Made a Crimp Die

[CBinNH]

After reading the crimp die topic in this forum, I figured I'd see if I could make one work. I took Karbuv's advice & started with a 218 Bee Lee Crimp die. I used a bench mounted disc grinder at my work place maintenance shop. I ended up taking a bit off & bringing it home to try in my press 4 times. I ended up taking off approximately 1/8", which removed the 218 bee stamping on the collet. I tapped the collet out & had to grind the die body too. It was a crude job but it only cost me $11 for the die from Grafs.

And the end result. If you squint, you can probably see the crimp. I am tempted to take a tad more off, but will make some loads up first. This is just my trial dummy round.

I don't have a chrono or any True Blue powder, but I do have some AA#7, Hornady 40 gr. V-Max & Barnes 36 grain Varmint Grenades to load. I'll try some starter loads this weekend. Can I be an honorary member of the bad pic club?
Chris

[f3rr37]

Cool, would you mind doing a write up in the wiki when you're all finished with testing and know it works?

[CBinNH]

Will do. These will be my first 5.7 loads. I have loaded other calibers over the years though. I'm starting with 7 grains of AA#7. I know I really should get a chrony. I just keep finding other guns & loading stuff to buy instead. I imagine the crimp will help make more consistant velocities.

[f3rr37]

Added you to the wiki user group, you can login with your forum login information.

[CBinNH]

I couldn't wait till the weekend. I loaded up 15 40 gr. V-Max & 15 36 gr. Varmint Grenades. Had a bit of trouble with the shell holder for my Lee Autoprime. Ended up filing on it for a bit so it would fit in the slot.
7 gr of Accurate #7, WSR primer. Modified crimp die worked slick. I won't be removing any more from the collet. Just got back from the range. They all fired without a hitch. No primer flattening. Minimal brass stretch. I don't think I'll need to trim them next loading. A more noticable recoil sensation but still pretty mild. Groups were better than my usual with 195LF. Not good enough to post pics of though. I'll see if I can come up with some True Blue in my area this weekend. Gas is getting to where I can drive 100 miles cheaper than paying Hazmat fees.

[Grantness]

You will prob need to trim after u have sized the cases (they usually end up > 1.140").

Do u have a chronograph? Id like to see if your Acc #7 loads actually match the published data. Mine sure didnt.

[CBinNH]

I didn't think about OAL after sizing, You are probably correct Grantness. I am a chrony-less loader (pretender). Someday when I have $100 I don't need for brass, bullets, powder, etc., I'll have to get one.