35 Whelen Lee Factory Crimp Die

[eric2381]

Hello, I bought a 35 Whelen recently. I've been getting reloading components gathered up and I can't seem to find a Lee Factory Crimp Die for the 35 Whelen. Looking at Lee's wep site, it doesn't seem that they make one. I could get one custom made, but I was checking here to see if I have any alternatives. I could roll crimp with my seating die, but I prefer the Lee crimp die. Could I use a 358 Win. crimp die, and use a spacer of some sort to make the die work? Or do I have other options?

Thanks for your time, Eric

[Double Shovel]

You will have to roll crimp it.I looked for ages to find a Lee die but no luck.The roll crimp isn't that bad.

[eric2381]

This is what I found when I looked around at another site I look to.

You can however crimp different cartridges with the same bullet diameters by running the cartridge bullet-first in through the top of the die (cartridge upside down). You just have to make a sleeve or bushing to hold the cartridge at the right depth into the collet.

You just set the sleeve on top of the crimp die collet with the press handle already down such that the collet is closed. Drop the cartridge bullet first into the sleeve and such that the case mouth is resting on top of the closed collet. Now you raise the press handle. Collet opens. Cartridge drops down into the die a millimeter or two until it is caught by the sleeve you made. Lower the press handle to crimp. Raise the press handle and you're ready for the next one.

This works perfectly well and might even be a bit quicker than the conventional way.

This method demands that your brass be uniform as the crimp depth is indexed off of the case shoulder. I would say both fire formed & necksized brass or full length resized brass should be uniform at the shoulder.

I do this with a 416 Rem Mag crimp die to crimp 416 Rigby. I made my sleeve from a 45 / 70 case as it just happened to be the right diameter to be a slip fit around the 416 Rigby neck. Took me all of 15 minutes to get the sleeve made to the right length.

I only did this because a 416 Rigby crimp die is a special order and the guy who sold me the 416 Rigby rifle included the 416 Rem Mag crimp die and explained how to do this. In theory you can crimp all calibers of the same bullet diameter using just one die and a suitable sleeve for each caliber.



And this is another way of doing it.

You can crimp any same caliber brass in a Lee factory crimp die as long as the bastard cartridge is small enough in diameter to go into the parent die. Weatherby crimp dies work very well simply because they're fatter than almost anything else. For shorter cartridges cut a piece off a 5/16 or 3/8 bolt to raise the short one the appropriate height. For longer ones cut a piece of pipe the right diameter and length to slip over the cartridge so it contacts the collet slider at the right point.
Getting the pipe or bolt the right length is simple arithmetic, and few thou doesn't make much difference because there's lots of adjustment in the die. It's a bit of a pain in the butt, butit beats waiting around for days for the proper die to arrive in the mail. Cheaper too if the rifle is just being test fired before a trip to a new home.
EG; 30-06 will go into a 308 crimp die. Use a piece of pipe. (Long into short)
30-30 will go into a 300 Wby. die. Use a bolt. (short and skinny into long)




I haven't tried either way, but I'm going to keep my eyes open for a 358 Win. LFCD.

[Double Shovel]

I roll crimp mine with my RCBS dies and I seat and crimp all in one action there-fore I think increasing the speed of the process.I do however Lee crimp for my .35 Remington and it is pretty simple as well.I often wondered how I could use that crimp die for my Whelen.My gun shoots under an inch at 100yds so I ain't chaning a thing,I am going to stick with roll crimping for the Whelen.