Catch box testing if done properly.

JLouis

Bob Z having used a push seater off the the sight base using a plugged case and carefully indexing my tapered bullets the engraving around the nose or I should say the first point of engraving never ended up being the same from one seated and knocked out to bullet to the next upon close inspection. The engraving always varied from being the same around the diameter of the bullet. At times the engraving would start to show on one side, the other, top, bottom or some where in between and at times all perfectly engraved at the same point all the way around the bullet. It did not seem to matter how careful I was or even if trying to change my approach and introduction into the throat and the start of the engraving was very seldom duplicated from one bullet to next but by luck nor was it seldom uniform completely around the diameter of the bullet when starting to engrave. To me it meant they were not all being seated central to the bore or that the nose was being pushed off a bit due to the natural angle the bullet was laying in prior to it being pushed in.

JLouis

Same way you have been BZ probably does not have enough ill affect to show up on the target. Weber using a blown out seater case and tapered bullets has done the same. Cylindrical bullet with matching bored out cylindrical seater case a bit more consistsnt but still not perfect just all a part of the breech seating game. Only point trying to be made is I don't believe any breech seated bullet is perfectly centered with the bore all though they are very typicaly real close to being so and probably close enough for one not to get overly concerned about.

JLouis

JL, If it there is no difference on the target, what does it matter?

As near as I can measure the bore is .336.  The Schoyen bullet that came with the rifle is .338 as I recall.  It can be ML but the .342 will not go down.

The .342 shoots significantly better than the .338.  I assume the difference is alignment when BSing.  The .342 fills the chamber mouth while the .338 would allow more than the .002 slop that Dave mentioned above.

Bob Z it probably doesn't matter to some but I have yet to knock out a perfectly centered seated bullet, close too yes indeed but perfect might be a bit of an over statement is all. 

JLouis

Chris if memory serves me right I think Barry used something that was directly related somehow to Cotton or a by product of it's processing process but could be wrong. Just cannot seem to remember anything anymore but it rang a Bell in the back my head?

JLouis

Bob Z consistent and perfect are not one in the same, one can strive to reach perfection but can one ever achieve it? I surely have not and if I were to say I have it would be far from the truth. Have I consistently came close you bet all the time while always trying to reach perfection in everything I do and have done including the seating bullets. 

JLouis

Misalignment of breech seated bullets is something I've been meaning to ask about.  When I breech seat the Saeco 200gr tapered bullet in my CPA .32-40 it sometimes is misaligned.  If you knock it out you can see the engraving is not always even.  I suspect that maybe the taper of the bullet doesn't match the taper of the chamber very well.   

I've noticed that some bullet designs have only a little bit of taper.   Buffalo Arms sells a .32 cal bullet that I've been thinking of, it goes from .323" to .318".  The Saeco bullet has quite a bit more taper which maybe makes it harder to seat straight?

Chris.