I have a problem with the crimp. I've watched the videos on how to crimp but i can't seem to get it right. First it was to loose so i tightened it up. Felt good til i chambered the round and removed it to measure it again to see if you had moved back any. it did. about .005 or so. so i gave it a very small amount more and now it is loose and the bullet is just sliding up and down in the case a little like it is bent inward. I dont understand this. Im new to pistol reloading, so im sorry to sound stupid with this but i just cant see the problem. Any help would great. Thanks.

I'm confused. How did the bullet move back just from chambering it in the firearm? The .45ACP does not need much of a crimp, the bullet should be tight in the case without crimping. Crimping ensures the bullets in the magazine don't not slip during recoil. The .45 ACP round head spaces on the mouth of the case, so if you crimp it too much it will not seat in the chamber properly.

Are you using a dedicated crimp die, or your bullet seating/crimp die? If you're using your bullet seating/crimp die, then when you tightened up a little more on the crimp, did you back off on the bullet seating stem? If not, that will explain how the bullet was seated .005 lower.

Perhaps I am not understanding what you are trying to convey but it sounds to me like you do not have your dies adjusted correctly and perhaps you are seating the bullet past the ogive. Those are common problems for new loaders of straight wall cases in auto loaders.

yes im using a dedicated crimp die. i havent backed off yet. i just barely moved it down to get it just a bit tighter. It seemed a touch loose. then when i did it seemed to crimp good. i could not get the bullet to move. Thats when i chambered the round and check it to see. Thats when i saw it was loose. It appears that it was bowed in the middle of the bullet. I may try not seating so deep and loosen up the crimp some and try again. I already messed up a few rounds. I just hated to keep on screwing up more rounds. Im using remington brass and hornady xtp 230gr. hp bullets. Ill try again this weekend when i get some time to look at it. Im not use to the pistol reloading yet. Thanks guys.

If you don't have the "ABC's of Reloading" go out and get it! It is a must for any beginner reloader. Grandpops is on the money, you shouldn't be able to push the bullet in further, even if you didn't crimp yet. After you resize the case you should adjust your expander die so it just enters the mouth a hair, just so the bullet sits on the mouth without falling off. Then seat your bullet smoothly, just shy of the max coal. You can practice without powder or primers untill you get it right. Pick up a bullet puller for a few bucks and you can use the same practice rounds again and again. It's a good idea to actually watch someone reload before you try, if possible.

ill look for one this weekend. thanks melissa4

Do those Hornady XTP bullets have a cannelure?

I don't crimp my 45 ACP.

Yes you do. You may not roll crimp them like other straight wall cases but your dies certainly do crimp the case enough to hold the bullet or else you are gonna have some issues with several things. The reason I asked if the bullets the OP was using had cannelures is due to seeing others attempt to use them in the ,45 ACP and they don't work very well as a rule. I have seen folks try to use bullets intended for other 45 caliber cartridges in the acp case that were the incorrect size(diameter) and incorrect style for that case, usually quite unsuccessfully.

I HAVE A SET OF LEE DIES ,A 4 DIE SET IT HAS A FACTORY CRIMP DIE IN THE SET
       THIS SET OF DIES HAS LOADED OVER 600,000 ROUNDS I SHOOT MAINLY CAST
       BULLETS 200gr 250gr. THE ONLY JACKET BULLET I LOAD IS A 200gr FLAT NOSE.
           IF YOU TAKE YOUR CRIMP DIE AND SET IT WHERE IT TOUCHES THE RAM THEN BACK
      OFF 2 COMP. TURNS,LOCK IT THEN BACK THE SEATING STEM UP.SET BULLET IN PLACE
      SLOWLY RAISE THE RAM TILL BULLET IS AT OVERALL LENGTH.
          YOU CAN THEN FINE TUNE THE DIE GOING DOWN  ON THE DIE AND BACKING UP
      SEATING STEAM OR THE THE OPP.

Semi auto handgun only needs enough crimp to take the "bell" out of the case.
Bullet tension should be from properly resized brass.
If you resize your brass, and the bullet is loose, either the die is oversized, or, the brass is junk.
In .45 ACP, I've run across the same issue, usually with R-P brass.
If in doubt as to the quality of the brass, recycle it, or throw it out. It isn't worth blowing up a gun.

There are three distinct things to watch for with the .45ACP round when reloading it. First is that the .45 ACP needs a squarely trimmed case mouth so it can headspace correctly. Second, it has a "Taper Crimp" NOT a "Roll Crimp". This means the case is squeezed down onto the bullet as a crimp. Check with your die manufacturer if yours does this. And Third, the .45ACP is very sensitive to the overall length of the cartridge and will not feed correctly if the cartridge is even just a teeny bit longer than it should be. .45ACP bullets, as a rule, do not have a crimping cannelure to mess with. These can make a cartridge more dangerous as it invites a roll crimp to allow the cartridge to move further up in the barrel and cause pressure and ejecting problems.