Tapered boolits: sizing and seating?

[jethrow strait]

Any tricks to sizing and seating tapered boolits? I just got the Saeco #571,(Midway Catalog, p.185) a nominal .375" 300gr. RFN. But being a tapered boolit of multi-groove Loverin design, it drops em with a full five thousandths difference in diameter from the front band to the rear---.375" to .380", using a soft c.9Bhn alloy. Now, beyond casting em small enough to chamber, is there any wisdom in the sizing and seating depth, beyond just loading em up and loading em out to 'kiss' the throat like any old groove rider.

Problem is complicated by the fact that I have two rifles I'll be shooting them in, one with .375" grooves and the other with .3785".

Any insights---experience, 'conventional wisdom' or even just plain opinions--- would be much appreciated.

Thank You, jethrow

[David R]

All I have is an opinion. I have been wanting to have a Tumble Lube boolit with .001 or .0005 bigger at each band, so different OAL would fit different rifles. I am not sure it would work, but it sounds like a good idea to me.

I would load it long, cover the lead with a sharpie and chamber it. This will tell you what is up and maybe what OAL should be. Sometimes I just load em long with no crimp ( I never crimp rifle boolits anyhow) and cram em in. I then measure the length and try that. Then I go down by .010" at a time to see what shoots best in my gun. Some like it touching, some like it back a little.

Have fun
David

[44man]

I would NOT size it. Shoot it as cast. Hand lube if you have to.

[Buckshot]

.............Jetrow, I have Saeco's 225gr FNPB .375 and it too is tapered. The very wide bottom band is .381" from the alloy I was using. As I recall (I'm too lazy to go back out to the garage and check) the nose is like .375". I had been sizing them to .378" but for fun I loaded one TL'd and as cast to see if the 1893 would chamber it, and it did. They shoot well over 16.0grs 2400.

The first 20 rounds had been loaded in cases set up for the .378" sizing so the .381" boolits gave'em an hourglass look. If your rifle will accept them as cast, that's the way I'd go.

............Buckshot