Hey everyone,
I'm new to reloading the 450B, but I reload other calibers. I'm going to be reloading for an AR rifle. I just bought the Hornady 4 die set for the 450B. I have new Hornady brass, and I have reloaded 50 rounds all with the Hornady 250 FTX. I have not crimped any of the rounds yet. I used the seating die turned out far enough that the crimper was not hitting the brass. I like to crimp in a separate step. While measuring the factory ammo for a comparison, I noticed the factory ammo does not have much of a crimp. I have my calipers right on the edge to where they almost keep coming off the taper when I measure, and I come up with .475 inches. when I measure my reloads I come up with .480 inches (no crimp mind you).I barely opened the case mouth before loading powder and bullet. Is .005 normal before crimping ?
I'm also wondering, with the Hornady 4 die set, is the extra die the factory taper crimp die? What type of crimp is built into the seating die? This is the first seating die I have with a sliding sleeve inside to guide the bullet.
I have worked up 5 different loads incrementally increasing the charge with Lil Gun. I started with 34g and stopped at 36.5g using 250 FTX and rem 7 1/2 with a COAL of 2.25
I guess I'm looking for guidance with these Hornady dies. Do I use the separate die and just crimp the .005 difference? or do I use the seating die cto crimp with the seating stem backed out? Hopefully I did not make this to confusing, Lol
Thanks MSD4141