What pistol powders throw consistanly in Dillon reloaders?

[Walstr]

My 'new to me' Dillon 650 is throwing Bullseye 4.6gr-4.8gr, loading 200gr, 45ACP. It's what I had & no cycling issues.

Bu u u t, I'd like to improve my target skills & this powder drop variance is working against me, eh. What powders have you found, work well in the Dillon powder measure assy.? Thanks & feel free to PM me for convenience.

[Jupiter7]

AA5 or nearly any spherical powder will drop very consistent.

[ioon44]

I have been loading Auto Comp in 9mm on my Dillon with very consistent results, most spherical powders work well.

I use Bullseye in .45 APC with good results.

[Alvarez Kelly]

I love Clays.

[r1kk1]

Unique, 4227, 110, 1680, bullseye, trail boss, 5744, pb, blue dot all drop fine for pistol for me.

r1kk1

[jeff423]

My 650 drops Bullseye much more consistently that. It's about 60% of what I use. I have an Arredondo slide with a micrometer. I also have a baffle in the tube. With that setup it is even consistent with 700X

[Mk42gunner]

W231 works well, from personal experience, and it works well in the .45 ACP.

Robert

[blindeye]

Tended to use 231 or 700x. Seem to meter very slightly better than Red Dot or Unique. I was buying 8lb'ers of each. But accuracy didn't reflect the differences while loading on a Dillon 450b. However it's been about 30 years since I stuck a 1911 into my Ransom rest and I don't have notes from that anymore; so my recollection could be faulty.

[Dragonheart]

Flake powders are the biggest problem. Polishing out your drop tube to a mirror finish helps.

[shoot-n-lead]

I have had a lot of good powder measures and .2 variance is as good as any one of them would consistently do.

[David2011]

What Dragonheart said. The smaller the charge of flake powder the greater the variation. The fluffier the powder the worse the problem. All ball powders work great. More general Dillon answer: Even extruded rifle powders for cases as small as .223 throw +/- 0.1 grain. IF you're throwing 4.6gr-4.8gr that's a median of 4.7 and a variation of 0.1 grain. Not perfect but not bad!

David

[Dragonheart]

I am assuming I have the same powder measures on my Dillon 650's and mine throw within one tenth of a grain, granted I try to stay away from flake powders. If you really want a better drop then polish out the drop tube to a mirror finish. If you have milling marks in the tube they can catch powder so one charge doesn't drop completely, so the charge is light. The next charge it all drops, plus the little extra, so the charge is heavy and you get variation. I have polished all my tubs and done the same for some non-mechanical friends and everyone comes back and says it made a difference.
The next step is adjusting you powder measure. Most scales measure to a tenth, but also round off to the nearest number. After you have adjusted your measure and are getting consistent drops, then drop three or four charges and weight those. For example if I want a load of 5 grains and I drop four charges in the scale pan I should ideally have exactly 20 grains. If I have more than 20 grains then I need to tweek my powder measure down slightly because my charge is just a tad to much from the rounding off. The same is true if the charge is to low. I have been running Dillon equipment since my first purchase of a 450, then two 550's and now 650's. One thing they all have had in common is accurate powder drops and the new Dillon measures are the best of the lot.

[Petrol & Powder]

Most has been said. Ball powders work better than flake powders. A baffle may help. Larger charges tend to have less variation.

In my experience 231, CFE Pistol and WSF meter with high consistency. I've actually had very good results with Bullseye but Unique gives me trouble.

[jmorris]

Spherical powders do the best but I agree with others that bullseye should be dropping more consistent than that.

N310 always drops the same for me as well. 10 out of 10 will all be at 3.1grains, using a measure that has not been modified.

[Avery Arms]

I have had no problems with any pistol powders in the dillon progressive loaders 550, 650, 1050.

It is very important to be consistent with how you load meaning all the stations are always full and you operate the press with a smooth steady rhythm. If you struggle, run the press jerky or stop and fool with anything on the press or bench you can cause the powder to settle in the charge bar and your next charge will be off. If you want charge consistency you really have to operate the machine consistently and also the powder thrower has to be clean, tight, adjusted, no worn parts and running smoothly. Dry lubricants such as graphite or a very light coating of silicone (mostly wiped off with clean rag) can help keep your powder thrower (specifically the charge bar) running smoothly and your charge consistency will improve.

Every time you have a stoppage or a jerky incounter with your press/bench you should discard the next charge thrown as it cannot be trusted. Obviously a heavier more solid bench with a heavier press mounted very securely will cause less issues but operator consistency is still the key.

[wv109323]

The variance you mentioned will have little to no affect on your marksmanship skills or results. Even at 50 yards with a Ransom Rest 4.6 and 4.8 loads would print in the same pattern.
Nearly all Bullseye pistol shooters use a progressive press with thrown charges. Plus or minus one tenth of a grain is good to go.

[dudel]

Static electricity can cause variances as well. I use a lot of Bullseye, and it does well. You might have a static condition, if you drain the supply tube, and still see grains stuck to the dump.

Wipe the dump down with a used fabric softener sheet or ground the dump. l also polished the drop tube. Others add a baffle to the reservoir.

You might want to run those rounds over a chronograph to see how much the variance really affects speed.

[Dragonheart]

The variance you mentioned will have little to no affect on your marksmanship skills or results. Even at 50 yards with a Ransom Rest 4.6 and 4.8 loads would print in the same pattern.
Nearly all Bullseye pistol shooters use a progressive press with thrown charges. Plus or minus one tenth of a grain is good to go.

Not to step on any toes, but your statement that two tenths of a grain doesn't make a difference does not prove out on paper. Some powders have a sweet spot where you are correct that little variation will occur in as much as .08 of a grain, but other powders .02 difference and it won't look like the group shot with the same gun. I have run many many test rounds with many different handguns using a Ransom Rest and a lab scale that will measure to a hundredth of a grain and with test targets to back me up; two tenths can make a big difference in group size at 25 yards and especially at 50 yards. The only way you will know is to run tests with a powder/bullet combination. Just as you have to develope a load then adjust your sights to that load.

[John Boy]

What powders have you found, work well in the Dillon powder measure assy.?

Red Dot

[jsizemore]

4.2 gr. of Promo/Red Dot pushing the H&G 68 in my 1911 with a 22lb spring.