John-- On all of our assembly drawings that contain thru-hole component leads, we reference the lead protrusion allowed as a max dimension and allow "the absence of component lead contour discernibilty in the solder joint is permissible."(Quote from our drawings). On any design with a total thickness (pwb + heatsink) above .130, it will contain the note for lead penetration ""WITOUT PROTRUSION". Since we do only mil work, a WHITE PAPER was prepared for customer/military approval. We beleive that it is not a reliability issue based on testing completed in-house. We have many systems flying without negitive feedback for several years and are very comfortable with our decision. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Have a good day. (203) 852-4810 Bob Vanech