.357 SIG Help

F

Fred

New member
I'm new to this board and could use some help. I have a lot of straight wall reloading experience, but virtually none with bottleneck pistol (.357 SIG). I have heard and read that you must be careful as to which 9 mm bullets are used because a long bearing surface is needed for this case to grip the bullet properly. Can anyone recommend some specific bullets/suppliers? Also, I'm going to be using an RCBS die set. The instructions with it make reference to special taper crimp die sets available for semi-auto cartridges. My die set IS NOT the taper crimp variety. Since I keep hearing about the short bullet gripping surface of the .357 SIG, I'm getting a little nervous. Can I use this standard die set effectively? Will it give the necessary grip on the bullet without a taper crimp? If not, what are my options? Any other hints, etc? Thanks for any and all info - I do appreciate it.


[This message has been edited by Fred (edited 11-03-98).]
 
C

Cheapo

New member
FWIW, my bottleneck rifle experience has shown no need for a crimp whenever the case neck was tight enough in the first place. Identical results with 9mm as well.

I've used the conventional crimp die to just take out the minimal flaring of the case mouth which I prefer to use. If holding the case up to a light shows a transition from necksized diameter to a slightly greater diameter at the base of the bullet, there should be enough grip.

Because of the short bottleneck, you will probably need to check for this visual sign before the bullet is fully seated. Otherwise, the bullet base may be all the way past the neck and into the shoulder, leaving you with no "unstretched" neck area to examine.

Good luck!
Cheapo
 
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