450Bushmaster.net

Developing a new load for my rifle and am wondering if people had luck with the lee factory crimp die and if I should move to if for my AR reloads. Currently I'm using the hornady taper crimp die that comes with the hornady die set. The dee crimp die is on sale now and is rather inexpensive at Midway. Wondering if that's the way to go. Never really had an issue with the hornady crimp and the 250 grain ftx bullets but am thinking of moving to the 225 ftx bullets so now would be the time to make the change.

I read the description of the Lee Factory Crimp Die. I am concerned that it may be a variation on the roll crimp, which is not suitable for a straight walled cartridge like the 450 BM. The preferred crimp is a taper crimp to .474 to .475 inches.

If you want a firmer crimp, I and others use a side crimp (search around for information about it) followed by a taper crimp to remove the slight "belling" that the side crimp imparts to the mouth of the case.

This has come up before. Here is a link - http://450bushmaster.net/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=15624.

I don't think the factory crimp is like a roll crimp.

If you look inside it, it has several flat edges, like a stop sign, which puts pressure around the edges of the case. The crimp is very flat and smooth all around.

I've been using it from the start and have had no issues. Bullets stay put.

In case of headspacing concerns, you can file the slots in the collet wider which will create 4 ears to headspace on.