I can't find any Hornady 40 die set right now and I'm considering getting the Lee 3-die set for use in my Hornday LnL AP.

 

For those using Lee dies, does the Lee bullet seating die give sufficient taper crimping or do I need to get a factory crimp die?

 

Let me know.

 

Thanks in advance.

I can't find any Hornady 40 die set right now and I'm considering getting the Lee 3-die set for use in my Hornday LnL AP.

 

For those using Lee dies, does the Lee bullet seating die give sufficient taper crimping or do I need to get a factory crimp die?

 

Let me know.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Give Maks a shout, I think he still uses the Lee dies, or at least he did.

I use Lee dies and the bullet seater only does that. Seats the bullet. You will need another die to do the crimp.

Like hunting said, seating die just sets the depth of the projectile in the case the factory crimp does just that gives a crimp which is supposed to help in velocities and accuracy and so forth.

A quick check of the Lee website shows that the seating die in the 3 die set seats and crimps. They do recomend using their factory crimp die if you are using range pick up brass or are loading mixed head stamp brass. I was having some chambering issues using a Dillon crimp die in .45acp, turned out it was a bad insert in the die but while I was waiting for a replacement I picked up a Lee FCD and see no reason to put the Dillon die back in. Every round drops right in the case guage.

A quick check of the Lee website shows that the seating die in the 3 die set seats and crimps. They do recomend using their factory crimp die if you are using range pick up brass or are loading mixed head stamp brass. I was having some chambering issues using a Dillon crimp die in .45acp, turned out it was a bad insert in the die but while I was waiting for a replacement I picked up a Lee FCD and see no reason to put the Dillon die back in. Every round drops right in the case guage.

It doesn't really crimp. I you open the mouth of the case too much with the powder charge die it will close it near to spec but won't crimp.

Thanks for the info folks! I'll probably wait for the Hornady's to become available. I have a powder cop die on my 4th station and prefer a bullet seating die with good crimping on my 5th and final station.

I use the Lee 3-die for .40 and the seating die will crimp if you adjust it to do so. I've been turning out quality ammo that way for a while now.

 

You can't use it for lead and maybe not for plated either, though, and the 1-shot seating and crimping will shave soft bullets.

 

EDIT: I don't really crimp tho, mostly just remove the bell

If the seating die removes the case mouth flare/bell sufficient to chamber the round, that is all the "crimp" that is needed.

On my Hornady, the set-up is usually:

1) size/deprime

prime on down stroke

2) expand case, flare mouth, and charge case

3) RCBS Lock-Out die

4) Seat

5) Crimp

Why aren't you using the powder measure that came with the press to do exapnd/flare/charge in station 2? Get the cartridge/caliber specific PTXs.

The FCD does an excellent job of crimping. It, plus the bulge buster kit, also "irons out" any slight bulges in the case that could form a ridge/ring during sizing that could hamper chambering.

The deluxe four die set the seating die will crimp huntingpaper and AnthonyG are absolutely wrong! Any lee seating die will crimp as they are made to do so. The factory crimp die is gimmicky crap. I shoot an ass ton of lead and use my seating die to crimp because the lee factory crimp die swages or shaves my lead bullets. Now I only use a SS press with lee dies to work up loads then I use my dillon xl 650 with redding competition titanium dies. Been loading 13 years be careful when noobs speak kinda disgusts me that people who Handload are not in the know!

If the Lee FCD is shaving lead, you are doing something wrong, since the bullet is already seated and doesn't move during crimping. If your bullets are not over 0.002" oversize, there should be no swaging.

The FCD die is an excellent crimp die; however, for my lead bullets (since I shoot as-cast lead bullets that are generally at least 0.002" over "nominal" lead bullet diameter), I use a separate taper crimp die. Gave up seating and crimping in one step back in 1975 and never looked back.

Also note that I made a recommendation for the FCD that does not involve using it to crimp that is worth more than the cost of the die, so it certainly is not gimmicky crap.

For 10mm I use the factory crimp die that came with my 4 piece set.

Rcbs makes a seating die that taper crimps in one step.