RCBS Cowboy dies

[COLT45SA]

After belling the case mouth for lead bullets, will the loaded round need to be crimped when shooting a single shot rifle~?

 

[Meyersmp]

I was scared there fore a minute. I wasn't sure who the rcbs cowboy was, but I'm glad he is ok

 

[Walt Krafft]

At the minimum, you will need to remove the bell.

 

[TSFineGuns]

I was scared there fore a minute. I wasn't sure who the rcbs cowboy was, but I'm glad he is ok

Same! lol

 

[cem]

"Need to be" no need. On the other hand the Cowboy dies are commonly used with the light loads for Cowboy Action Shooting. The extra bullet pull with a crimp may give more uniform ignition; certainly will with some but not all loads.

 

[Twicepop]

Might want to use a Lyman M die for preparing the case for cast bullets. It expands the brass a bit more than a conventional die so the cast bullets don't get swaged from a tight neck and possibly make them undersized. The crimping may also be required depending on what powder you're using.

 

[mousegunner]

Seeing how fast they run those lever actions it would be a good idea to remove the bell to prevent FTFs.

I use the NOE expanders in 9mm and .45 in my Lee dies. Gonna order one for .38/.357 next.

 

[piie]

With all the pistol dies I've ever had, as long as my seating die is setup correctly (even when it does not / cannot crimp) - the act of seating removes the flaring - as long as that was also done correctly and not excessive.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I was scared there fore a minute. I wasn't sure who the rcbs cowboy was, but I'm glad he is ok

He is kinda like the marlboro man, but different.

 

[dellet]

He is kinda like the marlboro man, but different.

Isn’t RCBS was one of the new titles that go with the “new” woke pronouns, to replace Mr, Mrs, Miss?

Brokeback Cowboy would seem to imply you fall off your horse often.

 

[Bill K]

To answer your question, Yes you need to crimp it just enough to remove the slight belling of the case mouth, that you used to allow the bullet to seat without shaving lead off, on entering the case mouth.

After belling the case mouth for lead bullets, will the loaded round need to be crimped when shooting a single shot rifle~?

 

[divingin]

You also want enough crimp to avoid setback when chambering. Given that the relatively light cowboy loads usually use fast powder, I don't think a crimp is going to affect ignition or burn.

 

[COLT45SA]

You also want enough crimp to avoid setback when chambering. Given that the relatively light cowboy loads usually use fast powder, I don't think a crimp is going to affect ignition or burn.

I'm shooting an 1885 Winchester falling block, so I don't need to be concerned with recoil moving a bullet in its case. Thanks for responding~!

 

[COLT45SA]

To answer your question, Yes you need to crimp it just enough to remove the slight belling of the case mouth, that you used to allow the bullet to seat without shaving lead off, on entering the case mouth.

Thanks~! Would it be best to use a Lee factory crimp die? Is there such a thing as a collet die to remove that belling?
In preparing a case for reloading, what is the best way to expand the neck, and what is the best way to remove the bell from the mouth creating the minimum if no crimp~??

 

[COLT45SA]

Might want to use a Lyman M die for preparing the case for cast bullets. It expands the brass a bit more than a conventional die so the cast bullets don't get swaged from a tight neck and possibly make them undersized. The crimping may also be required depending on what powder you're using.

Thanks~!
I'm reloading for a single shot rifle. With a cartridge nearly finished, how do I tighten the neck around the bullet without a crimp~?

 

[Twicepop]

Thanks~!
I'm reloading for a single shot rifle. With a cartridge nearly finished, how do I tighten the neck around the bullet without a crimp~?

What cartridge are you loading and are you using smokeless or blackpowder? As for the crimping, there are three different types of crimps, roll crimp, taper crimp and neck-down crimp. Depending on the cartridge and the powder selection any of the three might be the right type to use. Or no crimp at all could be the right answer, however most smokeless powders are at their most efficient with a crimp of some type. This boosts the pressure a bit and usually make the powder burn cleaner and more efficiently. If blackpowder is the chosen propellant, Mike Venturino has several books out about blackpowder in single shot rifles. His many years of experimenting with bullet/powder/primer combinations might be able to answer your questions at least better than I can.

 

[divingin]

Thanks~!
I'm reloading for a single shot rifle. With a cartridge nearly finished, how do I tighten the neck around the bullet without a crimp~?

Most expanders have a cylindrical portion that is slightly smaller than bullet diameter, and normally a fairly pronounced flare at the top that allows you to open up the mouth way too much depending on how you set it.

The M-die has a 2-step expander: The lower part (as it sits in the die) should be a couple thousandths smaller than bullet diameter, and extend to where the bullet base sits. The upper part is a thou or two over to allow you to start the bullet base in the case (this assumes that your sizer reduces case diameter to several thousandths smaller than bullet diameter, which most do.) Ideally, the upper expanded portion of the case should be about 1/16", which will easily be taken off when "crimping" (in quotes, as all you really need to do is remove the flare on the mouth.)

In either case, the bullet hold is accomplished by the press fit of the bullet into the slightly undersized expanded case.

The advantage of the M-die is that it is somewhat less sensitive to case length variations in the flaring/expanding process, and is generally working the case mouth less, which (in theory) should reduce neck splitting.

The removal of the flare in either case is done by the crimp process; how much crimp you apply determines whether you're just removing the bell or flare, or actually crimping the case mouth into the bullet.

 

[COLT45SA]

Thanks to all of you who answered my question. I'm afraid that I overburdened a few of you because I understand the concepts of neck expanding and crimping. I will be loading .38-55 for and 1885 Winchester and have read that brass for that cartridge is rather thin. I was therefore concerned about overworking the mouth of the case causing early failure. I only have the one rifle in .38-55 so after being fired one time the case will be fire formed and won't require full length sizing.
What I need is a neck expanding tool that expands the neck to .001 under bullet size and bells the mouth just enough to seat the bullet. Once the bullet is seated I think I want a taper crimp that simply removes the slight bell.