Question on taper crimp

[pdhunter]

Loading .45 acp which is new to me.
How can I tell when I have enough taper crimp ?
I know about the roll crimp , but the taper is new to me.
Thanks in advance.

 

[contender]

Looking at it is harder to see than the roll crimp. To set/check my taper crimp dies,, I use a "chamber check gauge." I slowly adjust it by working a few loaded rounds,, and checking them until I get a smooth fit & feed. Once adjusted,, I leave it alone. My 45 is used in USPSA competition,, and chabbering issues almost never come up.
If you don't have a chamber check gauge,, you can use your barrel to check the fit.

 

[edfardos]

It's straight walled ammo, so it shouldn't technically be crimped. for 40S&W I adjust the "crimp" to knock off any bell that was applied. I use calipers to measure the case mouth and make sure it's the same diameter of the brass where the bullet is seated (error on smaller.. like .002" smaller diameter). If you don't crimp (leave the bell on) the brass will hang on the entrance to your chamber. If you overcrimp, the brass will go past your chamber and into the barrel/freebore. The former will result in out-of-battery, the latter will result in a "click".

The crimp was probably the most problematic setting for me initially with semi-auto straight-walled ammo.

--edfardos

 

[WESHOOT2]

For the 45 ACP I learned to crimp to .469--.470" at the mouth (set your dial calipers to .469"; slide them down over the bullet until the jaws reach the mouth; they should just slip over the mouth).

 

[pdhunter]

Thanks for all the info.
'I forgot to mention I am using these in a Black Hawk. Brain fart !

 

[J Miller]

I was shooting IPSC with a 1930s Colt Govt Mdl .45, using every conceivable brand, vintage, and length casing.
I didn't have a mich, or a caliper so I took the barrel out of the Colt and used it as my case gauge.

What I did was to find the shortest case and knock the bell off it. Then I developed a "feel" to taper crimp the rest without messing with the die.

It ain't rocket science, all you need do is de-bell the case mouth.

Joe