Lee Factory Crimp Die Question for Users

CreamySmooth

CreamySmooth

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So I heard they worked well and at 15 bucks I picked up one for all my calibres.

But.... I've never used them so...

Seeing as finding 6.8 SPC for any tool is a pain in the tuckas, will a .270 Factory Crimp work on my 6.8? Is there some mechanic that won't let this work?

Same thing with my .257 Weatherby. Will any .25 calibre crimp work? I can see this one the cartridge may not fit in the .25-06 die, for example.

Thanks.
 
Rifle factory crimp dies work by squeezing a collet around the top of the case neck. This is set off by the bottom of this collet (which sticks out of the die) hitting the shellholder when the ram is raised and forcing the collet higher into a narrow part of the die.

For a different RIFLE FCD to work on your round a couple things need to happen, the case must be almost the exact same length give or take a couple thou, the calibre must be the same diameter and the case body must not be too fat to fit into die. Something like 307 and 308 Win are close enough to work, but most calibres will not interchange.

Pistol FCD if you get into that work entirely different and also are unique to most cals.
 
hk33ka1 said:
Rifle factory crimp dies work by squeezing a collet around the top of the case neck. This is set off by the bottom of this collet (which sticks out of the die) hitting the shellholder when the ram is raised and forcing the collet higher into a narrow part of the die.

For a different RIFLE FCD to work on your round a couple things need to happen, the case must be almost the exact same length give or take a couple thou, the calibre must be the same diameter and the case body must not be too fat to fit into die. Something like 307 and 308 Win are close enough to work, but most calibres will not interchange.

Pistol FCD if you get into that work entirely different and also are unique to most cals.
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Thanks. Answers my question perfectly. Wasn't sure looking at the die's if the crimp happened by forcing the case up into the crimp area just simply by upward force like a roll crimp.

Thanks. No .270 die for me.... Time to hunt for an elusive 6.8 die.... that's gonna be fun. So my 300 loaded 6.8's have to continue to wait for a crimp... damn.

C.
 
I would imagine you can shoot them without crimp. Lee offers custom service for dies they don't make standard, but are so busy right now they won't be doing it for the next 6 months.
 
Cleftwynd said:
Might I ask why you need to crimp your reloads in 6.8?
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I just like to crimp any of my ammo that is used in one of my semis. I have experienced a round that was rammed clear back into the case and it's made me weary. That was a MFS .308 round that caught the soft point on the way into my M14.... so I just like to. Then I'm not worried about rough handling etc. It may just be me. Is there a reason I shouldn't crimp 6.8?

C.
 
The pistol Factory crimp dies are different from the rifle ones. They have a knob on top of the die body to adjust crimp and a carbide sizer ring at the base.
 
I havent crimped any of my loads for my 6.8 and have several hundred through it. If you really need to crimp yours just use the dies you have. Most seating dies will crimp also, just back the seating stem off, and turn the die in a bit. Best way to do it is put loaded round in, raise round in press, screw die down(with seating stem raised already) and you will feel it get harder to screw down, this is the die squeezing (crimping) on the round. Adjust to your liking.
 
The pistol FCD use a taper crimp like most normal pistol crimp dies but also have a carbide sizing ring at the bottom of the die. This ensures the whole case is within spec and of course would only work on a straight wall case.
 
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