Do I really need a Lee Carbide Factory Crimp Die?

[iflyskyhigh]

Yes.

Get one. Cheap. Work great.

Not a gimmick.

Especially for mixed 9MM range pick up brass.

Well over 100k reloaded 9MM cartridges with it.


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[woodstock]

I like using the factory crimp die

 

[EMC45]

Keep this in mind....Brass springs back, lead does not. When you "swage" your brass down to a desired "spec" you are also swaging your lead bullet down too. For jacketed it may not pose too big a problem, but for cast it definitely will make your bullets undersized. It is a gimmick. I bought into it admittedly so. It created undersized bullets for me. I cut the carbide ring out and use it as my crimp die after seating now. If a standard reloading die set does not reform the brass where it needs to be, or the bullet being seated creates bulges in brass then there's a reloader/reloading problem.

When I had my FFL and wholesale pricing, I bought one for each of my reloaded calibers. After poor results I cut each one of the carbide ends off and only use them to crimp now. Just do your seat and crimp in 2 steps and you'll be good.

 

[pavogrande]

No --- ammo was successfully loaded for eons before lee dies became available --

 

[Jeddak]

Never used one. If your ammo chambers OK, why undersize it? Too much crimp on a pistol round is bad for accuracy and can increase chamber pressures.
Over crimped taper crimp is similar to a roll crimp and only cannelured bullets should be rolled crimped.
PS I use RCBS dies on a Dillon. Work fine.

 

[gh1950]

I find it useful from hot loads in rimless bullets, especially with heavy bullets. Preserves the case for headspace, but firmly crimps the bullet.

 

[jpm2953]

What bullets are you going to use? The FCD WILL swage your bullets undersized if you are loading bare lead or Hi-tek/powder coated.....Mine was going down to .354" I was getting bad leading problems. Switching to a dillon crimp die solved that issue.
If you are loading plated or jacketed then the FCD is fine. Not needed but fine.

 

[medium187mph]

124gr fmj’s

What bullets are you going to use? The FCD WILL swage your bullets undersized if you are loading bare lead or Hi-tek/powder coated.....Mine was going down to .354" I was getting bad leading problems. Switching to a dillon crimp die solved that issue.
If you are loading plated or jacketed then the FCD is fine. Not needed but fine.

 

[fastfish66]

nope, you can seat your bullet and crimp with the bullet seating die. read your die instructions, it will tell you how to set it up.

X2

 

[rosewood]

I too prefer seating and crimping in separate steps, but I use a progressive. If was using single stage, I might be lazy and do it in 1 step.

The other thing I don't like about seating and crimping in 1 step, you have too many adjustments to make. Seems like the few cartridges I tried this way, I crushed a few cases setting it up. Never had that issue with 2 steps. Just easier to me.

I use the Lee Factory crimp in most all rifle and pistol cartridges. However, when loading lead boolits, I don't like the factory crimp die. It may swage down the boolit smaller than what you want causing leading. I therefore ordered the Lee Taper crimp die for 40 & 9mm and the roll crimp for the .38/357 for when loading cast boolits. They were cheap, like $14 I think.

The factory crimp die also doubles as the "bulge buster" (works with that kit) when using in straight wall cases like 40/10mm. Can't use on 9mm because it is tapered case.

Rosewood