I weigh my boolits after they cool down. +- .5 grn.
MP molds and I cast a lot of Hollowpoints, and you need to keep up the speed doing those, so most of the time, I inspect after casting, both before and while I size.
On my rifle boolits, I inspect as I go, then again after have cast and again as I seat gas checks and size them
_________________________________________________It's not that I can't spell: it is that I can't type.
I've worked in machine shops nearly my whole life. The last job I had in the shops was in inspection. For me the process of inspection starts when the sprue plate is knocked over and the bullets first land on the rag pile. From then ever after, every time I pick one up, I'm looking it over.
Be careful,
Victor
Life member NRA
I inspect my bullets after they have dropped from the mold and cooled to touch, any rejects go back into the pot. Next I inspect them during the lube/sizing, any rejects go into a bin for remelt. Next I weigh them, those with serious weight issues go into the bin for remelt. I insect them one last time during the reloading process, as always rejects are headed for the remelt bin.
I am still learning to cast great bullets like some I see here so I cull after casting is complete. I water quench, dry the bullets and then sort one by one. 1500 bullets takes awhile to sort through and sadly each time (three so far) I have almost filled my LEE pot back up with culls ready to melt back down. On the plus side each of the three sessions has seen a small reduction in culls so my process is improving. Either that or I am accepting a larger tolerance for what to cull...
The obvious ones are culled as I cast or during breaks in casting. The others when I size. If it is size and tumble lube that would be after first coat of lube. If PC then when sizing before PC. I use a NOE chamfer trim on the bases to clean flashing off for gas check bullets so before gas check which is also before lubing.
Scrap.... because all the really pithy and emphatic four letter words were taken and we had to describe this source of casting material somehow so we added an "S" to what non casters and wives call what we collect.
Kind of hard to claim to love America while one is hating half the Americans that disagree with you. One nation indivisible requires work.
Feedback page http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...light=RogerDat
Allsy you might want to try preheating your mold it will help a great deal with casting rejects .
My feedback page if you feel inclined to add:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...raight-Shooter
Thanks Yall!
Scrap.... because all the really pithy and emphatic four letter words were taken and we had to describe this source of casting material somehow so we added an "S" to what non casters and wives call what we collect.
Kind of hard to claim to love America while one is hating half the Americans that disagree with you. One nation indivisible requires work.
Feedback page http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...light=RogerDat
You pretty much have my bases covered. I'm looking at the open mold. I'm looking at them piled up on a towel to dry after water dropping them. They only get stored if they've been checked. I don't let much go by in handgun boolits and I don't let any flaws by in 30 caliber rifle.
I preheat molds and don't do any but the most obvious culling during casting. I have a "vintage" Luxo 5" magnifier/light on a suspension arm and all the boolits get rolled under it. Those with soft edges go back to the pot. Seems to keep weight variation about a grain in a 250g boolit.
Mal
Mal Paso means Bad Pass, just so you know.
Well....three of the options apply. When I cast, the first 50 or so are usually undersized and underweight, so they go in the scrap pile. Casting has a rhythm--if I don't keep the beat, the bullets are inconsistent. Anything with unintentional rounded corners during casting just goes into the scrap, where they will be remelted on another day.
What I do later depends on the mold. I prefer one-holers for consistency, but most of mine are two-holers. I try to drop the bullets so they're separated by cavity. In other words, the first cavity drops into one pile, the other in the second. If that's not practical for whatever reason (usually room on the table), I later separate them before lubing. Separation is done by weight. It doesn't have to be scale weight--it could be comparative weight.
I don't lube defective boolits.
After each pot I round up the sprues and cull the bullets. Handgun boolits can get by with minor nose flaws but I want my rifle boolits looking good before lubing/sizing.
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A lot depends on what the bullet use is going to be. Like most, pistol bullets for ringing steel at close range doesn't have to be perfect. Rifle for the most part, has to be as close to perfect or accuracy will suffer. I did load some UGLY 30 cal bullets for a .300 blackout this morning. Usually would remelt, but only second time the mold has been heated up and going to do a function test in the morning. Feeding, cycling and just a general " is this gonna work?" So two mags cast and gonna blast them in the morning
Retired Redleg
I came into this world kicking and screaming covered in someone else's blood, I don't mind going out the same way.
Excellent point Justsizemore!! I did think of that too.. but voted where I did anyhow as its "mostly" how I cull/sort.
I guess I am doing same as most by my choice of after casting but before storing/lubing.
YES, of coarse I do cull the first "few" from a given mold as I cast. But those never even tough the others... usually I will even cast a few "good ones" into cull/spure pile for good measure. Then I don't look too close at them and catch remaining when sorting.
CW
NRA Life member • REMEMBER, FREEDOM IS NOT FREE its being paid for in BLOOD.
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Actually I could say both...when casting and before sizing and lubing. I pick out the grossly obvious as I am casting and later when I am done casting I perform a more intensive inspection to look at the base fill out and the lube groove dimensions. This inspection results in three classifications...rejects, plinkers, and the best to be used for hunting, sighting in, and pre hunting practice.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |