Crimping bullets without a crimp groove in the 45 Colt

[NonPCnraRN]

I want to load the Barnes .451 300 gr Expander MZ bullet in the 45 Colt cartridge. There is no crimping groove because it is intended to be used with a sabot in a .50 cal muzzle loader. Per Barnes it is the same as the XPB pistol bullet design without the crimp groove. I assume that you wouldn't use a roll crimp so would the Lee Factory Crimp Die for the 45 ACP be the one to use? Or can a very slight roll crimp be used to keep the bullet from moving forward and tieing up the Blackhawk. I also assume that the 45 ACP FC die works ok for reloading for the ACP cylinder. I want to develop a non lead 300 gr 45 Colt load for Kalifornia and the heaviest XPB bullet that can be used in the 45 Colt is the 250 gr .451 bullet meant for the 454. Does anyone have experience with loading bullets made for autoloaders or sabots in a rimmed revolver cartridge? I emailed both Barnes and Lee Precision but I know some member on this forum will have the answer.

[Yance]

Lee's "new" carbide factory crimp die doesn't work like their RIFLE FCD.

I use the carbide FCD for .45 Colt black powder loads and it's simply an adjustable roll crimp. Much more than a VERY light crimp and you'll probably buckle the cases. Even a slight difference in length would cause one now and then.

Best bet would be to polish your expander slightly smaller, (it's probably already .451) , trim all you cases, then try you regular crimp die. You should be able to "feel" if a case is slightly long before it buckles.

Maybe Barnes will "see the light" and make a 300 grain copper bullet with a canalure for big bore revolver shooters.

Kinda have to wonder about the accuracy of a .451 copper slug in a .452+ barrel.

[J Miller]

NonPCnraRN,

You can put a seriously heavy roll crimp in non cannelured bullets with the LFCD without buckling the cases.
Here is a thread about the LFCD I did: http://forums.handloads.com/forum_posts ... W=J+Miller .
Towards the middle of the post there's some pics showing what the FCD will do with non cannelured bullets.
Personally I'd try a very heavy neck tension with a taper crimp first, but if that didn't work, I'd use the FCD.

Joe

[Marlin .35]

I have used the LFCD for many calibers for many years, and it will do the job without any question. Art

[Ysabel Kid]

NonPCnraRN,

You can put a seriously heavy roll crimp in non cannelured bullets with the LFCD without buckling the cases.
Here is a thread about the LFCD I did: http://forums.handloads.com/forum_posts ... W=J+Miller .
Towards the middle of the post there's some pics showing what the FCD will do with non cannelured bullets.
Personally I'd try a very heavy neck tension with a taper crimp first, but if that didn't work, I'd use the FCD.

Joe

+1 Joe hit it on the head - try a heavy taper crimp first and see how it works. I put a slight roll crimp on a batch of .38's I did last week where the bullet had no crimping groove - using just the regular bullet-seating die on a old Lee 3-die carbide set. Just took a bit of adjusting the overall die depth and bullet seating post to get it right.

[1886]

deleted

[1886]

Not a fan of the Lee pistol type FCD. Get a removeable expander. Chuck the expander in a drill and polish it down .005 smaller than the bullet diameter you intend to use or you can contact Buffalo arms and they will make whatever size you want. Lee will make you a rifle type collet crimp die, FCD, for the .45 Colt. This die is a superior product. It will cost you $29.00 shipped and take approx. 6-8 weeks. This combo will serve you well for high performance jacketed and hard cast loads. The first powder to try would be H-110(296) ignited by CCI-350 primers. Regards. 1886.

[oldgerboy]

I was given about 350 or so bullets for the 45acp a couple years ago. The guy gave me the 45acp dies also. I simply used that die to seat those bullets in the "Long" Colt case and had no trouble in my Bissley.