Lee Factory Crimp Die question

yorgi

yorgi

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Finished loading a batch of 7mm-08 a couple of days ago and used Lee dies, finished up using the factory crimp die.
This is the second time I've used this die, first time was on some 300 WM loads.

I'm followed the Lee instructions as well as watching a couple of youtube videos regarding how to properly install the die on the press.

When I try crimping the rounds I can see the four "jaws"of the die coming together and touching each other yet the pressure that is felt
on the ram is negligible. It's almost as though the die does not come in contact with the case neck :confused:

I'm I adjusting the die to the press wrong or is this the way it's supposed to work?
 
Are you attempting to crimp 7-08 cartridges with the .300 WSM Lee Factory Crimp Die? These dies are cartridge specific, so you can't use one for any other cartridge than the one its designed for, you need a 7-08 crimp die. Besides different cartridges, you need a smaller crimping collet for a .284" bullet than you do for a .308".
 
Boomer said:
Are you attempting to crimp 7-08 cartridges with the .300 WSM Lee Factory Crimp Die? These dies are cartridge specific, so you can't use one for any other cartridge than the one its designed for, you need a 7-08 crimp die. Besides different cartridges, you need a smaller crimping collet for a .284" bullet than you do for a .308".
Click to expand...

Sorry, didn't mean to confuse the issue.

In both the 300 and 7mm loadings I use the caliber correct factory die.
Both sets of dies include a third crimp die in the package. Merely stating that
it's not my first use of this type of die but the sloppy feeling is the same as
I experienced on the 300WM loads.
 
In that case, your brass might be slightly under sized, .015" is the nominal neck thickness. If you turned your necks, they might be too thin to crimp. I'd check the neck thickness of your brass and the diameter of the bullet at the canellure or the point at which you are crimping it which might clear up the mystery.
 
Boomer said:
In that case, your brass might be slightly under sized, .015" is the nominal neck thickness. If you turned your necks, they might be too thin to crimp. I'd check the neck thickness of your brass and the diameter of the bullet at the canellure or the point at which you are crimping it which might clear up the mystery.
Click to expand...

Thanks, that makes sense, I'll check out those measuments tonight.

Forgot to mention that I'm using new Remington brass, seems that
I remember reading somewhere that of all the brands Rem has the thinnest
necks.
 
I have a couple of different Lee Factory Crimp dies and have found that it takes very little pressure to operate them. What you are experiencing may be normal. Check the case mouth after crimping and see if it is actually crimped into the groove in the bullet or not.

Hugh
 
With a 12" lever pushing against a very gradual slope of the die,
there is an awful lot of force available to squish some thin brass.

Just screw the die in about a 1/2 turn past where the shellholder
hits the die, then look at the ring formed at the crimp.
As your 7mm/08 is likely a bolt action, you don't need much of
a crimp; just enough for rough handling during hunting
season, I assume?

It really doesn't take much force, I usually grip the handle
about 6" up from the linkage.
 
I seem to have a minority opinion on Lee FActory Crimp dies, but my opinion is that I don't like them.
I prefer crimping with the standard crimping method, built in to all standard seating dies.
 
Like H4831, I use the standard crimping method. Sometimes takes a little fooling with and you might lose a cpl cases but once you get it working right, it feels nice to see those rounds just plop into the chambers/cylinders. I find the lightest crimp possible or none at all works best.
 
Screw the crimping die down another quarter turn and try it. Then look at the crimp and see if it is more noticeable than before. You didn't mention if you are crimping on a cannelure line. There will be much less felt resistance on those. If you watch the collet close you can see if you are over or underadjusted. A light crimp suffices in all cases.
As discussed numerous times before this die is simpler to adjust and use, will never destroy brass or give you an unchamberable cartridge and unlike other methods, can crimp a bullet without a cannelure in a fashion that is safer for tube mags, semi's, rough handling, etc. Perfect trim length is not an issue under the max. It also allows varying seating depths where you want to crimp, whether or not there is a cannelure. Seems an easy choice, provided you have reason to crimp in the first place.
 
I find if your brass is trimmed to minimum trim length the factory crimp die (bottleneck rifles) does not touch it as much. Thus you don't feel the crimping and see the marks in the top of caseneck like on factory ammo.
 
H4831 said:
I seem to have a minority opinion on Lee FActory Crimp dies, but my opinion is that I don't like them.
I prefer crimping with the standard crimping method, built in to all standard seating dies.
Click to expand...

What got me going on the Factory Crimp Dies was the version Lee makes for straight wall pistol cartridges. Its a neat idea because a carbide sizing ring irons out the loaded round so there is never a question about easy chambering. I've tried a couple of different rifle versions and I agree, they don't seem to do anything that the standard RCBS or Redding seating die doesn't do as well.
 
Yes, I never crimp for bolt rifles. Even with my 45-70 Marlin, I crimp little more than just flattening out the minimum flair I use. Those large cast bullets have lots of tension on them.
 
As an experiment a short time ago, I fired a number of full powered rounds over one which was left in the bottom of the magazine, with fresh rounds being added on top as required. The round was lightly crimped there being no cannelure on the bullet. The load was compressed when I put it together, but after a number or heavy recoiling rounds being fired over it, its length went from 3.275" to 3.176". Had the powder column been shorter, I'm confident the bullet would have been driven back flush with the case mouth.

Crimping bullets used in cartridges with mild recoil is the most effective way of uniforming the bullet pull weight, as magazine fed rounds often are too short to use the lead. The more uniform the bullet pull weight can be, the tighter the extreme velocity spread is, thus accuracy is enhanced slightly. Therefore I believe that when I crimp bullets that have a cannelure, its one step that makes my ammo just a bit better.
 
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