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Lee Factory crimp die for 223/556 in an AR

SanPatHogger

Gunny Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Mar 1, 2020
955
817
How much crimp? I guess I could spin the die down till its snug and give it a 1/16 to 1/8 turn and wing it. Or do you measure the outside of the neck and crimp slightly looking for a specific number, say 0.005 or whatever your number is?
The bulets do have a cannelure.
 
I just make it so the collet closes about half way looking from the top. Instructions say to make it close all the way that seems kinda heavy to me. Never really noticed much difference though. I'm not shooting for groups and testing with em just blasting. My experience with crimping is a little goes a long way. Once using a seating and crimping die actually deformed the case putting way to heavy of a crimp on. One of early reloading mistakes that stick with you.
 
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...my suggestion: During setup of the die, with an empty, resized case run all the way up, screw the FCD die down until the collet makes contact with the case mouth walls. You can observe this thru the top of the die opening. Lock the die down. Once you seat a bullet, the case mouth walls will expand a bit, and the collet setting will apply just enough crimp to prevent bullet setback. Because of the design of the collet, you can see how much "crimp" is being done by observing the slots in the collet closing together. Understand that case neck thickness AND trim length will have an effect on this, especially if using multiple brands of brass or range pickups of unknown quality or firing counts.

...using the method of "give it a 1/16 to 1/8 turn" after contact could end up giving your seated bullet a pinched section like an old cocoa cola bottle, and possibility of increased pressure spike at firing.

...some folks use a mandrel of a specific size to control the measurement of the case mouth ID to give a specific amount of "tension", others "polish" the button on their decapping rod to a specific size to accomplish the same thing so that the case necks OD (thickness) becomes less of a factor.

YMMV
 
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Any particular reason you want to crimp? Its another step that may or may not gain anything.
 
Any particular reason you want to crimp? Its another step that may or may not gain anything.
Only because I am shooting it through an AR. The bottom round in a 30 round mag will be bounced quite a bit.
I need just enough tension to keep the bullets in place. These will most likely be shot at cardboard and steel within 100 yards at a carbine match.