Do You Measure Each Boolit?

[wfsdno]

After casting, do you measure each boolit before using or just a few from each batch?

Thanks, Roger

[DLCTEX]

It depends on what the sizer is telling me. If the boolit is sized well, without being difficult to push through, no need to check. If I am using a new to me mold, I check some to see what I'm getting out of the mold. Or, if I change alloy, I again check. DALE

[The Dust Collector]

NO! I do inspect the boolits for casting errors. If I'm into some potential fancy shooting,
I'll weigh them and then keep the different weights in different groups. Or just throw them back into the pot. (weight extremes) With careful casting practices, boolit diameter
hasn't been an issue.
DUST

[HeavyMetal]

I weigh an "average" amount of cast boolits out of each new batch. Never can tell when something went wrong in the mix and you'll get to light, or worse, to heavy a boolit.

Diameters usually stay the same unless I'm way off ( hasn't happened in a long time) but I learned a long ago that I can get different sizes based on the alloy I blend.

So if I don't want to bend the handle shaft on my Star I cast the target 38 wadcutters from WW and a bit of tin. That keeps them around .359, if I cast those wadcutters with my rifle alloy they run .363!

My cast boolits are examined after they come out of the water, again as I do a "count", again as I put them in the sizer and again as I put them in the case for seating!

If I'm gonna do a test of some type or shoot for money ( which I haven't done in a while) I will weigh all the boolits that are going to be used. I got a pact scale years ago when they were offering them with a discounted subscription to handloader Mag.

I used to think my boolits were fairly consistant in weight variation, and as I weighed them I was impressed with the fact that I did as well or better than all the commercial Jacketed boolits I had weighed up to that point.

Then I hit a boolit that was 15 grains lighter than all the others!

It was perfectly filled out had no obvious voids on any visable surface but everything else was running 199 to 200 grains this one was 185! This is enough to cause a serious flyer a miss or any other excuse you can come up with. So for "match" use I will weigh every boolit, for everything else a "sample" will suffice to make sure I'm not pushing prerssures to high.

[runfiverun]

i like to spot check mine and weigh them you can usually tell when you size them.
i also make 100 lb batches of lead mix for each rifle and cast it up till it's gone that way i know i am using the same boolits.

[GabbyM]

Depending on the bullet shape. Often you can detect diameter variation by eyeballing the line where the sizer hits the bullet. I've several pistol bullets that size just above or below the crimp grove. Off size bullets can be detected by viewing the location of the size diameter break. Out of round bullets will have an uneven line around the bullet as opposed to a nice circle. With bore riding rifle bullets all you have to go by is the amount of crush on the grease groves. Not much to go on except to cull the obvious duds. I'll tend to weigh every gas checked rifle bullet since my rifle shooting is all about extreme accuracy. Exception being a plain based 140gr 30/30 bullet that's treated like a pistol bullets. But if I can't hit a chicken egg at 100 yards I'm not having fun.

PS
I learned the hard way that when you start a new batch of alloy you should measure your bullets.
Cast some H&G #130's , 45 acp 185gr, from 20-1 the other day. Duuh , Have about 850 of them that are around .4517. Since no antimony in the alloy they came out way smaller than I've seen from that mould. They will shoot fine I'm sure but I can't sell them as .452's. Dig is I weighed them and such. Just didn't think to mic one of them. Argh.

[John Boy]

My cast bullets for CAS are what they are - no weighing performed. Shooting distances are too short to matter what they weigh

The BPCR bullets are individually weighed out of the mold - to insure that the batch of bullets are within a bell curve of 2grs, ie. 535 - 537grs. Then they are 'rested' for a couple of days and all are sorted within a 0.5gr increment

Regardless of weights any bullets with imperfections go back in the pot