Are there any cons to bevel base bullets?

[yondering]

here's the con I hate.

when sizing and lubing in a lyman 450, I always have to wipe the bevel base off, cause it's full of lube.

No need to put up with that! See my comments above.

[StarMetal]

No need to put up with that! See my comments above.

This all too depends on how much bevel the bullet has. On slight bevels it's nary a problem.

Joe

[Changeling]

Lets see how do I back out of this. WOW Joe you sure knew what would happen down to a "T".

As I've said before my world used to be high power rifles with custom bullets and standard ones, never cast.
When I ask a question it might seem dumb to some, but I ask because I don't know.
It doesn't seem likely to me that there would be a blow by problem with a small bevel and I really don't think it would not let obturation take place.
But if there was the slightest chance that it would not cast a perfectly round/flat bullet than I would rather stick with flat base bullets, if nothing else I have learned one thing, the fit must be perfect if one expects good results. This was hammered in again by one answer to my post.

CRgaston funny thing you mentioning the RCBS 270. I just received an email from Veral Smith and he recommended the same weight to me, just not the RCBS, LOL.

Thanks much for the great and sincere replies.

[Bret4207]

IMO the problem with my mould with the weird BB had to do with the expansion characteristics. I don't know this for a fact, but it seems to me that it's probably like a mould that throws a more out of round boolit as it heats up. In this case the BB doesn't get touched by the sizer so the out of round has a bigger effect on the boolit.

Just my thoughts and worth every penny you paid for them.

[MtGun44]

I find that sizing BB boolits with a RCBS or Lyman lubesizer is a PITA due to the
bevel area filling up with a ring of lube, a pain to wipe off.

Bill

[Nora]

FWIW, and on behalf of all remaining sacrificial virgins, I'm willing to except any BB mold donations in 9mm or .357 that are bothering the current owner with any of the above mentioned issues. Send PM for address.

Nora

[John Van Gelder]

This topic has been around on several of the forums, one response on another forum was that "there is really no difference because upon firing the base of the bullet actually flattens, very much like being struck by a hammer", any opinions on that?

[Gunsmoke4570]

From my experience, in my 38s and 45s BB or FB does not seem to matter much. My favorite all around 38 load uses the RCBS 150 K. I also use a 158 Magma RNFPBB, but it is not quite as accurate. All of my 45ACP molds are BB design, accurate with no leading. I have issue with BB Boolits in 9mm and 40S&W. They shoot good, but lead a bit more than I like and have to be cleaned very frequently. Switch to FB, leading almost completely gone. Now the 9 and 40 are higher pressure loads at higher velocity than my 38s and 45s, so I believe there is something to the higher pressure loads not going well with the BB.

[dla]

I just went through a bit of a learning phase with this a while back. When it was all said and done, the shape of the base didn't really factor into the leading. This was with a 44 mag revolver.

So I don't hesitate to buy bevel base bullets when they are cheap as they are easier to line up for seating on my Dillon when cranking out a zillion rounds.

What is nice about this forum is that there are enough intelligent, experienced Old Codgers to get a fellow to the best result in the shortest amount of time.

[35remington]

JVG, no, the base of the bullet doesn't flatten like being hit by a hammer in most loads fired.

Extreme bevel bases are a pain to cast. The bevel intersection with the reduced diameter base often turns out rounded rather than sharp unless tin content is increased significantly or the caster has experience in dealing with the problem. Perhaps the bevel next to the sprue plat inhibits things to some degree. Could be a big reason RCBS no longer offers the one I have in their 148 WC.

FWIW many "flatbase" bullets have some degree of slight bevel to them.

To me, flatbase is a ninety degree intersection.

[Bret4207]

Ditto on 35's comment. I've recovered BB boolits and the bevel was still there.

[Four Fingers of Death]

If there is much of a difference at pistol ranges and speeds we'd be flatout noticing anything. I used to cast DEBBWCs and liked the way I could load them sprue up. They shot liek a house on fire. I stuffed a few balls of birdshot into the lower lube orofices, didn't make a lot of difference. In the end I just wiped them off as I loaded them on a sheet of heavy brown paper (I do this for all cast anyway). I think if they were going to be stored for a long while it would be worth doing something about, but as I shot them off in a few months after loading, I figured it didn't make any difference. As it turned out it didn't. I ended up converting to Lee Liquid Alox (LLA) and no sizing from memory which simplified things enormously. I couldn't discern any real difference in sized, lubed in the lubesizer to thrown in a ice cream bucket, LLA applied, swirled around and dropped out on a sheet of brown paper (my dad used to work in a paper mill, I have a huge roll of it ) and left overnight. All went bang, my score were about the same and if anything the LLA smoked a little less, which was handy on foggy mornings.

[44man]

Bevel base bullets are great for lower pressure rounds if they're cast hard. Easier out of the mould, easier into the case... what's not to love?

Until the pressures start to mount, that is. All else being equal, a plain base will have more bearing surface than a bevel base bullet, meaning more material with which to grip rifling and a greater ability to keep a seal against the hot gasses behind it. In other words, as the pressure mounts, plain base has it all over bevel base for accuracy.

This is what I have found. Bearing surface changes. Can a BB shoot good---sure. Will a BB cause leading?---No, if it fits.
However it is not the seal differences, it is, as always, a match to twist with the velocity and bearing length.
They are just like a GC boolit with the check left off,some work, some don't.
You can make a lot of things work but I have always found a FB shoots better.

[Thumbcocker]

Can yondering give more details about using a shotgun wad to stop lube seep. I can't picture how to use the boolit ot punch it or where to punch from.

[Swede44mag]

I like BB Boolits they are easier to load.

If BB was no good why do they make Boat Tail and Rebated Boat Tail rifles bullets?
On Corbin’s web site he explains the benefits of Rebated Boat Tail bullets.

I may try to make some Rebated Boat Tail pistol boolits some day just to see if they would work.

[bobthenailer]

I have several handgun bullet moulds with the Bevel Bases and have also shot alot of GC bullet designes without the gas cks installed with excellent accuracy.

[HammerMTB]

Can yondering give more details about using a shotgun wad to stop lube seep. I can't picture how to use the boolit ot punch it or where to punch from.

Well, I'm not Yondering but we do work together.
If I am understanding his post correctly, put a petal of a shotgun wad on the die. Put the boolit on top and press it down. It should punch a round piece out of the wad petal, and in theory, it'd be best left right where it is. When the boolit punch pushes the boolit back out, the plastic of the wad petal will have guarded the boolit base against lube migration to the BB. Leave the punched out petal piece in place, and repeat.
Sound good? NJow I gotta go try it myself. 'Cept I don't have any BB boolits to lube. D'OH!

[badbob454]

OK I have to jump in here I have shot several bevel base boolits , 2 Makarov with bevel bases , and 452 in my 45 colt, several hi power in my sks without plain base and all have shot well and without abnormal amounts of leading , in no discernible leading at all ... and what about the boat tail bullet ,??? probably the most extreme bb bullet out there .I just put in an order for another to accurate molds the 36-250b bullet mold this design and 2 of my others are in his catalog , variations of his bullet designs..
http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_...=36-250B-D.png

.my 2c worth

[Petrol & Powder]

As predicted way back in Post # 2 by StarMetal - there are a lot of opinions on this topic.
I started with FB boolits because I didn't want to deal with the lubing issues. I've never had a problem getting FB bullets to drop from the mold nor have I had issues getting FB bullets started in the case mouth. As Mtgun44 stated, it's just easier to use FB bullets with a lubersizer.
I will say that in theory a true double ended bevel base wadcutter would speed up the reloading process because the orientation of the bullet would be a non-issue. Then I read about people that go to pains to ensure that the sprue end of the double ended bullet is pointing out of the case, which sort of negates the entire speed of loading advantage to using DOUBLE ended bullets.
In the FWIW column, the FB bullet design seems like a simple solution to the lubing process.

[44man]

Bevel base bullets are great for lower pressure rounds if they're cast hard. Easier out of the mould, easier into the case... what's not to love?

Until the pressures start to mount, that is. All else being equal, a plain base will have more bearing surface than a bevel base bullet, meaning more material with which to grip rifling and a greater ability to keep a seal against the hot gasses behind it. In other words, as the pressure mounts, plain base has it all over bevel base for accuracy.

This is my stance. But it is not gas seal or leading, it is drive length to take rifling.
Working with a Lee BB mold for the .357 was just not doing it so I cut the BB out to make a FB. I cut groups in half instantly.
The base is the final grip, you can have rifling skid at the front of a boolit but it MUST stop at the base.