Just a noob qeustion here. Just started reloading .223 and I bought a set of Lee dies. It only has the resizing die and seating die. When I reload 9mm I use a factory crimp die. Some said it isn't necessary to factory crimp .223 since the seating die already crimps. Just wanted to know what the community has to say about this matter. Thanks...

No and the factory seating die doesn't crimp. The bullet is held in with neck tension.

No and the factory seating die doesn't crimp. The bullet is held in with neck tension.

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Yeah that says it all.
Though I wouldn't be surprised if some seaters are capable of a roll crimp.

Thanks for the help guys!

I have a similar question.

Question do your answers change if:

1) i already have a lee factory crimp die
2) the projectiles are Hornady 55 grain fmj bt with a channelure?
3) the reloaded ammo will be fired from a gas ar in .223/5.56
4) I might store the unused ammo for SHTF later

thanks in advance.

I have a similar question.

Question do your answers change if:

1) i already have a lee factory crimp die
2) the projectiles are Hornady 55 grain fmj bt with a channelure?
3) the reloaded ammo will be fired from a gas ar in .223/5.56
4) I might store the unused ammo for SHTF later

thanks in advance.

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Personally, no.
I would not use the fcd unless your ammo has some problem functioning.
Re. Storage...your biggest problem is cleaning your reloads before storing. Residual lube and fingerprints make your ammo look and feel crappy after a couple decades.

I have a similar question.

Question do your answers change if:

1) i already have a lee factory crimp die
2) the projectiles are Hornady 55 grain fmj bt with a channelure?
3) the reloaded ammo will be fired from a gas ar in .223/5.56
4) I might store the unused ammo for SHTF later

thanks in advance.

1 - I use an FCD in my .223 ammo just because there is an extra station on my 550 and the crimp die came with the Lee die set - so I decided what the heck. It just touches the case and is not a hard crimp. Idid not experiment with accuracy test with/without crimp.
2 - the cannelure helps in the crimp, I've used bullets with a cannelure crimped and uncrimped, don't know if it affects accuracy or not but they work
3 - That's all i reload 223 for is in ARs , most important factor is the primer being seated far enough into the primer pocket
4 - ammo can be stored for awhile as long as its kept dry

thanks for the replies.

since we're on the topic of reloading for .223, what are your favorite powders and in what order?  I'm making my way though a pound of IMR 4198, but I picked up 2 pounds of Varget.  Assume that the only cartridge you're loading for is .223.

thanks for the replies.

since we're on the topic of reloading for .223, what are your favorite powders and in what order?  I'm making my way though a pound of IMR 4198, but I picked up 2 pounds of Varget.  Assume that the only cartridge you're loading for is .223.

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reloder7
win748

Reloder15
Varget
Win748

The rifle FCD works differently from the pistol dies.  The rifle FCD compresses the neck of the bottle necked round like a collet.  I have found that using this die with consistent application of pressure and lightly can reduce ES/SD.  One needs to have the press setup in such a way that it comes to a dead stop AND crimps the neck lightly for this to work.  If your press cannot be set up like this I have also experimented with use of a click torque wrench to achieve similar results.  (I had to make a custom adapter to mount the torque wrench) 

Hard to explain, sorry.  Is it worth the extra time and effort to get it right?   I don't know....  depends on what you are trying to accomplish and how anal you wanted to get.  Lol. 

The rifle FCD works differently from the pistol dies.  The rifle FCD compresses the neck of the bottle necked round like a collet.  I have found that using this die with consistent application of pressure and lightly can reduce ES/SD.  One needs to have the press setup in such a way that it comes to a dead stop AND crimps the neck lightly for this to work.  If your press cannot be set up like this I have also experimented with use of a click torque wrench to achieve similar results.  (I had to make a custom adapter to mount the torque wrench) 

Hard to explain, sorry.  Is it worth the extra time and effort to get it right?   I don't know....  depends on what you are trying to accomplish and how anal you wanted to get.  Lol.

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I dunno about squeezing the neck around some incredibly expensive match grade bullets, possibly changing the diameter.
I can fathom a little roll crimp into a cannelured bullet for structural integrity as it slams into the chamber tho...

FYI, I thought about making a constant-pressure tapered crimp die for my 45 acp.
Since pistol brass can vary in thickness somewhat, then the amount of crimp on the bullet would vary with the thickness of the brass.
Theoretically, a spring loaded crimp die would apply a more consistent crimp into the bullet rather than just reducing the diameter of the mouth of the case.
In theory, it would make for more consistent case neck tension.
I know there are other factors like metal elasticity and the final outside diameter varying, but hey... random thoughts sometimes work well.

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I dunno about squeezing the neck around some incredibly expensive match grade bullets, possibly changing the diameter.
I can fathom a little roll crimp into a cannelured bullet for structural integrity as it slams into the chamber tho...

FYI, I thought about making a constant-pressure tapered crimp die for my 45 acp.
Since pistol brass can vary in thickness somewhat, then the amount of crimp on the bullet would vary with the thickness of the brass.
Theoretically, a spring loaded crimp die would apply a more consistent crimp into the bullet rather than just reducing the diameter of the mouth of the case.
In theory, it would make for more consistent case neck tension.
I know there are other factors like metal elasticity and the final outside diameter varying, but hey... random thoughts sometimes work well.

that is why I stressed light consistent crimp..     It is more for making neck tension more uniform.  Lightly crimped many match grade bullets without cannelure with no damage. 

Also, speaking on metal elasticity,  I anneal my rifle brass upon each reloading.. this also makes for more consistent neck tension and reduced ES/SD in velocity. 

I don't use a crimp on my .223/5.56 reloads. This includes a roll crimp. All of the bullets I use do not have a cannelure. I have never had a problem due to not crimping such as the bullets sinking in or pulling out of the case. With my pet loads I see excellent accuracy from a bench rest. Both in my AR and my bolt gun.

I prefer H335 for 64gr and lighter bullets. I prefer Varget for 65gr and heavier bullets. This is strictly for .223/5.56 reloading. I have other powders I can use and have tried them but I found these give me the best accuracy in my AR and my Remington 700. My most accurate load for my 700 uses 64gr Berger bullet and H335. My most accurate load in my AR uses a 65gr Sierra bullet and Varget.

This does not assume bad results with Varget in my 700 nor H335 in my AR. I do have loads developed using both powders for both guns.

1 - I use an FCD in my .223 ammo just because there is an extra station on my 550 and the crimp die came with the Lee die set - so I decided what the heck. It just touches the case and is not a hard crimp. Idid not experiment with accuracy test with/without crimp.
2 - the cannelure helps in the crimp, I've used bullets with a cannelure crimped and uncrimped, don't know if it affects accuracy or not but they work
3 - That's all i reload 223 for is in ARs , most important factor is the primer being seated far enough into the primer pocket
4 - ammo can be stored for awhile as long as its kept dry

Same for me.  Except bullets don't need or you do not have to use the cannelure with the FCD.

Having reloaded NRA service rifle 5.56 ammunition, the only time you'll run into issues with NOT crimping is if you're building a 600+ yard round. We had all kinds of trouble with the 90gr bullets and the powder quantity we had to stuff into a 5.56 cartridge: bullets getting slammed further into the case on heavily sprung ARs, failure to go fully into battery on weaker sprung weapons, and then we started blowing the primers out of the pockets and dropping into the trigger/hammer well.

If you load rounds to be magazine sized and don't load them way too hot, you'll be fine.


And yes, I did join just to post this, been lurking for awhile now.

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And yes, I did join just to post this, been lurking for awhile now.

Welcome!