Hey gang,

I have a Hornady LnL AP press. I ran a batch .45 ACP test bullets with medium power charges (according to the Hornady Manual, I went with the middle recommended charge of Winchester 231 or 5.3GN). Upon shooting them, they performed perfectly. All brass was reloaded from Federal Champion Target ammunition, so they were small CCI primers, with Hornady 230 Grain bullets.

I then ran two more batches with the same bullets and charge of Winchester 231 powder. Batch one was brass with small CCI primers and batch two was brass with large CCI primers. Before running each batch, I tested my powder charges 8-10 times by weighing the dispensed load to make sure that my powder drop was indeed loading the case with 5.3GN. Usually loaded the 5.3, but occasionally fluctuated by +/- 0.1. These two batches had a mix of different brass. some of it was the same Federal Champion Target brass, some Starline, some Winchester, etc. So, aside from some bullets having large primers and some having small and the type a brass varying, everything else was the same. I also use a Dillon Powder check dye to make sure I do not double charge a case along with visualizing the powder before seating the bullet. After finishing a number of bullets, I decided to try an weigh them all to see how much difference I was getting from bullet to bullet. I took a factory 230 grain bullet and used that to Zero my electronic scale, (scale was also tested for accuracy by weighting a number of different test weights). Once my scale was zeroed to the factory 230 grain bullet, I weighed my own bullets and was seeing a lot of difference. On the high end, I was 2.0GN over zero and on the low end -10.0GN. Has anyone ever done something like this and what was your experience? Is it possible that the variance from the different manufactures of brass and small and large primers was responsible for that much variance? Do manufactures like Hornady have fluctuation of weight in their bullets?

Tomorrow I am headed to the range and I am going to try some of the bullets that weighed in -10.0 GN and see if they work, I just am scratching my head here as to what would cause this. Am I being overly anal by measuring bullets after they are done? Should I only be concerned with consistency of the powder weights as it goes into the case and be done with it?

Regards,
Steve

Do you mean he whole round or just the bullets.

I weigh cast bullets just to see what there actual weight is from the mould.

I don't weight loaded ones very offten. I did weigh a 44 240 gr shell and compared it to the weight of a loaded 148gr wad cuttter load just a few days ago.

Other then stuff like that I don't weigh completed loaded rounds.

your question is lost in your descriptions?
If you mix components you end result will be mixed.
Reloading is about consistency for the most part. the brass diffrent brands diffent lot and styles will all be at some diffrent weight.
Are you shooting jacket bullets or cast bullets?

They were all jacketed Hornady XTP 230 GN. Sorry for confusing you with the incorrect terminology that I used. I guess I was asking if the variances of +2.0 to -10.0 were anything to be concerned about when weighing completed rounds. Brass was mixed and some primers were lg and some small, but all of the bullets/projectiles that I seated in the cases were jacketed Hornady XTP 230 GN and all targeted powder charges were Winchester 231 powder at a charge of 5.3 grains per round.

Weighing loaded rounds or jacketed bullets is a waste of time. What will produce top accuracy is brass of all the same lot & manufacture in the 45 acp. I do weight cast bullets when first working up a load only. Cast can have a hidden flaw you can not see. Jacketed bullet dont have this problem.

As a rule, I don't.

I have a batch of .45 ACP that I weighed after finding faulty rounds. I have not disassembled the rounds to see if there is a correlation to the "error" weights to the average weights. I may get a chnace later this week since this has come up.

Something to mention, my faulty rounds were loaded on a progressive and the failure was no powder in three so far. Two found in the gun, stuck bullet, and one when I took apart a random handful. A large pistol primer will drive a cast lead bullet far enough into the barrel to chamber a round behind it but not eject the shell.

why?? you ain't shootin beschrest groups with a pistol. and even if you were, you just aren't that good a shot

Thanks for all the responses and great info. Sorry that my terminology used in the initial question was confusing. You all guessed correctly as to what I was trying to ask. I was weighing finished rounds or cartridges. Anyway, I took a number of my reloads to the range today. I brought the some that had the greatest high variance at 2.0 GN and a bunch that weighed 10.0 GN lighter. All rounds performed perfectly. Thanks again everyone!

NO

Quit being so anal load the things and go shooting.

I dont think 2 grs. will make any difference at 20 yds. with a pistol. I weighed a bunch of different kinds of 44 jacketed bullets one time, just to check variation. Speer,hornady,sierra.If I remember speer was the most consistant but all of em were close to 240.

quote:

Originally posted by blackface:
I dont think 2 grs. will make any difference at 20 yds. with a pistol. I weighed a bunch of different kinds of 44 jacketed bullets one time, just to check variation. Speer,hornady,sierra.If I remember speer was the most consistant but all of em were close to 240.

Not talking about a single bullet but the whole case loaded ( case powder primer bullet) got it.

Got it Mr. Ducks.