i only size boolits if im fitting a gas check .measure boolit diameter you might find as i did its an unnecessary step.
It's a question of which operation you find more tedious: Mic'ing every bullet or sizing them. I'd try them both ways and see if your barrel notices the difference.
I just broke in a BACO 460502 yesterday and was impressed by the consistency. Pouring lead:tin 20:1 and 16:1 both dropped .460-.4605" according to my B&S mic - measured across the the the mold line and across the cavity so they're nice and round. The rifle in question slugs .4585" so I'm comfortable shooting these unsized. Weights were 503-504 with 20:1 and 500-502 with 16:1.
Warning: I know Judo. If you force me to prove it I'll shoot you.
We are definitely having two different conversations here. If you have a precision cut mould turned to exact specs, you can shoot them from your precision single shot rifle with astounding accuracy. These bullets are generally pan lubed or have lube applied using a lube pump with an insert that precisely matches the shape of that particular bullet. Serious aficionados keep their bullets lined up as they are cast, and shoot them in order. The game is called Schuetzen.
Other shooters get bullets in large numbers out of moulds that are “good enough” to be close to what they need. They may water drop them, bake them (for the finish or just to temper them) and frequently run them through a precisely reamed cylinder of steel to squeeze out any shortcomings of the casting process. Sometimes they significantly change their bullet diameter by squeezing them in precisely reamed chambers in a process called “Swaging”. After all of this manipulation, these bullets can be loaded and shot with good accuracy to the loader’s satisfaction.
If you haven’t done both, the other technique may seem strange or even wrong to you, but the OP asked about the former, and if you haven’t done it yourself or been around those who have, you just don’t understand. Over the last 45 years I’ve done both. They both work for what they’re designed for, regardless of what your preconceived notions are telling you. “Been there, done that, got the T Shirt.”
Froggie
NRA Life, ASSRA Life, N-SSA
"It aint easy being green!"
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |