Do You Crimp a 30-06 cartridge?

C

CowboyinIL

New member
I am a little confused as to when and or if you crimp. Some say they never crimp a 30.06 round. Others say if there is a cannelure (grove in bullet), then you crimp it. If you don't ever crimp, does that include never crimping even with the cannelure?

For those that do crimp, do you use a roll crimp or a factory die crimp?

I guess what I am asking is "are you suppose to crimp a 30.06 round"?


Thanks in advance.
 
I never crimp my 30.06 rounds and I have reloaded hundreds of them....If there is a crimp mark on the bullet I am seating I ignore it and make sure my seating depth is correct and thats all I do. Never had a problem. I shoot Nosler BT now and I dont worry about it anymore but when I first started to reload, I had the same question.
 
i use a lee factory crimp and crimp all my bullets. i know its not necessary but i do it anyways. i have found that it improves my accuracy.
 
Thanks Powerfisher for the quick reply. Do you use the seating depth listed on the bullet (Nosler in your case) package or do you use the depth shown in the loading manual like Lyman 49th Reloading manual? I do have to say, I have spent more time trying to figure out this crimp thing than any other part of the reloading process. My 30.06 is a bolt which is what I am going to start reloading. I also have an 5.56 AR semi-auto, and 2 pistols that I will eventually be reloading for. So thanks again for your input.
 
Thanks Markley, that was another question. I've heard it improves accuracy and that it hurts the accuracy. So thanks for adding that reasoning.
 
What i do for figuring out my crimp is i have my press on a portable stand. i take my best load that i have shot with out the crimp starting at the min and go up to max. i then load up 50 rounds of that load. then i test my loads at 200 yards. so i put some targets up. i then start with a very light crimp. crimp 3 then shoot. if it looks good then i crimp 2 more. when adjusting the crimp die it really doesnt take much to make the crimp tighter on the bullet so i just barely adjust it. i just do this until i find one. i have done this with my 223, 22-250, 7mm-08. i have also tested the crimps in multiple guns other than my 7mm-08 and other guns have liked the crimp that i put on it. it is time consuming. also if you get too much of a crimp it will make your groups open up. Good luck.
 
No prob CowboyinIL,
I made a dummy round for every caliber I reload for and every bullet I used for that caliber. I seat a bullet in a spent case, put a threaded bolt thru the primer hole, chamber the dummy round and screw the bolt in the case so it pushes the bullet out till I feel the bullet touch the lands, then back it off just a tad. Measure with my mic and record the info in my notebook. Its the long way to do it but I enjoy learning and doing things the hard way so....glad to be of help. Happy Reloading.
 
It's just personal preference I think. Just depends if you want to take the time to figure a crimp out and then crimp your bullets
 
Cowboy,
General rules of thought:

Bolt Guns - No crimp

Semi-Auto/Lever action Rifles - Reloader's choice

Crimping = slower release of the bullet from the casing. You'd NEVER see a competition shooter crimp his ammo simply because he or she wants a smooth, even and unabaited release of the bullet from the casing for best accuracy. Crimping does seal a cartridge better from moisture so if you plan to load and store ammo in a humid environment for a LONG TIME, perhaps crimping is best.
 
I prefer to crimp. I've done a few tests myself on crimp vs no crimp and crimped rounds have always given me more consistent velocities.
 
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