Originally Posted By: Bob_Atlinteresting concept,, but weight does not equal volume.
Volume is what counts.
A lot of guys do it anyway, "each to his/her own".
you're technically correct, however in the case of brass where both external dimensions and material makeup are in theory uniform, case weight should have a direct correlation to internal volume of a given cartridge.
the weight difference has to come from somewhere, and the only place you can add or remove it while still maintaining the outside dimensional spec would be inside.
so the correlation should be lower weight = larger internal volume and higher weight = less internal volume.
as soon as you start comparing weights of different headstamps this of course goes out the window as you dont know the exact chemical makeup of the brass different lots of casings are made from, especailly when you start comparing different manufacturer's (ie: LC vs hornady), no less different years from the same mfg (IE: LC08 vs LC18).
at that point you have two possible variables in the equation and until you actually measure the internal volume there's no way to know if its a material density thing or a material quantity issue thats giving you the weight difference
so while i agree that it has limited application, weight sorting can have some usefulness, but only in limited circumstances.
and as you noted is probably only relevant to those who are practicing long range precision shooting where every little bit can make a difference and not something *most* shooters need concern themselves with.