weighing cases

[D.S.]

I read an article the other day on the benefits of weighing cases for longrange shooting. After reading about the verticle spread differences between unweighed and weighed cases, I decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to start weighing and sorting my cases. However what sounded like a great idea quickly turned to a pain-in-the-***

. I was getting many different weights, although 90% of them were only differing by .2,.5,.3, etc. grain increments. My question is, by what increments do you guys sort your cases?--every .1 grain(I sure hope not), every .5 grain(Ex.--GROUP 1-All cases weighing between 43grns and 43.5 grns), or every grain, etc. So far I'm not shooting past 700yds so I don't think I need to be as meticulous as the +1000yd shooters need to be. THANKS fort your time!--Drew Stuart

 

[Mysticplayer]

This topic has been debated many times before and there is lots of great info in the archives.

For me, case weight is of little consequence. Small variations in weight can occur from non critical areas of the case.

What matters is case volume, neck tension, and concentricity. If these are as good as possible, then the brass will shoot well. Neck tension can be improved through proper annealing of the necks.

I measure case volume AFTER firing in my chamber. I use a very fine gunpowder and tap the cases to ensure it all goes it. I have found that most cases have such close case volume as to be insignificant. These cases would have been rejected due to case weight.

Concentricity of fired brass will give you an idea of how well your chamber was cut and its relationship to the bore. There should be almost no runout. If there is runout, much over a few thou, there is nothing you can do to improve the performance of this rifle through case prep. The barrel will need to be rechambered or replaced.

For sizing, I love the Lee collet neck sizer and have found it to produce cases with very low runout due to sizing.

Beyond that, clean burning powder that is stable at different temps and primers hot enough to cause consistent ignition are ingredients I believe will lead to small round groups. Accurate bullets are a given.

Jerry