Why would anybody weight measure the brass cases?

bigHUN

bigHUN

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Measuring weight won't tell me how much internal room for expansion for a let say 55.7 grain powder.
And we already know the powder weight, also the bullet weight, I think the primer is irrelevant.
Only thing comes to mind, if you have a bunch of cases from unknown history, the weight difference shall be an indicator how many times those cases were trimmed ??? and eventually you sort them this way.
 
It’s just another step in the quest for accuracy. One argument is that while you can segregate cases by weight, there’s no way to know where that +/- weight is located. Is it in the neck? One side of the body? The base? Etc. I’m sure there is but I’m not smart enough, have the the necessary equipment or care enough anymore. I used to do it for fclsss but decided that any gain was completely lost when one considers all the environmental variables acting on your bullet in flight. But if a person believes weight sorting cases is helping then have at it! No judgement here!
 
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The folks chasing sub inch to beat the 1.087 inch five shot 1000 yard IBS group record are weighing brass to a tenth of a grain.
I’ve found weighing to one grain an effective way to get bulk once fired WSM to shoot under 3 inches at 1000. There was 26 grains difference in shipment of 400. Got five boxes of fifty in one grain lots for my efforts. Loading Nosler now, 1 grain variation in every new box of 25. You are getting something for all that money.
 
if you do the same with cast rifle bullets you will get very tight groups. i sort my cast to pick out the 1 grain (001-009) and work on the load i am making for the most accurate load. i usually shoot all my deer in the head at 60 yards.
 
I know guys that weight sort every bullet and every primer and every piece of brass, and measure base to ogive on very bullet. My OCD isn't that extreme but I do sort brass to .5 gr batches.
I have a couple thousand .308 Lapua cases. Extreme weight spread is between 170 gr to almost 175 gr with the mean group of weight is around 173 gr.
With the same neck wall thickness and all external dimensions and lengths all being the same the difference could be in the base thickness of the case or the extractor groove, or both, who knows? Even though I have the means to measure this, my OCD only goes so far.
Sorting by case volume would be more accurate but who has time for that with that many cases?
Sorting by case weight to .5 gr batches is about as far as I am willing to go. It doesn't matter what Voodoo you do to make the best ammo in the world, miss one win call and you are in the 3 ring. Miss a big wind change and you could be off the 6 ft target board at 1000 yards.
 
Most of us who reload don’t weigh the cases
It’s the long distance prs shooters who get anal about all that stuff looking to get the best accuracy they can
Don’t think your gonna see too many weighing 30-30 or 44-40 cases lol
 
I only weigh them after they are reloaded to make sure that they are all within range and to verify my powder charges. Other than that it's an excuse to not do work around the house when I am working downstairs.
 
If I am full length sizing also the neck OD + running a mandrell for neck ID + checking and sorting by neck wall thickness .... that is checked.
I don't see a possible big difference in weight there in the neck.
Next is making a consistent primer pocket also drill the primer hole (from inside neck) ... that is checked also.
So the next - only difference could be in shoulder thickness, also the case rim and the groove how it was formed.

I was talking here about W308 Lapua brass.
I didn't weight them yet, that job is more for winter entertainment.
Kind a not believer that the 1-2 % change in the internal volume would matter to 55.8 grain Varget.
 
I hope 55.8 gr of Varget is a typo.
The flash holes on Lapua brass are drilled, not punched like other types of cases. So there is very minimal burr on the inside of the case. Not something I even worry about.
Before I started to wet tumble I used to just run the cases through a couple hours in corn cob. It never cleans all the primer pockets on the case, as long as the case was clear of any media and not caked with soot, I would put a new primer in and carry on. I shot long range for about 25 years before even annealing.
When it comes to reloading OCD can take up your whole off season. Some things don't matter and won't gain you one point or one V bull in a week long agg.
My SD is between 10-12 fps at the target at 1000 yards, I doubt any more case prep would reduce the SD and gain me a point.
 
bigHUN said:
Measuring weight won't tell me how much internal room for expansion for a let say 55.7 grain powder.
And we already know the powder weight, also the bullet weight, I think the primer is irrelevant.
Only thing comes to mind, if you have a bunch of cases from unknown history, the weight difference shall be an indicator how many times those cases were trimmed ??? and eventually you sort them this way.
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Same reason we measure headspace, turn our necks, bump shoulders back as little as possible, weight bullets, measure bullets, measure brass, weigh powder, seat to a very specific depth based on the ogive not the COAL, etc etc. - to squeeze that last 10th of an inch out of our groups.

Whether sorting brass makes any difference or not is a different question. I doubt it, but I still take the time to it. Can’t hurt.
 
maynard said:
It doesn't matter what Voodoo you do to make the best ammo in the world, miss one win call and you are in the 3 ring. Miss a big wind change and you could be off the 6 ft target board at 1000 yards.
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That’s precisely my point and is why I personally don’t bother anymore. For me I need to put more effort into wind calls and consistent setup and follow through. That goes for any discipline with any firearm

Great thread so far.
 
^^^ Yes, great thread. Reminds me when I was OCD trying to get into the 1000 yard club with a kill on a groundhog at that distance and beyond. Travelled with a portable bench-rest kit, Neal Jones dies, arbor press, all the Sinclair brass prep gadgets and measured powder to the closest half kernel….all for a Sako HB in 270 Win with a Leupold target scope.

Now I cheat. If available I’ll buy Lapua brass, Fed match LR primers, and preferably Varget powder. In my mind that takes me to within 95% of my accuracy potentially without breaking into a sweat. If I need better accuracy then I revisit all the things that everyone else does in the reloading room in the middle of the night. There is a saying that to squeeze out the last top 10% of performance takes 90% of the effort….and don’t forget the wind…..
 
If you don't know the source or history of the brass, weighing is a good measure

we recently had some once-fired brass come in, all the same head stamp
but when weight-sorted there were 3 distinct groupings with similar weights in the box
plausible, yes, but the extreme difference was over 10 grains so absolutely would be a problem if not sorted

each group was reasonably close so could have been used of itself, but we needed _00's to be near the same, so back it went to seller
 
Chasing accuracy issues to the finest detail is the main reason.

There is one other issue, which can make a difference.

When we load close to maximum pressures, slight differences in case capacities can make a difference.

Now, it would have to be extreme pressures to create anything drastic, but it can happen when different lots of cases are used, without slight load adjustments.

Once that critical pressure point has been reached, only a very slight change can suddenly be magnified out of proportion.

I don't measure case weights either, other than when I'm loading for rifles I expect to get extreme accuracy from, such as my Tikka T3X, chambered for the 223rem.

As cases get smaller, case capacity becomes more important IMHO. The larger the case, again IMHO, the less minute differences in capacity will have an effect.
 
A case that weighs 170 grains and the same caliber case that weighs 180 grains have a different water capacity thus different pressures when loaded with the same amount of powder. At one time I sorted cases into lots within 1/2 grain to try and reduce pressure fluctuations.
 
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OK, the next batch Lapua I will check the weights as well.
Already invested big time chasing for consistency, one extra step really doesn't adds much to the cost :)
 
Remington URBR brass is the most consistent weight brass that I have ever loaded-
155gr weight/small primer pocket,.0095" neck thickness, de-burred .073"flash holes out of the box.

Lapua Palma brass missed the call by 30+ years.
 
guntech said:
A case that weighs 170 grains and the same caliber case that weighs 180 grains have a different water capacity thus different pressures when loaded with the same amount of powder. At one time I sorted cases into lots within 1/2 grain to try and reduce pressure fluctuations.
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Ten grains difference, that's a lot, but it definitely happens when such cartridges as 308Win/7.62Nato and several other Milspec cases are compared to commercial offerings of the same dimensions.
 
bigHUN said:
OK, the next batch Lapua I will check the weights as well.
Already invested big time chasing for consistency, one extra step really doesn't adds much to the cost :)
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You will likely not find much more than 4 grains difference between the lightest and heaviest case, unless they're from different lots.
 
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