- Location
- South Cariboo, BC
mysticplayer said:
+ 1
Tolerances: what are yours?
- Thread starter Bishopus
- Start date
+ 1
JohnC
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I use an electronic scale and load exactly when developing test series.
once I know an accurate load, then +/- 0.1 grain up to 55 grains or +/- 0.2 grains above that is good enough for me.
for pistol, whatever the press does is fine (dillon 1050) i'll weigh every 100 or 200 rounds just to make sure the charge is within specs. it has a low/high powder level alarm.
once I know an accurate load, then +/- 0.1 grain up to 55 grains or +/- 0.2 grains above that is good enough for me.
for pistol, whatever the press does is fine (dillon 1050) i'll weigh every 100 or 200 rounds just to make sure the charge is within specs. it has a low/high powder level alarm.
Dmay, I have to agree with you, if you learn how to use your powder thrower properly, you can throw your charges within +/- 0.1 grain consistantly. When loading between matches for the next string in hunter benchrest, all of the loads I've ever seen are thrown.
There are some extremely accurate rifles and shooters at these matches and if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me.
At these shoots, it's usually impossible to use any type of scale at all because of the wind and limited area to perform the handloading procedure.
The targets have to be seen to be believed. Even though there is only one shot per score target, the groups on the practice/fouler/sighter targets will make the average shooter drool.
Accuracy is effected so much by so many other things such as bore condition, uniform jacket thicknesses, seating depth to lands, neck tension, wind, sunlight on the range creating mirage, heartbeat or breathing control, finger pressure on trigger, position of forend on the rest an on and on, that a 1/10 grain difference in any given powder charge is completely insignificant. bearhunter
There are some extremely accurate rifles and shooters at these matches and if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me.
At these shoots, it's usually impossible to use any type of scale at all because of the wind and limited area to perform the handloading procedure.
The targets have to be seen to be believed. Even though there is only one shot per score target, the groups on the practice/fouler/sighter targets will make the average shooter drool.
Accuracy is effected so much by so many other things such as bore condition, uniform jacket thicknesses, seating depth to lands, neck tension, wind, sunlight on the range creating mirage, heartbeat or breathing control, finger pressure on trigger, position of forend on the rest an on and on, that a 1/10 grain difference in any given powder charge is completely insignificant. bearhunter
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
It depends what I'm loading. I throw ball powder for pistol ammo, but I weigh every 10th throw to ensure nothing has gone out of wack. Ball powder is all I will throw.
Pistol powder loaded with a powder other than ball, and all rifle ammo I weigh. Ammo for big rifles, if the electronic scale hits +or- .1 I'm happy. That won't make much difference in an Ultra case.
Match ammo, or very small rifle cases, I weigh and measure everything as accurately as my equipment will allow - except primers. I don't weigh primers because I don't think you know if you are measureing differencesa in the weight of the the cup, anvil, or priming mixture. I sort my match brass according to weight. When I get serious about accuracy I check the neck runout several times during the loading process, and occasionally I turn necks. I uniform primer pockets and flash holes on all rifle cases - it doesn't take long, and it can't hurt.
Pistol powder loaded with a powder other than ball, and all rifle ammo I weigh. Ammo for big rifles, if the electronic scale hits +or- .1 I'm happy. That won't make much difference in an Ultra case.
Match ammo, or very small rifle cases, I weigh and measure everything as accurately as my equipment will allow - except primers. I don't weigh primers because I don't think you know if you are measureing differencesa in the weight of the the cup, anvil, or priming mixture. I sort my match brass according to weight. When I get serious about accuracy I check the neck runout several times during the loading process, and occasionally I turn necks. I uniform primer pockets and flash holes on all rifle cases - it doesn't take long, and it can't hurt.
Last edited:
My powder scale exists solely for the purpose of setting powder measures. I have not weighed charges for anything since about 1973. Correction; About 3 years back I loaded 50 rounds using one of those electronic scale/chargers. I saw no difference at all in performance so saved considerable dollars by not buying one. I think I'm about 1 year ahead by now thanks to time I've saved by not weighing. Regards, Bill.
Keebler750
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Alberta!!!
I measure to the granule of powder that puts me to the required weight in grains, and since it takes 3 or 4 granules of my powders to go to the next 0.1 grain, I guess that means (correct me if I'm wrong...) that I try to be accurate to 0.033gr. Does that sound right?
troutseeker
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Prince George, BC
Oooops, I also voted .01 and I should have voted 0.1...
- Location
- South Cariboo, BC
Gatehouse said:
You're making that more work than it needs to be - set it on auto and you don't have to burn all those calories pushing the button everytime you set the pan on the scale.
John Spartan
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Just a little more to the right...
I'm quite ok in most cases with the +/- 0.1 grain tolerances when weighing out powders on my electronic powder dispenser - I check periodically to make sure the powder dispensed is within these tolerances.
For precision shooting, I'd weigh manually as consistency in all aspects of precision reloads is the name of the game.
For precision shooting, I'd weigh manually as consistency in all aspects of precision reloads is the name of the game.
