Weight sorting

20 December 2019, 00:44

c.tenn

Weight sorting

I have recently started weight sorting my brass. I have a question for you who do this regularly. Here is some sorting data for a sample of Hornaday 204 Ruger brass. I don't remember whether its from 3 or 4 lot numbers.

Weight(gr) Number

92.5 > 92.9.....11

93.0 > 93.5.....35

93.5 > 93.9.....18

94.0 > 94.4.....20

94.5 > 94.9.....4

95.0............1

95.8............1

The difference between 92.5 gr and 94.9 gr is only 2.5%. Are those weights close enough that I could use the same powder weight with a 39 gr bullet for my loads and expect reasonable precision for prairie dog shooting? Thank you in advance for your help.

Carl

20 December 2019, 02:11

craigster

Yes. I use a 204 for sage rats, have never weighed or sorted brass. Plenty accurate and misses are few. And, sage rats are a smaller target than PDs.

20 December 2019, 09:13

georgeld

Just how much do you feel
those small amounts will
affect your shooting?

I think you're wasting time
and trying to pin your shooting
on something else. IF you're not
getting one hole groups.

Just my opinion.

George

20 December 2019, 16:29

DocEd

Weight sorting brass, in a quest for improved accuracy, is as much of a waste of time as listening to House Speaker Pelosi talk.

20 December 2019, 20:15

vzerone

If you are after the most accuracy the single most important case preparation for that is sorting by internal volume, not weight!!!

21 December 2019, 06:44

Kevin Gullette

In the "old" days, yeah....I sorted by weight.

But....in the last 30 years or so, I sort by neck-wall thickness run-out. Very revealing....especially considering brand-to-brand and lot-to-lot comparisons.

Just my $0.02

Kevin

21 December 2019, 07:29

vzerone

quote:
Originally posted by Kevin Gullette:
In the "old" days, yeah....I sorted by weight.

But....in the last 30 years or so, I sort by neck-wall thickness run-out. Very revealing....especially considering brand-to-brand and lot-to-lot comparisons.

Just my $0.02

Volume sorting still would make a positive difference even with consistent neck wall thickness.

Kevin

21 December 2019, 21:54

alleyyooper

At one time I bought a lot of bullets for friends who were not as anal as I was.

Weighing th bullets really didn't make a hill of beans difference in putting holes properly in things.

21 December 2019, 22:54

vzerone

quote:
Originally posted by alleyyooper:
At one time I bought a lot of bullets for friends who were not as anal as I was.

Weighing th bullets really didn't make a hill of beans difference in putting holes properly in things.

Al

If you were a cast bullet shooter you would know different. Lets say you're not a superb casters (there is far more to casting a bullet then just filling the mould with an alloy). By weighing your not so perfect (if there is such a cast bullet animal!) and sorting them you will see an amazing shrinkage in your groups. Mix them and back again to the big groups.

With today's jacketed bullets, especially the premium match one, you are correct in not seeing a lot.

21 December 2019, 22:58

Atkinson

OK for the benchrest boys and tinkering types, but not much value for the big game hunter or varmint hunter for that matter..I suspect your dealing in MMs if that. Which is fine but one should consider that before jumping off head first and expecting a miracle..I too have been down most of these roads, and most met with results, but not impressive enough for me to continue down that road..waste of time for what I use a firearm for...

22 December 2019, 02:05

vzerone

quote:
Originally posted by Atkinson:
OK for the benchrest boys and tinkering types, but not much value for the big game hunter or varmint hunter for that matter..I suspect your dealing in MMs if that. Which is fine but one should consider that before jumping off head first and expecting a miracle..I too have been down most of these roads, and most met with results, but not impressive enough for me to continue down that road..waste of time for what I use a firearm for...

I can wrap myself around what you just said. I'm talking about the bench shooters with rifles strictly for bench shooting. As I said though, take the case procedures of trimming the burr off the inside of the flash hole, uniforming the primer pockets and depth, trimming the case to length, turning or reaming necks to the same thickness, etc.....the one we've seen give you the most is sorting by case volume.

01 January 2020, 19:53

c.tenn

Thank all of you for your replies. Carl

06 January 2020, 00:04

wolfhunter mn

I agree with Ray A

06 January 2020, 22:27

Pa.Frank

I agree with the above and have gone through the "weigh everything" phase many years ago... (I was taught by a benchrester!) but have since stopped wasting my time on the practice.. did i get a few spectacular groups? Yes. were they all that much better than those where I didn't weigh it out? debatable.

Unless your a SERIOUS BR competitor, you are wasting your time weighing this stuff out..

IMHO, you would be better served making sure the necks of your brass is uniform and concentric, and very often it is not.

but I understand that everyone has to go through this phase, so good luck and enjoy. I hope it works out for you.