Do you weigh individual charges?

[howlnmad]

it all depends

All rifle rounds I load get weighed individually (thanks to my chargemaster). If I'm loading plinking rounds, then no. I have my Lil Dandy for those and check about every twenty. Home defense loads do get weighed each time tho.

 

[jcwit]

In the summer I do casual Benchrest Shooting, no comptition, just friendly shooting with a couple of friends. These I weigh with a scale, any thing other than that my Pro Auto Disk for handgun rounds and my powder measures for rifle rounds.

I do use the scale for start-up and every so often during charging. Have never found where the checking as I go did anything as nothing ever changes.

 

[JimKirk]

I'll weigh enough charges to be sure that my Uniflow in throwing what I want, pistol or rifle. With rifle, I'll weigh every 5th or 10th round, depending on what I'm loading. With pistol, I'll weigh every 15th to 20th round, depending on the powder I using. With fine powders, I could check the first 2 and the last 2 and be ok, because my Uniflow will be dead on with it. With a long stick powder like IMR 7828, if I cut a grain, I just dump it back and throw another one. I try not to let anything distract me while charging my cases. All charges are checked on a "check weight" tested RCBS scale.

Jimmy K

 

[Tom S.]

As you can see by the answers you are getting, the poll is pretty useless.

Weighing every charge on a progressive press that is loading cases below maximum charges is a waste of time (unless you're using a Lee Pro 1000 ). I only weigh every charge if I'm loading at or near maximum, which is not very often.

 

[Scrapperz]

If I'm loading 460 S&W Mag & 454 Casull I weigh each one and it really doesn't take long with a good system. When I load 9mm Luger, 40 S&W, and 45 Colt Cowboy loads I use the Lyman 55 Powder Measure unless I'm doing something specific like working up a new load.

 

[rklessdriver]

I check pistol rounds every 10 rnds.

I weigh every rifle charge.
Will

 

[HOWARD J]

If I make a test load I weigh each one.
If I load a standard load I weigh every tenth one.
B/fore I retired I weighed every 50th round+/-
Shot shells--I weigh every 30th round +/-.....................

I use an RCBS powder measure--very accurate.

 

[Iloadntie]

I weigh to set up my Uniflow and always at the start of a session and to check in-between, but rarely is there a variation...Check with a 505

Scott

 

[Walkalong]

I believe almost everyone winning is weighing their charges..

You'd be wrong

many benchresters load by the number of clicks on a harrels powder measure with total disreguard to charge weight

Right.

It started with the Culver conversions on the Lyman 55 measures. We never talked about what weight we were shooting, just how many clicks. No one I saw weighed any charges at a match. Adjust a click up or down etc, but no weighing, just check it on target. AC

 

[Rollis R. Karvellis]

My match loads yes becuse I, use a Lyman DPS scale. the reguler plinking load's get check at the start, and finish. These are done on a 650. I have loaded on the 650 using the same scale, it went preaty quick.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

As an accuracy buff who is in no hurry and likes knowing the exact charge (safety)....I weigh each and every one

 

[Lee Roder]

Yes, to reduce flinch

 

[bobelk99]

Weight each for load development or testing.
Weight every 20th for rifle.
Weight every 50th for pistol.

If you need to routinely weigh each charge, you need a better powder measure.

 

[Visionz45]

I weigh every rifle charge and use a spoon/digital scale. I enjoy reading really consistent chrono results. It's really slow though.

 

[Seedtick]

I'm a sometimer. I weigh every charge in load development and I weigh every hunting round.

If I find an accurate load that is just under a charge that has shown signs of high pressure I weigh each load. But mostly in a situation such as that I'll just find a different load that's not so close to the edge.

ST

 

[StretchNM]

I weigh each charge. The only pistol ammo I reload is .44mag, and that's for a Marlin lever. They get weighed too.

 

[wrench]

If I'm working up a load for rifle, I weigh every one, and trickle the last little bit in. Seems faster to me when only loading 5-10r of each weight.
Once I have a load, I weigh maybe the first 5-10 to make sure my powder measure is set right, then throw and go.
Pistol? Weigh the first 5-10 to check the powder measure, then away we go.

 

[1SOW]

I answered 'NO'.

Building the HANDGUN load, I weigh the first few drops and watch/verify "EVERY" powder drop from the Lee Pro-Disc system.

If a case doesn't look filled to the level I expect, I check it--rare.

It's boringly reliable and accurate with the powder I use.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Rifle - Every single one.
.45 Colt - Didn't at first, but had accuracy trouble. Now measure every one.
Other pistol - One about every 10-15

 

[Whalen7840]

How much of a pain is it to use the RCBS digital dispenser/ scale combo? I'm considering picking up the Cabela's kit with that included for the single stage.. is it a waste of time?

 

[wankerjake]

Quote:
Originally Posted by wankerjake
Rifle yes, pistol no.

This seems to be the trend

BUT IMO it's completely backwards if you're worried about variations in the amount of powder dispensed.

Lets assume a nice simple + or - .1grain variation or 0.2 total

of a 50grn rifle charge 0.2 grains represents little less than HALF of one percent of the total charge.

but for a 4.4grn 9mm charge that same 0.2 can make your charges vary by almost 4.5%

So logically if a person were to be worried about throwing charges they would be much more reluctant to do so on handgun rounds long before rifle cartridges

Measuring accuracy is totally different between rifles and pistols (at least for what I do) so a .2gr difference in the 9mm cartridge is negligent when you're shooting off hand at ten yards fairly quickly at a ten inch circle, compared to shooting a rifle from a bench rest at a 1" circle at 200 yards...percentage-wise it is a bigger difference but there are a bunch of other factors that make it matter less. However, as it has been pointed out, I guess it doesn't really matter out of a rifle either. It's just that I didn't find this out until recently and I don't have a powder measure that will throw large enough charges for my rifles, so I weight each one in a scale.

 

[GMFWoodchuck]

I just bought my Uniflow. So for a few shooting sessions, I'll only be doing every 10th or so. Till I get my fix anyways...

 

[henry-ctc]

Yes. It´s a nice step of reloading. In adition I use a powder in flakes wich doesn´t measure very well. It takes time, but I like to spend it that way.

 

[chriske]

No, but once my powder measure is set, I check charge weight every 15 or so reloaded rounds;

 

[MCgunner]

Not with handguns. With rifles, i'll check about every 5th round. I've never seen that powder measure go off, though. I'm not sure it's really necessary, but I ain't THAT lazy and a digital balance makes it easy.

Handguns, I use a Lee auto disc. You can't change the disc volume by any small increment. I never had a problem and I've been using it for 25 years.