To crimp, or not to crimp, that is the question.

I just started loading my own 223 tonight and it is intended for use with my semi-auto AR rifles. I have 100 rounds ready to go. I have not crimped any of them.

Is crimping my 223 really necessary?

I've been loading 224 Valkyrie and 308 for a few months now and have sent hundreds of these rounds down range successfully without any crimping. If it works for the 224 Valkyrie and 308 in semi-auto rifles, why wouldn't I achieve the same results with my non crimped 223?

What philosophy do you subscribe to and why?

If it has a cannelure , I’m putting a. Crimp on it. How much. You will have to test.

To me after testing I would put a small crimp on all my 55/62 gr range fodder/556 loads.

My more precision like rds I did not usually. Although I did with some Nosler 77’s that had no cannelure.

Of course I’m talking ARs, no way would I on a bolt gun.

I've never had to crimp, but that's me. I've tried it using the Lee crimping die as a last step but it has not seemed to have made a difference. I've read the literature to where crimping is supposed to make a more consistent load, but my loads seem to be consistent anyway using a single stage.

I always crimp.

No crimp here, unless in extenuating circumstances ... like those Nosler bullets that were just slightly smaller than my other bullets, and required a crimp to keep them tight.

But in general, no crimp for .223 for me.

I always crimp.

On a semi-gun auto. I would crimp.

I was loading 5.56 last night with bullets I just cast and powder coated. I always crimp but these are so slick they have to be crimped or major problems will ensue.

This for the most part.
I have a couple of exceptions to this "rule"

None of my Prairie Dog rounds are crimped however they are shoot single shot out of a bolt action.

I crimp when the bullet has a cannelure. I also use bushing neck die or swaging die after full length sizing to get the right neck tension.

I do not crimp .223. Only shooting out of ARs. Never seen the need to.

I have been reloading 30 years I crimp everthing yes even 9mm and .40 cal with a roll crimp. I get more consistant ammunition because with the crimp my cartridges develop a consistant pressure each and every time.

Couple of reasons. After loading 1000s of rounds I had a few that were an oddball headstand and had very little neck tension. You could push the bullet it with your fingertip. I only separate out military brass. I load on the lower end for plinking and stockpiling so mixed commercial headstamps don’t bother me much. I load 223 on a 550 Dillon, the 4th hole usually is empty on rifle stuff, so I throw a crimp die in there I got from Marcus for 10 bucks. It’s just insurance. In your case, I probably would not worry about right now. If all your head-stamps are the same and you have consistent, good neck tension, you won’t have an issue. If you start filling up ammo cans of loose rounds, it isn’t a bad idea as things get knocked around and can push a bullet in. You would likely never notice this, but it could cause a pressure spike when the round is fired.

To ensure proper neck tension of at least 0.002" I measure the OD of a sized but not seated case then subtract the OD of a loaded case. I also tend to use the same headstamp for a batch for consistency as case thickness can vary.

When I do crimp I prefer the Lee factory crimp die.

I do this also with most my other rifle calibers. No way this can be done for 1000s of rounds of plinking rounds though. The Lee FCD is very nice.