I have been testing and shooting my Remington Slide Gun in 30.06 with no crimp on the bullet. I have put a lot of time in getting loads right and bullet seat depth just right for accuracy. Now I wonder if I should have put at least a little crimp in to hold the bullet in case of a sloppy feed that could push the bullet down the neck. Like I said I have put a lot of rounds through it with no problem but not in hunting conditions where I have been known to get a little excited and put a few live rounds in the bottom of the duck blind with my slide shotguns. A sloppy feed is not imposible but I think the bullets are fairly tight as they are. Anyone have any experience with this.
Crimp or not to Crimp?
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In theory, most rifle ammo probably doesn't actually need a crimp but tubular magazine and autoloaders or any other action that might set the bullet back when it can strike something as it feeds into the chamber should probably be crimped for safety sake [if you are dealing with max or near near max loads even a small change in bullet seating depth can have drastic effects on pressure]. Even some heavy-recoiling bolt action rifles w/ box magazines should have a crimp to keep the bullets from setting back in the case if they can hit the front of the magazine under recoil. A 'factory crimp' type die would probably give the best results with the least adverse effect to your accuracy and if you try doing that you should probably back off the loads a bit if your are now at or near max.
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You haven't had problems, so probably no real burning need, BUT..... if it makes you feel better, no harm in trying to crimp bullets.
If your combination of bullets/seating depth doesn't have a cannelure in the correct place, then the way to go would probably be the Lee Factory Crimp die.
Personally I'd try to work up some loads with using this die, backing off the powder charge a little. If your accuracy is acceptable with the crimp, then that's the way to go. If not, you have to make a decision as to which is more important.
For what it's worth, my dad has used several Remington autoloaders over the years in .30-06, never crimped a single bullet (uses Sierra bullets which generally don't have cannelures), and never a problem. The semi-autos really do cycle the action fairly hard so if they don't create problems, I would not expect the pump guns to do so either.
Hope this helps.
If your combination of bullets/seating depth doesn't have a cannelure in the correct place, then the way to go would probably be the Lee Factory Crimp die.
Personally I'd try to work up some loads with using this die, backing off the powder charge a little. If your accuracy is acceptable with the crimp, then that's the way to go. If not, you have to make a decision as to which is more important.
For what it's worth, my dad has used several Remington autoloaders over the years in .30-06, never crimped a single bullet (uses Sierra bullets which generally don't have cannelures), and never a problem. The semi-autos really do cycle the action fairly hard so if they don't create problems, I would not expect the pump guns to do so either.
Hope this helps.
Good advice guys. I'm shooting light loads and have shot a lot so I think I am ok for this season. I'll make adjustments for next season. Just something else to keep in mind about hunting loads. It is sure fun to keep learning and have such an immediate source of info.
a little crimp never hurt. the Lee Factory Crimp Die will allow you to do this. it is well worth the investment. for the security, if nothing else <!--emo&
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