AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Black Powder Shooting => Topic started by: cowboys1062 on June 17, 2015, 07:54:05 AM
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I have all the equipment I need to include the lead, to attempt my first try at casting. The only other piece of equipment I would like to get is a scale to measure that weight of my cast balls. I looked at a conversion chart and know that a .490 ball should weigh around 177 gr. I would like to know if there is a way to tell if your casts are good and the balls are the proper weight without using a scale? I know that this is a pretty silly question to ask but my problem is after buying my equipment I am out of any extra funds and wont be able to purchase a scale until I can save up enough to get it. I do have some Hornady .490 balls laying around and was wondering if there was some way to compare my hand cast ones to them to tell if I have a correct casting? I just want to be able to tell the good balls from the bad balls that I cast with out having a scale to accurately weigh them. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated and welcomed! Respectfully, cowboys1062
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You can get a digital scale for about $11 at Harborfreight tools.
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Dear Rich, I looked up the scale for the $11.00 on the Harbor Freight Tools website. It was a good buy that I could indeed afford so I ordered it. It is called The 1000 gram digital scale. I read the reviews on the product and it will definitely measure in grains also. I want to thankyou for the reply and where to look for a scale that I was able to afford. You have solved my problem! Again, thankyou very much. Respectfully, cowboys1062.
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Isn't this a great site!
Fred
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If the balls are well cast(shiny with no wrinkles or pinholes in the sprue), they don't normally need to be weighed for offhand shooting. A visual inspection will cull out the bad ones. I weighed some(about 200) once to see what the variation was. They were so close that it really wasn't worth the time. Even the slightly wrinkled ones weren't far enough off to matter much. Still it doesn't hurt to do it if it gives you that warm fuzzy feeling. Weigh 20 or 30 balls to get an average as a reference weight for the batch and go from there.
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These guys have more scales than Carter has pills:
http://www.oldwillknottscales.com/pocket-mini-scale.html
This just shows the pocket scales, but you can search for others. If "grains" is what you need to weigh, you need to look at scales that say they weigh in 5 or more modes. Three mode scales usually don't have that as an option.
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I to believe weighing round balls to be a monumental waste of time. If the balls look good, don't mess with them, shoot them. There is a segment of this sport that can't stop overthinking everything.
I had an old friend, now long deceased, that gave me gun, and his "special target mold" when he quit shooting. It was made for a .50 caliber rifle that had been freshened a couple of times, so it was around .52 caliber. I molded some balls from this "special" mold so I could measure them. Heck, the balls measured .510 in one direction, and .495 in the other. They would hardly roll, they were so out of round. He beat me regularly with these clunkers. So, I quit weighing my fresh cast rounds right then, and there.
If you turn all your fidgeting time, into range time, you will be a contender.
Hungry Horse
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Yes, this is a great site! I will only weigh a portion of my balls to see if I'm in the ball park in a close weight. Yes I do tend to over think things! I'ts a combination of the way I was raised and also my military back ground. My father instilled in me that there was only one way of doing things and that is the right way! and to do things as best as you can. The military taught me the very same thing no matter how small the task at hand is. When I start something new to me I tend to go over board with things. I need to remember the KISS saying that means " Keep It Simple Stupid". Even at my age now I tend to view all the angles of things. I don't know if that's good or bad, but it's just the way I am. If I over think things and ask silly questions i'ts only because I am new and don't know any better. Every time I ask a question and get answers I grow a little each time. It is when I get to the range and shoot and apply what I know and things I've newly learned, that is when I'm at my most relaxed and enjoy my self the most! I appreciate everybody's patience with me and also for putting up with my silly questions. I'm just new to this. Respectfully, cowboys1062.
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Don't worry Cowboy. We were all new to BP and ML at one time.
TC
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Cowboys,
I use a simple rcbs beam scale, this type of scale is very accurate. After eyeballing my minnie bullets, or bullets for my .451 I generally find about a 3 to 4 grain variation. I then weigh them into 1/2 grain lots of 13 as that is the number of rounds per competition as best 10 to count. I will do the same with my round ball, as it goes along way to elimination flyers.You can get little voids in the casting, more so with larger projectiles such as minnie bullets. Load with the sprue mark up or down so long as you do it the same every time. You may find the electronic scales not so accurate, if you have a mate near by with a beam scale, try comparing weights. The actual weight is not so important as the consistent weight .Being meticulous pays dividend in this game. Only change one thing at a time.
Good luck
Gordon
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But it's my time and I'll waste it however I want too. Just because the balls weren't perfectly round doesn't mean they shouldn't weigh the same if they were cast right. If the sprue is always loaded in the same position it doesn't matter much how round the ball is as much as how consistent they are. Bullets aren't round.
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I weigh the balls if I'm working up an accuracy load. I weigh every ball that will be used for hunting. I know that some think "hunting accuracy" is some sort of lower standard. Kind of like "good enough". I think it is the opposite. I owe a game animal the highest degree of accuracy I can attain. As someone else noted, you can have an air void (or some dross) inside the ball. Being heavier on one side means that the ball will not spin true. It will wobble and shake like an out of balance wheel on a car. The result can be a "flyer" on a target or a long tracking job on a deer. I'm technically minded and getting everything right before I ever set foot outside the door is part of the fun. It sounds like the same is true for you. Have fun with that new scale.
SR51
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I will have to agree with David R and SR51 as to how we go about it .Some times its the smallest things that make the biggest difference. Curt