Weighing round balls

[DCAN]

How many weigh their lead balls and what is the variance which is acceptable?
I sat down today and started weighing some for my .58 Colonial. What an eye opening experience that was. Weights all over the place. I culled anything outside of 1 grain from an average. Hornady was hands down the most consistent. Speer was second best with about a 25% reject rate. The least consistent were from "Rush Creek Roundball". I think I purchased those from TOW. They were all over the place in weight with almost 50% culled. I think it's time to fire up the lead pot and see if I can do a bit better.

 

[TDM]

I have in the past out of curiosity, both swaged and cast, of several different calibers. And yes the difference in weights surprised me. I decided to never weigh them again and just load and shoot.

 

[Ohio Rusty]

I weight every round ball I cast. If they have a void or bubble in the ball, the round ball flys off center. If they are off my more than +1 grain, back into the pot they go. It is no issue just to cast more, weigh them and get proper weight round ball.
Ohio Rusty ><>

 

[Dusty_Traveler]

I've had the same experience with Rush Creek. It was bad enough that I vowed to never buy any again. Better to get a mold from Tanners and just do it myself.

For me, I have found that the larger the diameter, the higher the cull rate. Maybe its my technique, or I'm doing something wrong, but that's what I have noticed. I use a 1 grain variance on larger ball and a half grain variance on smaller ball.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I have an old RCBS (Ohaus) 5-10. I cull ANYTHING 1gr light or more (I only do 0.490", 0.530" and 0.648"). Heavier I take a look at. Because something either held the mold open or the sprue didn't cut properly. I want to know why. But they are rare and go back to be recast.

 

[oldramrod]

I have no problem pouring mine within one grain. I hold my mold right up close to the spout on a bottom pouring pot and hold the mold against the spout for two seconds after it is full before removing the mold. This allows the lead to flow as the ball cools and prevents air pockets which cause light balls.I use an older style dixie mold with out a sprue cutter and cut the sprues with a modified radiused cutter after the balls have cooled enough to handle.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

If you become good at casting there won't be any need to weigh them.

 

[yonderin]

In my opinion, better to cull anything that is outside of your tolerance from the heaviest ball. Minimize voids.
Might end up with a much higher rejection rate but more consistency, in my humble opinion.

 

[deerstalkert]

I get my mold up to the temperature that will keep the overfill liquid for a few seconds after pouring.
usually there is about equal amounts of lead inside and outside the mold. but then i don't fidget about 1-2 grains either. if i could load exact amounts of powder, have completely consistent patch thickness and fouling resistance, i might consider culling down to 1/230th weight deviation.

 

[Pro Libertate]

If you become good at casting there won't be any need to weigh them.

If this is the case, remind me please… why does one find variances of a gram or more even with commercial round balls like Hornady/Speer that are made by machines in controlled environments?

 

[deerstalkert]

If this is the case, remind me please… why does one find variances of a gram or more even with commercial round balls like Hornady/Speer that are casted by machines in controlled environments?

Speer and if i am not misremembering(most likely) Hornady both swage their round balls. as the machines wear the tolerances change. or they don't care, take your pick. we are the smallest segment of their customer base.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

If this is the case, remind me please… why does one find variances of a gram or more even with commercial round balls like Hornady/Speer that are casted by machines in controlled environments?

I haven't weighed any but I have recently measured a few for roundness, or I should say out of roundness. Don't put your faith in commercial products. They aren't always the best.

 

[DCAN]

If you become good at casting there won't be any need to weigh them.

I haven't cast a round ball since I was 15 years old. I have cast a lot of sinkers in lots of sizes and configurations. I may pass on the bear hunt tomorrow and fire up the lead pot.

 

[Pro Libertate]

Speer and if i am not misremembering(most likely) Hornady both swage their round balls. as the machines wear the tolerances change. or they don't care, take your pick. we are the smallest segment of their customer base.

Interesting. I have an older (previously unopened) box of Speer .440 round balls that have what appear to be casting/seam marks.

 

[Gtrubicon]

I wish I could go on a bear hunt tomorrow!

 

[LME]

I get my mold up to the temperature that will keep the overfill liquid for a few seconds after pouring.
usually there is about equal amounts of lead inside and outside the mold. but then i don't fidget about 1-2 grains either. if i could load exact amounts of powder, have completely consistent patch thickness and fouling resistance, i might consider culling down to 1/230th weight deviation.

I have weighed my balls before and found it hard to get many the same weight. My .530 cal. balls averaged 226 grains . I might separate all the ones 226 grains to see how much the weight affects accuracy.I wouldn't be surprised to find out that I couldn't tell a difference?

 

[longcruise]

If this is the case, remind me please… why does one find variances of a gram or more even with commercial round balls like Hornady/Speer that are made by machines in controlled environments?

I too have found that I can cast with good consistency and don't bother with weighing. My method is to run on the hot side and keep the mold hot. It makes for less speed but rarely a cull. I pour, hold the mold level and watch the sprue. I don't hit the sprue until it frosts.

One of the Corbin brothers, both makers of swaging gear, said that round balls are the most difficult to swage accurately.

 

[Togo]

I usually end up with a lot of .600's with quality issues when I'm casting, .395, .440, .490, .530 and .535 end up looking pretty nice.

 

[Lee44ShooterCnB]

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/round-ball-weight-margins-relative-to-diameter.172293/

 

[flintlock lover.]

Interesting. I have an older (previously unopened) box of Speer .440 round balls that have what appear to be casting/seam marks.

Even swaged ball are formed in a divided chamber or mold or they couldn't be easily extracted. If that chamber doesn't fit seamlessly the product would have a line on it. My guess is that Hornaday tumble finishes their product a bit better.
But tumbling would also create variances in weight since you are removing some of the ball to give that pleasing full round shape with no seam line and no lead entry sprue. Weighing ball just helps to minimize one of several variables that can effect trajectory.
Minimizing variables is what we strive for to improve accuracy (shot to shot consistently). But it's only ONE variable.
Are you going to pre-weigh your powder charges? ONE more variable. Use powder from all the same lot? Another variable. Weigh and weave measure your patching material? Use EXACTLY the same formula of lube? Another variable.
Our guns are probably capable of accuracy we can't imagine if we control all the variables that we CAN.
But are we willing to do that every time we shoot them?
Most of us try to limit a couple of easily affected variables and call it good.
And why not? They are easy and we aren't making a living at it.
We're here just having fun or hunting at reasonable distances where being and inch or two off isn't any better than not.
Sorry if I ran off at the mouth (keyboard?) , it a hazard for a stats guy.
Try limiting variables in your casting process after you find what gives you good results (temp of lead, temp of mold, hold time before cutting the sprue to get a flat cut that doesn't divet the sprue's center and maybe no more than 1% or 2% tin in your lead to help the mold fill better.)
Just my process and thoughts, doesn't mean it is any better than what you're doing.