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Joined: 10 Feb 2011 Posts: 217 Location: Pacific Northwest

No, I don't have any (roll crimp tricks that is), I'm looking for one.

So with my normal fold crimp target loads, I get about 5 loadings out of a new cheddite hull. After that, the mouth is just too far gone to get a decent crimp. Now, being the frugal sort that I am, I have taken to trimming these hulls to 2-1/2 inches when they get to this point and then putting a roll crimp on the hull to get one more reloading out of them. So to the point.

I am using a BPI roll crimper head in the drill press at about 350RPM. Everything works great after the first few warm up the crimper, except for one thing. After a about 20, holding on to the shell to keep it from spinning is getting harder and harder. So my question is this, does one of the shell vices from BPI work well enough to make it worth the money? I know that it doesn't really make financial sense, but will it make the process significantly easier and more enjoyable?

Anyone?

If you use a Mec supersizer, use it to hold the hulls for crimping

If you use an x,y,z vice use it and a couple of wood blocks to hold the hull.

Or on a normal drill press use two sticks of wood with a cut out for the hull, and a hinge Smile

Mike

Joined: 10 Feb 2011 Posts: 217 Location: Pacific Northwest

Good suggestions all.

Thanks.

Member Joined: 06 Oct 2007 Posts: 2349 Location: West MI

Yep, good stuff as usual from skeettx, I use a SS'er and kill 2 birds w/one shot while RC'ing.

Good luck w/it...

Member Joined: 02 Sep 2010 Posts: 829 Location: SW Ohio

BPIs hull vise works great for me, I use a hand held drill. If I did a lot of them I would get a drill press to hold the hand drill.

Member Joined: 25 Oct 2010 Posts: 199 Location: NJ

I use the roll crimpers with a BP vise and like it. Bit of a pain to change gauges but doable, as I roll crimp 28,24 16 and 12 gauges. It holds the shells well,once adjusted, and makes it very simple and quick to roll crimp in a drill press. Also useful to put a bit of WD 40 on the edges of the hulls with a Q Tip, and let them warm up a bit before the final push downward. For me much better using the vise than trying to hand hold them even though I don't load a lot of shells at a time.

Member Joined: 09 Sep 2014 Posts: 105 Location: Virginia

You need a vise, good used drill press vises off ebay are not real expensive and with wood jaws drilled to size added work well.

I have a wood board with two mounted side by side each cut for two gauges. 4 holes. Can clamp 10 12 16 & 20. Doubt if its better than BPI's but already had one of the vises.

Boats

I use a plumber's copper tubing flaring tool body to hold hulls for either 16 or 28 gauge loads. Holds them tight and with a little pressure gives a resizing benefit, too.

Please don't laugh too much, but this late Victorian Era/First Half of 20th Century Closing Tool is what I'm using. It actually works.
Mark

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[quote="TomcatPC"]Please don't laugh too much, but this late Victorian Era/First Half of 20th Century Closing Tool is what I'm using. It actually works.
Mark

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This is a very good example of using old technology to solve old problems when using old methods. It shows our ancestors weren't nearly as primitive as some youngsters seem to think.

Joined: 25 Aug 2014 Posts: 286 Location: Finger Lakes

What ever vise you use or buy line the inside of the jaws with rubber. That is how the BPI vise is made. The inside of the jaws have a thin layer of rubber and it keeps it from spinning. BPI's vise is very nice but a pain to change from gauge to gauge. You could make one fairly easy.

Personally, I would ditch the bpi tool and go with the vintage roll crimper, mounted vertically instead of horizontally so you don't have to worry about shot falling out. I have mine mounted in a vise on a vertical board next to my loader, and it takes about 4-5 turns of the handle and I'm done. Maybe 5-10 seconds tops. No drill press, no fuss. Sometimes technology isn't what it's cracked up to be. Wink

On the makeshift "bench" I'm using, I really don't have a way to mount the bench closer any other way, but the overshot card fits perfect and snug and have not spilled any shot yet. They are pretty tight in there, granted I've been loading a very short time and I'm sure I'll spill one sooner or later, but so far so good.
Mark

I also use a vintage roll crimper and it works great. I do use 15 ga overshot cards to reduce the chance of lead spills. I can only think of one time the card popped out during the process of putting the shell in the crimper.