Weighing cartridges to determine underloads/overloads

[ClemBert]

I know some fellas will take a batch of cartridges and weigh them to make sure they are within a certain tolerance. The idea being that one cartridge out of a batch of 100 may weigh a few grains more/less than the other 99. The implication is that the cartridge may be undercharged or overcharged by accident.

What is a reasonable weight range for a scale to be useful for most handgun cartridges? For example, let's say 9mm, 357 Magnum, 40 S&W, 45 Colt, 50 AE plus or minus. My current powder scale measure weighs powder just fine but can't handle the weight of brass and bullet.

 

[NESHOOTER]

CLEM, Is your scale digital? that maybe why your having a problem with weight.

 

[GP100man]

500grs. , but trying to determine over/under charge just does`nt work.

bullets +/- 2% , cases +/- 5% powder variants to 1.5% , it have to be a no powder in case to find it !!!

& still even then lets say your workin with 38spc. with a 2.8gr. charge of CLAYS, you`ll never find it , or highly unlikely !

Just not a reliable practice !!

 

[dmazur]

Well, if safe reloading practices are followed all those fellas are doing is wasting their time. If, however, they are counting on the post-reloading weight check to find an over- or under-charge, they can be in for a rude surprise.

The weight variation in almost all bullets is much larger than a safe variation in the powder charge. Cases also have variation. If you weighed and numbered every bullet, and weighed and numbered every case, then you could look at your database (by individual round count) and determine powder charge by subtration. Without the individual weights, you are assuming a uniformity that does not exist.

Since weighing completed rounds isn't useful, I'm not sure answering your second question will help. Nevertheless, for "typical" .45ACP and .30-06 cartridges (representing pistol and bottleneck rifle), I believe 500gr is a useful capacity to weigh completed rounds.

 

[dlb435]

I can use this methiod on some of my reloads but not all. If the bullets and cases are all of very good quality, this system works well. With bullets that vary by more than 4 grains, you can't tell if you've got a bad charge. This system does fine with smaller bullets (9mm, 233 Rem. and the like) This system does not work well with 45 ACP and other heavy bullet rounds. It's one of those things you just have to get a feel for.

 

[Hog Buster]

Bad idea..... Too many variables that affect loaded cartridge weight...... There’s no shortcut to safe reloading practices.....

 

[ClemBert]

CLEM, Is your scale digital? that maybe why your having a problem with weight.

I have a digital scale and a beam scale. I'm not having problems reloading. I was asking about a possible method to check for over/under loads on completed cartridges. My beam scale goes up to 100 grains. My bullets weigh more than that.

 

[FrankenMauser]

The only way for weight checking to be somewhat usable, is if the cases, bullets, and primers are all weight-sorted before being loaded. Only when each loaded cartridge is supposed to weigh an exact amount, can you have any idea if the powder charge is off.

 

[ClemBert]

Yeah, it sounds like with all the variables it would be a waste of time. Maybe they figure they can catch double loads or no loads. The time is probably better spent checking and double checking as they load.

 

[jhansman]

As others have noted, there's no substitute for visually checking every charge.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Amen on the visual check.

 

[BigJimP]

Yes, the time is better spent on checking your loads in process ....or purchasing a press that has a "powder check die" or a "powder cop option" ....like the Dillon 650 press or the Hornady LNL.

It isn't posslbe to weigh a finished cartridge ---and make any decison on whether the powder drop is right on or not. Like others advised - too many variables - especially in some of the cheaper plated bullets where I've seen a 124 gr bullet vary as much as 4 or 5 grains.

Most of my handgun calibers - in the powder I use -- are 0.4 grain between the Min and Max range in the published loads .....so I use a press with a "powder check die" ...and I have a mirror set up on my press so I can visually check every case before the bullet is seated ....but its still hard to visually see a variation of 0.4 grain when you're loading 4.0 - 4.4 grains of powder in a load ...

 

[Lemmon]

We all make mistakes

Caution all brass even of the same mfg does not always weight the same from one batch to the other.

We all make mistakes

The following was done after a number years of not reloading with my progressive press. My routine was off and I felt uneasy about the batch of .380 auto that I was loading. I was using a new powder dispenser for the first time.

After I loaded a number of cases of brass I noticed one that was not completely filled. I sorted the loaded brass by mfg and weighed each loaded shell. If the loaded round was more that a few grains off from the rest I put it aside and later pulled the bullet with a kinetic puller and weighed the powder. I did find one that had no powder at all. I was much more careful after that.

When using a revolver I fired a squib load one time and fortunately did not fire another round on top of it. I used a fiberglass rod and hammer to pound the lead bullet out of the barrel.

This is a good reason for not giving people your hand-loaded ammunition. They may appreciate the free hand-loads but may not if it bites them.

Lemmon

 

[F. Guffey]

Clemkbert, weighing after loading can not be done, it is OK for practice but there is no practical value in the practice, UNLESS, the weight of each component is known, primer, case, bullet and powder, after totaling the weight of the components the reloader knows the weight of the finish product, back to the start, the weight of the case must be known as in sorting brass by weight, I loaded 250 rounds of 30/06 on a Dillon 550B, when finished there was 17 grains difference between the lightest and heaviest, all the light rounds were attributed to Winchester cases

Again I was at the firing range when I noticed a shooter next to me doing everything he could to pull the trigger or pull the hammer back, I managed to slow him down enough to allow me to talk to him, he had no clue when loading on his new 550B it was possible to get a case past the powder drop position and had no clue his scale could distinguish between a case with powder and a case without powder, his cylinder was locked with a bullet that almost got out of the cylinder of his S&W M66 and almost into the barrel, lucky for everyone, his pistol was locked up, A friend and I offered to share ammo with him but we suggested he not fire his reloads, you know, with his one day of experience on his new Dillon. He turned us down on the offer to laon him a scale, instructions on the Dillon and the offer of ammo to shoot, he had pride, he did not shoot other reloaders reloads, and me? I went to the range to shoot my friends reloads, seems he thought I was doing something wrong, I have two pistols 45 ACPs that like new ammo, not easy for him to accept but his 45 ACP ammo had as much trouble getting through as my reloads,, so I left the range, went home and used a full length sizer die to crimp his reloads, I then went back to the range and fired everyone of his reloads, I made the Model 1911 think his reloads were new, store bought, over the counter commercial ammo, and he said "If that pistol did not shoot as good as it does and if it were my 45, I would get it fixed". and I told him I have a leaver policy, when it shoot good, I leaver the way I founder, I am not beyond starting on another slide, just in case I need an excuse to find another frame.

F. Guffey

 

[rg1]

With a digital scale it takes very little time to weigh loaded rounds. With a pistol charge of 5-6 grains or more of powder you could more than likely catch a round with no powder or one with a double charge. Lighter charges would be hard to catch because of the variance in case and bullet weights. Rifle rounds with 20-60 or more grains of powder would be easy to catch a case with no powder. However it's extremely important to develop a reloading technique to prevent either a double charge or a zero charge. Doesn't hurt a thing to weigh all loaded rounds and takes very little extra time.

 

[m&p45acp10+1]

I would rather spend my time paying attention to what the heck I am doing than weighing loaded rounds. If you pay attention why in the world would you need to wegh to check. Then again I load on a single stage, and visualy inspect each round for powder before seating bullets. I keep primed and prepped brass in a bowl, take out, charge, then put into the loading block. Repeat 50 times. Visualy check all to assure there is powder in them. Then start seating. It works for me, and a vast multitude of other people as well.

 

[FrankenMauser]

I'm with everyone else.

I'd rather watch what I'm doing, than waste time weighing the loaded cartridges - a process we almost all agree is a complete waste of time, anyway.