Quoted:
I'm starting to reload for my PTR, and my AR at some point, but all of my current bullets don't have a cannelure, so I shouldn't crimp, right?
The more I read, the more confused I become. Some folks champion neck tension as being good enough, others claim your gun will explode if you mention firing uncrimped rounds in front of it!
So, who here crimps, how heavy do you crimp, and what loads are you using?
I
1. If your AR explodes because of an uncrimped round, no one will ever know for sure the uncrimped round caused it.
2. If you can objectively satisfy yourself that neck tension alone is sufficient then just use neck tension because it is less laborious than crimping.
3. Hornady, Black Hills, Lake City crimp their TAP & military rounds for a reason, not to just make them look pretty.
Do not roll crimp into a bullet without a corresponding cannelure to tuck the mouth of the case neck into.
Taper and Collet type crimps can be made onto the smooth barrel of a bullet with no cannelure.
There are times, on a problem by problem basis, that crimping can solve a problem with poor case tension. My favorite example is the Wideners .308 168 gn brand X OTM in a refurbished LC once fired case out of a std. RCBS sizing die, seating set to M1A / AR10 magazine length.