Question about lead ball weight

N

napp

New member
I just unpacked a new electronic scale from Midway a few minutes ago. I calibrated the scale with the calibration weight that came with the scale and everything went according to the instructions.

I weighed some .50 cal (.490") balls that I had cast using roof flashing lead. These balls averaged weighing between 200-201 grains. I then weighed some Hornady .50 cal (.490") swaged balls that I purchased commercially. The Hornady balls averaged between 202-203 grains.

I can understand the variance between the balls I cast and the Hornadys; but everything I have read usually puts the weight of a .490" lead ball between 177-178 grains. Can anyone tell me why the balls I have are so much heavier than the alleged norm?
 
Difference in processes and alloys ????

It is what it is and see no problem. Whenever I want to get pickie, whether my run or bought, I weigh and sort all the ones that are "Matched". About 1/3 of what "I" run, are rejected and put back in the pot for rerun. I don't give much mind to the .490 but always make sure I have plenty of .495 "Matched & marked. ;)



Be Safe !!!
 
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Thanks Pahoo. That's exactly why I bought the scale. Coincidentally it arrived in the same box as my new .495" ball mold. :D

I'm not as concerned about actual ball weight as I am the consistency of weight between the balls. I was just surprised when the balls in my kit ran so much heavier than what I had been given to expect from various sources.
 
The difference can be a couple of things the liter 1s could`ve been cast hotter ,affecting size a little & also they could contain a bit of tin which is liter than lead .

Just a couple of thoughts .
 
You could take the scientific route to determine what the balls should weigh if made out of "pure" lead.
You could look up the weight given for a cubic inch of chemically pure lead ( 0.409 pounds per cubic inch), do the math to determine the percent of a cubic inch the lead ball represents.
The only variances that could effect the weight of the ball would be the purity of the lead and the temperature of the lead alloy when cast.

Note to some: if you cannot spell there are free spell checkers on the INTERNET which can be downloaded (do a search on "ieSpell").
...which is liter than lead...
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"lighter", not "liter"
"liter" is measure of fluid.
 
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Good responses so far.
As said, most important factor is consistency. Your lead may not be exactly like the swaged balls.
When I shot serious competition I weighed every cast ball and discarded anything with a .1 gr. variation.
Now, for casual competition and hunting I only hand inspect the balls. Small wrinkles don't bother me any more. But cavities and obvious air pockets go back into the melting pot.
Keep your lead hot, small differences can make a big difference in consistency.
 
Differences in alloy will make bullets of the exact same physical dimensions have different masses.

No spell checker is going to help with the word "liter" since that is not a misspelled word.
 
Perhaps I didn't state my question clearly enough. I'm not concerned with the couple of grains difference in my cast balls and the Hornadys. My concern is with the difference between both my castings and the Hornadys from the 178 gr that is usually the accepted standard for .490" balls of pure lead. Hornady even advertises their .50 cal ball as being 178 gr; but the ones I weighed are running in the range of 202 gr.

I suppose one obvious answer is that the scale I received is just inaccurate. However, when I weigh the calibration weight that came with the scale, it is right on the money. I don't have access to another scale to make a comparison of accuracy.
 
Perhaps I didn't state my question clearly enough. I'm not concerned with the couple of grains difference in my cast balls and the Hornadys. My concern is with the difference between both my castings and the Hornadys from the 178 gr that is usually the accepted standard for .490" balls of pure lead. Hornady even advertises their .50 cal ball as being 178 gr; but the ones I weighed are running in the range of 202 gr.
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O.K., I did the math. A .409 diameter pure lead ball should weigh 176.27376 grains. Therefore, if your balls weigh heavier, they are either contaminated with the very few metallic elements (tin, antimony, arsenic, etc., are lighter than lead ), that are heavier than lead (Bismuth for instance), or your mold is casting over-size balls (larger than .490 inch). Or, your technique is resulting in over-size balls.
The only thing you can do in your situation is to adhere carefully to standardizing your alloy, standardize the heat of the alloy of which you cast, and live with the weight variations of the resultant cast balls.
If that does not work, Valium (a large dose), will.

If anyone wants to check my math, volume = 4/3*pi (3.14)*r cubed.
 
napp, IMHO, the possibility of your balls having a heavy heavier metal in the alloy is less than the possibility of your balls being oversized. The lead alloys (typically wheel weights, shot, solder) I run across are lighter than pure lead. I don't think you'll be happy until you can actually compare the Hornadys and your castings. Toss a few dozen of each into partially filled glass cylinder and see if they displace the same volume.
 
I get 176.81 grains based on a density of 11.35 gm/cc at 25°C (Matweb), but that's just picking nits. To weigh about 202 grains, the ball needs to be 0.512" diameter. Sprue weight for a cast ball has to be included, but that and speculation about alloy error don't account for the Hornady ball being an incorrect weight. Hornady claims to swage their balls from pure lead.

I happened to have a box of Hornady 0.495" balls in my cellar. The formula says they should weigh 182.3 grains. I put ten on my lab scale and got 182.28 to 184.12 grains. I did not bother to mic them, as this was pretty good agreement.

So, I think the 200+ grain numbers are probably a scale issue. If it has a calibration function, a bad check weight could cause this. I suggest taking the the check weight and one of the Hornady balls to a compounding pharmacy (one that mixes prescriptions, and doesn't just dispense premanufactured pills) and see if the pharmacist will weigh them for you on his calibrated scale. If his scale only reads in grams (unlikely), a conversion with enough decimal places for reloading and that is easy to remember because the last four digits just count down is: 15.432 grains per gram.
 
OK guys, I need to apologize for taking up your time. The problem was apparently twofold....bad batteries and operator stupidity.

The batteries that were supplied with the unit were shrink wrapped in plastic and had a "use before" date of 04/2012. It didn't enter my mind that the batteries might be bad. I replaced the bad batteries with two new AAA batteries that I had around the house; and it appears to be working fine now. With the new batteries, the Hornadys weigh 180.xx gr and my home cast balls weigh 178.xx gr.

It's still a a bit puzzling because it showed a successful calibration even with the original batteries. Perhaps, because it calibrates at max capacity...who knows?
 
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You have just exhibited the number one reason for not using an electronic scale when reloading.
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Hogwash! My RCBS/pact electronic scale has worked splendidly for 13 years. I suppose you still use a rotary phone to dial up a friend?
 
snuffy said:
I suppose you still use a rotary phone to dial up a friend?
Click to expand...

Yeah, sometimes I do. It's as old as I am, rock-solid reliable, it's tied to the wall so you can find it, and it works even when the power is off. There's a lot to like about an old rotary phone.
 
It sounds like you did exactly the right thing. You were depending on your scale, and noticed that "something" was wrong. You checked it out, and solved the problem. Perfect.

Anytime we become complacent about our equipment, we are running the risk of mistakes. Equipment is just that... mechanical, electrical, electronic, is all still equipment. ALL equipment will fail, or go out of calibration... it's just a matter of when, and to what extent.

Check, double check, and, most importantly, be WILLING to doubt your equipment.

I work on equipment for a living... NOTHING is bullet-proof, and especially, NOTHING is idiot-proof. Ask me how I know.... :rolleyes:
 
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