Been casting .357 168gr, gas checks.
Just for grins I weighed up a bunch on the RCBS Load Master Scale.
Weights are: in grains.
162.5
163.5
162.5
163.5
163.0
163.6
164.5
163.6
163.8
164.6
These have been lubed and sized, so I supposed that I should have weighed them before I did that, but seem pretty close?

Any one else compare their bullets?
Gonna weigh a bunch of factory .168gr Hollow points jast to see how close they are.

Thats a 2.1 grain spread, which is better than some cheap commercial jacketed bullets give you. Yes, weighing them pre-lube might do a little better, but I also think you'll find that if you can manage to segregate the bullets by which cavity of the mold they come out of, you'll get an improvement that makes it easier to spot weights that fall outside the group. Bullets that are too light often have an oxide inclusion that is less dense than the rest of the alloy. These are usually not perfectly centered, so the bullets wobble in flight as a result and don't group with the rest except by random chance. The occasional extra heavy bullet is usually due to a little flake of lead or some dirt or oxide getting caught between the mold halves and keeping them from closing 100%. That leads to bullets whose diameter is not uniform all around. They may or may not shoot OK, but probably, again, won't group exactly with the others.

For match shooting, I like all the bullets from the same mold cavity to be within about a grain of each other. I seem to recall some tests showing a grain and a half for .38's was a good target shooting number, but don't quote me on that. My memory isn't getting any younger. If you have two mold cavities dropping different weights, the average weights can also be that different and still give you good groups when subsequently mixed. That means you've got two batches of bullets, each from a single cavity with 1.5 grain extreme spread, but when mixed give you a three grain total extreme spread without a problem.

Thanks, but I think I will still weigh up some pre lubed, just to see.

I like the target of a grain and a half to shoot for.
Guess only the range will tell.

Some i cast. 45acp 200gr 208.3 207.8 206.8 207.7 208.0 207.5 208.4 208.4 357 158gr swc 165.0 164.7 165.1 165.2 164.6 164.3 164.4 164.5 I was testing the weight of the first 4 good bullets to the last 4 bullets out of a 10lb pot.

First cut: the visual inspection.

Second cut: 1%
My general rule has been that under 1% is a passing. Not that I toss all of the rejects back in the pot, at least the visually good ones (even if over that 1% mark) get saved as "warm-ups".




So I don' have a grain-limit. If casting little 47gr. .224's, my limit would be under 1/2gr for PASSING. IF casting 500gr. bullets, only the ones from 495-500 get past the 2nd cut. From theer, feel free to divid your bullets as closely as you'd care to.

I weigh all my bullets;even the commercial jacketed ones.
They are sorted in three groups;light,medium and heavy.
Cast bullets are weighed after visual inspection,before S&L.
Frank

I weigh all my bullets;even the commercial jacketed ones.
They are sorted in three groups;light,medium and heavy.
Cast bullets are weighed after visual inspection,before S&L.
Frank
Thanks guys.........
I noticed about a .3 to .5 gr difference on weight before and after S&L.
I gonna see how they shoot, but I think I will also seperate them in the S-M-H catogories.