weighing boolits

[Beekeeper]

Hope this is the right place!

How close do you weigh your boolits?
In other words how much of a spread do you allow when shooting?
Shooting this morning the completed shells were within 5 grains of each other and I still got a few eratic shots.
Just trying to get them as accurate as possible to stop the eratic shots.


beekeeper

[Doc_Stihl]

For benchrest and serious work I sort my big bullets into lots of 1gr. If the bullet has an average weight of 320grs I put 318.0 to 318.9 into one pile/box and continue up to probably 320. These are then 318.5 +-half a grain. My last batch of 600 boolits weighed 375 on average and I sorted those into 5 boxes. 2 under, 2 over and 375. About 95% of the bullets fit in that group.

For small boolits, like 36gr .224. Those get sorted by eye first. If there's ANYTHING out of the ordinary, they get tossed. Then they get sorted into groups +-.2gr.

[felix]

For the 22s in a BR gun, each pot lot is placed into exact weight piles as measured on a beam scale. If LESS than 80 percent of the pot lot goes into three piles (10th grain delta), say 63.0, 62.9, 62.8, then the entire pot is rejected and a repeat casting for same is done the next day or so. Weight variation, per se, is not the problem. Where the air holes exist WITHIN the pour IS the problem. Expertly swaged condom bullets can vary a half grain easily for the same one-hole accuracy. That has to do with the FELT final compression of the jacket onto the bullet. MUST be identical, bullet to bullet. ... felix

[Kraschenbirn]

Kinda depends upon caliber/boolit weight but, in general, I try to keep weight variance within +/- 1/2%. My 'most accurate' moulds for the .38-55 and .45-70 are both SCs...an NEI and a 'vintage' Ohaus. Like Doc, I first sort for visible defects and then, for serious target/accuracy loads, I weigh 100% and go for +/- 1/2 gr...everything else goes into the 'practice' bin. Last week, I cast up a pot of those NEI 304-grainers for the .38-55 and had only a half-dozen 'plinkers' out of the first hundred I weighed...that's less than 0.2% variance for the 'keepers'.

Bill

[dverna]

It also depends on your application.

Weighing pistol bullets would be a waste of time for the majority of us. I feel the same way about "plinking" bullets for rifles.

For accuracy loads in the .308 I go for .2 grains.

Don Verna

[10milg29]

It also depends on your application.

Weighing pistol bullets would be a waste of time for the majority of us. I feel the same way about "plinking" bullets for rifles.

For accuracy loads in the .308 I go for .2 grains.

Don Verna
I concur!

[guicksylver]

All my rifle boolits (30 cal.) get sorted to .1 gr.

I have the small muffin tins I pick up for around $4.00,
there must be 30 muffin molds per pan.

If I am weighing them there is no additional work related to sorting.

I then use them from one end or the other, crossing over to the next highest or lowest .1 gr.

My boolits are never more than .1 gr different in weight.

If shooting 5 shot groups most are always the same weight.

'bout the same for 10 rounds.

A 20 round box may have one or two .1 gr difference.

[Beekeeper]

Do you weigh just the boolit or the completed cartridge?
The ones I shot today I weighed the remaining complete cartridges when I returned home.
They are all LC 30/06 Match cases sized and trimmed for 7x57 MM Mauser.
All powder charges are weighed on a beam scale.
All CCI LR primers.
And weighed the boolits before loading to +/- 1/2 grain.
And still got a 5 grain diference.

Weighed a set of cases and got up to 4 1/2 grain diference.
Don't know if that makes a difference.


beekeeper

[dverna]

Weighing the complete round tells you nothing.

You must weigh the bullet. I weigh before lubing and GC'ing.

Don Verna

[guicksylver]

+1 on above

Check this out http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?226868-NOT-as-Good-as-Ben-But-311365-31220-2400&highlight=ben+311365

[felix]

Do you weigh just the boolit or the completed cartridge?....Don't know if that makes a difference. beekeeper

Makes all the difference in the world using a BR gun. The only thing allowed to vary slightly is the powder charge. A powder dump is fine. ... felix

[HARRYMPOPE]

It also depends on your application.

Weighing pistol bullets would be a waste of time for the majority of us. I feel the same way about "plinking" bullets for rifles.

For accuracy loads in the .308 I go for .2 grains.

Don Verna

that's the most sensible post I have seen here in a long time.

[CATTLEMAN]

If I am loading for accuracy, I weigh and sort rifle boolits w/i 1 grain.

I occasionally weigh loaded rounds, not for accuracy but as a final safety check. I have caught a couple of squibs over the years as they were off the average by about the weight of my powder charge and I knew something was up.

With digital scales weighing everything is so fast and easy compared to the old days.

[pdawg_shooter]

+ or - 1% from average works for me, but then I hunt, not target shoot. M favorite 45cal with my allow avarages 430.0. so 428 to 432 I shoot.

[sirgknight]

Do you weigh just the boolit or the completed cartridge?
The ones I shot today I weighed the remaining complete cartridges when I returned home.
They are all LC 30/06 Match cases sized and trimmed for 7x57 MM Mauser.
All powder charges are weighed on a beam scale.
All CCI LR primers.
And weighed the boolits before loading to +/- 1/2 grain.
And still got a 5 grain diference.

Weighed a set of cases and got up to 4 1/2 grain diference.
Don't know if that makes a difference.


beekeeper

You'll see as much, if not more, variation in the weight of the casings as you will in the bullet itself.
Take 10 empty casings, with or without primers, and weigh them. You might be surprised at the difference in weight, even if they are the same manufacturer.