Roll Crimping

[Stan Hillis]

Something you might consider is an added foot switch for the rig. The drill's cord plugs into it, and the switch's cord plugs into the outlet, via a piggyback plug. Works great for drill presses where you are having to hold something with one hand and work the drill press handle with the other. I find it speeds things up so that the crimper doesn't cool down much between shells, even in my old cold shop.

I put one on my bench top drill press at least 25 years ago and have never unhooked it. Very nice to have. Similar to this one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LN9F6JV...2-587d01f975e8

[Cory Rams]

I installed a craftsman drill I bought new about five or six years ago. I put a zip tie around it and the back of the brace that adjusts the angle. Its pretty solid now. I’ll leave the drill in it permanently. I have three cordless drills to keep my other projects busy. Still have to get a foot pedal or some type of switch.

[Keith Doty]

What did a man do before duct tape and tiewraps? (baling wire and chewing gum?)

[charlie cleveland]

that's a neat set up....charlie

[Cory Rams]

The drill press works great! I loaded up ten, 3 1/2 inch, 10 gauge yesterday. I have to say the drill spins too fast of RPMs with the zip tie tightened all the way down on the Trigger. I think I melted some of the crimp folds. Next time around I won’t pull the zip tie as tight to slow the RPMs down a bit. I also didn’t smooth out the crimp folds with a heat gun before I cut them so they don’t look as pretty as my other crimps. I just made a few to go out and test and sight in the new Holosun green dot I mounted on my Browning gold 10 gauge so they didn’t have to be pretty. I’ll take my time on round two with them. Loaded up 8 with 2oz of number 5 copper plated lead and 2 with 2oz of lead #2’s along with 36 grains of HS-6. I traded for some shot that was supposed to be number fives and the guy who sent it to me sent me a number two lead shot instead. I don’t know what I want I will end up using the number twos for since I can’t use them for turkey hunting here in Wisconsin. Guess maybe for crows and coyotes?

[Aaron Beck]

I have found i can easily do plastic crimps at 1200 rpm with no vise if i put a dap of butchers wax in the tool. The wax makes it much easier as it is grabby without and wants to torque the thin plastic hulls. Anything slower works but feels glacial now. Perhaps this will help someone. I dont have experience with paper it may require slower speeds

[Cory Rams]

I use Vaseline inside my four pin roll crimper. I’ve tried doing it with a power drill and holding a shell in my other hand. After about a five minute try or so with each one and getting it to crimp I’ll pass. My hands are cramped up and in pain and felt like they went through a war! Best nine bucks ever spent I just gotta slow my drill down. Takes all the couple seconds to do a crimp with the press. At the higher RPMs they just get hot too quick and the crimp will melt. Slowed down a little will get them perfect.

[Milton C Starr]

I have used mica and it seems to work.
I dont remember the rpm my press is set at I believe around 650.
I have found a 200 rpm press for under $400 that would be interesting to try.
You can technically buy a hand crank press and would have like a traditional roll crimper but vertical.

[Cory Rams]

I found a vintage AMI Co. “open all” today for $3 at the “re store” shop. I figured it was gonna be close for whether the end grip was going to grab 10 gauge hulls or not. It looks like it was about an inch and diameter in the front. Anywhere near a 10 gauge hull right now but a quarter. I googled the size it’s .955”. Just a hair too big in the front to grab a quarter but in the middle of the handle I can grab anything I might have to modify that nice vintage antique grab all and grind just hair off of each side the “pliers looking” ends so it will grip a .779 hull with authority. Figured that would sure save my hands from cramping while I’m trying to keep a hull from spinning. I’m sure I could grab the outside of the brass lip with it and probably be fine but I’d rather grab the plastic hull.



Figure I can grab a hull, as is, in the middle



Or maybe I’ll grind just a little bit off of each “pincher tip” so it will grab a 10 gauge hull in the front circle with some authority.



You can see perfectly flush a quarter will just drop through it and that measures .955 inch. I need to get it below .779” obviously for a 10 gauge hull. I would guess if I grind off each of the pinching ends a little I’ll get there.


I found some plastic learning chips at the dollar store the other day. 75 of them for a buck and a quarter. They sure work for the 10 gauge. I figured it’ll be a little bit more durable than a cardboard, overshot card and definitely waterproof. I turned them around and gave them a couple of really hard taps on my hand and buffer did not come out so they sealed up pretty good. I can hear shot rattle so they’re not as tight as it would be if I use the cardboard overshot card but I’m sure I probably could put cardboard underneath the plastic clear shot card and have a nice waterproof load for hunting.



Here’s a couple I did in black powder the other day too next to a factory RST shell. I also added a plastic shot cuff and some buffer to see if I can tighten up my old standby load.

[J.B. Books]

Be sure to pattern test the shells with those plastic chips as an overshot card. It doesn't take much of anything over the shot to create a spreader load. I found a thin nitro card, .0125, over the shot and under a fold crimp will reduce a pattern by as much as 30% at 40 yards.