"Saepe errans, numquam dubitans --Frequently in error, never in doubt".
The trouble with the Internet is that it's replacing masturbation as a leisure activity. ~Patrick Murray
Never heard of a 223MKC…
Only if the cartridge is grossly over charged. Bullets and cases can vary by a grain or more on their own, so a 120 grain bullet weighing 119 and a case weighing 4 or 5 grains under norm could contain a charge 5 to 6 grains over max - a significant amount - that will not show up on a scale. Nor will a scale do any good if the wrong powder was used. 30 grains of 4895 is not the same as 30 grains of Bullseye(!) but they both weigh 30 grains on the scale.
Lighten up Francis.
Though it might not be an option for a rnd. loaded with an improper powder ( i.e. Bullseye in a rifle rnd), weighing a rnd CAN let you know
if you have an uncharged case, with a bullet seated. I've used the "weigh a finished rnd and compare to others weights",
to determine if I'd seated a bullet w/o charging a case successfully before. How ?
A 223 rnd has 20+ gr. of powder , a .308 40+ gr, an 30-06 even more.
There shouldn't be 20gr (or more ) difference in weight between rds. due to variances in case and / or bullet weights.
If there is more than a few gr. weight difference between loaded rds, I'd pull the bullet to determine why.
I
Just as reference I weighed 10 random Hornady cases on my RCBS powder scale. 5 of them 2 Xs fired resized untrimmed and primed with a CCI SR primer, the other 5 new unfired and unprimed. The two sets of cases are from different lots which seems to show in how close they are in weight with and without a primer.
Unfired-new
94.2
94.3
93.9
95.9
94.1
A 2 grain variation
Fired and primed
97.7
93.4
96.4
92.9
93.0
A 4.8 grain variance
According to Hornadies latest manual the starting load of IMR4895, a common powder is 22.7 gr., the max is 25.1. This is a 2.4 grain spread easily hidden in the 4.8 grain possible spread of a primed case and very hard to determine in the 2 grain distribution of a new unprimed case. Add any bullet variations and you see weighing a loaded round to determine powder variance gets lost in other factors.
"Saepe errans, numquam dubitans --Frequently in error, never in doubt".
The trouble with the Internet is that it's replacing masturbation as a leisure activity. ~Patrick Murray
When it comes to weighing loaded rounds to find outliers, as far as charge weight goes, that is never exact and can't be totally trusted.
What I have personally used in the past with somewhat decent results is to weight the entire box (obviously one at a time), or the entire load group (obviously one at a time), that could contain the bad round or rounds.
I typically start weighing then keep the 10 heaviest or the 10 lightest (depending on what I am looking for), so if looking for the heaviest (overcharged) I keep the 10 heaviest as I weigh them, as I find a heavier round that is heavier than the lowest in the 10 I am keeping I move the lowest out then add that new heavier round to my 10.
When all done weighing I re-weigh the 10 heaviest then keep the 5 heaviest out of those 10.
Then, I next pull the bullets on those 5 heaviest to see, measure, examine what made them the heaviest (case, bullet, powder load, etc). If all are OK and within specs that is as far as I usually go.
If I find a powder charge discrepancy, or a major bullet weight discrepancy in those 5 then I then break the other 5 (10 total) apart for inspection. If those are OK then I just move on, if any of those second 5 are dangerously out of spec then I pull the entire batch apart.
I can see the 'weigh' method to determine that there is NO charge. But not to determine if the charges are 'close enough.' Esp if one does not know the max charge for his specific weapon and is hovering around max where another 'tiny' up in charge may do some damage. And even if one does know the max and is unsure, the only aspect I would remotely trust would be weighing for LACK of powder.
It's never a good / safe habit IMO. (Like KNOWING the gun you laid down to go to the bathroom or answer the phone after you closed the action is UNLOADED but STILL checking it to make doubly sure it's 'somehow freakishly' not another 'unloaded gun' many of which same have killed someone.
Once the bullet's gone or the powder's lit - you can't call the bullet back -- EVER! But you will ALWAYS live with the consequences.
Sorry for not giving all info up front but didn't know if i would be talking to a lawyer or what and didn't want to put foot in mouth and make life anymore difficult for myself than it already is.
Ammo was 62 grs. MatchKing HPBT 223MKC, 223 Remington......... (don't have any idea why the word Remington would appear on a box of Fiocchi ammunition.)