Quick question on loading .45 ACP

[Certaindeaf]

Not sure who you mean by "they" Just saying they are not needed, nice to have, yes but needed no.
Not sure what your original objection was to my first post, o'well, life goes on.

Lee? And flare, de-flare capability? "Nice"? lol

 

[RVTECH]

If you are somehow able to clear yourself of that loader in that caliber if that's the case, I'd encourage you to do so.

Ditto this - Lee Loaders are a PITA enough to load enough to feed a bolt rifle for even minimal shooting - I can't imagine doing it for a semi-auto.

 

[Mikej]

The taper crimp is only used to take out the flare, if you don't flare you don't need to crimp. I would not load lead or plated without flaring first but FMJ should be fine.
The 38/357 uses a roll crimp, whole different animal.
* 38/357 can use a taper crimp using plated or a very slight roll crimp.

Full metal jacket not needing a flare? Gotta disagree on that one. .45 ACP with Hornady XTP was the first caliber I hand loaded. I hadn't read the procedures yet and was just goofing around [no powder] and seating a bullet or two and you will crush cases without a flare.

It's a moot point now I think though as it seems Bing has left the building!

 

[Classic]

If you have the crazy desire to experience a squib then by all means don't crimp (or lightly crimp) a .357
Magnum powders are slower burning and more difficult to ignite. The bullet will go about an inch into the barrel and unburnt powder with yellow streaks through it will be in the barrel behind the bullet.
Spend the $20 and get a Lee Factory Roll Crimp die which also does a 2nd resize on the brass after it crimps.
A good crimp will allow the powder to fully ignite resulting in tighter groups, a more consistent bang and NO squibs

 

[Wayne]

Full metal jacket not needing a flare? Gotta disagree on that one. .45 ACP with Hornady XTP was the first caliber I hand loaded. I hadn't read the procedures yet and was just goofing around [no powder] and seating a bullet or two and you will crush cases without a flare.

It's a moot point now I think though as it seems Bing has left the building!

Just chamfer the case and it should be fine. Not always needed but helps. I never said a flair was not a good thing but not needed. I flair all my handgun rounds but not rifle. Please explain the difference.

 

[Mikej]

I don't do any rifle hand loading. I did figure out chamfering the case helped but there was still an issue with the bullet going sideways and crushing a case. It just makes it easier to get a bullet seated with the case flared. It's also easier to flare cases in quantities than it is to chamfer. For me anyway

 

[Wayne]

If you have the crazy desire to experience a squib then by all means don't crimp (or lightly crimp) a .357
Magnum powders are slower burning and more difficult to ignite. The bullet will go about an inch into the barrel and unburnt powder with yellow streaks through it will be in the barrel behind the bullet.
Spend the $20 and get a Lee Factory Roll Crimp die which also does a 2nd resize on the brass after it crimps.
A good crimp will allow the powder to fully ignite resulting in tighter groups, a more consistent bang and NO squibs

And that is why I excluded 357 in my post #14, I guess I could have included a whole list of rounds that need a ROLL crimp but we were originally talking abut 45ACP.
I really wish we could find a new name for the taper crimp as it confuses many newer reloaders. It is not a crimp in the true sense of the word to where a roll crimp is. A taper crimp does nothing to hold the bullet in place, that is the job of neck tension. to much taper crimp can even reduce neck tension.
I, myself, would never recommend the Lee Whack a loader to a new reloader for a first reloader as for only a few bucks more you can do a LOT better.
When I fist started with one there was no WWW I had no mentor. I bought the Lee because it was cheap and wanted to try reloading for my Blackhawk. I bought the powder that was recommended in the instructions for the dipper supplied, would sit at my living room table made out of old 2x4's with a cold beer. Never blew up my gun but sure not what I would recomend today.

 

[Steve M]

The taper crimp die is tapered in diameter and hence will put a taper on the end of the brass if you jam it in hard enough. I don't think the problem is in a confusing name so much in that people don't read books any more before getting elbows deep into something they don't yet understand.

 

[HappyRoman]

My first reloading experience was with the 45acp, and 10's of thousands of rounds later still reloading them.

A nice taper crimp is great on any 45 bullet you would use. Most 45 bullets DO NOT have a canalure.

A Simple safe load, with a 230 gr lead, plated, fmj, or hp is 5grs. or Reddot. Old Military duplication load.

Somewhere about 825fps. Safe pressures and shoot very accurately.