Best crimp die for .357?

[Herman B]

You could get a lot of neck tension with jacketed...

How do you get a lot of neck tension, from your crimp?

 

[bluejay75]

luejay - That there's a LOT of crimp;.
Do what you want, but I wouldn't crimp 'em quite like that.
Just my 2¢ worth.

You are indeed correct good sir. But at the time I was getting 38 special brass by the bucketfull from a local range for 25.00. So it is a one and done load that I batch loaded and packed a full 8 pound jug of 300 MP and the 180 grain WFN. There's a lifetime supply of those. 13.5 Lil Gun or 14.7 H110 Split cases and wouldnt fall free from my revolver cylinders so thats where the soft pressure curve of 300 MP worked better.

If I were just shooting in a pistol they wouldnt need that much. But my Armageddon 357 rifles are Handi Rifles reamed to 357 MAX. I needed that much crimp to overcome shooting into freebore. Trial and error let me know to go hard on the crimp to make it burn clean. The only crimp that would do what I needed was the taper crimp.

 

[Walkalong]

How do you get a lot of neck tension, from your crimp?

You don't, and if over done, it can even hurt neck tension but with a good roll crimp into a good canellure you can get better combustion as it adds to the bullet hold when done right. With some calibers you can't get enough neck tension to stop bullet creep in revolvers, so a good roll crimp is needed as well.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

You don't, and if over done, it can even hurt neck tension but with a good roll crimp into a good canellure you can get better combustion as it adds to the bullet hold when done right. With some calibers you can't get enough neck tension to stop bullet creep in revolvers, so a good roll crimp is needed as well.

Here’s my heavy .38Spl load - a 200gr WFNGC by Cast Performance (Grizzly) over 2.8gr of Bullseye.


I shoot it out of Official Police revolvers mostly. This is what I call a heavy roll crimp.

 

[Herman B]

How do you get a lot of neck tension, from your crimp?

You don't, and if over done...

Thanks and yes, I understand that, thus my question to AJC1 - wondering where a lot of neck tension is coming from in the process.

 

[AJC1]

Thanks and yes, I understand that, thus my question to AJC1 - wondering where a lot of neck tension is coming from in the process.

If you followed the entire conversation about neck tension and swaging lead bullets you would. Cant snipe a line take it out of context and ask a loaded question not related and get a good answer.

 

[JO JO]

I do not load 357 but I load 44 mag
And I use a Redding works great

 

[Walkalong]

Neck tension comes from a sizer that squeezes the case down enough, coupled with an expander that isn’t too fat.

If you don’t have enough neck tension, either the sizer too large (ID), or the expander is too large (OD), or the brass is too thin for your sizer.

 

[Herman B]

If you followed the entire conversation about neck tension and swaging lead bullets you would.

Been following this entire thread...politely asked you three times, hoping to learn something, no answer...movin' on.

 

[lordpaxman]

Very true, but the Redding Profile Crimp die and the RCBS seater dies do a great job compared to some.
This was done with an RCBS seater with built in roll crimp.

@Walkalong , I use the RCBS seater with the roll crimp, but I gotta admit, that Redding crimp die looks awesome!!! If that’s a before and after picture, I really like the way it automagically lengthens the case!

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Neck tension comes from a sizer that squeezes the case down enough, coupled with an expander that isn’t too fat.

If you don’t have enough neck tension, either the sizer too large (ID), or the expander is too large (OD), or the brass is too thin for your sizer.

Yup. That's what some people love - and others love to hate - about the Lee FCD's. The carbide FCD is essentially a second sizing die with a semi-adjustable "tensioning" depth. It works like a sizer without the expander. Great if you're using Lee's idea of the "correct" diameter bullet for that cartridge but, if you're using an over-/under-size bullet, it can be a pain. Some folks pound that carbide ring out of the base to keep it from sizing. The collet FCD is a different animal; it uses a collapsing ring to neck-size only - no body-sizing carbide ring - and crimp just the seating area in one pull. It's available for a lot more than bottle-neck cases but, it works the same for both straight-wall and stepped cases. I've used both and they both have positives and negatives - IMO.

 

[bluejay75]

@GeoDudeFlorida can you post a better photo of just that bullet 200 WLNGC above?

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

@GeoDudeFlorida can you post a better photo of just that bullet 200 WLNGC above?

I am photographically challenged but I will try. I use the same bullet in .357Max, .357Mag, and .38Spl. Want pix of each or just the plain Cast Performance bullet?
https://www.grizzlycartridge.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/COPY_3433.jpg

 

[bluejay75]

Perfect! When the mold manufacturers workload gets back to normal I’m going to clone this. Thanks!

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Perfect! When the mold manufacturers workload gets back to normal I’m going to clone this. Thanks!

You're welcome.
Start low and work up to what your guns like. I settled on 2.8gr. of Bullseye because it works in long and short barreled Colts .38Spl revolvers - mostly OP's but it's also okay for DS's and PPS's. I started at 1.7gr - too slow, lucky I didn't stick a bullet - and worked up to 3.5gr - too much pressure and poor accuracy - but 2.8gr. of Bullseye is a good compromise - very consistent if not the fastest load that works. 2.8gr. of Bullseye is very, very close to being a +P load! Be careful!

2.0gr. of Titegroup is the better load for my Smiths and Tauruses (Taurii? Taurus'? whatever...). 80/82 revolvers.

YMMV and be careful out there. Remember Rule #1...