy proof", if such a thing exists! Lol