Both are production questions, more than anything.
Sizing:
If you size before you coat, you are assuming ( or praying) that your coat is even on every bullet- or that the variance wont matter. I believe it does, but thats from an analysis of projectile diameter to bore diameter in accuracy, and similar analysis on accuracy and pressure levels on uncoated bullets.
Its a belief, not a tested theory at this point, as I haven't dabbled in bullet coatings yet.
Being able to size after coating would be a great help in terms of consistency, and from a "# of times bullet touched" production standpoint. From a mechanical and automated producer standpoint- this is not as important. From a handcrafted standpoint, it is. I apply this standard to all of my reloading processes, and it's cut down on my time to load considerably.
Bottom:
The coating on the bottom is just another production step. I was wondering if the guys who sprayed on the coating for uniformity, speed, and cleanliness sprayed the bottom- or if it was necessary. These bullets don't. I'll add that you are still getting "flame on lead"- which is bad for those concerned about lead levels when shooting in confined spaces like an indoor range, but it does eliminate "lead on bore" which is great for a lot of shooters who can't seem to understand how bore and bullet fit, and pressure levels work to eliminate leading.
Basically, this whole process takes a lot of the math and experimentation out of using lead bullets, or it seems to.
For those of us who "roll our own", it adds another layer of expense and labor to essentially remove something many of us have already figured out : the math.
I'm not sure if thats good for the longevity of the reloading hobby, but these bullets sure seem to be popular. The reason seems to be stated above.
Now, I'm not a curmudgeon- please believe me. I'm not saying that you have to do it the "hard way" with lead because thats the way its always been done... far from it. What I'm saying is that to those of us who already know how to make uncoated cast lead bullets work the way the coated bullets work, im wondering if its worth the extra time and effort. Also, It's a serious struggle to get new (and some old !) shooters to understand how cast lead bullets work. That understanding is crucial to almost all other aspects of making fine ammunition. That struggle and final understanding brings a deeper connection to the hobby we share, and a more complete understanding of "the math" that makes our hobby work. All of us who have this information and use it are better- not worse- for the experience. I think a shortcut around a good understanding of the 15k to 60k PSI pressure vessel in your hand isn't in anyones best interest- thats all.
With that said, I'm sure my wife would glow if I could make her rifle bullets in british racing green.........
