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450 crimp

PostPosted: Mon Apr 01, 2019 6:18 pm
by Papi
New to the 450 reloading , so I've been reading here and don't know if I need a side crimp or a Lee fcd. If one needs a side crimp whe r do you get it ? How do you use it ?

Re: 450 crimp

PostPosted: Mon Apr 01, 2019 6:34 pm
by Al in Mi
Welcome aboard. What die set do you have?

Most of us just use the taper crimp die in the Hornady set, mostly because it was the only set available for years!

Re: 450 crimp

PostPosted: Mon Apr 01, 2019 6:47 pm
by Hoot
Welcome Aboard Papi

You didn't say whether you are using an AR 15 based platform, a bolt action or a single shot. In the AR 15 based platform, repeated full bolt drop chambering of the same round will make the bullet drift a little, much like an inertial bullet puller. You can't buy one, you make it by modifying one of several available models of the Lee FCD. I made a how-to article here. If you don't have the tools or skills to implement the modification, you need to find a member who will do it for you. IMHO, you don't need the side crimp in a bolt action of single shot platform. The taper crimp that Hornady provides should work just fine.

Modifying a 460 S&W die is much easier than the original 45-70 die we used to modify to make a side crimper, before the 460 S&W version was available. Equally easy is modifying a 450 bushmaster die which is a recent arrival. The process is the same.

Hoot

Once again I got outpaced by a faster member, while I was seeing what Midway had on sale. ;)

Re: 450 crimp

PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 2:25 pm
by Papi
Thanks for the welcome , I'm useing a ar and don't have what I need to make a die , so who on this site is willing to make one for me ?

Re: 450 crimp

PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 9:09 pm
by Hoot
Papi wrote:Thanks for the welcome , I'm useing a ar and don't have what I need to make a die , so who on this site is willing to make one for me ?


Your stuff is on the way Papi.

Hoot

Re: 450 crimp

PostPosted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 2:10 pm
by c_franklin50
hello guys I have been really digging into the crimp details of 450bm both here and a few Facebook pages. I have found I get a better burn with a .472/.473 crimp with my hornady taper crimp H110 and magnum primers in my bolt gun. So my question is do I really need to modifiy my new Lee 450BM FCD to do a side/stab crimp or just keep crimping to .472/.473? I plan on sticking to 300gr jacketed bullets and some 500+ lead for subsonics. As of now none of my bullets have a cannelure or crimp grove

Re: 450 crimp

PostPosted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 10:11 pm
by Hoot
IMHO,, short, smooth sided bullets like the 230 FMJ can benefit from a stab crimp since they don't seat far enough down into the case to give the taper crimp much to grab onto. In your case, with the bullets you named, a taper crimp should suffice.

Hoot

Re: 450 crimp

PostPosted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 8:59 am
by c_franklin50
Thanks for the reply hoot my 450 is a hunting gun not a range toy. Would my lee 450bm FCD need just a collet modification or would I have to cut down the body of the die as well like others?

Re: 450 crimp

PostPosted: Wed Feb 12, 2020 9:41 pm
by Hoot
c_franklin50 wrote:Thanks for the reply hoot my 450 is a hunting gun not a range toy. Would my lee 450bm FCD need just a collet modification or would I have to cut down the body of the die as well like others?


Unmodified, the 450 FCD will keep the crimp out at the mouth. To move it down xx amount, remove the same xx amount from the bottom of the collet. IE, it you want a stab crimp .15 down the case, remove .15 from the bottom of the collet. IIRC, that's about the maximum you can remove and still have enough protrusion to close the collet jaws with the ram all the way up. Don't have one handy to confirm.

Hoot

Re: 450 crimp

PostPosted: Thu Feb 13, 2020 6:34 pm
by c_franklin50
Hoot wrote:
c_franklin50 wrote:Thanks for the reply hoot my 450 is a hunting gun not a range toy. Would my lee 450bm FCD need just a collet modification or would I have to cut down the body of the die as well like others?


Unmodified, the 450 FCD will keep the crimp out at the mouth. To move it down xx amount, remove the same xx amount from the bottom of the collet. IE, it you want a stab crimp .15 down the case, remove .15 from the bottom of the collet. IIRC, that's about the maximum you can remove and still have enough protrusion to close the collet jaws with the ram all the way up. Don't have one handy to confirm.

Hoot


Hoot would you happen to know if I need to thin out the crimping portion to increase the PSI like I have seen on some of the other tutorials of converting 45-70 and 460sw?