Actually, I tried doing each hole one at a time, and at least with this mold, I was getting variances. I actually did quite a few bell curves before I decided "this is cool, I think I'll take a few pictures and cause some trouble" LOL!
I'll try it again though.
I'll tell you one thing that I have learned from all this is that no matter how vocally people may insist to the contrary, technique matters!
At the end of the day, I realize it doesn't matter if you are weighing your boolits or not, but it does matter that you are casting consistently. I just think that a lot of people have been doing this for so long, they forgot what it's like to learn in the first place. However, a scale and a micrometer are the basic tools of the trade here, and no matter what you are doing, you have to pay attention to the basics.
Just like with shooting, sometimes a bad habit can be learned, at which point it becomes necessary to go back to the basics of form, and unlearn. Usually this only takes a matter of seconds, and doesn't require busting out the training wheels, but if at any point someone is too proud to test themselves against a standard, that person is no longer at the top of their game.
What I have done here has really gotten back to the basics, but I am learning a new form, and its no skin off my back to ride a tricycle for a day or two to make sure I've got my head screwed on straight.
Sometimes, you need to wax a few cars, and paint a few fences before you learn to throw a punch, and I understand that.
And why not? I enjoy every part of this, and I almost enjoy casting more than I enjoy shooting. I'm going to be burning powder and lead anyway, and I'm not trying to keep up with local competitors, so why not?
When I started casting 18 years ago, my dad gave me one hour of instruction and I had to figure the rest out on my own. I've never really gone back to square 1, torn everything down and built it back up systematically, and now is as good a time as any. I'll be better for it when I'm done, and this may not be the last time I do such a thing.
I want to understand, but there are many ways of understanding something.