Do you weigh every load.???

[native hunter]

G"Day All
It's interesting to see on other sites what others do when reloading, this is how it usually goes for me.
check all cases for wear and splits.
De-cap and neck size cases.
Clean flash holes and primer pockets.
Check length and trim if needed.
Chamfer case necks inside and out.
Prime all cases.
Now this is where it seems to vary.
first i fill the thrower and try not to let it get below a third.
set scales to zero and then set to grains needed.
throw three charges to get the dispenser going and then then weigh one and see if its just under as i always set it that way.
fill the trickler.
Now i always throw and weigh each load and then trickle them up.
seat the projectile then im done.
Now alot of people just throw their charge and then into the case and weigh every fifth.
i have seen to many inconsistent charges thrown to trust the dispenser and hence weigh everything, obviously this would not be needed if you had electronic dispenser.
I think this could be very dangerous as i have seen charges thrown up to +/- 1 grain , now if you load max this could be nasty .
I have heard it seems to be worse with coarse stick powder and not so bad with spherical or ball.
What are your thoughts and what do you do .
Regards
Damien Webb .

[kjd]

Mate I have a hornady thrower and I NEVER have had an inconsistantcy of up to 1 whole grain. Finer smaller powders throw so much better such as BM2 much better then 2208 but I weigh every 5 and never have a trouble I always look at my cases and how much powder is in them. I still have all ten digits! My loads shoot great too.

[dave]

Even after checking the powder thrower i weigh every single load, just habit i guess. I have some electronic scales on the way so once that gets here it will spead up the process. Damien how often do you chamfer the necks, cant say that i have done it yet mind you i havent been checking the case lengths often enough. Does anyone have the measurements for 22/250 case lengths for hunting?

[lowndsie]

Mate I weigh every load. I dont mind doing it and it gives me piece of mind in knowing that every load is a close as I can possibly get it....

[native hunter]

G'Day All
Dave , I Chamfer my cases every time I trim them which is every time I load them, I use a hand length gauge and trimmer of the lee variety, the gauge is caliber specific and it utilises a shell holder and universal trimmer, This allows easier bullet seating and less of a lip on the outside of the case for easier feeding.
Regards
Damien Webb.

[flyer]

I have found that cases don't grow that much, so I trim and champher mine every 2nd or 3rd loading, and,

I weigh every load on an RBCS electronic scales.

Flyer

[Jethro]

Yep, I weigh ever charge I throw because I only use a cheap thrower and even half a grain veriation is to much.
Hotter loads in 6mm rem cause my rem cases to stretch so that I now run the trimmer through them every load sometimes nothing changes sometimes it shaves off a bit more brass.
The name of the game as far as accuracy from shot to shot is to keep everything as uniform as possible.
Cheers Jethro.

[Kenny]

I only ever check the weight on the scales when setting up the powder measure if changing to a different powder or caliber. I use a Redding with a scale on the adjustment knob.

I have tried both the Redding and an RCBS powder thrower for consistency by throwing 10 loads, weighing each one and taking an average. There was bugger all difference.....about 1-2 tenths of a grain between them. This was with BM2 which is fairly fine grained though. Coarser powders may give worse results. Try it you may be surprised.

Benchrest shooters don't weigh every charge either, they just throw it straight from the measure into the case, they shoot little tiny groups with them. I think for hunting loads...pfft just throw em in.

Kenny

[Rinso]

Kenny,
Some BR shooters just throw and some weigh, they dont as a rule use standard powder measures. Most use a Harrells, Redding BR or K&M.
I know a few using electronic throwers that love them and a few that have given them away, apparently all electronic throwers are not equal.

One thing that is noticeable is the lack of case trimming this has been proven to improve accuracy.
Another interesting bit of info is that brass sized last month and not loaded will relax. That is the neck will shrink somewhat. This is noticed when brass sized sameday and older sized brass are loaded together. The older (last months) brass will require more force to seat the bullet which means neck tension will be different. Wont matter much in a varmit/hunting rifle really but interesting none the less.
I dont think you need to weigh every charge for hunting unless you are running very high pressure loads. Every 5 is good enough.
If you think you thrower is not very good try throwing the charge as 2 half ie if you want 28 grns throw 14 grns twice this may help.

cheers

[Kenny]

Rinso,

Being a BR shooter I only ever load using my previous description. I use a Redding BR and directly compared it to my old RCBS, the results were as I said.....hardly any diff. I have a mate who uses only an RCBS and is one of the best in the country, and yes these are just standard off the shelf measures. Harrells are a specialty measure and very expensive, from what I have seen they are no real advantage for the money, BUT I would love one just the same as they are soooo pretty

I have also heard that when reloading there is a timeframe of about a week after the case necks actually 'settle' and the tension becomes 'even' I think it was applying to molly coated projies though....do you have any knowledge of this or is it ANOTHER old wives tale

Cheers
KY

[Rinso]

Kenny,

As I said

Most use a Harrells, Redding BR or K&M.

Reddings a very good, as are most throwers, just as you say their may be little difference from rcbs to Harrells (I use an RCBS and find it good enough for LR B/Rest)
But try getting someone that has aHarrells to part with it ....

I know plenty of BR guys who weigh every load .. peace of mind, paranoia, ritualistic habit or maybe just gives a warm feeling..each to his own I say.

I read an article a little while back by Tubb or Speedy Gonzales or similar I dont recall just now. They completed tests using a pressure gauge seating die etc and proved the theory to a reasonsable degree. I dont recall that it mentioned moly only but may have I will try to locate the article and post it here for evryones info. As I said its very interesting stuff.

cheers

[Rinso]

Kenny,

Found the article...I lied it was by Jame Phillips and is on Reloaders Nest

http://www.reloaders-nest.com/

There is also an old thread about it on 6mmBR

Not saying I'd change how I do things now but nice to be informed

Cheers

[Kenny]

Rinso,

Coolies, thanks for that, very interesting reading.

The internet is just great for learning things on and it's amazing how many people it has sparked an interest in.

Though sometimes I wonder if it's sent us all a bit 'stir crazy'

cheers
KY

[Tasco]

When shooting silhouette I way every load, no questions asked. I want every bit of help I can get when shooting at 500m.


Rob

[Knackers]

I've got all Hornady gear and I weigh all my target loads, but only throw my hunting loads, I measure and set, and then measure every 5th odd load. I agree with Kenny, I've never found more than .1-.2 of a grain diff, between ball or stick type powders, and my .223 that I hunt with mostly (CZ527) will shoot .5 or less @ 100 yards all day with completely thrown loads.
Maybe I should only throw my target loads too, cause for the time taken, the results are only marginally better out of my .22-250?