Without measuring, who knows how much tin is or is not lost.  BUT if a process WORKS, the reasons may or may not be understood or relevant.  Do what works.

There are a hundred buckets of "someday I'll understand this" in my life.

OK, thanks. Maybe it's just like CW says.... if it works, don't worry. Good 'nuff.
I am a weigh 'em sort of guy. Don't know why I bother, though, since most of the time they are very close in weight, and just need to look 'em over for flaws. Cast hot and even cadence, that's how I was shown years back and still do it that way.

I'm still curious about how Jeff S thinks that shooting in the order cast, does something to barrel vibration.

Frank

CF I don't even bother weighing anymore they were always within my four tenths max limit that I finally decided it to be just a waste of time. A batch consists of 120 bullets and then I do a visual inspection and typicaly I find a few with inclusions or minor flaws. So twelve to fifteen end up going back in the pot and it takes around eight or so to bring the mould to full temp. and it leaves enough good ones to replace any bad. 
In regards to nodes and barrel vibrations I had my custom front sand bag made to a depth of five inches so it covers allot of area on each side of the node. Vibrations were dampened by filling the bag with 50% sand and 50% Parakeet gravel and both have worked out very well for me. Unlike a sled where barrel placement has to be more exacting for the node and vibrations / harmonics I have found more difficult to control for my own use. All though just about if not everyone in our group now uses a sled and they are just as competitive if not more so than myself. I also used one for about ten years and just found my bag to provide less of the very critical vertical dispersion that makes good groups and or scores more difficult to consistently achieve. 
The bag is a bit more difficult to use as just the barrel is resting on the bag so the rifle is free to move around quite allot and it did take sometime to be able to take full advantage of all the increased benefits I found it had to offer for my own use. 

JLouis

The best advice for Jacketed bullets and the very best in accuracy can be found over at Benchrest Central from some of the Hall of Fame folks and Gene Beggs tunnel testing being just one good examle. They are always more than willing to go out of their way to be extremly helpful as no two rifles are indeed the same and require different settings of having the bullet off the lands and how much bullet jump might be required. It all goes hand in hand with how to achieve ones individual Rifle tune and no one part of it can be separated from the rest of what's involved.

JLouis