[Skinnedknuckles]

I just got some .38/.357 125 gr FP plated bullets from X-Treme Bullets. I'm impressed with their service and the quality of the bullets I received.

The bullets have a cannalure and I haven't loaded plated bullets with a cannalure before. I'm planning to use them in a Rossi carbine so I want to make sure the crimp keeps the recoil from further seating the bullets in the tubular magazine.

X-Treme's web site says to use a taper crimp, but the roll crimp just seems more secure. I did my first trials using a moderate roll crimp, seating the bullet so that the end of the brass is about the middle of the cannalure before crimping using a Lee FCD. I then used an inertia bullet puller to remove the bullet to see if the plating was broken. As you can see from the picture, the plating is not broken and the crimp ring doesn't seem too severe.

I have shot a few test cartridges in my M66 revolver and accuracy seems to be very good (at 25 feet) so I don't think the plating is being damaged during shooting either. I expect to load these bullets to "+P+" level loads (<6.0 gr HP-38 ) for the Rossi for target shooting, so I'm not going to be seeing magnum level recoils.

Thanks for the help.

 

[MoKen]

I've ran thousands of xtreme 125 s and 158 in the 66 at near full tilt loads with a healthy taper crimp. I'm a fan. My 45 ap's love Xtreme 200gr hollow points very accurate! I run 'em at .38 +P in my Rossi '92

 

[glenwolde]

The FCD die is probably helping you out a little with case tension on the bullet. Although it may be resizing the bulet. I've never used plated bullets, but from what I read they are treated the same as lead, and using the FCD with lead bullets can be a problem due to the FCD die resizing the slightly oversized lead bullets. It has not worked for me with lead bullets. But if what you loaded shoots good this is all just theory.

The proper way to check this is to record the OAL on each round you load, then load your magazine and fire 2, then eject the #3 loaded round and check OAL. Fire 5&6, eject and check OAL on #7.....you get the picture. If you go through that process a couple of times and you don't see a decrease in OAL you're good to go. There often is some movement, OAL will vary a tad round to round. How much movement you're willing to accept is up to you. A thousandth or two is no big deal. I generally check the OAL on a handful of rounds and just write it on the case with a sharpie, then take my caliper to the range with me.

If you run into a problem, I highly recommend the Redding Profile Crimp die. For any cartridge that does not require headspaceing on the case mouth this die will basically do both a roll and taper crimp simultaneously. I've used them in a number of instances where I had a tight bore and needed an undersized bullet, or Magnum revolver loads. It's never failed to secure the bullet in the case. Also easier than trying to find the right sized expander to solve the problem, which sometimes doesn't work. Profile Crimp dies for auto pistols are just a taper crimp. They require using them separate from seating, as a stand alone operation.

 

[olfarhors]

ahh, I use plated bullets all the time for range work, i use raniers or berrys but should be about the same.
not sure if there is a question in here or not?
but I didn't think that the Lee FCD would do a roll crimp????
thought you had to use the standard seating/crimping die to do this?
I think if you check that lee states that you should not ty to do both a roll crimp and a taper crimp?
I taper crimp everything i shoot (all semi autoes) with the Lee FCD, its adjsutable for tension and i generally have most if not all of mine set to taper crimp by using the crimping feature screwed in about 3/4 of turn, Lee I think recommends from 1/4- to a full turn to adjust crimp.
I have had Zero--0--- problems with any of my loads in 380, 9MM, 38 Super, 10 MM , 45 acp or the one revolver that i load for the 38 spl.
I use the Lee FCD on every projectile that i load including JHP, and full copper projectiles.
IF I were loading full house 357, 41, 44 magnum then i would use a roll crimp however-- thats just my opinion on that.
I have checked the projectile by tapping it out after reloading and no signs of any damage to the plated projectile at all.
Lots of discussion on plated projectiles and how they should be loaded?
Berrys says not to exceed 1250 FPS, Raniers says not to exceed 1500 FPS?
I say start loads at lower levels and work up in your particular weapons.
In my case I load the 38 super at about 1250 FPS wih a 115 grain pill and the 10 MM at about 1400 FPS wiht a 155 pill, both funtion fine and not a ounce of pressure or projectile problems with them.
I think most opinions are to use mid range jacketed loading data with plated projectiles.
don't know if this helps or not?

 

[Skinnedknuckles]

The Lee FCD crimp insert for .38/.357 is a roll crimp, while the insert for 9mm is a taper crimp. I bought an extra 9mm insert and ground it to the same length as the .38 insert so I can do either roll or taper crimp with the FCD depending on appication. I back off the bullet seating die so the crimp ring in the seating die does not contact the brass, then crimp in the FCD.

Typically, the sizing ring in the FCD never touches the brass unless the bullets are way oversized or something else happened to bulge the brass.