What do you think about crimping bullets?

[BTRACK]

Just wondering if there is a reason beyond tube fed shells and if so - how to do it?

[stubblejumper]

I don' t crimp any brass as it is not required outside of tubular magazines.

[recoiljunky]

Gotta do it for those magnum revolver cartridges.

I also get better accuracy out of my 300 ultra mag when I crimp the cartridges. It allows the presure to build up before the bullet moves.

[stubblejumper]

I was referring to rifle cartridges only as handgun cartridges may require crimping.The bullet manufacturers recomend that you don' t crimp bullets without a cannelure and none of the bullets that I use have them.As to accuracy I would check with the benchrest crowd but I believe that they do not crimp.Crimping may help if you have inadequate neck tension but that is another issue altogether.

[handloader1]

Some benchrest shooters do lightly crimp ther bullets to obtain consistant pressures, or by seating the bullet to contact the rifling. It is said that crimping does not hurt accuracy if it is done right, and it may help it. I don' t crimp if I don' t have to. One can buy a tool called the Corbin HCT-1 for handloaders to add their own knurled type cannelure it can also be used to cannelure the case. It cannnot be used on solid bullets. Good luck.

[aunsaber]

I crimp everything except BP cartridges which I load with the bullet against the rifling.
I have not had a firearm yet that it has not improved it' s accuracy.

[Briman]

I have found that a light crimp from a Lee Factory Crimp die alleviates vertical stringing I' ve seen from inconsistant pressures. The only way to make a crimp work for you is to make sure the case necks are of consistant thickness and the cases are all trimmed to the exact same length.

[propmahn]

i say try it a couple different ways when testing loads. my 357mag doesnt like it when i crimp my 180gr XTPs of 15gr of lil' gun. uncrimped gives 1.1" groups at 25 and crimps opens it up to 3" . so you might one to try it both ways

[eldeguello]

Not much!! I never crimp anything except revolver ammo. You can accomplish the same thing by adjusting the neck tension on the seated bullets by varying the ID of a resized case, and avoid the chance of deforming the bullets or buckling a case by crimping.

Varying the ID of the case. how do ya do that eld?

I found crimping some bullets like A-frames to really help things.