Weighing brass
- Thread starter petenz
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Chawlston
Guest
The accuracy achieved or even noticed depends on the rig you are shooting. If you have sub .25 moa rifle, you will probably notice it. On the other hand, if you have one that is a .5 moa or better, you will probably not notice it.
I do it to identify the grossly over or under weight cases.
Chawlston
A complete waste of time... Do it if it makes you feel better but the actual weight of the case has nothing to do with the volumetric capacity of the case and that is what matters. Think about it for a while and it will become clear..
davewilson
Well-Known Member
Boss, i agree with you 100% on this one!
Varmint Hunter
Well-Known Member
How could that be?? If two cases have the exact same exterior diminsions (after firing) and one case weighs more than the other, the heavier case must have less capacity; no?
J E Custom
Well-Known Member
Petenz
You must size,trim,deburr case neck inside and out and deburr
the flash hole so that all cases are the exact same dimension
externally before you weigh the cases.
If this is not done weighing is a waste of time.
I separate to 1gr (example) 269.0 to 269.9 one group, 270.0 to
270.9. another group for general hunting.
And in 1/2gr batches for long range hunting and target shooting
to lower standard deviations (The main reason for weight sorting).
And if you end up with one or two that are way out (3or4grs)away
from the rest I use these to set COAL with no primer and the bullet
to be used and place them with my dies for future use and reference.
J E CUSTOM
You must size,trim,deburr case neck inside and out and deburr
the flash hole so that all cases are the exact same dimension
externally before you weigh the cases.
If this is not done weighing is a waste of time.
I separate to 1gr (example) 269.0 to 269.9 one group, 270.0 to
270.9. another group for general hunting.
And in 1/2gr batches for long range hunting and target shooting
to lower standard deviations (The main reason for weight sorting).
And if you end up with one or two that are way out (3or4grs)away
from the rest I use these to set COAL with no primer and the bullet
to be used and place them with my dies for future use and reference.
J E CUSTOM
davewilson
Well-Known Member
here's what ya do. take several cases that weigh exactly the same. plug the primer pocket and fill them with powder. i use a small ball powder as it fills very uniformly. see how even the amount of powder is in all of them. i've done this in my RUM cases and they will vary more than 2 gr in cases that weigh the same. i sort by measuring the volume of the case. really don't care what it weighs.
J E Custom
Well-Known Member
My first comment is ,Nothing is a wast of time if it
makes you feel better about what you are doing.
The next thing is using any medium to check volume
except maybe water.
The reason I question this is because I have wildcated
several cartriges and in my quest to find the case volume
to start the loading process this is what I found.
Powder of any type was very inconsistant because it can
be compressed or vibrated to change its volume.
Filling a new case that had been sized,trimmed, debured
and a spent primer placed in backwards with water was
the most accurate.
By prepping the case as described and placing it on the scale
and adding water with an eye dropper until it reaches the
top of the case (flush ,no dome) you will have weight in grains
and not have to convert from CC,s like when you use a Burrette
to measure volume in CC,s.
"Saami measures all cases in grains of water volume"
My problem with doing all of my cases this way is time,so
I do one and then weigh it this gives me a base line to work
off of.
The only time it is nessary to know what the actual volume of
a case is when you wildcat a round and there is no loading
data for it you have to try and find a case of similar capacity
and bore diameter to have a safe starting point for reloading
or you just want to know how much you increased the volume
by changing the dimensions of the parent case.
When weight sorting all you are interested in is consistency
between each case so that standard deviation can be improved.
Just my 2 cents worth
J E CUSTOM
makes you feel better about what you are doing.
The next thing is using any medium to check volume
except maybe water.
The reason I question this is because I have wildcated
several cartriges and in my quest to find the case volume
to start the loading process this is what I found.
Powder of any type was very inconsistant because it can
be compressed or vibrated to change its volume.
Filling a new case that had been sized,trimmed, debured
and a spent primer placed in backwards with water was
the most accurate.
By prepping the case as described and placing it on the scale
and adding water with an eye dropper until it reaches the
top of the case (flush ,no dome) you will have weight in grains
and not have to convert from CC,s like when you use a Burrette
to measure volume in CC,s.
"Saami measures all cases in grains of water volume"
My problem with doing all of my cases this way is time,so
I do one and then weigh it this gives me a base line to work
off of.
The only time it is nessary to know what the actual volume of
a case is when you wildcat a round and there is no loading
data for it you have to try and find a case of similar capacity
and bore diameter to have a safe starting point for reloading
or you just want to know how much you increased the volume
by changing the dimensions of the parent case.
When weight sorting all you are interested in is consistency
between each case so that standard deviation can be improved.
Just my 2 cents worth
J E CUSTOM
davewilson
Well-Known Member
that's why i use spherical powder. it fills the case very uniformly and the same amount every time. i would put this in the category of there's more than one way to skin a cat!
Dave he is correct however-------the surface tension of water (both on tiny air pockets inside the case to how far the water extends over the top of the neck of the case when filling as it will not be flat unless a surfactant is used been there done that too many times) can be an issue in the filling of the case whereas, the small spherical balls and the way they are coated are much easier and a more consistent way to perform this operation on a repeatable basis for hundreds of rounds of brass IMHO..
C
Chawlston
Guest
I can probably weigh a half dozen cases by the time one farts around filling cases with material and then dumps it into the pan for measure.
On the other hand, I have been tinkering to find the point at which I am wasting my time. So far, factory guns with tuned factory ammo is impressive to say the least. They (ones I have tested) all will shoot less than .375 moa @ 400.
On a different note, of all the case prep I do for my custom guns, weighing is probably the least productive but it takes very little time as compared to filling cases with stuff and then weighing the stuff and then finally getting all the stuff out of the case............
So unless someone comes up with a better way to get .2 moa on a consistent basis out of my shooting rigs, I will continue to perform all my procedures (wastes of time).
One of the biggest wastes of time is reading some of the drivel thay you find on these threads by self-proclaimed experts that have limited or zero practical experience with the matters on which they pontificate.
I have found that most folks I observe are limited by their abilities vice their equipement. Heck, most don't even use a mirage shade when they evaluate loads.
Chawlston
I will admit I havn't tried to compare water to powder, but I will disagree with you thinking back to my chemestry classes. Water is extreemly uniform volume to weight wise. You are talking about the maniscus that forms at the mouth of the case and it shouldn't be that hard to fill cases to the same level. I could be wrong though
