Cheap Start to Reloading?

[Soundguy]

That would be a roll crimp, taper crimps require no cannelure.

 

[shooterdon]

With .223 bullets specifically or projectiles in general, is the Cantalure's only purpose a place to crimp? For instance, Everglades has 55 gr FMJ with or without cantalure. Any reason to choose on over the other?

This type of cannelure, will increase the crimp strength and make bullets more difficult to move (set back) during recoil. It is rolled into a bullet jacket after the bullet is made. In my opinion, anything done to a bullet once it is formed will not help accuracy and as far as I know no match bullets are cannelured...at least none that I have. I do not use cannelured jacketed bullets even in my hunting loads. I depend on sufficient neck tension to hold the bullet.

Cast bullets have a different type of cannelure...like a groove around the bullet. That groove is used to allow a roll crimp without damaging the bullet. Without that groove, the case mouth must be forced into the bullet. So with a lead bullet, the groove type cannelure may actually help accuracy as less or no bullet deformation occurs when roll crimping. I roll crimp those bullets in cartridges that head space on the case rim like the .38, .357, 44 etc. Note that on pistol cartridges that headspace on the case mouth, like 9mm .40 S&W, .45 ACP etc, a cast bullet is NOT ever roll crimped even if a cannelure is present. The grooves of bullets in those cartridges is used to hold lubricant to prevent leading. Those cartridges MUST be taper crimped so the head space is not affected.

Probably more than you wanted to know...but use what you wish.

 

[Soundguy]

There certainly are match , cannelured bullets.

Sierra matchking 77gr .224 HPBT are.

Sierra MatchKing Bullets 22 Cal (224 Diameter) 77 Grain - MPN: 9377GT

 

[paulsharvey]

Just ordered 250 Hornday 62gr HpBt, 100 60 gr SP, Hornady American dies, and primer pocket reamer, from Midsouth Shooters Supply. Yesterday at lunch I stopped at a small reloading shop I drove by at work, and got a new ammo box for .270 and a cheap Lee case mouth chamfer and debur tool. Hopefully that's an improvement over chamfering with a pocket knife. Prices where pretty steep, but he had a huge selection of powders. Normally, all I ever see anyone have is maybe 6 or 8 Hodgdons powders, but he probably had 500# from Alliant to Vitttavori, ect

 

[Gunny]

I like the Lyman case prep tool, much better than a pocket knife. Large enough to hold in your hand and with enough knurling to allow a firm grip

 

[prof fate]

I went with the lyman tool as well.

I have a lee breechlock press, handy for all sorts of things. Lee sells a 'coffee grinder' (for those old enough to remember them) style case tool, $20 that will chamfer in/out and trim to length. Sits on top fo the ss press. Lee Deluxe Quick Trim Case Trimmer - MPN: 9437

For the primer pocket I found a similar setup - it mounts on top of the press where the die goes and you put the shell there and the swager comes up on the ram into the base of the case. Much better than swaging by hand with a reamer (did 1000 30-06 cases that way...moving to 223 I wanted something better -faster, more consistent).

It's similar to but different that the RCBS swager. RCBS Primer Pocket Swager Combo 2 - MPN: �9481 or the hornady one Hornady Lock-N-Load Single Stage Primer Pocket Swage - MPN: �41227

 

[Soundguy]

I like the Lyman case prep tool, much better than a pocket knife. Large enough to hold in your hand and with enough knurling to allow a firm grip

yup, much better than a knife.

 

[paulsharvey]

So, got my dies and all in like last Tuesday but just reloaded the first 25 rounds last night. This set of hornady dies, the threads really where rough. I had to run them in a couple threads, then back them out, then run the in again, about ten times before I got them smoothly in the whole way.

The primer pocket reamer is a bit of a pain in the butt, hard to tell when you got enough of the crimp off.

The Lee chamfer and debur tool works better to chamfer then to debur, but for $4.99, it's better than a pocket knife.

CFE223, kinda love it, kinda hate it... I like that it's available at Academy for like $24/pound compared to $37/Varget at local shop, but the dang stuff leaks around the funnelnif it isn't perfect, bounces out of the pan when you scope, and sticks in the case mouth.

Hornady 60 Gr .223 SP bullets, flat based, pretty easy to booger up the lead nose if you not careful when you seat the bullet.

Oh, so Hornady American seating die; my Hornady recipe called for 2.200" OAL, but with it engaging the crimp, I bottomed out at 2.223". I just used that; although I crimp with the die, I prefer to seat all the bullets without crimping, then readjust the die to only crimp and run them all back through

 

[shooterdon]

Hard to believe all the dies had rough threads...I would check out the press threads as that seems most likely.

COL stated in manuals is not usually the ideal. I check that the bullet is seated about .010 to .020 from the lands. As long as the COL is equal to or greater than the manual the load will be safe. The more deeply the bullet is seated the more pressure the load develops. Seating depth is one of the parameters used to tune a load for accuracy.

You are doing something wrong if you are damaging the nose of the bullet.

A tractor forum is not the best place to learn to reload. Buy a couple of books and read...and join a reloading forum. I have been reloading for 50+ years and am still learning.

 

[paulsharvey]

Hard to believe all the dies had rough threads...I would check out the press threads as that seems most likely.

COL stated in manuals is not usually the ideal. I check that the bullet is seated about .010 to .020 from the lands. As long as the COL is equal to or greater than the manual the load will be safe. The more deeply the bullet is seated the more pressure the load develops. Seating depth is one of the parameters used to tune a load for accuracy.

You are doing something wrong if you are damaging the nose of the bullet.

A tractor forum is not the best place to learn to reload. Buy a couple of books and read...and join a reloading forum. I have been reloading for 50+ years and am still learning.

I dont disagree about the tractor forum thing, but I've found more useful help here on everything from tractors, wells, butchering, tools, welding ect; with out the general BS found on many forums.

I also kinda just kept the thread going after I started it.

It was the dies with rough threads, other dies are fine, and these are too, now, after working them in/out a bit.

Nose damage is definitely on me, not really getting bullet started with the flat base, and the nose contacting the edge/rim of the seating stem.

I appreciate all the responses through all of the threads. This is by far the friendliest over all forum I've seen. Some forums will attack people who post on old threads, ect.