bevel base pistol bullets

[porthos]

is there any drawback to a bevel base bullet,other than getting lube on the bevel??

[leadhead]

None that I know of..... I think there a PITA when you lube them.
I've heard them referred to as boat tails, which is total nonsense.

[Dave W.]

The purists say that flat base bullets are the best. Myself, I cannot tell the difference when shooting them. They do fall out of molds better and are easier to reload. They are all I cast and use. My $.02

[Walter Laich]

easier to reload

+1

I like them greatly

[jdgabbard]

Back when I was still using a lubrisizer they were a pain because lube would flow around the base. But since I've moved to PC'd boolits, they shoot just fine. That said, I don't use them in rifles, as I've been told flat base tends to be more accurate - and generally are always either flat based or gas check designs. But in pistols, at the ranges I'm shooting, they work just fine.

[Gobeyond]

Probably wouldn’t be a problem if pan lubing or surface lube. As said a couple three positives when reloading. Eliminate flaring your case. If you buy them from a caster then no problems whatsoever. Maybe a little less accuracy. But if you need a obturated base, beveled won’t do that well.

[gwpercle]

I have read that flat based are better than BB at magnum velocities ... but I'm not sure ... maybe at 44 Magnum and bigger / magnum velocities .

Normal 38 special and 9mm Luger pressure and velocity loads don't seem to be a problem . I have flat base and bevel based moulds in both and have purchased 38 and 45 bevel based cast boolits in the past to test .

What I have found is that at normal 9mm luger , 38 special and 45 acp pressure and velocity loadings ... I can't tell the difference between bevel based and flat based .
Same for light Target Loads ... no difference in accuracy or leading , that I can tell .

I was a student of the writings of Elmer Keith ...he said Flat Based was better .
Maybe at his 44 Magnum velocities and pressures they were ... But , at the lower velocities , I've tested and tested the bevel base boolits and this is one area I will have to disagree with Elmer ... they shoot just as well and are actually easier to lube and load .
After extensively testing the "store bought " 38 and 45 bevel based boolits ...
I bought a bevel based 9mm mould , my first bevel base , that I cast soft (8-9 bhn) and shoot to 1200 fps, it works great .
Lee #356-120-TC with a nice little bevel base and it does just fine ... I was worried about the bevel base but it's not a problem shooting or lube/sizing ...just be carefull when applying pressure to the lube pressure handle and where the holes are on the die when the boolit gets lubed... get that hole above the boolit base , up around the lube groove and you will be just fine .
Gary

[popper]

Proper poured bevel base works fine. Problem is culling bad pours. No difference in accuracy! BB are generally easier to seat straight in flared cases.

[Green Frog]

The beveled base design has been around for over 150 years… the moulds for Maynard rifle and carbine bullets worked very well, thank you very much! I also saw them in several 45 ACP bullet designs back in my Bullseye shooting days.

The greatest advantage of BB bullets is that they start easily when inserting into the case, with less likelihood of lead shaving. I just wish my Ideal 50 cal bullet mould for my Maynard Carbine had this bevel design!

Froggie

[mdi]

It has been said many times (but can't prove it by me) bevel bases allow hot gases to push through to the bullet body and cause leading. I only had one bevel base mold, no reason it just worked out that way, but I removed the bevel on a 45 ACP TC mold. I noticed no difference, no more leading with the BB than the flat base...

FWIW; I flare nearly every case I reload, especially cast bullet loads. Habit for the last few decades...

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Here are my 2¢
.
BB are easier to assemble.
They lube easy, if you use a Star.
It hasn't been my experience that a well fitted BB will allow gases to blow-by, anymore than a well fitted FB.
.
With that said, I mostly use FB boolits.

[fredj338]

Some say they arent as accurate as FB but I just havent seen it. They may release a bit more stubbornly than FB but I have both.

[fredj338]

It has been said many times (but can't prove it by me) bevel bases allow hot gases to push through to the bullet body and cause leading. I only had one bevel base mold, no reason it just worked out that way, but I removed the bevel on a 45 ACP TC mold. I noticed no difference, no more leading with the BB than the flat base...

FWIW; I flare nearly every case I reload, especially cast bullet loads. Habit for the last few decades...

I dont really buy that, the bullet fit & lube is not alloying gas blowby. I flare the same for both base types.

[tazman]

I can find no discernible difference in accuracy or other performance between bevel based and flat based handgun boolits. A proper fit and lube are far more important than the base as far as leading.
I haven't noticed any difference in casting issues either. Over the decades(nearly 5 now), I have cast many thousands of each type from many different mold makers.
The extra lube around the base can be an issue when lubrisizing. More for the mess than anything else. It doesn't seem to make any difference in accuracy though. Theoretically. the extra lube could be an issue if loaded rounds are stored in a very warm environment. That said, I haven't noticed any issues in my own use.
The extra ease in assembling cartridges is worth a lot for me. Many of the designs I use have a small bevel on the base(Lee) the doesn't seem to have the lube mess issue that larger bevels do. Still no noticeable differences in accuracy.

[porthos]

well i don't have any bevel base molds yet. but, when i do get them in 9mm and 45 i will be using tumble lube only. i will never powder coat; it makes no sense to me.

[jdgabbard]

I dont really buy that, the bullet fit & lube is not alloying gas blowby. I flare the same for both base types.

I don't either. It may be an issue to a degree at magnum or rifle load levels, but I doubt it. And I think this just has to do more with aerodynamics than anything, as the bevel base will possibly create turbulence in the drag... I've never experience this in standard pressure pistol rounds. The absolute best shooting boolit I've had in 38spl was the Lee TL358-158-SWC, which is bevel based. And I didn't experience any of that. I have several bevel based boolits in 9mm and 45, again, I never experienced that. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that pressure in an enclosed environment exerts itself equally on all surfaces. The angle of contact with the rifling is not going to make a difference in my opinion - at least not at the pressures we're talking about. And we'd probably see more obturation than blow by in my opinion. Unless we're talking about a really narrow rear driving band...

[MT Gianni]

I doubt most would notice any difference in grouping, especially under 50 yards.

[gunther]

Years ago, I bought 2000 250 grain, .429 wheel weight bevel based keith style bullets with commercial blue heat-to-apply lube. They shot well, but I had .432 throats, and they leaded like you would not believe. Finally got a 4 cavity 441 Saeco mold and sized them .430, then .431, using alox beeswax. No more leading with either. All this using less than Skeeter loads.