Bullet Info

[Nomes]

Do you weight your cast bullets?
What weight tolerance do you allow?
What defects do you pass or keep?
Or does it really matter when just plinking?
And or other comments?

[mdi]

When I first get a mold, I'll weigh a lot of bullets cast with the alloy I intend to use, at least 20 or so to get an average and weight spread. Normally I'll remelt bullets varying 2-3 grains from the average. If I use a different alloy I'll reweigh, using the averages for my load data. I normally cull wrinkles or obvious defects to the base and tighten my requirements for specific guns (my accurate Dan Wesson 44H gets the best, most consistent bullets I can cast). With experience casting one soon is able to cast consistent weight, and size bullets and inspection is needed less and less...

[Dusty Bannister]

This will give you a start on your multi part question. Advanced search will have you drinking from the fire hose.

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?400581-culling-cast-boolits&highlight=weigh+cast+bullets

[tmanbuckhunter]

For the most part no, unless it's a new mold, or I change alloys.

For BPCR match bullets, +/- 2/10ths of a grain is max. Most of my casting is +/- 1/10th. For smokeless rifle (usually just plinking ammunition) its 3/10ths. Handgun ammunition I simply don't care as I bottom pour those. If it passes visual, it ends up in a berm.

For match bullets, the bullet has to be perfect. Clean sprue cut, perfect uniform base with no dent or ding, no wrinkles etc... and that's mostly the same for smokeless rifle bullets as well. Handgun bullets, I'm a little more lax. The odd wrinkle is rare.

Once you have a good technique, and you understand your equipment, it's hard to cast a bullet with a defect. A PID, locking mold handles, a ladle, and pre-heating your mold go a long way to getting perfect bullets on about the first or second cast, every single time.

These pictures are what I want.
315508315509

[charlie b]

Rarely weigh pistol bullets. Heck, if the mold throws a bullet even close to the right dia I will shoot as is with tumble lube.

My rifle bullets I try to make as accurate as I can. I nose size, base size, and weight sort into 0.1gn batches. Cull out any defects I can see. Yes, I toss quite a few back in the pot when I am really being picky.

[justindad]

Sometimes I weigh a sampling of my completed rounds, making sure the spread in weight of my rounds is less than half of my powder charge weight (I only shoot pistols). One time I used two molds of the same design, and then found out the two molds were 10 grains different when I found a huge variance in my loaded rounds. It’s good to know how much boolits weigh from each of your molds, but if you’re getting complete fill out and sharp corners everywhere then the weight variance should be within a percent or two.

[Dave W.]

If all a person is shooting, is handguns into paper, bullet weight variation does not make much difference. I cull out the obvious defects, other wise, load and go.

[GregLaROCHE]

I usually weigh my boolits and class them in zero, one and two grain differences. Heavier or lighter, I’ll usually remelt. I try to group the same weights together when shooting them. Normal specified boolit weight makes a difference. I’m usually casting 400-500 grain boolits most of tte time. If you are casting 55 grain boolits you may want to keep your tolerances closer.

[Land Owner]

Welcome to the addiction. Generally speaking, the answers depend...on what you are trying to achieve. Start with a consistent alloy, not just whatever you can toss in the pot.

For handguns, at belly gun (can't miss) distance, just about anything cast in the right caliber, will be OK - even with visual defects. If it can be seated in the chamber in a prep'd case (sized, powdered, and primed), it'll shoot. But why? Cast is from molten alloy. Put visual defects back into the pot. Shoot the "good stuff". For competition, accuracy and distance, greater scrutiny is required.

For rifles, sharp-edged base and grooves on boolits, complete mold fillout, no wrinkles, weigh a handful, make a Bell Curve with weight, cull the lower and upper limbs of the curve, be mindful and shoot a representative sample across the remaining curve (what your consistent alloy and mold more frequently delivers) as one weight may be better than all others and in that you may want to cull everything else. The greater the shot distance the greater the attention to ammunition detail.

I have several 223 cal. molds that deliver a fair range of weights below their published 55-gr. expectation. My 49-49-2 percent Pb-WW-Sn alloy is not the same as the Lyman #2 for which they calibrated their mold. My single shot rifle barrels may like "heavier" 50+0.x grain boolits while yours may like "lighter" 50-0.x gr.

I keep every boolit that "looks good", for testing across the variations. I can always melt the ones that don't pan out or offer them to others for their own barrel tests.

There is always a lag between the pot and the bench. Don't sweat the details and there are many. You perhaps may be just getting started. Experiment to success. You get better the longer you cast and the more often you shoot. Good luck.

[Cast10]

I’m kinda still new here……I’ve read and read and read. Lots of great info from the best!

I verify my weight of pistol bullets when I first start with that mold. I use the same alloy each time. From then on, I watch for complete bullet fill-out and never weight again. Good enough for me.

On rifle, I do the same but I also check and try to keep those that are within 1 grain either side, worse case. Again, bullet fill-out is what I’m after. My rifles shooting boolits are within 150 yard shots. It seems to work fine.