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should weigh every round unless you are just plinking.
They might be that shiny cause I accidentally left the tumbler on for 12hrs whoops.
I did use the Hornady oneshot and I liked it quite a bit! Didn't stick one!!!! Hahaha Sizing even these small cases definitely let you know you working at it! (RCBS JR2).
next up will be loading up a ladder for my new to me .243, that one I'm super excited about! All the components are so much easier to handle, I may have dropped...a few projectiles lol
Not me, man. Do you weigh your pistol charges?should weigh every round unless you are just plinking.
weigh the entire completed round?
...
Well Cleaned | WIN | Blazer |
9mm Brass | 57.6 | 59.8 |
| 58.1 | 60.1 |
| 58.3 | 60.2 |
| 58.4 | 60.2 |
| 58.6 | 60.3 |
| 58.7 | 60.3 |
| 58.8 | 60.4 |
| 58.9 | 60.7 |
| 59.1 | 60.7 |
| 59.5 | 60.8 |
Average | 58.6 | 60.35 |
Median | 58.65 | 60.3 |
Extreme Spread | 1.9 | 1.0 |
Standard Deviation | 0.54 | 0.31 |
| 9mm | .40 S&W |
| 123.8 | 149.9 |
| 124.2 | 150.1 |
| 124.2 | 150.4 |
| 124.2 | 150.6 |
| 124.3 | 150.6 |
Avg | 124.14 | 150.32 |
Median | 124.2 | 150.4 |
ES | 0.5 | 0.7 |
SD | 0.19 | 0.31 |
Perhaps he meant weighing the bullets which is something you can do when you get anal about precision. You can also weigh your empty cases and sort them. Then with careful measurement of powder you should get consistent ammo if you are using same weight bullets and same weight cases and same weight powder.
The other reason you might weigh your cartridges, though I've never done it, is to look for squibs (no powder). The reason I don't think it is good for consistency as opposed to looking for squibs, is that if you have a bullet that is 0.5 gr heavy and drop powder 0.5 gr light, the end result is going to look perfect when it isn't. Like @Certaindeaf mentioned, this is more meaningful with pistol carts than rifle as being 0.5 gr. light on 4.0 gr powder load is a significant 12.5% error, but on a 50 gr. rifle load is a 1% error.
For a real world look at variation, I just grabbed ten random 9mm cases (deprimed and thoroughly wet tumble cleaned with stainless pins and headstamp sorted) and weighed them on an RCBS digital scale:
Well Cleaned WIN Blazer 9mm Brass 57.6 59.8 58.1 60.1 58.3 60.2 58.4 60.2 58.6 60.3 58.7 60.3 58.8 60.4 58.9 60.7 59.1 60.7 59.5 60.8 Average 58.6 60.35 Median 58.65 60.3 Extreme Spread 1.9 1.0 Standard Deviation 0.54 0.31
And here's some bullets. The 9mm are Xtreme copper plated hollow point 124 gr. and the .40s are 150 gr. Nosler jacketed hollow points:
9mm .40 S&W 123.8 149.9 124.2 150.1 124.2 150.4 124.2 150.6 124.3 150.6 Avg 124.14 150.32 Median 124.2 150.4 ES 0.5 0.7 SD 0.19 0.31
The total weight of the heaviest 9mm case plus bullet (blue text) is 183.8. The total weight of the lightest of each (green text) is 181.4 and the difference between these is 2.4 -- for reference I'm using a powder load with these that runs 5.8 grains. It is possible that the light case/bullet combo could hide a 2+ grain overcharge and the heavy combo, a 2+ grain undercharge (a 30% powder error is huge). This is why I don't think weighing the whole cartridge is useful for precision, but might be for looking for no powder or double powder conditions (providing the case will fit a double). But just being a grain or two different is probably not useful information.
Anyway -- yes -- I had fun playing with tables. Sorry for the wall of text.
See that all makes sense, I even know some benchrest guys will actually measure the internal volume of the cases to eliminate as many deviations as possible.
Now these are just rounds for my AR, so I think I may have gone just a bit overboard for what it is. (16" M4 profile with basic standard parts) not a precision rifle by any stretch.