Weighing bullets

Discussions of powders, bullets and loading information.

Moderators: Kirk, Lucinda

rgchristensen
Posts: 180
Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2016 10:51 pm

Weighing bullets

Post by rgchristensen »

When I started seriously playing this game, ca 25 years ago, I was an inveterate weigher-of-bullets. What all the weighing of bullets taught me is HOW to cast bullets, and I now think that is the only reason to weigh bullets, to check on your casting skill. Another lesson is not that the bullets must weigh the same, but that they should be perfect. If two bullets, cast of the same alloy in the same mould, vary in weight, at least ONE of them has an imperfection in it. Many times these can be observed by cutting into the bullets. Pick a "light" bullet and grab it horizontally in a vise just below center. Shave off lead with something like a sharp wood chisel, and probably when you get near the center of the bullet, you will find a cavity, perhaps 0.040 - 0.050" in diameter and up to 1/4" long. Lead being soft, when the bullet is fired, the cavity will collapse, and the possibility arises that the bullet will become unbalanced. Or maybe not, because the shrinkage cavities tend to be near the center-line of the bullets.
Now to the experiment.... I collected maybe 50-odd bullets, including a few judged to be of "perfect" weight, and many varying up to 5-6 grains less. The weights were written on the ogives of the bullets and they were loaded into cartridges. These were fired, scope/bench, at a target consisting of a grid of lines, so that each bullet could be fired when aiming at a different grid intersection for each round. This allowed the calculation of the mean point of impact of all the bullets, each with respect to its own grid intersection, and then the variation of the point of impact of each bullet from the mean point of impact. The variation of each bullet from the mean POI was plotted vs. the weights of the bullets, expecting to find a general trend of wider dispersion of bullets of lighter weights. Surprisingly, this did NOT occur. Most of the bullets were distributed close to the mean point of impact, but the occasional ones which were noticeably outside the usual distribution ("3-sigma fliers" if you will) became more frequent. These fliers amounted to about 20% of all the bullets tested. BUT remember that these were, for the most part, bullets that would have been rejected by weighing, and were perhaps only 5% of the bullets cast. 5% of 20% is only 1%. My conclusion was that weighing bullets, therefore, was not worth the trouble.
I hope that this will be of interest. Many will likely not agree with my conclusions -- maybe it will lead to a good discussion.

CHRIS
RGChristensen
bruce m
Posts: 3350
Joined: Tue Aug 04, 2009 5:25 am
Location: australia

Re: Weighing bullets

Post by bruce m »

good post chris.
thanks for sharing the experiment.
bruce.
ventum est amicus meus
Woody
Posts: 6060
Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 9:02 am
Location: Freetown, Indiana

Re: Weighing bullets

Post by Woody »

and I now think that is the only reason to weigh bullets, to check on your casting skill.
I totally agree. I quit weighting many years ago. Now If I could only bring myself to trust my observations on weighing powder charges.

Woody
Richard A. Wood
If you are surrounded. You are in a target rich environment.
BFD
Posts: 2789
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 7:36 pm

Re: Weighing bullets

Post by BFD »

I hope more people stop weighing bullets.

I recommend it for all competitors (except me).... :)
SchuetzenDave
Posts: 864
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2013 9:07 am
Location: St. Albert, Alberta

Re: Weighing bullets

Post by SchuetzenDave »

Agreed.

Match grade bullets are considered to be within 1% total variation.
So for a 500 grain bullet: all bullets within 5 grains variation is match grade and will have no influence on accuracy.

In the Schuetzen game I shot a 1,245 out of 1,250 points (@200 yards 45 bullseyes and 5 bullets slightly over halfway outside the bullseye ring).
They were bullets that were never weighed.

However I only shoot bullets with sharp square bases.

Rounded bullet bases will affect accuracy.

Yes I precisely weigh all powder charges.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
User avatar
Don McDowell
Posts: 7633
Joined: Thu Nov 29, 2007 2:04 pm
Location: Ft. Laramie Wy
Contact:

Re: Weighing bullets

Post by Don McDowell »

I think it depends a lot on what you're going to do with those bullets.
Handgun bullets and other applications where the use will be short range I doubt it matters much. I seldom weight those except just to see what they do weigh with a given alloy.
Silhouette, yes I would imagine that after the mould is warmed up and things are humming along nicely a person could get by well enough to not bother weighing, so long as the bases are all looking good.
Long Range, anything beyond 500 yards, I think the extra attention to detail pays off. Weighing not only gives you a second chance to observe any obvious defects in the bullets, it also gives a bit of mental confidence knowing the uniformity of the bullets won't be causing you grief.
2 shots in the 6 ring , where the second shot takes out the spotting disc will beat an X and a miss every time. :wink:
AKA Donny Ray Rockslinger :?
rgchristensen
Posts: 180
Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2016 10:51 pm

Re: Weighing bullets

Post by rgchristensen »

I certainly agree that confidence in the performance of ones' equipment is an important factor. If it makes you feel good, do it!!

CHRIS
RGChristensen
BFD
Posts: 2789
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 7:36 pm

Re: Weighing bullets

Post by BFD »

I'm not as good at casting as everyone on the forums. I cast 100 bullets or so at a time. Prewarm my mould on a hot plate. Toss back the first few bullets just to be sure.

But I still weigh my bullets. And I still continue to find 2 or 3 bullets that are as much as 1 or 2 grains off the "norm". while the rest will fall within a 1/2 grn of the mean and mode for the session. They look good too. Might even shoot into the center. But they might also be one those "in the window" shots on rams or, god forbid, pigs. Happens. I've seen it.

I would never, ever make a decision to weigh or not weigh on a target like SchuetzenDave's. As nice as that target is. It is just a target and only at chicken distances.
Kurt
Posts: 8428
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2005 10:28 pm
Location: Not Far enough NW in Illinois

Re: Weighing bullets

Post by Kurt »

I used to weigh my bullets also but quit. I used to cast with a loose plate that would swing freely and I used to get a lot of variances in weight. I split several the light bullets to see if they had voids but I never saw a clean hole I always saw dross that got into the cavity. This started me to take a rag with lube on it and I rub it on the ladle spigot so the dross don't stick on it and this stopped it. Also most of the weight variances come from the loose sprue plate getting pushed up or held down. When I cast the spigot is tight on the plate with the hole on the side and when I turn the mould and it's upright I lift the ladle off the plate and let the alloy empty over the hole making the vibration it creates fill the cavity, but what I found doing this with a loose plate was it raised the plate and this added some weight so my plates are tight and I need to push the plate with a wood dowel I use to cut the sprue and move the plate and the base edges are sharp.
If a bullet drops more then 5/10 light from the heaviest I changed something in my pour mostly stopping the pour too soon.
The reason a dog has so many friends is because he wags his tail instead of his tongue.

"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery"Winston Churchill
Mustang1
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2019 10:48 am

Re: Weighing bullets

Post by Mustang1 »

I am NOT as good a caster as those on here but I weigh all my bullets and segregate plus or minus 1/2 grain.
LazyM
Posts: 247
Joined: Sat Mar 27, 2010 8:27 pm
Location: Saint Simons Island, GA

Re: Weighing bullets

Post by LazyM »

Wish I was someone from the "upper tier" that really know these things... however, here is my 2 cents.

I try to cast as much as I can in one day. The reason? The casting, and the weights, are more consistent. Interestingly, I have noted that bullets cast the next day will have the same weight distribution, but perhaps + or - half grain. Not really any different, but I noticed it.

Having said the above, I weigh and group my cast bullets by .1 grain. Yes, .1! And having said that, all I think that really does is give me confidence in the cast bullets. Any deviation on the target is surely that of the shooter, nit the gear.

Do what makes you comfortable. It can only give you confidence in that area. Then move on to the next "problem" area of this sport! 😁🙄
Kurt
Posts: 8428
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2005 10:28 pm
Location: Not Far enough NW in Illinois

Re: Weighing bullets

Post by Kurt »

Weighing bullets is a :D
fullsizeoutput_599.jpeg
The reason a dog has so many friends is because he wags his tail instead of his tongue.

"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery"Winston Churchill
Glen Ring
Posts: 904
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2019 3:45 pm

Re: Weighing bullets

Post by Glen Ring »

I have only been shooting BPCR 2 years so I'm no expert. I weigh all my bullets to the grain and that's how I shoot them...in groups of 535 grain, groups of 534 grain..etc.
I pan lube in the oven on low heat with spg lube. When the lube has melted I turn off the heat and wait for the lube to solidify..then I place the pan in the freezer for a few minutes.

I push all bullets out of the block by pushing on the nose..especially the bullets with different diameter bands. I push another batch of weighed bullets in the holes and then start all over.
I weigh all powder charges and make sure all bullets are seated in one setting.

How many folks use a flash hole uniformer on their cases? I enjoyed the advice and help offered by Brain Chilson last year at my fiirst nationals in BPCR, but I don't know his handle on here to ask him specifically.

Everything Brian told me helped a lot.
There are those that talk, and those that act. Make a choice.
BFD
Posts: 2789
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 7:36 pm

Re: Weighing bullets

Post by BFD »

Glen, I think you have a good system going. (of course I don't use grease grooves). Stick with it.

I think flashhole uniforming is unnecessary, at least for Starline brass. They are very consistently made and I have seen no advantage to messing with them.

I do not believe Brian posts on this forum. Could be wrong but I've never known him to be a poster here.

Brent
SchuetzenDave
Posts: 864
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2013 9:07 am
Location: St. Albert, Alberta

Re: Weighing bullets

Post by SchuetzenDave »

I uniform both the primer pocket as well as the flash hole on all brass I shoot competitively.
A uniform primer pocket results in the exact same firing pin ignition with equal distances to every primer fired.
The flash hole may not be perfectly circular and may have a drill burr splitting the ignition flame.
Uniforming it results in a consistent ignition flame.

Starline brass is very good and not much is removed.

Winchester brass is the worst and uniforming it greatly improves the consistency of ignition.

Target above was shot with uniformed Remington brass.
Post Reply