montana_charlie
09-23-2016, 02:30 PM
It's raining outside, and I don't have any inside jobs to do, so I am posting this rather than take a nap.
I have two batches of 45/90 cases that I use only for 'load development' shooting sessions.
In an effort to remove as much variation as possible, they were sorted out of a load of 250 new cases in an effort to get 30 cases that all weigh the same. They are quite closely matched.
Sorted into two 15-round marked batches, they get loaded in rotation so that all have the same 'wear' and the same 'history'.
I recently got 'new eyes' with cataract surgery, and I shot up some old loads a few days ago to see how much the sight picture had been improved. It was considerable ...
So, yesterday, with the rain and all, I loaded a fresh batch of 15 rounds to be fired on the next nice day ... maybe Sunday.
While making some notes today, I realized that I had not weighed the bullets that I used. I don't always weigh them, but wanting 'best consistency' for testing 'new eyes', I wished that I had.
Alternatively, I weighed each loaded cartridge.
I figured that the cases weigh the same; the powder was carefully trickled up to weight; and the paper patch and primer shouldn't throw anything very far off.
Well, my heaviest cartridge was 851 grains, and the lightest was 849.6.
I sorted out a subset of 10 that go from 850.2 to 850.6.
The 'funky five' will be gong fodder, and I will ask the 'target ten' to print a nice paper group for me.
It's been quite a while since I've had one of those ...
I have two batches of 45/90 cases that I use only for 'load development' shooting sessions.
In an effort to remove as much variation as possible, they were sorted out of a load of 250 new cases in an effort to get 30 cases that all weigh the same. They are quite closely matched.
Sorted into two 15-round marked batches, they get loaded in rotation so that all have the same 'wear' and the same 'history'.
I recently got 'new eyes' with cataract surgery, and I shot up some old loads a few days ago to see how much the sight picture had been improved. It was considerable ...
So, yesterday, with the rain and all, I loaded a fresh batch of 15 rounds to be fired on the next nice day ... maybe Sunday.
While making some notes today, I realized that I had not weighed the bullets that I used. I don't always weigh them, but wanting 'best consistency' for testing 'new eyes', I wished that I had.
Alternatively, I weighed each loaded cartridge.
I figured that the cases weigh the same; the powder was carefully trickled up to weight; and the paper patch and primer shouldn't throw anything very far off.
Well, my heaviest cartridge was 851 grains, and the lightest was 849.6.
I sorted out a subset of 10 that go from 850.2 to 850.6.
The 'funky five' will be gong fodder, and I will ask the 'target ten' to print a nice paper group for me.
It's been quite a while since I've had one of those ...