Cast Slug Weight

Since i cast various .224, .257, .284, and .30...its no harm if a slug is a tad over to toss it back and remelt. For example in .257 I have a mold that casts 60.50 grain if it up .20 (60.80 or down .20 (60.30) if it exceeds those parameters it toss to remelt. That way it from lightest to heaviest it doesn't exceed .5grn....
In addition if there are any defects like base not filled in completely round or the opening to the hollow point isn't even and round then I toss to remelt. So I typically select the best out of each casting session. Which means I weight every slug and inspect every slug that I cast. I also size every slug...its more time consuming but not bad at all. Takes few hours to cast up 200 or 300 slugs start to finish. The results are worth it.

Although I spot check batches, I pay close attention to the weight between each other relative to the mould suggested weight. Since I cast anywhere between .22 - .580, obviously there are looser tolerances on weight as you go up. .5 - 1.5 grains variance is what I remember, but I can't remember the caliber. Throwing back defects is a great way to make casting more consistent. If you can cast all of the same slugs in one run, that is even better. I will now document the variances in my worksheet on particular moulds. It is an important metric, as the name of the game is consistently.

As a general rule I use +\- 1% of bullet weight for small caliber, and +/- 0.5% on larger. I also find if you control lead temperature and mold temperature you get more consistent results. Letting those two variables swing a lot causes a lot of weight swings.

When casting watch for sharp square edges on bases and driving bands. Soft radius edges points to temperature being to low, and swings in bullet weight because the cavity is not being filled completely.