How tight to crimp?
- Thread starter Bobwire
- Start date
tommygun2000
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2003
- Messages
- 1,646
RE: The crimp on 9mm Luger ect.
This cartridge headspaces on the case mouth. This requires that the mouth not be roll crimped but taper crimped. The best die for this job that I have found is a LEE Factory Crimp die. It will give you consistantly excellent results. I use them in several calibers and all work very well. I've loaded tens of thousands of pistol caliber and rifle caliber ammunition all with great results.
They should be crimped tight enough to match the specs in a good reloading manual, but usually the heavy bolt of an Uzi or other gun will easily set back a bullet no matter how tight its crimped. If the cases are too stretched out, the bullets are more prone to setback. Replacing the brass or undersizing it would fix that.
It is measured using a dial caliper at the case mouth, and if ammo is being used in a submachine gun, it should be gaged in a case gage from Dillon or one of the other companies. This insures that the stuff will chamber. If you don't have a gage, the chamber itself can be used....BARREL REMOVED FROM GUN FIRST!! OBVIOUSLY!
I "chamber test" all my carry ammo in my semi auto pistols as a safety precaution, even though a case gage would suffice.....its a mental thing!
NOTE: If you are reloading ammo for machinegun use, make absolutely sure that you VIEW the powder in EVERY round before seating the bullet on the case and crimping. A squib load in a fast shooting, open bolt firing gun is bad bad juju.
Pay attention to every round, lest you hurt yourself or others.
This cartridge headspaces on the case mouth. This requires that the mouth not be roll crimped but taper crimped. The best die for this job that I have found is a LEE Factory Crimp die. It will give you consistantly excellent results. I use them in several calibers and all work very well. I've loaded tens of thousands of pistol caliber and rifle caliber ammunition all with great results.
They should be crimped tight enough to match the specs in a good reloading manual, but usually the heavy bolt of an Uzi or other gun will easily set back a bullet no matter how tight its crimped. If the cases are too stretched out, the bullets are more prone to setback. Replacing the brass or undersizing it would fix that.
It is measured using a dial caliper at the case mouth, and if ammo is being used in a submachine gun, it should be gaged in a case gage from Dillon or one of the other companies. This insures that the stuff will chamber. If you don't have a gage, the chamber itself can be used....BARREL REMOVED FROM GUN FIRST!! OBVIOUSLY!
I "chamber test" all my carry ammo in my semi auto pistols as a safety precaution, even though a case gage would suffice.....its a mental thing!
NOTE: If you are reloading ammo for machinegun use, make absolutely sure that you VIEW the powder in EVERY round before seating the bullet on the case and crimping. A squib load in a fast shooting, open bolt firing gun is bad bad juju.
Pay attention to every round, lest you hurt yourself or others.
Last edited:
UZI SBR AWC
Well-known member
Agree with what Tommy says.....
I use a std Lee taper crimp at #4 on my 550. Set the crimp for .379" at the case mouth, this seems to work best for me.
I do not have a case gauge, so I drop every round in My Uzi barrel. If a round does not "plunk" when dropped in chamber and fall out when barrel tipped, round gets taken apart and redone with another piece of brass.
When I reload my 38 Super, brass gets bulk resize, then dropped in a Dillon case gauge, loaded, then dropped in the Dillon gauge again.
I use a std Lee taper crimp at #4 on my 550. Set the crimp for .379" at the case mouth, this seems to work best for me.
I do not have a case gauge, so I drop every round in My Uzi barrel. If a round does not "plunk" when dropped in chamber and fall out when barrel tipped, round gets taken apart and redone with another piece of brass.
When I reload my 38 Super, brass gets bulk resize, then dropped in a Dillon case gauge, loaded, then dropped in the Dillon gauge again.
MuzzleFlash
UZI Talk Life Member
Couple of points that have already been discussed on other threads:
Do not put much if any crimp on a plated bullet! Karl had problems with Rainier bullets that lost their jacket and the copper fragments trashed a suppressor. I use West Coast Bullets b/c they have a heavier plating, but many people here will not use plated at all due to the risks.
Over crimping on any bullet can swell the base of the cartridge - especially with nickel brass. I had this problem on some .40 S&W loads which would not chamber in my pistol. If you ran into this problem with an open bolt gun, you'd likely get an out-of-battery KB.
I use UZI SBR AWC's "plunk" method and recommend all reloaders do so - especially for rounds they will use in an open bolt gun.
Another good investment for MG reloads is a lockout die. I use an cheap RCBS die. These will work for most straight walled cases and it's saved my tail more times than I care to acknowledge. I have a Hornady LnL AP press. During a reloading session, my powder station didn't get properly seated in their twist-lock system. The case activates their powder measure, but due to poor seating, it lifted the powder measure up and I had a low charge squib that the lockout die caught. That was a genuine OH SH*T! b/c it did have a small amount of powder - probably enough to push the round halfway down the barrel!
Do not put much if any crimp on a plated bullet! Karl had problems with Rainier bullets that lost their jacket and the copper fragments trashed a suppressor. I use West Coast Bullets b/c they have a heavier plating, but many people here will not use plated at all due to the risks.
Over crimping on any bullet can swell the base of the cartridge - especially with nickel brass. I had this problem on some .40 S&W loads which would not chamber in my pistol. If you ran into this problem with an open bolt gun, you'd likely get an out-of-battery KB.
I use UZI SBR AWC's "plunk" method and recommend all reloaders do so - especially for rounds they will use in an open bolt gun.
Another good investment for MG reloads is a lockout die. I use an cheap RCBS die. These will work for most straight walled cases and it's saved my tail more times than I care to acknowledge. I have a Hornady LnL AP press. During a reloading session, my powder station didn't get properly seated in their twist-lock system. The case activates their powder measure, but due to poor seating, it lifted the powder measure up and I had a low charge squib that the lockout die caught. That was a genuine OH SH*T! b/c it did have a small amount of powder - probably enough to push the round halfway down the barrel!
I was using the West Coast Bullets too and I don't know if why but I found them to be inaccurate compared to the same grain weight Berry's Bullet. Both are plated. In my tests, everything was the same, gun, powder charge, primer. Everything but the bullet itself.
I shot some of the Berry's bullets in some phone books and was amazed to see how well the "plating" stays on the bullet core. I saw absolutely no indication of the plating coming off where the crimp was. I have had no problems with them.
I shot some of the Berry's bullets in some phone books and was amazed to see how well the "plating" stays on the bullet core. I saw absolutely no indication of the plating coming off where the crimp was. I have had no problems with them.
MuzzleFlash
UZI Talk Life Member
Not familiar with Berry's, but I'd buy a box just to try them. I've used Rainier in the past and they have a slightly concave base whereas the WC bullets are flat base. Not sure if that makes a bit of difference with accuracy.amphibian said:
I only reload 147 grain in 9mm anymore because I want an extremely clean round for suppressed use. Does Berry's offer 147? Rainier doesn't (at least in the Midway catalog). That's how I ended up with the West Coast. I suppose I could load some 124 grain subsonic, but that seems sort of pointless.
Yes, they have 147GR round nose for $47.49 for 1k delivered. All of their prices include shipping for orders over $25. I always order at least 1k of anything so I never have to worry about shipping.
I think the bullets looked "smoother" than the west coast if that means anything. The base is flat like the West Coast bullets though. I've heard that Berry's and West Coast use the same machines from someone on subguns. That may be true but I definitely experience a BIG difference in accuracy with the Berry's. I had a friend shoot my gun and he noticed the same thing too.
I am very happy with them.
Below is there URL:
http://www.berrysmfg.com
I think the bullets looked "smoother" than the west coast if that means anything. The base is flat like the West Coast bullets though. I've heard that Berry's and West Coast use the same machines from someone on subguns. That may be true but I definitely experience a BIG difference in accuracy with the Berry's. I had a friend shoot my gun and he noticed the same thing too.
I am very happy with them.
Below is there URL:
http://www.berrysmfg.com
O
oorah
Guest
it's DA revolver rapidfire that makes squibs
dangerous. If the load wont get the bullet out of the bore, it also won't cycle the action. If you here that "plok" sound as you fire, you would be stupid to just jerk the bolt and fire again. Better stop and check that the bore is clear.
dangerous. If the load wont get the bullet out of the bore, it also won't cycle the action. If you here that "plok" sound as you fire, you would be stupid to just jerk the bolt and fire again. Better stop and check that the bore is clear.
- Status
Please Visit our Sister Sites Below
Please consider becoming an UZI Talk Supporter