.9mm reloading question

[Deacon_Man]

I am starting to reload for my .9mm pistols. I have purchased all I need to do so. My question is I am using Berry's round nose FMJ bullets and there is no crimp groove. Is there any thing special I should do when I crimp these ? I have the Lee delux 4 die set with the crimping die. I will be loading with Unique powder and 115 grn bullet.

Deacon-Man

[woolleyworm]

You only need to taper crimp 9mm enough to take off the flare. Then, LeeFCD as the final step.

[Deacon_Man]

Originally Posted by woolleyworm

You only need to taper crimp 9mm enough to take off the flare. Then, LeeFCD as the final step.

I don't understand LeeFCD as the final step. What does LeeFCD mean ?

[jlloyd73]

I have the Lee 4 die carbide set.........and I don't use the crimp die at all....with no issues.

The reason being is:

There is a guy that lives right down the road from me that has been reloading for 40 years or so...many of those for competition shooting.....and he has been helping me a lot with reloading. He explained that for pistol caliber reloading it isn't important to crimp the bullet in place......the pressure from seating the bullet in place is enough. (He also explained that this does not apply to rifle reloading....that you must crimp them)

Now this may not be what other reloaders do, but I have not had any issues doing it this way.

[JLA]

autoloading pistol cartridges headspace on the casemouth John. Bullets for autoloaders do not have crimp grooves, you simply seat them to the proper OAL and set the taper crimp to a specific OD at the mouth. Lee FCD stands for Lee factory crimp die. It is the final die you will use to finish your ammo. Taper crimp your 9mm rounds to .376" at the casemouth. Adjust that measurement by turning the adjustment knob on the die clockwise a tad at a time until you get that figure with your caliper. Be sure to measure right at the casemouth on the case, not the bullet.

[steve4102]

Originally Posted by Deacon_Man

I don't understand LeeFCD as the final step. What does LeeFCD mean ?

LeeFCD means Lee Factory Crimp Die. The Lee Factory Crimp Die (LFCD) is the last step in the reloading process and is die Number 4.

You do not want a bullet with a cannelure for the 9MM or any other cartridge that headspaces on the case mouth. The Crimp is not really a crimp as it is not set into a cannelure or cut into the bullet. The "Taper" crimp for the 9MM is applied only to remove the flare plus maybe a thou or two. The "flare" is applied with die #2 to open the case mouth to accept the bullet. This "Opened Mouth" needs to be shut with the application of your LFCD.

[Deacon_Man]

Thank you guys very much. I get lost with all the acronyms used on TFF. Yes I know I must crimp to remove the bell mouth on the caseing.

Thank you guys for the info.
P.S. JLA, I still want to go shooting at your range someday.

[mitchell38]

so the LFCD does something that that the bullet seating die will not? why buy the 3 pcs set if you need a 4 pcs set with the LFCD?

[armoredman]

I use the Lee FCD to good effect. I won't get into an argument with those who hate it. If you choose to use one, great, but bear in mind, with Berrys and other plated bullets, you want a very mild factory taper crimp. You can use the seating die to also give a taper crimp - the instructions are in your Lee instruction sheet. Experiment.
Berry's makes excellent plated bullets, have fun with them!

[CampingJosh]

Originally Posted by mitchell38

so the LFCD does something that that the bullet seating die will not? why buy the 3 pcs set if you need a 4 pcs set with the LFCD?

You don't need the FCD, but's it's really nice.

The FCD resizes complete cartridges to make certain that they will fit in the chamber of your gun (or any other SAAMI-spec gun). It's not necessary, but it helps to ensure that your ammo will work reliably.

People reloaded successfully for decades without it, but I use it for every caliber I load.

[JLA]

Originally Posted by Deacon_Man

Thank you guys very much. I get lost with all the acronyms used on TFF. Yes I know I must crimp to remove the bell mouth on the caseing.

Thank you guys for the info.
P.S. JLA, I still want to go shooting at your range someday.

Bring it anytime. Im only about 45 minutes ride from you.

[steve4102]

Originally Posted by mitchell38

so the LFCD does something that that the bullet seating die will not? why buy the 3 pcs set if you need a 4 pcs set with the LFCD?

Yes. The LFCD has a carbide sizing ring at the base and it also applies a taper crimp. I like it, but if it didn't have the post sizing ring I would still use it as I like to seat and crimp in separate steps. Adjusting the seating die to accomplish this is a PITA.

[howlnmad]

I'm with Steve all the way on that one. I damage so much brass trying to set up the seater die to crimp in the same step.

[JLA]

the problem with using the seating die is when aplying a taper crimp theres no cannelure for the case to begin crimpig into. and what you usually end up with is a slight bulge at the casemouth where the case dug into the bullet as it was being crimped and seated to its final OAL. That is why I seat and crimp at separate stations for ALL autoloader cartridges. Revolver rounds are a different story as most bullets suited to revolver cartridges have a cannelure and when the seater is set to crimp the case is coming intot he cannelure as the crimp is starting to form and rolled into place as the seating depth is arrived at..

[RockinRiley]

I could be wrong, but with Berry's I did not think you were supposed to use the 4th die. You have to be very cautious as the crimp can rip the plating. Make 5 or 10 and then go shoot. If the plating rips, you will find your targets have a strange star pattern instead of a circle. The plating will enlarge the hole.
Also the 4th die is really only useful if you are going to reload for someone else's gun, because it removes the bottom bulge from the casing, but it has been just made to fit your gun perfectly, so why change it. Just my understanding and could be wrong. I am speaking for the Factory crimp die and that I believe is what the 4th one is, correct, if not disregard everything i just posted and accept my humble apology!

[JLA]

not in autoloaders RR. You can get away with it in revolvers and singleshot handguns but not in autoloaders. If you dont swage out that bulge they may not feed reliably.

[Clipper]

I had lots of problems loading 9's until I got my Lee FCD. Several rounds would not chamber in my Kahr K9, but after using the Lee to crimp, and then checking the fit and finish in the 9mm cylinder from my Blackhawk, no problems. If it fits in that revolver cylinder, it fits anything.

[mikld]

We really shouldn't be using the term "crimp" when we discuss semi-auto ammo. Neck tension is enough to keep the bullets in place and a taper crimp die is used, not for crimp, but to straighten out any flare in the case mouth. New reloaders are often confused when "crimping" 380, 9mm, 40, 10mm, 45 ACP, etc. as really no crimp is needed. Jes my opinion and it works on every 9mm and 45 ACP I've loaded.

If you learn to adjust your dies correctly, a Lee Factory Crimp Die is not needed. Any buldges from bullet seating or chambering problems are resolved by adjusting dies correctly. I have never needed a FCD for several years of reloading 45 ACP, nor the 1+ thousand 9mms I've reloaded (I just started 9mm). I had one for .44 Magnum (I know, a whole different animal) and wound up knocking the carbide ring out of it then throwing it away 'cause I didn't like the crimp. I like most Lee products, and I have a bunch, but I think of all those bizillions of 45 ACP rounds reloaded before Lee introduced their FCD.

Now the FCD for bottlenecked cases is a complete different subject, and I have 2...

[judgecrater]

Originally Posted by Deacon_Man

I am starting to reload for my .9mm pistols. I have purchased all I need to do so. My question is I am using Berry's round nose FMJ bullets and there is no crimp groove. Is there any thing special I should do when I crimp these ? I have the Lee delux 4 die set with the crimping die. I will be loading with Unique powder and 115 grn bullet.

Deacon-Man

Make sure you taper crimp and not roll crimp. Your crimp should only remove any belling, not much more. I would not crimp the mouth more than about 0.377". Anything under 0.380 meets spec.