Inconsistent bullet weight

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  • Neutron

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Nov 20, 2014
    1,532
    severna park
    I haven't been reloading that long so I don't know if it matters much but I've noticed that bullet weight is not very consistent and can be off by up to 10gr within the same box of bullets. All the brands I checked had discrepancies in the weights from bullet to bullet. I checked Barries plated, Xtream, Winchester FMJ, and Hornady. All were about the same. Not a problem for the average shooter? Do you guys that do serious competition shooting weigh bullets to get better consistency?
     

    John from MD

    American Patriot
    MDS Supporter
    May 12, 2005
    22,729
    Socialist State of Maryland
    If you are shooting postal matches, benchrest matches or long range rifle matches, it pays to check for consistency. I used to check both weight and diameter of bullets when I shot in competitions. It made a difference between first and runner up. But then again, it also depends on the shooter. If you are a 4 MOA shooter and your bullet is capable of sub MOA, you will still be getting 4 MOA.

    For action sports, unless you have some really out of spec bullets, weighing won't matter. For shooting NRA Bullseye matches, it may make a difference.
     

    Doobie

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 23, 2013
    1,777
    Earth
    Are your scales accurate? Just for fun and curiosity I've weighed handgun and rifle bullets and none of them were 10 grains off from each other or the advertised weight.
     

    callidus

    Active Member
    May 21, 2013
    111
    Maryland
    Even match bullets will have some variance. It's normal.

    For plinking, or minute-of-badguy shooting, or even short-range (0-100 yards, for rifles) hunting there's no worry. If you're going for longer range or competitions, then as others have said it may be in your best interest to keep the variance pretty low.
     

    sgt23preston

    USMC LLA. NRA Life Member
    May 19, 2011
    3,994
    Perry Hall
    I've loaded a combined minimum of 15000 38 Specials (148 Grains & 158 Grains) plus 9mm x 124 grains & 45 ACP x 200 Grains...

    I've used all Berry Copper Plated Bullets...

    I've weighed a LOT of the bullets along the way...

    Most were dead on...

    The max observed deviation on any of them was + or - .3 grain written long hand the ranges are 123.7 / 124.3 grains, 147.7 / 148.3 grains, 157.7 / 158.3 grains, 199.7 / 200.3 Grains...

    And for hand guns at 25 yards max that was good enough...

    I think you may have a scale problem...

    The first thing I would is to buy a set of check weights to verify that your scale is consistently accurate...


    https://www.amazon.com/Lyman-Reloading-Scale-Weight-Check/dp/B000N8LMFG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493496937&sr=8-1&keywords=reloading+check+weights
     

    John from MD

    American Patriot
    MDS Supporter
    May 12, 2005
    22,729
    Socialist State of Maryland
    I think you may have a scale problem...

    The first thing I would is to buy a set of check weights to verify that your scale is consistently accurate...[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

    +1 This is kind of a given with any kind of scale electronic or beam. I check mine before loading as it only takes a minute. Except for my super RCBS scale. That damn thing takes 10 minutes to check due to reading the manual for the process. :rolleyes:

    I can't remember when I last used the RCBS scale due to the zeroing process.
     

    steves1911

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 2, 2011
    3,026
    On a hill in Wv
    Bullets weights have some variance but 10grains is a bit extreme. I only load for rifles and even my bulk bullets are usually within .5gr + or -. I would certainly check your scale
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,877
    Depending on the alloy, cast bullets may be a fair bit off from the nominal advertised weight. Not the bullet to bullet weight, by compared to nominal .

    If an historic mold design was origonally speced with a moderate lead-tin alloy, modern "hard" alloy with lots of antimony will be lighter. The example in mind was nominal 180gr T/C , but actual weight was 169. ( It did shoot well.)
     

    John from MD

    American Patriot
    MDS Supporter
    May 12, 2005
    22,729
    Socialist State of Maryland
    +1 on the cast alloy making different bullet weights. I usually weigh a couple of bullets when I first start casting to find out how hard the alloy is. If I have to make it harder, I add linotype until I get the weight I want.
     

    Jmorrismetal

    Active Member
    Sep 27, 2014
    468
    I haven't been reloading that long so I don't know if it matters much but I've noticed that bullet weight is not very consistent and can be off by up to 10gr within the same box of bullets. All the brands I checked had discrepancies in the weights from bullet to bullet.

    I am with the "your scale is bad" crowd or your using it incorrectly like below an AC duct or with a fan running in the room etc.

    If I vary the alloy I can make bullets from the same 230 grain mold vary from 211 grains to 240 grains it but with the same alloy in the pot they won't vary a single grain from one another.
     

    John from MD

    American Patriot
    MDS Supporter
    May 12, 2005
    22,729
    Socialist State of Maryland
    I am with the "your scale is bad" crowd or your using it incorrectly like below an AC duct or with a fan running in the room etc.

    If I vary the alloy I can make bullets from the same 230 grain mold vary from 211 grains to 240 grains it but with the same alloy in the pot they won't vary a single grain from one another.

    After seeing some of the gadgets you have set up, I wouldn't be surprised if you connected a computer sensor to your mold cavities. :rolleyes:
     

    outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,815
    Sometimes digital scales and florescent lighting don't play well together. Could this be the cause?
     

    Neutron

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Nov 20, 2014
    1,532
    severna park
    So I did some more checking and here is what I found. I'm using an old Ohaus 505 beam scale. I weighed the same bullet many times and came up with the same weight each time, exactly. I then picked out ten random bullets and weighed each one. I used Xtreme 45 cal 230gn bullets. On the low end I got 226gn and on the high end I got 238gn. And that is just from 10 bullets! I'm wondering what the range would be from the whole box of 500? I'm going to check the other brands I have to see how they compare, but from my initial check that I did a few days ago, I'm betting they are going to produce similar results.
     

    DaemonAssassin

    Why should we Free BSD?
    Jun 14, 2012
    23,970
    Political refugee in WV
    So I did some more checking and here is what I found. I'm using an old Ohaus 505 beam scale. I weighed the same bullet many times and came up with the same weight each time, exactly. I then picked out ten random bullets and weighed each one. I used Xtreme 45 cal 230gn bullets. On the low end I got 226gn and on the high end I got 238gn. And that is just from 10 bullets! I'm wondering what the range would be from the whole box of 500? I'm going to check the other brands I have to see how they compare, but from my initial check that I did a few days ago, I'm betting they are going to produce similar results.

    Call them on the false advertising. :innocent0 :sarcasm:
     

    outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,815
    I haven't been reloading that long so I don't know if it matters much but I've noticed that bullet weight is not very consistent and can be off by up to 10gr within the same box of bullets. All the brands I checked had discrepancies in the weights from bullet to bullet. I checked Barries plated, Xtream, Winchester FMJ, and Hornady. All were about the same. Not a problem for the average shooter? Do you guys that do serious competition shooting weigh bullets to get better consistency?

    Now, go weigh some .308 SMK or Berger bullets in the same caliber and see what variations you get. THOSE are competition type bullets. .45? meh...
     

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