To crimp or not to crimp

I currently reload 7.62x54r for my mod.44 Nagant carbine using Prvi Partisan 174 grain .303 bullets from Henry Krank. The problem that I have is that the bullets don't appear to be tight in the case. Is the "expander" part of the Lee die too wide? I have therefore to crimp, I'm using Lee factory crimp at present. Do the "accuracy nuts", please excuse that term, prefer to crimp or not? Any help much appreciated.

It's possible that your expander ball is on the large side, but that would be unusual - if standard factory dies go overboard on bullet fit in the case, it is usually in the other direction making it over tight. Your bullets are the more likely 'culprits' through being undersize - the 7.62X54R is designed for 0.310-311" dia. Bullets and I suspect yours are 0.308". Examples of Prvi-Partizan bullets that I obtained from the same source a couple of years back miked out at the smaller diameter. As well as being a loose fit in the case, a 0.308" bullet doesn't usually shoot that well in Mosin-Nagant rifles except for those with a tight bore such as Finnish examples with Sako made barrels, for which 0.308" bullets are a good choice.

Assuming you have a Russian / Soviet rifle like my Model 1891/30, Hornady makes a very good 0.312" 174gn FMJBT (No. 3131), and if you want to see what your rifle can really do, get hold of some 174gn 0.312" Sierra MatchKings. For a good lighter, short-range load that produces reduced recoil and good accuracy, try 0.310" 123gn FMJs designed for the 7.62X39mm cartridge - Lapua examples are excellent - and use a faster burning powder than with the 170-180gn bullets. If you want to use the commonly available 0.308" models, and/or are getting good accuracy from the Prvi-Partizan bullets, your best bet is to obtain an expander ball from a .308 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield or other sizer die from the same maker for a cartridge that uses 0.308" bullets. Crimping the case-neck onto the bullet is a poor alternative, and rarely alleviates a poor case-bullet match fully.

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