So how do you know if you have crimped enough or too much? I have Lee factory crimp and I set it up exactly the way instructions said and I couldn't tell if there was a crimp. I don't want to over crimp. Sorry if I jacked the thread
You can see the crimp, so, if you can't, I doubt you're crimping hard enough.
Not necessarily true.
I use the Lee factory crimp dies and have done some testing with bullet pulling after crimping (kinetic puller). You can still get a pretty decent "grip" on the bullet without crimping so tightly it marks the neck of the case.
If you can feel a bit of resistance when you run the ram up on your press, you are crimping...If you don't trust "feel" alone, then set up the die so it just barely starts to leave visual evidence on the neck of your case. A "maximum" crimp with a lee crimp die will leave a VERY obvious mark on the brass, and is excesive in my opinion. So much so it will be noticeable more difficult to resize after firing, and may lead to premature neck splitting. It'll also be so tight you'll break most kinetic pullers before you are able to pull the bullet.
I crimp my .270WIN to where I can just barely see the marks with the right light, as it seemed to improve accuracy dramatically with the powder I am using. I noticed a slight decrease in accuracy with my .338winmag when crimping, but do it for peace of mind since they are hunting rounts and it's a heavy recoiling rifle.
I also use Lee crimp dies on .223 (AR's) and 30-30 (lever action). Setback issues have disappeared entirely with the AR's since I started using the die and I set it up by feel (very light resistance), so light I never see any marks on the brass.
