Someone gave me a tip recently and said that weighing your bullets and then firing them in groups of similar weight can potentially decrease the size of your groups. Does anybody here practice that? If so, how effective do you find it do be?
Range Report Weighing Bullets
- Thread starter SmallBoreSnipers
- Start date
Re: Weighing Bullets
With most modern bullets, the weight variation is so small that no real benefit is gained by sorting bullets by weight.
On very rare occasion, it's possible that a 'wrong' bullet makes it into a box, or a defective bullet with a short core makes it thru the process into a box that can be way off in weight (20+ grains). Catching these one-in-a-million defects might make it worth all the sorting, but I don't think it will improve your groups to sort by 0.01 or 0.1 grains.
-Bryan
With most modern bullets, the weight variation is so small that no real benefit is gained by sorting bullets by weight.
On very rare occasion, it's possible that a 'wrong' bullet makes it into a box, or a defective bullet with a short core makes it thru the process into a box that can be way off in weight (20+ grains). Catching these one-in-a-million defects might make it worth all the sorting, but I don't think it will improve your groups to sort by 0.01 or 0.1 grains.
-Bryan
Re: Weighing Bullets
+1 ,After weighing a box of 500 175 SMK, it was found that 90% were within .2 grains
About 9% were up to .5 grains out, and that last few were up to a grain out.
I won't do that again as there are so many other things that I don't do perfect that will mask any benefit of precision weight bullets.
+1 ,After weighing a box of 500 175 SMK, it was found that 90% were within .2 grains
About 9% were up to .5 grains out, and that last few were up to a grain out.
I won't do that again as there are so many other things that I don't do perfect that will mask any benefit of precision weight bullets.
Re: Weighing Bullets
Weighing Bergers is wasting time. Weighing custom bullets is wasting time. Other production bullets = you can decrease the size of your groups. Get a digital balance that weighs 1/100th (0.00) of a grain. Calibrate it EVERY time you turn it on and often there after.
I've inspected a LOT of bullets. Bergers are the MOST consistant production bullet you can buy. I am NOT being paid to make that statement. I have the data to back up that statement.
Weighing Bergers is wasting time. Weighing custom bullets is wasting time. Other production bullets = you can decrease the size of your groups. Get a digital balance that weighs 1/100th (0.00) of a grain. Calibrate it EVERY time you turn it on and often there after.
I've inspected a LOT of bullets. Bergers are the MOST consistant production bullet you can buy. I am NOT being paid to make that statement. I have the data to back up that statement.
Re: Weighing Bullets
For routine practice, or local/club level matches, I'd agree that you'll spend way more time than you'll ever get back out of it. The odds of ever finding anything thats far enough off to be meaningful are slim at best. But for big matches, where you have a significant amount of time and $money$ invested otherwise (travel, entry fees, etc.)... in my mind it certainly doesn't hurt to spend a little extra effort checking - mainly to protect against exactly the sort of weird-ball defects that Bryan described.
For routine practice, or local/club level matches, I'd agree that you'll spend way more time than you'll ever get back out of it. The odds of ever finding anything thats far enough off to be meaningful are slim at best. But for big matches, where you have a significant amount of time and $money$ invested otherwise (travel, entry fees, etc.)... in my mind it certainly doesn't hurt to spend a little extra effort checking - mainly to protect against exactly the sort of weird-ball defects that Bryan described.
Re: Weighing Bullets
im doing it as a test right now to check how much variatiion is in the weights and base to ogive dimensions for some "seconds" quality sierra match kings from the factory outlet. so far ivwe beebn finding all to be under weight from 174.5 to 174.7 and ogive dimensions vary by over .040 which is probably a bigger factor for long range than the weights. still unsure how much this all actually affects performance tho.
im doing it as a test right now to check how much variatiion is in the weights and base to ogive dimensions for some "seconds" quality sierra match kings from the factory outlet. so far ivwe beebn finding all to be under weight from 174.5 to 174.7 and ogive dimensions vary by over .040 which is probably a bigger factor for long range than the weights. still unsure how much this all actually affects performance tho.
Re: Weighing Bullets
i do weigh all my bullets but most scales have some variance out of all the 142 gr smks ive weighed the lightest ive found was 141.5 and the heavest was 142.4
i do weigh all my bullets but most scales have some variance out of all the 142 gr smks ive weighed the lightest ive found was 141.5 and the heavest was 142.4
Re: Weighing Bullets
Yup, weighing bullets is a collosal waste of time, especially when you are talking bullets like Bergers.
John
Yup, weighing bullets is a collosal waste of time, especially when you are talking bullets like Bergers.
John
Re: Weighing Bullets
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Rob01</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Spending more time shooting the bullets rather than weighing them will do more for your groups. </div></div>
Sage words.....
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Rob01</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Spending more time shooting the bullets rather than weighing them will do more for your groups. </div></div>
Sage words.....
Re: Weighing Bullets
Only setting I've seen that do any good is with CHEAPcrap bullets like Win 147 FMJBTs, which took them from 3 MOA to 1.5-2 MOA.
My Dad did it with M72 pills back when he was in a guard shack with 2 hours or something between check-ins. Those gave him reliable 1 MOA out of a NM-tuned Garand in .30-06--about as good as you could get out of that rifle back then.
Only setting I've seen that do any good is with CHEAPcrap bullets like Win 147 FMJBTs, which took them from 3 MOA to 1.5-2 MOA.
My Dad did it with M72 pills back when he was in a guard shack with 2 hours or something between check-ins. Those gave him reliable 1 MOA out of a NM-tuned Garand in .30-06--about as good as you could get out of that rifle back then.
Re: Weighing Bullets
As others have said, for the majority of shooters nothing beats quality trigger time. As skills and equipment progress way down the road weighing each bullet may increase group size but excepting benchrest shooters very few get to the level of skill that weighing each bullet will help. There are just way too many other factors that affect group sizes that demand more attention.
Just my opinion but what do I know, I shoot pistols at those rediculously long distances so I'm handicapped from the get go ...
Topstrap
As others have said, for the majority of shooters nothing beats quality trigger time. As skills and equipment progress way down the road weighing each bullet may increase group size but excepting benchrest shooters very few get to the level of skill that weighing each bullet will help. There are just way too many other factors that affect group sizes that demand more attention.
Just my opinion but what do I know, I shoot pistols at those rediculously long distances so I'm handicapped from the get go ...
Topstrap
Re: Weighing Bullets
Tried testing this. The identical weight bullets shot slightly worse. Really.
Concluded that there are many issues at work and some of them overtake and outweigh things like bullet weight deviations.
Greg
Tried testing this. The identical weight bullets shot slightly worse. Really.
Concluded that there are many issues at work and some of them overtake and outweigh things like bullet weight deviations.
Greg
Re: Weighing Bullets
i do not weigh but do sort base to ogive.does it help?mabe,but what helps the most is the added confidence of knowing you've produced the best ammo you can.
i do not weigh but do sort base to ogive.does it help?mabe,but what helps the most is the added confidence of knowing you've produced the best ammo you can.
Re: Weighing Bullets
i cant help but sort based on a quick visual of the hollow point, every 10 or so ill find one thats deformed or out of whack in some way, they go in the seconds bucket for 'fun' shooting. thats sierras new 155 bthp palma
i think all my patience gets used up trickling every powder charge using what id call the 'pinch of salt" method until i grab a powder trickler, hahahahahahaha
cheers jimi
i cant help but sort based on a quick visual of the hollow point, every 10 or so ill find one thats deformed or out of whack in some way, they go in the seconds bucket for 'fun' shooting. thats sierras new 155 bthp palma
i think all my patience gets used up trickling every powder charge using what id call the 'pinch of salt" method until i grab a powder trickler, hahahahahahaha
cheers jimi
Re: Weighing Bullets
Agree, downrange performance of un-sorted quality bullets is within the noise of reloading variances.
As was mentioned earlier, sorting by base-to-ogive will improve consistant seating depths. This will provide consistancy in case pressures and muzzle velocities. May not show up in short range groups, but long range groups will benifit.
Meplat trimming & bullet pointing: I thought this was crap until we did an experiment in a highpower class by Jim Owens. Trimming the meplat to make all your bullets uniform had a very noticable effect to longrange groups, pointing would do the same with an obvious benifit to make the bullet pointy....
If you're bangin steel, don't sweat it, pull the trigger more. If you are looking to make tiny holes in targets give it a try.
Agree, downrange performance of un-sorted quality bullets is within the noise of reloading variances.
As was mentioned earlier, sorting by base-to-ogive will improve consistant seating depths. This will provide consistancy in case pressures and muzzle velocities. May not show up in short range groups, but long range groups will benifit.
Meplat trimming & bullet pointing: I thought this was crap until we did an experiment in a highpower class by Jim Owens. Trimming the meplat to make all your bullets uniform had a very noticable effect to longrange groups, pointing would do the same with an obvious benifit to make the bullet pointy....
If you're bangin steel, don't sweat it, pull the trigger more. If you are looking to make tiny holes in targets give it a try.
