Im loading .38 Special with Hornady 160gr. FMj's over 3.5gr. of Bullseye and it seems that the crimp has to be realy defined to grab the bullet to lock it in place. Does this sound correct? I was using a different bullet for .357 loads and they werent as deep of a crimp to lock the bullets in place.
Question for a .38 crimp.
- Thread starter mikenbarb
- Start date
You don't want to crimp any case any more than you have to, since crimping "wears out" the case mouth, leading to splits. For a revolver, the amount of crimp is mostly determined by the amount of recoil - for heavy recoil, you apply more crimp to prevent the recoil from "pulling" the bullets out of the unfired cases. For a light target load, like you are loading, you don't need much crimp at all - just enough to un-do the flaring of the case mouth that you created with the expander die, so that the case sides are straight again. The only exception that I can think of, is sometimes a loading manual will suggest heavy crimp for a particular load with a particular powder to promote efficient combustion. (Another reason to use a good loading manual - info and tips in addition to the powder charge, bullet weight and overall length).
Basically, the depth of the crimp groove on the bullet doesn't determine how much crimp you actually need.
Basically, the depth of the crimp groove on the bullet doesn't determine how much crimp you actually need.
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No this doesn't sound correct, it shouldn't take that much of a crimp to hold a bullet in place with the .38 spl. How are the bullets moving ??? Under recoil??? Or when pushing against them on a bench??? The neck tension should basically hold the bullet with a light recoiling round like that.
Im going back to the drawing board and going over things again. Im using Lyman AA dies but im switching to my RCBS ones to see if it changes. I am lubing the cases prior to sizing because the dies arent carbide. Im not using a post sizing die but am going to now to see what happens. I have pulled all bullets and going to start with new data with heavier powder charge because it did seem light but thats what the Lee book said was max for the .38 with 160gr. fmj's. Im going to use the Hornady data from their site. I havnt had this problem before but this is the first time loading these bullets. I will let everyone know the results tommorow when I get a few done and down the pipe. Thanks for everyones help, I appreciate it greatly.
[SIZE=+2]S[/SIZE]everal years ago, the subject of crimping got blown out of proportion when Lee started advertising their new crimper. Their ads would have us believe that any round not crimped with Lee equipment wasn't fit to fire. With fast powders and light loads, I have a rule of thumb: if an uncrimped bullet stays in place, then it's okay. When testing firing a new load, check the overall length (or cannelure alignment) of the last round in your cylinder (or mag) for signs of any recoil induced bullet movement. If it's moved, then think about tightening up.