45 colt case question

mousegunguy

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4498B182-1648-4ADC-84F7-5BE235795E32.jpeg Ive never reloaded any cases that had this crimp in them. They’ve all been straight walled. I just got a bunch and want to know if there is any difference in how these are re loaded?
Thanks.
 
Nada

It's just a cannelure turned into the case at the base of the bullet to prevent setback during handling and working them through a tubular magazine. In the case of semiautomatic cartridges to prevent setback during chambering, usually seen in defensive ammo that could be chambered multiple times as you load and unload your carry ammo.

Corbin 45-70 Case Cannelure Machine
 
Generally they're okay to load. I haven't seen a case crimp that pronounced before. I've noticed that a lot of CBC handgun ammo tends to have crimps in the cases. I think the only precaution is to not seat the bullet below the crimp line.
 
What would the reasoning for that be?

This is what I recall being recommended when I was learning to reload. That is, don't seat the bullet below the brass crimp groove. Not sure why, and since I haven't wanted to seat anything deeper I haven't challenged it yet.
 
This is what I recall being recommended when I was learning to reload. That is, don't seat the bullet below the brass crimp groove. Not sure why, and since I haven't wanted to seat anything deeper I haven't challenged it yet.
Ok cool. I wasn’t sure if there was an explanation. Always looking to learn more.
 
I've loaded some of these. Magtech and Winchester (IIRC) have "cowboy" loads with these deep crimps. My problem is that I don't load lighter than 250 grain bullets in 45C, and usually I'm loading 300 grain bullets. I don't know of there is some trick, but I can't press these crimps out well enough with resizing and flaring, even with the RCBS cowboy dies. When I seat a bullet that pushes past this crimp in any way, even just touching it with the base, the case bulges out a little there. The Lee FCD won't fix it after the fact. I can chamber them in my Henry, but some of them fail to seat by a fraction of a mm in my Blackhawk, and then the cylinder won't rotate. I have to remove the cylinder and push them out. Once they've been fired a time or two at Ruger-only pressure, they're fine as wine, maybe just once is enough. I'm not sure. I think all the ones I've had trouble with in the Blackhawk were on their first reloading. Definitely the ones I've reloaded and shot twice are smoothed out.
 
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I've loaded some of these. Magtech and Winchester (IIRC) have "cowboy" loads with these deep crimps. My problem is that I don't load lighter than 250 grain bullets in 45C, and usually I'm loading 300 grain bullets. I don't know of there is some trick, but I can't press these crimps out well enough with resizing and flaring, even with the RCBS cowboy dies. When I seat a bullet that pushes past this crimp in any way, even just touching it with the base, the case bulges out a little there. The Lee FCD won't fix it after the fact. I can chamber them in my Henry, but some of them fail to seat by a fraction of a mm in my Blackhawk, and then the cylinder won't rotate. I have to remove the cylinder and push them out. Once they've been fired a time or two at Ruger-only pressure, they're fine as wine, maybe just once is enough. I'm not sure. I think all the ones I've had trouble with in the Blackhawk were on their first reloading. Definitely the ones I've reloaded and shot twice are smoothed out.

Check the length of your expander. It could be short compared to the length of the bullet.
A longer expander might help iron it out. Might not.
Maybe an expander for a 460 S&W or a 454 has a longer shank.
I would try to run it through the longer expander die then back through the sizing die a couple times to see if you can iron it out.

Is it getting held up by the bulged case or getting held up from chambering by the longer nose hitting the cylinder throats in the revolver? My buddy had an issue with a longer 310 grain being too long to chamber in his Bisley Blackhawk. He had to seat them deeper than the crimp groove to get them to work.
 
The COL is fine. Some of the rounds chamber fine, others not. About half of the once-fired ones with the heavy rear crimp won’t drop into my cartridge gauge when they are reloaded the first time. The crimp is stupid deep coming from the factory. No idea why they feared set-back so much more in these cartridges than in any others. Maybe something to do with using really soft lead?
 
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The COL is fine. Some of the rounds chamber fine, others not. About half of the once-fired ones with the heavy rear crimp won’t drop into my cartridge gauge when they are reloaded the first time. They hang up where the case had the rear crimp. The crimp is stupid deep coming from the factory. No idea why they feared set-back so much more in these cartridges than in any others. Maybe something to do with using really soft lead?

I'm surprised the Lee FCD doesn't take care of this (it's about the only good use for one IMO).

I think they do it to prevent setback in rounds that are likely to end up in a lever gun with a tube mag. A bunch of them will fit in a mag, and the ones at the end get smashed repeatedly by the recoil of all the previous cartridges in the tube.
 
I'm surprised the Lee FCD doesn't take care of this (it's about the only good use for one IMO).

I know, right? After your reply, I stopped to think about what is happening. The FCD does press on it, but it springs back. I think I understand why. The crimp is a valley, and the fact that it's there makes the case slightly shorter than it would otherwise be. When the bullet seats, or when the case is expanded with the RCBS Cowboy Die, it presses the valley of the crimp outwards, but in order for it to be flattened, the brass would need to move lengthwise, restoring the case to its pre-crimped length. That doesn't happen because it isn't the path of least resistance for the extra brass during these operations. It just takes up whatever space it can during these operations, temporarily narrowing the width of the valley or pushing it outwards or inwards, but then it springs back. Fire forming works, if you can get them fired.
 
The Lee FCD has a carbide sizing ring in its base that squeezes bulges out of the cartridge on the way out of the die. I would think it would iron that flat, although I wouldn't be shocked if your die was out of spec.
 
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