A twofer: weight variance & aging ?'s

[okksu]

I'm casting WW alloy in a 6 cavity Lee 155 grain mold, a group buy mold from the site.) What weight variance should I expect from this mold and alloy combo? (By the way, the WW's cast super compared to the unknown mixed bag of freebie stuff stuff I tried to use the first go at casting. WW's are Waaaay less frustration!!) "Frustration": That's what happens when enthusiasm far exceeds good advice, knowledge and experience) Any way, I'm getting a few dropping at 153-154 and a few at 161-162 and range, but the vast majority (90% or so) are falling in the 155 to 160 range, with 75-80% of those in the 156-159 range. Does that seem to you to be what I should expect for wt variance?

Also, should I let them set for a period of time before loading? If so, how long?

[sagacious]

Weight variance depends most heavily on the experience and expertise of the pourer. If you're new to pouring, you can expect wider weight variance. There many variables that affect weight variance, but the more consistent your pouring technique, the more consistent your bullet weight. That just takes time to develop.

No aging may be necessary for your application. Load a box and shoot it. If problems then arise, only after the symptoms are diagnosed can a remedy or modification-of-technique be suggested.

The bottom line is that a bullet weight variance of a few grains will not be detrimental to casual close-range pistol shooting, and harder bullets are certainly not always better bullets. Load, shoot, and see how it goes. Good luck.

[okksu]

Thanks, sagacious! You have correctly nailed my noobness... And as if to prove you're right, I've had three more sessions since my OP, and each had progressively better, more consistent results. The last one had @ 95% dropping within a 1 grain range (155-156), and almost all the rest were only +/- .3 from that. Not sure of what I did more consistently, but I'm a much happier camper...... I'll concentrate on making the whole routine more consistent.........

Almost all my shooting is milsurp bolt action bench @ 100 yards.