Moon Phase

Critter Picker

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I'm curious if anybody out there has ever noticed a difference between rounds loaded during different moon phases. I know that I'm going to get a lot of people who think that I'm crazy, but a long, long time ago I was having a real problem getting a bullet mould to cast a decent bullet. Just the last time that I used it, it worked fine.

So I walk into the LGS and started discussing my problem with the owner, who, was a much respected shooter. He asked me when I was casting and when I said last night he immediately told me that you should never cast by the light of the moon. It was a full moon the previous night. I asked him why that would make a difference and he promptly told me the moon affects the tide and a lot of things.

Think about powder for example. Anybody who has ever put up a fence can tell you that when you dig a hole for the post, sometimes you have dirt left over, which makes sense because the post displaces some of the dirt, but sometimes you just have enough. If you pay attention to moon phase, full moon, left over dirt. New moon, sometimes you have to add dirt. So if you are dropping charges from a measure do they vary? Does the dirt taken from a hole weigh the same when there's dirt left over as when there isn't?

I know from weighing each and every bullet that when I cast under a new moon they all weigh the same + or - .1%. if they vary more I throw them back and remelt them. That's the beauty of casting, no waste. I will throw back 4 or 5 bullets per batch and I usually cast 20 Lb batches, then store in old coffee cans. I also remember that as the moon gets fuller the throw backs increase with some molds, but not all of them. It could be due to venting.

So anyway without writing a small book has anybody noticed any fluctuation of loads as the moon phases change? Or does anybody pay attention to moon phases when loading ammo?
 
I haven't noticed any difference with powder, but was curious if anyone else had noticed a change. As I get older I have more time to contemplate these things.
 
No because what you're talking about is fantasy brought about by a lack of understanding about exactly how weak gravity is.

All your local gun shop guy told you is that he understands exactly nothing about tides, physics, gravity, the moon or its phases, metallurgy, etc... There isn't any effect from the moon being lit up that's different to it not being lit up which is going to be felt by anything smaller than a sea. The moon is still there when you can't see it during the new moon phase. It's just as much there as it is during the full moon phase. It's just that it's not lit up on a side you can see during the new moon. The Phase of the moon itself doesn't make anything different happen to tides, etc... It's really the combination of the position of the sun and the moon (which, yes, is what makes for the phases). When the sun and moon are in line with each other you get stronger tides (spring tides) than you do when they're tugging is at 90deg to each other (neap tides). In any event, if this were even remotely a thing then none of us would reload while the moon is at perigee or apogee but only in a narrow time window of about a week or two between the two points where stability would be at the highest.

If you're getting different results digging post holes as you describe then either you're losing dirt in the transaction (or gaining huge amounts of density) or, please document this effect correlation and provide your data for proper study as you may have discovered a new area of physics. My bet is that you've never in a single instance in your life or anyone else's failed to have dirt left over after inserting the fence post and filling the hole back up to the top. I'll put $100 cash on the line payable to anyone that can, under controlled conditions, replicate this variable result you speak of with respect to fence posts and if we can isolate it as a lunar phase effect then I'll toss an extra $1000 on top.

I've cast in all conditions and never noticed any variation which was outside of my normal variation's error bars. Anyone that has, I suspect that the human is the one experiencing the effect, not the lead/powder/etc...

With respect to casting, the closeness of your butt to the mold has more gravitational affect on your casting than the moon. Gravity is an astonishingly weak force and it gets weaker with distance. So while the moon is a lot bigger than your butt, your butt is a LOT closer.
 
I am kind of new to bullet casting. Didn't get started until 75 so I don't claim to know everything, but I do know that at least one of my moulds has about a 50% throw back rate if I use it during the full moon, and about 1% during the new moon. I can't explain it any other way.

I'm not a farmer either and only dug 56 post holes a year for 25 years and I don't want your money, I would say the person to ask about left over dirt would be a grave digger. If you know one. Let me know what he says.


There's a lot of farmers that plant crops by moon phase. I can't testify to that working,I do know the moon is there even when it is in the new phase.

Sorry if I ruffled any feathers, just looking for answers.
 
No because what you're talking about is fantasy brought about by a lack of understanding about exactly how weak gravity is.

All your local gun shop guy told you is that he understands exactly nothing about tides, physics, gravity, the moon or its phases, metallurgy, etc... There isn't any effect from the moon being lit up that's different to it not being lit up which is going to be felt by anything smaller than a sea. The moon is still there when you can't see it during the new moon phase. It's just as much there as it is during the full moon phase. It's just that it's not lit up on a side you can see during the new moon. The Phase of the moon itself doesn't make anything different happen to tides, etc... It's really the combination of the position of the sun and the moon (which, yes, is what makes for the phases). When the sun and moon are in line with each other you get stronger tides (spring tides) than you do when they're tugging is at 90deg to each other (neap tides). In any event, if this were even remotely a thing then none of us would reload while the moon is at perigee or apogee but only in a narrow time window of about a week or two between the two points where stability would be at the highest.

If you're getting different results digging post holes as you describe then either you're losing dirt in the transaction (or gaining huge amounts of density) or, please document this effect correlation and provide your data for proper study as you may have discovered a new area of physics. My bet is that you've never in a single instance in your life or anyone else's failed to have dirt left over after inserting the fence post and filling the hole back up to the top. I'll put $100 cash on the line payable to anyone that can, under controlled conditions, replicate this variable result you speak of with respect to fence posts and if we can isolate it as a lunar phase effect then I'll toss an extra $1000 on top.

I've cast in all conditions and never noticed any variation which was outside of my normal variation's error bars. Anyone that has, I suspect that the human is the one experiencing the effect, not the lead/powder/etc...

With respect to casting, the closeness of your butt to the mold has more gravitational affect on your casting than the moon. Gravity is an astonishingly weak force and it gets weaker with distance. So while the moon is a lot bigger than your butt, your butt is a LOT closer.
Okay, I was in law enforcement for 30 years. A full moon on a Friday or Saturday night was ALMOST always busier with shootings, stabbings, and assaults than a Friday or Saturday night without full moons. I say Almost because there were probably some weekends that happened on a full moon that I don't remember that well, but the weekends on a full moon that I do remember were busier than full moon nights during the week, and all the full moons I remember were busier than non-full moon nights. That is not just my failing memory, it was locker room talk every time there was a full moon. "Splain" that to me. A family disturbance call on a full moon night can pucker your butt no matter how far away the moon is from your butt.
 
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Okay, I was in law enforcement for 30 years. A full moon on a Friday or Saturday night was ALMOST always busier with shootings, stabbings, and assaults than a Friday or Saturday night without full moons. I say Almost because there were probably some weekends that happened on a full moon that I don't remember that well, but the weekends on a full moon that I do remember were busier than full moon nights during the week, and all the full moons I remember were busier than non-full moon nights. That is not just my failing memory, it was locker room talk every time there was a full moon. "Splain" that to me. A family disturbance call on a full moon night can pucker your butt no matter how far away the moon is from your butt.
This has been verified by many policemen that I know and thy have all said the same thing full moon on weekends is always more busy !! Why ? Who knows!! No I've never been arrested! But my game Warden buddy says he's going to !!! He's joking I hope!!!
 
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When I was a young man I worked on a survey crew for a few years and learned to use the transit.
When we did elevation plots we had to take a moon shot because the party chief said the elevation changed during moon phases.
They also shoot sun shots(with a special lens to protect the user)as well.
I know people that will not get a haircut on a full moon.
I cast and reload but not sure about moon phases changing powder density.To be honest I really don't know and now wondering also.
 
The weekends with full moons were also extra busy with bizarre injuries in the operating room usually occurring to weirdos. The people that think they are witches, warlocks and druids and who knows what else come out in droves. When you add in the 1st and 15th of the month paydays with a full moon weekend you see another uptick in craziness as people have money to do especially stupid things. My theory is weak minded people let the moon and money and witches' spells convince themselves that the full moon is the right time to do some really stupid things.
 
When I was a young man I worked on a survey crew for a few years and learned to use the transit.
When we did elevation plots we had to take a moon shot because the party chief said the elevation changed during moon phases.
They also shoot sun shots(with a special lens to protect the user)as well.
I know people that will not get a haircut on a full moon.
I cast and reload but not sure about moon phases changing powder density.To be honest I really don't know and now wondering also.
I believe there is a lot to moon phase. I've never seen powder charges affected, probably loaded thousands of rounds when there was a full moon. Between Prarie dogs and silhouettes I used to load every minute that I wasn't working. Wish I could still get components for those prices!
 
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