Roll Crimp in the .45 acp Colt auto

[Rich/WIS]

When I first started loading cast in the 45 used the roll crimp as shown in the article. Got out of 45 for a while and when starting back picked up a used set of Hornady dies at a gun show and the set included a taper crimp die so used that. Completely satisfied with it but can't recall what it is set to crimp to.

[nicholst55]

I bought my taper crimp die in 1981, so I suppose they became popular a few years before that - probably the mid-70s. IIRC, Phil Sharpe also postulated that reloading the .45 ACP was impractical, and would require a push-through sizing die for the case - essentially a bulge buster. This may have been before WWII, I don't recall. Guess he changed his mind later on.

[reddog81]

It's not 1968 anymore. Are there people still think a roll crimp is better than a taper crimp on 45 ACP?

Sure a "roll" crimp is possible but it'll either be a very light roll crimp or you're just headspacing off the extractor.

[M-Tecs]

It's not 1968 anymore. Are there people still think a roll crimp is better than a taper crimp on 45 ACP?

Sure a "roll" crimp is possible but it'll either be a very light roll crimp or you're just headspacing off the extractor.

Not aware of people claiming that the roll crimp is better for most applications of this type. Once the taper crimp came on the scene most prefer it. That being said lots of people claim that roll crimps can't be used for case that headspace on the case mouth. That ignores that fact that the 45 ACP and others were commonly reloaded long before taper crimps were common.

Same for the claims the1911 and the 45 ACP were designed by JMB for taper crimps. Done properly both roll and taper crimps work well. Done improperly both roll and taper crimps create issues.

[SSGOldfart]

Humm I could be wrong but the 1911 was designed in 1905 and we didn't have a taper crimp until the mid 70's I think Mike Dillon introduced it with the RL450 or 550 it was very widely used in competition at the time.
I still use the taper crimp for the acp but use a roll crimp for all of my wheel guns.

[nicholst55]

I recall that I bought a small lot of .45 ACP ammo from a local commercial reloader for the price of the components because it wouldn't feed in any gun he had tested it in. I taper crimped it, and my guns ate it like candy. When I told him about my success, he ran out and bought a taper crimp die and began using it on all of his .45 ACP ammo. He acted like he invented the concept after that!

[GBertolet]

Typically when loading a target SWC bullet, in the 45acp, you leave some shoulder exposed, Some say 1/32". But if you leave enough exposed, it will contact the leade. This will give you your headspace point. Roll, or taper crimp, or case length, will not matter. The cartridge will enter the chamber at the same depth every time. Which type of crimp will shoot more accurate in your gun, is trial and error. Most choose taper crimp by reason of default.

[Bowdrie]

The .45ACP is a very forgiving round to load, that is unless you're an upper competitor at the 50yd bullseye, then thousands of an inch of several dimensional measurements can start stacking up against you.
One thing that is generally agreed upon; You don't use the contacting of the bullet against the leade as a way to control headspace or to stop the round from going into the chamber further.
That's just a recipe for pressure spikes.
In a perfect world the slide will close with the hood-end of the barrel just kissing the breech face and only leave a very few thousands of length between the chamber shoulder and the breech face for the cartridge to "move back-and-forth, so to speak.
The cartridge wants to headspace on the chamber shoulder without trying to unduly pull the extractor forward.
In practice, given the tolerances of chamber and case lengths most 1911s are using the extractor to some degree to retard the forward movement of the cartridge.
When the breech closes the cartridge still has inertia and wants to continue moving forward, we want the case to contact the chamber shoulder without straining against the extractor too much.

[ShooterAZ]

In past years I have used both methods with no problems, but I never overdid it either way. Nowadays I just taper crimp all my 45ACP loads. If I am loading for the 45AR, then I will use the Redding profile crimp. Different animal there, I know .

[Dutchman]

The .45ACP is a very forgiving round to load, that is unless you're an upper competitor at the 50yd bullseye, then thousands of an inch of several dimensional measurements can start stacking up against you.
One thing that is generally agreed upon; You don't use the contacting of the bullet against the leade as a way to control headspace or to stop the round from going into the chamber further.
That's just a recipe for pressure spikes.
In a perfect world the slide will close with the hood-end of the barrel just kissing the breech face and only leave a very few thousands of length between the chamber shoulder and the breech face for the cartridge to "move back-and-forth, so to speak.
The cartridge wants to headspace on the chamber shoulder without trying to unduly pull the extractor forward.
In practice, given the tolerances of chamber and case lengths most 1911s are using the extractor to some degree to retard the forward movement of the cartridge.
When the breech closes the cartridge still has inertia and wants to continue moving forward, we want the case to contact the chamber shoulder without straining against the extractor too much.

Thanks for your words of wisdom.

Dutch