roll crimping 4 dummies

[Greenhorn44]

After careful planning and purchasing, I have a very nice starter kit.
Lee Loadmaster
Lee 44 mag die set that came with the press.
And Everything BPS had to offer for this glorious pastime.
Ive read the lyman manual front to back, and the lee manual front to back.
Recieved all my components from midway (you guys rock, hats off to ya'll) and hand written my recipe out to start loading.

I set up my press for 44 mag. It deprimes and resized perfectly, next station primes okay, darn wolf primers, there to deep. next station measures and expands excellent, next station seats bullet very nicely, and roll crimps....I dont see no crimp. so i adjusted, still no crimp. i adjusted again still no crimp.
Im stumped what am i doing wrong.[smilie=b:

-whoever smelt it, delt it

[Casting Timmy]

Sorry I can't say for sure what the problem is but here is how I adjust my die. First I put the die in the press just partially and screw down the bullet seater all the way I can. This will allow you to get the correct OAL you want before worrying about the crimp. Just raise the press handle and wok the die down slowly raising and lowering the handle until you get were you are needed.

Then to get the crimp I want I unscrew the bullet seater about all the way out and bring the round to the top of the press stroke. Slowly screw the die down until to feel it gentle stop against the brass. Lower the press handle and give the die small screws down until you get the crimp you want.

Finally screw the die back out a couple turns and bring that round all the way to the top of hte press stroke. Screw the die down slowly and adjust the die body until it touches the brass, then adjust down the seater until it touches the top of the bullet. The next round should be crimped and seated to the same OAL as your first round.

[buck1]

Your Die may be a tapered crimp not a roll crimp at all. Back the seater stem all the way to the top, also back the lock ring up to the top to get it out of the way. Now back the die it self out to the top(just started in the press). Now raise the ram with a shell with the boolit seated in it up in to the die. Screw down the die untill it gets tight. This is where the crimp starts crimping. Back the ram out a bit and give the die a 1/4 turn in and raise the ram fully again . If you felt resistance at the last your die is crimping.compare it to a shell with a seated boolit that you have not tryed to crimp. look at the mouth. Can you see a diferance. a tapered crimp squeezes the whole side of the shell down not roll the mouth. Keep doing that untill you get a good tight boolit and the edge of the mouth looks flattened in to the boolit a bit. Hope this helps. Hang in there, Everythings a pain the first time. But you will get it!!...Buck
AND WELCOME!!

[Greenhorn44]

Thanks alot Buck for the encouragement. I finally got er' figured out. I didnt have the die seated deep enough. Did just as you said and Tada!! A mighty fine role crimp indeed!!
I Just Cranked out my very first 50 rounds in about 20 minutes. recipe used was
240 grain Cast Boolit
New Brass
Wolf Large Pistol Primer
10.6 Unique Powder
Should be alittle under american eagle, but im kinda curious how the wolf primers will handle.
I popped a winchester primer off and the a wolf primer. The wolf barked alittle more

Very impressed with how smoothly how the Lee Loadmaster handled.
Double checking and triple checking everthing took the most amount of time. I also think i need a stronger bench. 1/4 plywood on an oak pallet just aint gonna do.


---When Life Gives You Lemons, You Supposed to Make Lemonade, with a 17HMR

[mooman76]

Lee dies do what Lee calls a modified taper crimp. It's suppose to be between a rool and taper.

[buck1]

Great! Its takes a bit of messin arround to get it worked out at the first time ,but next time it will only take you 30 seconds to set it up!
We have ALL been there!
Heres a tip ,save a loaded round and mark it with a marker, with your boolit type and wt. Throw it in your die box. The next time you load that boolit grab your round and run it up in to the backed out die. Run the body down tight, then run the seater down snug. Your die is now 99.9% adjusted for that boolit. 1/16ish of a turn to fine tune and you are set up!...Buck