Over zealous crimp and case bulge

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DocBrick

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Hi everyone,

Just started my first batch of .44 magnum reloads tonight (I've been reloading .357 and .38 for a while now) and got a little over zealous at first with my Redding Profile Crimp die. The case has a bulge in the side. The bulge does not go completely around the case, but only half of it. I am assuming the case buckled slightly because I had the crimping die set too aggressively. I backed off the die and did not have this issue again.

My question is: is this safe to shoot or should I just add it to my "painful reminders and failures" collection where I have all of my other reloading goofs?

Safety is my #1 priority as always. Pictures attached for clarity.

Will be shooting these rounds out of a Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter.

The brass is Starline, Hornady 240gr. XTP bullet, Winchester LPP, and 23.0 grs of H110.

Thanks for your time,
Brett
 

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I don't know if it is safe or not but I've done this before with 357 mag rounds. I doubt it will load in the cylinder. Mine wouldn't.
 
I would pop the bullet and remove the powder.......primer optional and hang it on the wall or shelf as a reminder.

Starting with new ammo and calibers can do that.......
With just one you got off real lucky.
Hang in there.
 
I've seen some slightly buckled cases that would chamber and some that were slightly more buckled that wouldn't.

The few I've had that were buckled that I could get into the chamber by hand - even if I had to push REALLY hard to get them into the chamber - shot just fine, and the brass was totally straightened out (fire-formed) by shooting them.

At least that's how it has worked our for me. Even ones that were buckled enough to be REALLY hard to insert came out nice and easy after being fired, and showed no indications of having been buckled at all when they were ejected after firing.
 
I had to cut down....

I had to cut down on my heavy handedness. Partially I didn't realize how much difference a turn of the thread can make. If one turn was good why not two or three.:confused:

Somebody here said they hadn't messed up a case in 40 years. I may learn how to have such a delicate touch, but I still mess up a case here and there.

I also need to learn that you can always ADD a little more crimp, but once you've buckled a case, it isn't going to chamber. Slight dent, maybe. Anything more, the case is gone.
 
Did the same thing with a couple of 357 loads recently. They both chambered and fired.
 
May want to seat the bullet a touch deeper. You want the crimp to roll into the cannelure. By the pictures it looks like the crimp is rolling into the bullet base and that might have something to do with buckling the case.
A good firm crimp can help with complete burn of slow powders like 2400 and W296.
 
Collo Rosso is right. Seat so that the edge of the case mouth is centered on the cannelure.

And from the pics, even without the case buckling you can see serious bullet deformation at the crimp. Back way off and slowly tighten in 1/8 turn increments.
 
And trim all of your cases to the same length, especially important with jacketed bullets. Helps avoid situations like that.
 
If it's just a couple of cases, toss them and forget about it.

If you really feel the need to use them, they might not chamber well because of the bulge, so you'd want to pull the bullet and powder and resize them.
Yes, you can resize them with the primer in, you just need to remove the punch pin first.
 
The vent hole on a Model 70 push feed saved my face when i did that once. My first year reloading by myself. A friend and i had no one to teach us and we learned from the Speer loading manual. Our first attempt at crimping rifle cartridges. Got a little too over zealous with the crimp and didn't notice it buckled the case a little at the shoulder. Went to the range, chambered fine ......... POP SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. *** was that. Had to smack the bolt open with a mallet and thank god for whatever reason i decided to look down the barrel cause the bullet was lodged in the barrel. if i would have chambered another I surely would have grenaded the rifle. inspected the shells and each and every one the shoulder was crushed a bit. That was nearly 20 years ago and thousands of rounds loaded but it tought me to be VERY VERY VERY diligent and inspect very carefully at each step. LESSON LEARNED!!!!!!!!!!
 
I vote, add it to your collection.

I keep my collection on a shelf that I can't avoid seeing anytime while I'm at the bench.

It's a very valuable lesson, at a very cheap cost.
 
I've done this in 357 Magnum when attempting to Seat and Crimp in a combined setup. What I learned was that due to the length/daimter of hte 357 Magnum case a combined seat and crimp operation can only work well if you take the time to trim and chamfer every single case.

Fortunately I still had my Lee Factory Crimp die to fall back on and any cartridge that wouldn't chamber got re-crimped with the Lee FCD. Because that carbide sizing ring on this die that so many complain about will iron down a bulged case so that it will chamber easily. I can also say that I have yet to observe any loss in accuracy or increased leading when using the Lee FCD. I'll also note that after fire forming and cleaning those bulged cases I could not tell them apart from typical cases.
 
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As a note on crimping;

You can "Kill" a case if...............

1. using different case lengths and seating and crimping in one move.

2. the cannelure on the bullet is not in the correct area, which can happen.

3. the crimp does not hit the "Can" area but the bullets cylinder.

One reason I like working with soft LEAD bullets..........most mistakes will work.

With a single stage you should be able to feel that something is wrong......... not always possible with an auto loader.

However it is just a pistol case...........
not the bumper of your car!! Carry on.
 
That's not near as bad as the first time my son decided to load up some .357's on his own, and didn't check to see the die was set for 38's. Testifies to the strength of my old Texan turret loader, looked like an accordion. At least he stopped after just one.
 
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