Here's how I do it, using the combination bullet seater and crimper die. Since I've been using the 3-stage Pro 1000 for years, with no room for a Factory Crimp Die, I had to figure out how to do this.
1.) Screw your die in per the directions, and then back it out a good full turn.
2.) Seat your bullet to the correct depth. That means go ahead and adjust your seater plug, bit by bit, until you get your bullet into the case enough.
3.) Back out your bullet seater a good, long ways. I use about 8-10 turns. This is so you avoid pushing the now-correctly-seated bullet any further in by the next step.
4.) Now, raise your round, i. e. lower the handle, all the way, so the round's at max height.
5.) With the round at max height, i. e. handle's all the way down, screw in your die until you feel it just touch the round. Remember, your bullet seater plug's waaaaay high because of Step 3, so don't worry about pushing your bullet in any further. We'll get to re-adjusting your bullet seater plug in a moment.
6.) Now, lower your round just a bit and screw in your seater/crimper die maybe a quarter of a turn. This should lower the "crimp lip" inside the die just a bit.
7.) Raise your round all the way. You should feel something.
8.) Lower your round and have a look. If the case mouth is still belled out a bit, then try another quarter of a turn of the die and raise the round again.
9.) Keep doing this until the case mouth is dead-on straight. This is a proper "taper crimp". It's really not a "crimp"; they call it that because all you're doing is flattening out the bell from when you seated the die. Some may argue that you can push it in a little bit more, but I never do that.
10.) Try chambering this round in your revolver or levergun to make sure everything fits right. If it does, you're ready for the final step. If not, crimp it just a hair more, using an eighth of a turn each time. It doesn't take much.
11.) Now, once your round chambers freely, it's time to set the bullet seater plug back to where it should be. Put your round back into the seater/crimper die and raise it all the way (i. e. lower that handle). It shouldn't "crimp" anymore because the die is now properly adjusted for crimp. While holding that handle down and thus the round up, go ahead and twist your bullet seater plug back down until you juuuust feel it touching. Tighten it an eensy-bit more until you feel just a bit of snugness.
12.) Wash your hands and enjoy a sip of your favourite beverage, 'cause you're done. :-)Statistics: Posted by CowboyT — Sun Feb 11, 2024 4:00 pm
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