.45 ACP seating die that does not crimp?

[gunwonk]

Does anyone make a .45 ACP seating die that does NOT crimp?

I've got my seating die -- which has a crimp shoulder up in there ;-) -- adjusted up a little, which works more or less okay, but (of course) the bottom of the die does not reach the shell holder. I crimp separately, using a Redding taper crimp die that I like.

I would prefer to index the seating depth by touching the shell holder to the bottom of the seating die, which my OCD thinks would give better control of the cartridge OAL.

Does anybody make a die like that? .45 ACP seat, no crimp (ever), and able to index by touching the shell holder?

Thanks! :D

[scattershot]

Could you use a .45Colt seating die?

My Dillon set is four dies.

[ReloaderFred]

My immediate thought was also using a .45 Colt seating die, since the .45 acp case would never reach the crimp portion of the die.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[C.F.Plinker]

The Dillon seating die does not do any crimping. The seating part is fixed in the die and the entire die body is adjusted up or down until the desired seating depth is achieved. The bottom of the die will probably not touch the shell holder.

If you need to have the die body touch the shell holder you will need a die where the seating depth can be adjusted by screwing in the spindle from the top.

[Dan Cash]

Don't waste your money. The seating die does not need to touch the shell plate/holder. Raise the die body and lower the seating stem and save $25 to $45.00.

[JimB..]

Your OCD is wrong in this case, having it touch the shellplate won’t cause it to be more consistent.

[44MAG#1]

One needs to get away from "complicated equals good" and go to the 'KISS equals good". Not complicating things is to ones advantage.

[243winxb]

Your OCD is wrong in this case, having it touch the shellplate won’t cause it to be more consistent.

Very true. Each station of a Dillon shell plate may have a different deck height. Standard is .125" It can be like using 4 different shell holders. Deck height can be measured.

[JimB..]

Very true. Each station of a Dillon shell plate may have a different deck height. Standard is .125" It can be like using 4 different shell holders. Deck height can be measured.
That’s potentially interesting, the photo talks about one station, are you saying that the different stations in a single shellplate have different deck heights?

Thinking about it, really need to cut a small disc to put in the slot so you can determine if the bottom of the slots are consistent from a fixed position above the shellplate. I’m gonna try this.

Won’t really matter for loading a straight-walled pistol case, and doesn’t really matter for setting up any dies, but interesting for rifle consistency.

[243winxb]

That’s potentially interesting, the photo talks about one station, are you saying that the different stations in a single shellplate have different deck heights?

Thinking about it, really need to cut a small disc to put in the slot so you can determine if the bottom of the slots are consistent from a fixed position above the shellplate. I’m gonna try this.

Won’t really matter for loading a straight-walled pistol case, and doesn’t really matter for setting up any dies, but interesting for rifle consistency.

Yes, mine had different deck heights. Non-issue for sizing pistol cartridge. May effect COL if any die makes contact with the defective shell plate. In 1980, Dillion refused to replace it.

My early Dillon RL-450 shell plate caused case separations with .014" shoulder set back @ 1 station, loadingg 223. This was in the late 1970s, before the internet. I Didn't know about comparators & case gauges.

I loaded & stored 223 ammo for many years for my M16A1 carbine. After about 20 years, i started shooting the ammo. Had case separations on some. Taking measurement found the shell plate problem. Pulled about 250 rounds & scrapped the brass. Live & learn.

Today, hopefully there is better quality control. Now we all know about using a comparator or case gauge.

https://forum.accurateshooter.com/threads/223-lake-city-brass-resizing.3826257/

[mdi]

A seating die does not need to bottom out on the shell holder. Insert an empty, sized case in the press and raise the ram. Install die and screw it down until the crimp portion hits the case Back off the die a full turn (so the crimp portion does not touch the case). Adjust seating stem for the needed OAL. K.I.S.S.!

[tunnug]

Don't waste your money. The seating die does not need to touch the shell plate/holder. Raise the die body and lower the seating stem and save $25 to $45.00.

I second the motion, only the sizing die needs to go all the way.

[gwpercle]

Your OCD is incorrect ... the die doesn't have / need to touch the shell holder when seating a boolit ...
Think about what happens ... the boolit is almost completely seated by the time the die touches the shell holder ... Touching the shell holder during that last 1/10th inch of travel does not do a thing ... the boolit is already deep into the case . Just what can touching the shell holder do ...
So , what is it good for ...Absolutely Nothing ... say it again ... (War)
I've been backing the seating dies out for years to seat w/o crimping ...it works just fine .
I usually seat boolit with no crimp , re-adjust the die then crimp without seating the boolit any farther in ... which is my cheap skate way ...I don't like to spend money .
The way you are seating boolits is perfectly fine ...buy a second die to crimp with and you wont have to do the screwing around that I do ...but I like screwing around !
Gary

[cwlongshot]

I second the motion, only the sizing die needs to go all the way.

100% JUST BACK THAT DIE OUT! Then screw the stem in slightly farther. Running no crimp is NO PROBLEM! Been doing it for many decades. Dont overthink this. We are only talking VERY SMALL amount here.

Why do you not want crimp? You gonna have far more reliably loadings with the bell removed and sides of case smoothed/profiled.

CW

[44MAG#1]

We all like validation on our way of doing things, the way we think etc. Etc. Etc. Etc..
If one need to get their validation by doing complicated things to achieve it more power to them. Myself, phooey on complication now that I am older and have realized I don't need that kind of valadation especially when it serves no real purpose.
Carry on and good luck in your endeavor.

[Char-Gar]

Does anyone make a .45 ACP seating die that does NOT crimp?

I've got my seating die -- which has a crimp shoulder up in there ;-) -- adjusted up a little, which works more or less okay, but (of course) the bottom of the die does not reach the shell holder. I crimp separately, using a Redding taper crimp die that I like.

I would prefer to index the seating depth by touching the shell holder to the bottom of the seating die, which my OCD thinks would give better control of the cartridge OAL.

Does anybody make a die like that? .45 ACP seat, no crimp (ever), and able to index by touching the shell holder?

Thanks! :D

There is no need for a bullet seating die to touch the shell holder. The case in the die provides plenty of alignment. Your OCD is not based on reason or fact.

[gunwonk]

Now you've done it. My OCD is hiding under the house, and won't come out. :shock:

[cwlongshot]

Now you've done it. My OCD is hiding under the house, and won't come out. :shock:


Leave it there for a while. You will find its largely unwanted baggage that is at least fouling the reloading mind. ;)

[Walks]

100% JUST BACK THAT DIE OUT! Then screw the stem in slightly farther. Running no crimp is NO PROBLEM! Been doing it for many decades. Dont overthink this. We are only talking VERY SMALL amount here.

Why do you not want crimp? You gonna have far more reliably loadings with the bell removed and sides of case smoothed/profiled.

CW

YUP !

I have the opposite problem,
finding a .45ACP seat/crimp die that WILL roll crimp into a .45 Auto Rim case.

[Char-Gar]

Now you've done it. My OCD is hiding under the house, and won't come out. :shock:

Good! OCD is not your friend in any way shape or form. It is responsible for many, many bad decisions made by many, many folks.

[gwpercle]

Now you've done it. My OCD is hiding under the house, and won't come out. :shock:

That's OK ...but drag him out when it comes times to measure powder and to get 1 and only 1 charge in a case ... It's fine to be OCD when it comes to charging cases ...
I get kinda OCD myself and check the charge 3 times before a bullet gets seated ... when I first started reloading I once didn't put a charge in a case ...the primer powered boolit stuck in the forcing cone ...
been OCD about that ever since .
Carry On and Load Safe
Gary

[1006]

I do not think Lee dies crimp, but I would just get a 45 Colt die set as was mentioned. Additionally, you can normally get away with the 45Colt sizing die instead of the ACP sizer.

For the roll crimp: Redding Profile Crimp Die 45 ACP, 45 Auto Rim

[1hole]

Use your present seater normally and don't sweat the very tiny details. Agonizing over precisely consistent OAL and crimping is usually an exercise in futility, especially so for handguns. Handguns aren't Bench shooter accurate to start with so they just don't care about it all that much.

[sierra1911]

If your die set included an expander die and you're not using it, you may be able to remove the seating stem and install it in the expander die body. The seat/crimp die without a stem becomes a crimp-only die and the expander body with the seat stem installed becomes a seat-only die.

[gunwonk]

First off, Thanks! to the folks who suggested using the seating die for a longer .45 cartridge, such as .45 Colt (or Schofield, or .45 Win Mag). I happen to have an extra RCBS .45 ACP seat & taper crimp die, and will be posting a "WTT" for a taller .45 die, in the Swapping & Selling forum.


If your die set included an expander die and you're not using it, you may be able to remove the seating stem and install it in the expander die body. The seat/crimp die without a stem becomes a crimp-only die and the expander body with the seat stem installed becomes a seat-only die.

Brilliant! :drinks: I've got an extra expander die, and I've checked for interchangeability of the seating & expanding stems -- which doesn't always work, depending on whose reloading dies you have, but in my case it does -- so this will be my fallback method unless & until I come up with a suitable taller-.45 seating die.

(My OCD points out that there's a little more diameter inside the expander die body, so a proper seating die would give slightly better control of cartridge position, but I sent him back under the house.) 8-)

Thanks again, everyone!