Weighing cast bullets, how exact do they need to be?

[blackthunder]

I just got a new Lee 500-354-M single cavity minie mould (weight should be 354gr) http://leeprecision.com/mold-500-354-m.html

Out of the ones that looked good, I weighted with my cheap Hornady electrconic scale and here is what I came up with:

GRAIN number of bullets in group
327 2
328 3
329 1
330 3
331 1
332 2
333 7
334 9
335 9
336 4
337 3

Now, should I just keep the one of the "piles" of bullets and throw the rest into the pot and go for all bullets to be 334 or 335? what do you guys do? It will be a couple weeks before I can get out to my shooting property so I have the time...
This will be shot from an H&R Sidekick with 1:24 twist if that matters... I use loose powder too, lyman peep sight also.

Thanks,

[Dannix]

It depends on the accuracy you want and the range you are shooting at.

Here's a thread that may be of interest to you:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?7529-Weighing-Cast-Boolits

[HARRYMPOPE]

If the void is i the minie's base(where it usually is in those) it might not be too good of a deal.My 577 560g Minie's i never weigh but i also throw any back that show an odd appearance on the base or skirt.I ladle pour and let a near full dipper keep poring into the hole till the end then lift and top off.For me it is the only way i have even gotten really good base fill out.

[johnson1942]

the 1-24 twist will give you more trouble than the weight of the bullet. probably every third one will gryro off one way or another. you could shoot a bullet easily 1.4 long in that twist. i shoot a 700 grain pp bullet in my 1/23 .50 cal. you could turn that gun into a good big game gun. lone star puts 1/24 twists on their 50/90 rolling blocks. they shoot 1000 yards and do. well. that gun sounds interesting.

[HARRYMPOPE]

I shoot short 395g bullets in a 1-32 50 and they dont "gyro" off and in fact shoot very well.Heck i also shoot RB in it and they do well.If the minie is driven too fast i could see how the skirt may blow out though

[nhrifle]

Unless I am doing some serious competition, I don't weigh my boolits -- lube, load and fire. Try some test groups with what you have and see if the different weights shoot differently. Your rifle might not care about the differences, and it might be a finicky cuss, can't tell unless you put lead on paper to prove it out.

[johnson1942]

1/32 twist is a very good twist and your bullets wouldnt gyro off as your bullet matches your twist well. the 1/24 twist may not gryo out on a short bullet or it may. bet it will be harder to work up a load for than your 1/32 twist. lyman knew what they were doing when they made that twist when they put it on their great plains hunter fast twist guns. they are reliable tack drivers as most .50s with a 1/32 twist. the co. that makes muzzle loader barrels for breakaction h and r guns use a 1/36 twist. that twist is really good to work with for most over the counter bullets and sabot bullets out their. 1/32 and 1/36 arent usually cranky and quite reliable down range. im only speaking from experience and the science behind it. i have not experienced everything and love to be proven wrong and learn from others. i like a gun that shoots such a tight group that only the shooter of is to blame for a miss, then ive done my job.

[fouronesix]

:) Interesting discussion going on in this thread! I have no idea what "gyro off" means. I'll have to assume gyro off means some form of instability. But have some idea what a stabilized bullet looks like in flight versus one that is unstable or suddenly goes unstable. Under ideal lighting and atmospheric conditions it's always interesting to watch a bullet in flight- especially the ones that suddenly go unstable while in view! Some of the big solid base conicals (both cartridge types and muzzleloader types) do it and of course sometimes the hollow base minies do it. The weirdest ones head downrange pretty straight then all of a sudden start veering off line in a big spiraling arc. Some just head downrange in a spiral that gets bigger the farther the bullet travels. Sometimes I can figure out the reasons for the erratic or unstable flight but sometimes I just have to scratch my head. :)

[johnson1942]

your right,suddenly takeing a right hand or left hand turn. under the right lighting conditions it is a wonderment to see. gyroing off is spinning to fast for the length of the bullet and suddenly as a gyro spins then scoots accross the floor a bullet will do the same. their can be several reasons for sudden turns but spinning the bullet too fast is one of them. i love the old green hill formula useing the constant of 150 then subtacting 3 from the final answer, every bullet mould ive made for barrels i have made useing it shoot great. speaking of mini balls, found a lee .50 mini ball mould in my shop that i have long forgot i had. i think i will get a dia. reducing sizer from lee down to .492, cast up a bunch of them and paperpatch them and try them in my 1/32 twist lyman. down size before patching them. i feel like a kid who found a toy they forgot they had.