Ok ... thanx Patrick. The old BP must have had a considerably greater volume per unit of weight than Swissicon No. 2. I was thinking of maybe using a sizer (just `cos the bullets look nicer) and then paper patching the bullets. In warm weather, the lube under the bullet really does contaminate the top layer of BP, even though I use a very thin cork patch that fits tightly between the bullet and the lube, AND between the lube and the powder. I now seat the bullets shortly before going to the range. The spread of bullet weights definitely is a b*gger.