If the alloy was properly mixed to start with it won't matter whether the bullet came from the top of the pot or the last ladle full you can get out from the bottom.
A good casting routine should yield bullets that don't vary much over 1 grain.That won't affect for accuracy out to 1000 and will certainly work for silhouette. Weighing is good to sort anything that may have caught an air bubble or the blocks were completely closed etc.

As you say, not to start a fight...

But, I read a book about H.M. Pope and his procedure.  It included correspondence with Mann and others.  He made a couple blocks from wood and drilled rows of holes.  He would pour a dozen (+/-) bullets before he started keeping them.  Lined up in order cast in rows.  His theory was that, as members here have posted, that any differences as pot level and fluxing changed the cast; bullet changes would be minimized.

My first real Schuetzen rifle was a Miller.  Dean and I came up with the idea that a shorter case with smokeless could make for better scores.  That was the 32 Miller Short.  It seems to be doing well these days.     Dean was a proponent of the as cast storage.  I have always done that myself.  It seems to hold weight tolerance to the .1 grain standard I use.

Rich

I also shoot in the order as cast. But one also has to have the ability to continually cast bullets within a variance of no more than 4 tenths through out a batch to end up with match quality bullets. This is in regards to 33 caliber or less for use in competitive benchrest matches. Does it really make a difference? it does in my own mind as it is another possible variable that is being eliminated. 

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  If you are superstitious, shoot them in the order cast. Otherwise it makes no difference.

I just pick then out of the tub, load and shoot them. They are already weigh sorted.

westerner wrote on Mar 5^th, 2022 at 7:59pm:

Pretty sure when your cast bullets are “casted” they ben sorted into groups within the caste system

From top to bottom in the caste system you have 

Match, target. These are your elite bullets, best of the best.

Match, silhouette. These are simply the best.

Sighters, used to get you on paper

Foulers, just need to get out of the barrel in the general direction pointed.

Unshootables, worst of the worst. Considered unclean. Immediately back into the casting pot to hopefully be reincarnated at least as foulers, preferably as Match cast.

All casted bullets can be re-cast after being thoroughly cleansed in the melting pot and cast again in the caste system.

Una cosa más, after you cast, weigh, sort and lube your bullets, be sure that all the bases are clean and that they don't have any lube on them. You don't want powder sticking to the base 'cause it'll cause a low shot.

Jeff_Schultz wrote on Mar 5^th, 2022 at 11:08pm:


Me three. 

When I started out, I read everything I could and bought into the "you must shoot in the order cast". over the years i have been convinced that isn't necessarily so. However, I can't bear to dump my bullets in a pile, so I line them up on a long board wrapped in 4 or 5 layers of denim. Then I weigh them culling out anything that isn't within .1 of a grain and box them as I go. It's a system I have built up over years so I knnda sorta still shoot them in the order cast, I'm just not Amish about it.

40 Rod

I believe there is a mental aspect to consider.

For me, knowing I have taken every step to make the best bullets I can is important.   

I have no control over range conditions.  I do my best to gauge wind and mirage, but it is only an educated guess based on experience.

That said, I am going to go with the Pope method.  He did pretty good for a lot of years...

Rich

I weigh mine and keep each pour (pot of lead) separate from additional pours. Not sure how people are keeping there bullets in order to shot as cast? I would think it would slow my casting down to the point my wife wouldn't have bullets to shot  (or me).

Here's an example of my weighing process. These are 40 cal bullets that I cast over a few days and weighed in one session. I group the bullets around a piece of paper where I list the weight-categories and the bullets, in each, vary by +/- 1 grains. I have not culled any of the lighter bullets at this point (I keep all the most heavy bullets too). I think from what I can see (I cast these about a year ago) the bullets range from 425 to 427.9 gr. I did not have a PID when I casted these (there, I said it CASTED)!).

After weighing I put the bullets in the styro-foam trays and box them. They go in the heaviest to the lightest order.

That RCBS scale was purchased maybe in the 1970 time frame. Has been going strong since. I keep it plugged in but off between sessions. If I plug it in right before a session it will vary somewhat until it warms up so I reweigh the pan empty after a few throws to be sure it is still reading zero.

Allot of it has to with what provides one with the most self confidence. If one knows his bullets are all match grade. He then knows a bad bullet cannot be blamed for a point lost. Myself I have only shot match grade bullets from the same batch. I never kept any culls or left overs from a batch for foulers or any other use. I also shot them in the order as cast so I also can't state if they really made a difference or possibly not. But I also knew I could never place any blame on a non match grade bullet instead of myself when a bad shot took place. I would be the one at fault and then it was up to me to learn how to correct it as I continued to grow into the breech seating Schuetzen and CBA sports of match shooting.

JLouis wrote on Mar 8^th, 2022 at 11:29am:


John, while not trying to derail this thread I have a question on your post. Does your thoughts apply to bullets in fixed cartridges or just those breach seated?

Thanks John, maybe a thread at a later time on the best practices for a fixed cartridge.

I sharpen the back edge of the sprue plate.
I set the sprue plate loose and cut the sprue high.
Then I slide the sharp edge of the sprue plate back over the bullet shearing off the base.
You do it as soon as the bullet starts to harden so it is still soft and will not bend the base inwards from the shearing action.

The process results in the bases always being the same height without a high sprue, shears off any base fins, and shears it off without any divots occurring.
This results in square edges and more consistent bullet weights.

This method produces bullets with more consistent base edges which result in more consistent bullet tension in fixed cartridges.
Of course a sizing die also helps provide a more consistent base diameter as well.

I also rub the top edges of the mold with a stone to create an air vent (between mold halves) which allows the bullet to fill out better on the base since the air is not trapped under the sprue plate.
Picture of mold air vent after bullet base sheared.

I use oven mitts inside of leather welding mitts so I can handle the hot mold longer during the shearing process.