Sure sounds like he gave it a good report.

As far as not crimping or using an expander - less aggravation and more consistent results. I got started doing it that way years ago when I was having problems with recoil "pull" with the round in the off barrel of a .400. Since I was having to decap by hand anyway (Berdan caps), I ditched the expander ball, stopped crimping and the problem went away. I've done it that way with all the DR ammo I load ever since. The idea is to create adequate neck tension, and the best way to do that is to get rid of the expander. Without adequate neck tension, crimping won't prevent recoil pull. WITH adequate tension, crimping isn't needed and is a pain in the ass anyway.

For general range use, I imagine the Hawks might wear the tubes a little less, but not much. I tried the .025" jacket 400 grain Hawks in my .400, but it didn't like 'em. I need to try some .035" jackets in it. My .400/.360 loves the .030" jacket round tips. Tony uses Hawks in his .450/.400 quite a bit and likes them.
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