Cast bullet shooting

[beekeeper]

Not really the title but couldn't think of a better one

Here goes,
I shoot only Cast bullets in everything!
That said I am always looking to improve my loads and myself.
Shooting an 8MM Mauser with original barrel I normally can keep them on the silhouette at 485 yards.
I have been using IMR4198 , 29 grains and a 1/2 grain tuft of dacron . the bullet is the Lee C324-175-2R sized to 324.
Bore of rifle slugs at 323.
Aluminum gas checks
Bens Red Lube.Use it because it works good for me!

I loaded 50 last August and finally got around to shooting them 2 weeks ago.
Lot of temp changes since loading rounds.
Could not keep more than 5 out of the 15 I shot on the target.
Made me mad so reloaded some more last week (without the dacron) and shot a group at 100 yards (10 rounds) that I could cover with a folded dollar bill.
Did weigh the bullets (which I do not normally do) and found about a 2 grain variance in them so sorted for the best10.
Do not know if that made any great difference but the question still sticks in my head.
If you weigh your cast bullets what is the allowable difference?
1 Grain?
2 Grain?

Got me so paranoid I even weighed some cases (dry weight) and they even had as much as 4 grain difference , and that is for match cases.

Would like to hear from someone that shoots only cast as I sometimes sure gets lonesome out here.


beekeeper

[62chevy]

I don't sort my boolits because I don't shoot over 50 yards. That said if I was going to shoot past 200 yards they would get sorted. Cases are another area to make gains in.

[RBHarter]

I shoot a few jackets but vastly more cast.

I had an old Savage 06' that educated me early on about case variations in weight . I chased groups and loads up and down seating and it was always the same as the milsurp LC43. Out of 5 there would be 2 or 3 right together and the others out there somewhere. In frustration I sat 1 afternoon and emptied upwards of 85 rounds of the LC43 . Upon checking the target ,no sense just throwing lead around without proper practice, I found 8 flyers and 3"groups at 10 ,7 and 4:00 separated by about a foot from their centers . Do you have the mental image of the dog looking slack jawed and head cocked to 1 side? So I herded all 125 cases together and meticulously weighed each 1s water volume . Each group matched up to a case count . So I took a lot of 35 and worked up a load and low and behold 5 touching every time .

The Castboolits clan generally excepts 1% variations for general shooting and hunting. Your 185gr for example are exceptable from 186-187.8 ,for your long range use closer tolerance might be needed. I would sort and lot the brass plus or minus 1.5 gr from median for each lot. That will close your groups . Neck sizing only will help too.

I find that the faster the rifling twist is the more touchy they seem to be about case volume especially as you push faster.

[oscarflytyer]

^^^wow. interesting case diff results. And results when all the same. I am very lazy about mixing cases most times. Maybe not as much after reading your post!