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Wierd Crimping

john carrjohn carr Member Posts: 1,717 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited October 2007 in Ask the Experts
A friend at work loaned me his mould for the #358311 Lyman .38 Special bullet (the old original bullet for the .38) and I moulded around a hundred and sized and lubed them. I loaded part of them this morning and in spot checking them with a lens found they are crimping only half way around the case mouth. I got some reloads on hand which I reloaded a few months ago and the crimp on them is perfect, only the bullet is different on these. The only difference in the setting on the dies was on the resizer, and I set this back to resize the cases to the rim. Have any of you experienced this. I'm sure they will shoot OK but accuracy may suffer.

Comments

  • nmyersnmyers Member Posts: 16,885 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    You might want to take your seating die apart & clean it with solvent. Sounds like lube/dirt/lead may have built up inside.

    Neal
  • john carrjohn carr Member Posts: 1,717 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Yes, I wondered about this, and will take it outside and clean it good tomorrow. Also I think the mould was very old. I went back and closely inspected the bullets and the grease and crimping grooves aren't sharp and deep like the bullets moulded with my other Lee and Lyman moulds. Thanks.
  • perry shooterperry shooter Member Posts: 17,105 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Hello John . 2 things come to mind If you are using a roll crimp 'I like taper crimp dies' the crimp will vary if the case is different lengths. While bottle neck rifle cases get longer and have to be trimmed. Straight walled pistol cases get shorter. If the case is short you don't get as much crimp. Second thing What if any is the difference in the hardness of the bullet. between the two different bullets. If one is soft lead and the other is Harder Wheel Weights or LINOTYPE the crimp will be less then a soft bullet.[?][?]Edit If you are getting small folds in the bullet Then I suggest you need to get either the lead or mold block hotter. A 4 cavity block gets very hot& a 2 cavity is easy to use but a single cavity will be hard to keep up to the best temp. The over-flow on the sprue plate should take at least 5 seconds to frost over if it frost over quicker then this you need to go up on temp in the pot or Cast faster cycle .
  • john carrjohn carr Member Posts: 1,717 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Perry, This lead is carryover from so long ago (nine or ten years) that I forget the specs on it but takes some hard pressure with the thumb nail to make a mark on it so is reasonably hard. I think I hardened it with wheel weights. It's the same lead that I have used with the other bullets I mould which turn out OK, so I think the problem may be with the mould or as mentioned above accumulation of lube inside the seating die. thanks.
  • v35v35 Member Posts: 12,710 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Are the bullets filling out?
  • john carrjohn carr Member Posts: 1,717 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    For the most part yes. In looking at them with a lens you can see occasionally like a "fold" in the lead but mainly they look good. Not as good as my other Lyman die or the new Lee die I have. I have a feeling that this old mould has seen a lot of service. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
  • john carrjohn carr Member Posts: 1,717 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I meant Lyman and Lee moulds, not dies.
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