Flattening RN boolit noses?

[GrizzLeeBear]

Was thinking about a FN boolit mold for hunting in .30-06, 7.62x39 and 8mm Mauser. I have a 4 cavity 311466 that makes lots of nice RN boolits fast and the Lee 324-170-RN. I was reading some past posts about flattening boolit noses in a lube-sizer and decided to give it a try in my Lyman 450. I have a few FN top punches and picked out a RCBS 565. Boolits are cast from ACWW and didn't take as much force on the handle as I thought it would. I set the stop bolt underneath so that the bottom of the top punch just bottomed out on the top of the sizer die so that the boolit was "compressed" the same amount every time. I only did a dozen or so, but they came out very uniform with a nice flat point.
I just got one of Ranch Dogs 323-170-FN molds, but flattening the RN boolit worked so well I may not use it (for now anyway). I'll have to shoot some of these and see how they do. If they shoot as well as the RN version, I think I will have my hunting boolit. I also just got a Lee C309-200-RN mold to try out for a heavier 30-06 boolit. I will have to try flattening some of these as well once I get some cast.
So, if they will shoot good, I can have a RN (for target shooting, etc.) and a FN (for hunting) version of each, basically 6 different boolits from 3 molds. Anyone else have good luck with flattening RN boolits for hunting?

[home in oz]

Why flatten the points?

Enhanced expansion?

[TC66]

I have a nice Lee 170 grain round nose flat point mold. Load my 308 with them. Shoots good out to 200. Stuff I am using is way to hard to flatten like you are suggesting.

[docone31]

If I were doing that, I would make an hollow point fixture with a guage. That way, you could control the weight, depth, and profile. Flattening them might alter them also.

[mrbill2]

I know that not everybody has a lathe, but I made this little collet to hold the bullet in my lathe. Works great to make flat nose. Bullet length is + or - .002.
After you get the on to using it you'd be supprised how many you can do in a short time.
Mr Bill2

11383

In the photo the base of the bullet is being work on. Works good on either end.

[fatnhappy]

I've done the same thing. I was talking to blammer the other day about it, since I'm going to honcho a 311375 group buy. There are a couple really good .30 lyman designs that I believe would be better served as hunting boolits with a flat meplat. My recourse has always been to use a #8 top punch while sizing. I've tried using a flat punch while check seating but have slightly bent the noses of boreriders like the 314299. These days I apply the pressure when sizing so the boolit is better centered and supported, FWIW.

[missionary5155]

Good afternoon
I am normally inclined to take the simple solution first....
I have FILED the noses flat on numerous types of boolits. Down here I file 308 J Thangs ( Factory loaded military SPFMJ) and measure the OAL with calipers. They shoot just fine.
For Cast I do the same. Hit the nose a couple swipes with a file before seating and regulate with my caliper. Keeping it flat and perpendicular to axis is not that hard just "eyeballing" it. Now if you need hundreds than a mold would be far better but for 20-50...
Just lay the bullet on it´s side on a hard flat surface. Tape the edge down edge of the file to protect the surface and you can do a bullet a minute.
Load up 5 and I bet there is little accuracy difference at 100 yards unless you are just terrrible with eye / hand co-ordination using a file.
Mike God Bless you. Is the snow melting yet ?

[GrizzLeeBear]

I file the noses flat on .22lr for hunting, even made a little jig that I put the round into and run a few passes over a file. The FN definitly thumps squirrels and rabbits better than a RN.
The lube-sizer is really much more simple for flattening the nose on cast boolits, since they have to go thru the sizer anyway.

fatnhappy, are you seating checks and sizing in separate operations? The boolits I tried it out with were already lubed/sized. I can see now though, that lubing, sizing, checking, and flattening at the same time might not align the boolit in the die very well. Probably better to do it just like I did. Run all the boolits thru with the RN top punch so they align with the sizing die, then run the ones I want for hunting thru again with the FN punch.

[rbstern]

I came up with this simple method a few years ago and still use it:

http://www.zjstech.net/gunstuff/gunsandbullets/articles/castflattened.asp