TargetTalk

I want to get a separate crimp die to fill the fourth station on the Lee Turret press I use for reloading my 32's. Lee manufacture both roll (or "factory") crimp and taper crimp dies for .32 s&w L.
I've read that roll crimps are more for revolvers and taper crimps more for semi-auto's. But in the case of .32, I'm firing a round designed for a revolver out of a semi-auto.
With a WC projectile seated right into the case and minimal crimp required for a .32 anyway, would it make much difference which crimp die I use? If so, which is preferable?

Roll!

You might consider a Redding Profile Crimping die for the 32 instead. It puts a mild taper crimp as well as a slight roll crimp on shell.I use it on my target 32 semi auto and the accuracy and functioning are perfect.

The last time I reloaded, several years ago, I tried to emulate Geco factory rounds. A reasonably heavy roll crimp.

It worked for me shooting .312 Geco or Lapua 98g bullets out of a .308 barrel. Powder was 1.4grain Norma R1, sadly no longer available. CCI 500 small pistol primers and batched Geco cases.

It probably won't work for everyone but if I couldn't call the shot to within half a ring I knew it was me having a bad day, not the ammunition.

Fortitudo Dei wrote: With a WC projectile seated right into the case and minimal crimp required for a .32 anyway, would it make much difference which crimp die I use? If so, which is preferable?

Yes, a proper uniform crimp is required for best accuracy in any pistol ammo. I have used the Redding die mentioned by Ernie for loading 38 spl. No experience with 32.
Fred

Taper crimp is essential for autos, either is fine for revolvers.

I would say taper is more applicable to soft lead HBWC bullets than roll.
A roll crimp will just resize the lead bullet as its fired, and tends to be less consistent than taper crimping.
Personally I used just enough taper crimp to remove the flare on the case.

The internal sizing die (usually combined with flaring and powder loading on Lee presses) is just as important. The standard internal die resizes the case internal to ~0.310, whereas the bullet is ~0.314, so the bullet gets resized to 0.310 as you load it. Depends on your bullets and barrel.

Lee make a reasonable taper crimp die.

How about just using a minimal taper crimp that the normal Lee bullet seating die can do.

Works fine in my semi-auto Walther and consistently does clover leaf groups at 25m from a vice.

If you are going to use a roll crimp what effect will it have on the cases after a few reloads. Will it work harden the case mouths and cause splitting early, just a thought.

But my advice would be don't get carried away with crimp, try next to nothing, as long as the projectiles aren't moving under recoil you shouldn't have a problem.

Mikey

Ernie's advice on the Redding Profile Crimp is well founded. The man has been around the block . . . several times in fact. My personal experience with WC loads for use in semi-autos at either .32 or .38 has been well served with the profile crimp.

The tone of your post seems to indicate that you have a certain amount of experience and understand that the key to reloading is first and foremost consistancy, followed closely by good equipment and data. While a good crimp is absolute for consistancy. overcrimps or workhardened cases are real problems. Roll crimps can produce consistant rounds but they workharden cases much faster and are more susceptile to variance caused by headspace issues in reloaded brass.

More is not necessarily better in crimping. Enough to keep the WC from moving under recoil is usually suffiicient with most loads. and is real important with all the slammin' and shakin' going on in a semi auto. Shoot half a clip (or cylinder), clear the pistol of the remaining rounds (including the one under the hammer) and be positive the crimp is keeping the WC in place. Roll crimps are very popular with most manufacturers because they can be very consistantly applied to new brass with high speed equipment. and feed well thru darn near anything. Those factors are not nearly as important to your production on the reloading bench.

I have tried different crimp types for the .32 for decades:

¤ Taper crimp: Less distrotion of bullet, less work hardening of brass. Crimp less dependent on case lenght. Theoritically best choise for accuracy. Less so for feeding reliability.

¤ Roll crimps: case-lenght depenency. More work hardening of brass. Theoretically more "distortion/rezeising" of bullet. BUT: improves feeding!

¤ Profile crimp: much the same as above, but less case lenght dependency. A compromise. My choise.

Work hardening of .32 brass: no big deal. For best accuracy/consistency, discard cases after 5 reloads. Then work hardening is hardly a measure anyway.

Most handloads with commercial swaged bullet deliver better accuracy than most targeteers would ever need. Period.
Reliable feeding of thos stubborn .32 autos is the main focus, I think.
The profile (and roll) crimps are to prefer over the taper crimp in this regard.