45 Colt crimp

[Edward]

What style crimp for 45 Colt?

[Beagle333]

Roll. 8-)

[Edward]

Thanks Ed

[Jupiter7]

Or if you can find one, the Lee collet crimp is excellent and doesn't work harden brass. Track of the wolf is where I got mine.

[Tar Heel]

Roll crimp on both bullet types.

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[ole 5 hole group]

Roll crimp is the correct answer but there are a couple ways to achieve a good looking roll crimp and myself, I prefer using the Redding profile crimp die. Prior to Redding coming out with the profile crimp die I just used the standard seating die, properly adjusted, to apply my light to heavy roll crimp.:wink:

[C. Latch]

I also like my Redding Profile Crimp die. The extra added step is no big deal considering the low volumes of .45 Colt that I shoot.

If I were loading hundreds of rounds for bulk shooting I might rethink my crimps, but I don't shoot my .45 THAT much.

[44man]

Roll crimp on both bullet types.

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Simple roll crimp but I see decent tension here and that is what counts. Those look very good to me.

[Nueces]

The Dillon AccuCrimp die is another superb choice.

[nicholst55]

Simple roll crimp but I see decent tension here and that is what counts. Those look very good to me.

Agreed; some people think that a crimp will make up for a lack of neck tension (loose bullets). It won't.

[Char-Gar]

Whatever make or type of your favorite crimp toy, uniform case length, makes for uniform crimp, which makes for uniform pressure and bullet pull, which makes for better accuracy.

If you care enough to do it, care enough to do it right.

[44MAG#1]

You crimp enough to hold your bullet under recoil. Light piddling loads don't need a lot of crimp. Heavy loads with a lot of recoil needs more. Make sure the bullets are held with neck tension.
IVe chronoed enough fast to slow handgun powders with various bullet weights to say crimp makes little difference in ES and SD as long as the crimp is heavy enough to hold the bullets so they don't move under recoil.

[MakeMineLead]

I also like my Redding Profile Crimp die.

+ 1! I now use the Redding Profile Crimp die for all revolver calibers.

[Blackwater]

I'm with Char-Gar. IMO, the trimmer is the most under-rated piece of equipment we handgunners use ..... or often don't. Most don't use it because it's extra time, but you only use it once for 99.9% of pistol cases, and never need to again. And as he said, if you're gonna' do it, do it right, and yes, it does make a difference. Not a whole lot, but it's been measurable for me in past experiments and tests. One and done for maybe years for a batch of cases? Sounds like a fair tradeoff to me.

And 44man and others are also right about case neck tension, especially with the heavier loads, in particular. At least that's what I've found in my testing.

[big bore 99]

A good subject. Just last week I bought an older Winchester AE in 45 Colt. Knowing I need a good crimp in a lever gun to prevent set back, I also bought the Lee 4 die set. Been reloading 45-70 for awhile now in my single shots. I only neck size those, flare good and make sure I have good neck tension. After, I run them through my full size die just deep enough to iron out any left over flare. Anyone think I should just use the seat and crimp combo die on the 45s? I've read where you can size down your lead using the Lee factory crimp die?

[44man]

44mag and Char-gar are both correct.
One thing to watch is some profile crimp dies have a small hole and if you use a slightly larger boolit, some will not fit so slide a boolit through to see or the die might try to seat more when you crimp.
My Hornady dies are too tight so need lapped out.
A profile die can be used for a normal roll crimp too as long as boolits fit through the top portion.
Lee FCD can size the brass and boolit if it has the carbide insert, that will loosen the tension as brass springs back.
Crimp is just not that important and testing in revolvers shooting single shot with no crimp all the way to FP has shown little differences. Once a boolit holds under recoil or in magazines, more is not better.
Burn is not improved, just a primer can open a crimp.

[birch]

I second the idea of measuring 45 colt cases. I have found that Colt cases shrink like no other after repeated firings. If you are getting some strange variations on chrono, or you can tell by recoil impulse, I would check case length.

[44man]

Shrinkage depends on chamber sizes. Most brass will shorten when fired but it still must be kept even, if shorter, just adjust the crimp die.
Now my .500 JRH has brass get LONGER so trimming is a part of loading.

[LakeviewBulldog]

I just started reloading a 45 Colt and one of the things I was having problems with was some of the cast and powder coated boolets would be loose enough to spin in the case after crimping. I was not able to move them back or forth. What am I doing wrong and are those rounds safe to shoot? I culled them before out of an abundance of caution. It was perhaps 9 or 10 out of 200. The rest of the rounds are solidly in place. Just couldn't figure out my issue. Thanks in advance for any advice.

[44MAG#1]

If they don't spin before the crimp you are crimping them too much causing the case to be sprung away from the bullet.
If they don't spin before being crimped lighten up on the crimp. Those cases my be longer than the others as to why the crimp is too heavy on them.

[dubber123]

I just started reloading a 45 Colt and one of the things I was having problems with was some of the cast and powder coated boolets would be loose enough to spin in the case after crimping. I was not able to move them back or forth. What am I doing wrong and are those rounds safe to shoot? I culled them before out of an abundance of caution. It was perhaps 9 or 10 out of 200. The rest of the rounds are solidly in place. Just couldn't figure out my issue. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Is this mixed head stamp brass by any chance? If it is, check the head stamps on the loose ones. If it is all the same, your dies are not sizing those enough to provide neck tension. With my mixed brass .45 ACP's I occasionally get one that seats VERY easily, and the boolits can be pushed in with little effort. 99.9% of the time, it has an R-P head stamp. The previous posters suggestion of over crimping is a real possibility too.

[ole 5 hole group]

For maximum case tension I will polish down my expander plug stem, so only the very top bell portion of the stem will touch my cases - it's that bell portion that bells the case mouth. Hornady manufactures outstanding reloading dies but they press fit the expander plug, so long ago I went with Redding Dies.


I've never noticed an improvement in accuracy, one way or the other, but I feel I get excellent case tension and with light loads the crimp is very light, almost like a taper crimp and I get no bullet movement. Heavy loads, I'll put a nice looking roll crimp into the crimp groove.

[44man]

That is true but loose and then a tight can be 10" or more from sights so it is best to have every round with the same hold on the boolit. Mixed brass is never good. But I have used Rem brass in the .44 forever. I liked Federal best but then they stopped selling brass. Starline today.
Hornady does press in the expanders but they work, dimensions still give me even tension.

[LakeviewBulldog]

It was mixed brass. I guess it would probably be worth it to just go ahead and get some new brass from Starline or the like. Thank you everyone for your help.