Because of this discussion ( http://forums.accuratereloadin...3621043/m/3571052191 ), I weighted at least 10 randomly selected bullets from box and found weight variations. My result are:

8 mm 196 gr Sellier Bellot SPCE - 195.2 to 196.0 gr
8 mm 196 gr Norma Oryx - 195.5 to 195.6 gr
.375 300 gr Swift A-frame - 299.5 to 300.6 gr

.45 200 gr Sierra FPJ Match - 199.6 to 200.5 gr
.45 185 gr Sierra Sportmaster - 184.5 to 185.2 gr
.45 230 gr Hornady XTP - 229.6 to 230.2 gr
.45 230 gr Hornady FMJ FP - 229.2 to 230.6 gr
.45 185 gr Speer TMJ - 183.7 to 185.6 gr
.45 230 Sellier Bellot FMJ - 229.0 to 229.9 gr
.45 200 gr Ares HC coated - 201.5 to 203 gr
.45 250 gr Ares HC coated - 248.6 to 250.0 gr

.501 400 gr Ares HC coated - 404 to 406.2 gr.
.500 400 gr Woodleigh FP - 400.1 to 401.7

I didn't weight Lehigh Defense bullets, because it make no sense.

What are your results?

Jiri

Years ago I had a box of Norma 6.5mm FMJ's which were labeled 138.9 grains. Every one I checked came in at exactly 138.9 grains.

Shows that modern bullets are more precise than they need to be for most purposes.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Shows that modern bullets are more precise than they need to be for most purposes.

Not Winchester Fail Safe!

I have had the worst bullet variation on these than any other bullets, ever.

I think we had some with a variation of up to 5 grains from a box of 270 caliber 140 grains!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Shows that modern bullets are more precise than they need to be for most purposes.

Not Winchester Fail Safe!

I have had the worst bullet variation on these than any other bullets, ever.

I think we had some with a variation of up to 5 grains from a box of 270 caliber 140 grains!!!

Hmmmm. That might be part of the reason why Winchester stopped making them, though I suspect their high price might have played a bigger role especially if you consider that they were almost a solution for which there really wasn't much of a problem.

Having said that, I found a load or two that I'd happily use for hunting for large animals within 300 yards, which means they were ~1.5 MOA.

I had some blue Barnes, .308 cal, 180 grain bullets that varied about 2 grains up and down (4 grain spread) I talked to Barnes about them and they said that their tolerances were 2%.

Many years later I talked to a Barnes Rep about the 300 grain TSX bullets weighing in close to exactly 300 grains and he said that their tolerances "were significantly less than 0.5%"

In the real world of hunting and killing stuff under field conditions, how critical would a 2gr variation be? Or even +/- 5grs?
I weighed a box of Hornady 139gr 7mm bullets once. They all weighed 140gr +/- .5grs.

quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:
In the real world of hunting and killing stuff under field conditions, how critical would a 2gr variation be? Or even +/- 5grs?
I weighed a box of Hornady 139gr 7mm bullets once. They all weighed 140gr +/- .5grs.

Agree. To me, and wrt the .270 140 gr. Failsafe bullets, the pertinent quality is accuracy: are they accurate enough so that I can hit a large (or especially tough) big game animal (elk, hogs, moose) where I want to up to 300 yards?

I got the same distribution as Frank with 500 150gr. bulk bullets from Midway about 15 years ago when I sorted them.Even after sorting into 4 groups they didn't shoot much differently and that wasn't too great. roger

Man made in an imperfect world! Enough said!

You can do those tests over and over with different boxes/lots of bullets and get a different read everytime, its a solution into a non existent problem from a hunting bullet standpoint. Same with velocity from box to box of factory loaded ammo, and lot of handloads for that matter..

As a matter of fact, we hear and read all the time if you change one component in a load, it won't shoot to your existing zero..Most of my guns shoot almost anything to the same POI, I like that..its a gun "thang" That cheap Sav. 219 Single shot 30-30 I bought last week, for instance, I can't find a load that that won't shoot in it and all to the same POI..I have a 30-30 that does the same..Its a crap shoot boys!