Need help crimping Lee 405 grain HB boolit for my Trapdoor Springfield

Boolit Mold Join DateAug 2011Posts2

Hi folks-

I'm a newbie to boolit casting, but I am sliding farther and farther down that slippery slope.

I just purchased a Trapdoor Springfield and am casting some 405 grain boolits using the Lee hollow base single cavity die (Lee Item #90268). No problems casting the boolits, (well, nothing that a 30 lb fire extinguisher couldn't fix) but I have a question about seating them.

The boolit has 3 grease grooves, and above the last grease groove their is a small ring, not a flat or a crimping groove or cannelure.

Should I crimp this above the ring, or below it in the third grease groove? I tried crimping above the ring, but did not get much of a crimp.

I have attempted to attach a picture.

Any help would be much appreciated. I hope to shoot the old girl on the 4th of July.

That bullet does not have a crimp groove, I'd crimp it in the top grease groove if that length will chamber.

No need to crimp in a single shot.
Forget about it.

That is THE boolit for the Trapdoor, I had great results over 10-14 gr of Unique.

Bill

If it was easy, anybody could do it.

MG,

I use that bullet in several Trapdoor rifles.

As mentioned above by Mtgun44; no need to crimp with smokeless, but it's a different game with black powder. Do you plan to use smokeless or black powder?

Those big lube grooves carry a lot of lubricant and with an SPG lube (or facimilee) you probably don't need to lube the top lube groove when using smokeless. With BP, you'll probably want to fill all the lube grooves and crimp over the top rim. With smokeless powder, I've had good luck using an NRA 50/50 lube with the bullet cast pretty soft.

Last edited by Scharfschuetzer; Yesterday at 10:27 PM.

Keep your powder dry,

Scharf

No need to crimp in a single shot.
Forget about it.

That is THE boolit for the Trapdoor, I had great results over 10-14 gr of Unique.

Bill

Concur.

Why do you think that you need to crimp the boolit?

What are you trying to achieve by doing so?

BTW, welcome to Cast Boolits mgillespie!

Boolit Mold Join DateAug 2011Posts2

Thanks for the help guys.

I thought the 45-70 needed to be crimped. The only experience I have with it is some of the Hornady lever revolution factory ammo, and it has a roll crimp. Of course, that is designed for a lever action. I didn't know a crimp would not be needed for the single shot.

I'm going to load with smokeless for now. I'm planning on my first loads being 26 grains of IMR 4198. I have that powder and I have read several recommendations for it.

Off to the loading press tonight.

Thanks again to all for the help.

No need for crimp at all. Bill told you right.

As mentioned, no need to crimp with that load.

Larry Gibson

MtGun44,

Do you use any filler over your charge of Unique, if so what do you use?

Thanks

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