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Thread: Little Dandy

  1. #21
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Dang I didn't think of that Minerat. I looked at the pics and haven't worked with one.

  2. #22
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    I use mine free hand over an old Flambeau twin-60 loading block. When finished I step over to a small floodlight at night or outside to check powder levels.

    Store the measure by screwing it into the old aluminum bar that comes/came with the old Uni-Flow powder measure. It's fastened to a shelf up in a corner of the bench, cover with an old sock.
    The rotors are stored in their boxes at the back edge of the bench under the bottom shelf overhang. Just wipe them down with silicone rag, store them back in their boxes. Wipe clean with acetone before use.

    I have another aluminum bar screwed to that low shelf to hold the measure during use.

    I've had one since they first came out. Bought all rotors the first year. Most all my handgun loads are based on what those rotors throw of a given powder. I even use the #26 rotor for .223 with Ball Powder.

    I'm kinda interested in that adjustable rotor. It's kinda pricey and I can't even find a picture of one.
    I HATE auto-correct

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  3. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by country gent View Post
    Dang I didn't think of that Minerat. I looked at the pics and haven't worked with one.
    Thanks country gent, but even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while. It was just me being lazy.
    Steve,

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  4. #24
    Boolit Master Ole Joe Clarke's Avatar
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    I drilled out one of my rotors, it was soft as butter. It worked so well, I thought I would drill another. It was harder than $40.00 worth of jaw breakers. Never did get a drill bit to cut it.

    Have a blessed day,

    Leon

  5. #25
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    Not that that Baily adjustable thing is wrong, different people like different things, but I have regular powder meters already that work better, with faster adjustment. To me the value of the switch rotors like RCBS supplies is it is simple and fast for a block of pistol type cases. No adjusting, put the rotor in, check one drop on the scale and go.
    Chill Wills

  6. #26
    Boolit Grand Master

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    One of my favorite measures to use is along the lines of the little dandy. I made it up as a fill in project at work. Its a sliding bar measure ( similar to Dillon or Belding and mull or lee auto disks) bar is 3/4" thick and 1 1/2' wide has a 3/4" hole bored and ground in it slides in the housing under hopper fills the cavity forward drops it into the case. I have a bunch of numbered cavities made for it. Once a charge is found next time just find that numbered bushing and drop it in. Its a great little measure for pistol rounds or even some of the smaller rifle rounds like 22 hornet 218 bee. It does pretty good accuracy wise also.

  7. #27
    Boolit Buddy daboone's Avatar
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    After reviewing some related thread on the Little Dandy I found a helpful and money saving tip. The RCBS lock rings can be use as rotor knobs for the rotors.
    "An ignorant person is one who doesn't know what you have just found out." Will Rogers

  8. #28
    Boolit Grand Master
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    The rotor type powder measure dates back to at least the pre-WW II days when Pacific made their pistol measure using brass (then steel during WW II) rotors calibrated and marked for Bullseye and later Unique Powders. After the Little Dandy became established, Lyman tried their Accumeasure on the same principle. It came with 15 brass rotors, about half of which had two small cavities, so the total number available was nearly the same as the Little Dandy. For whatever reason, it didn't seem to catch on. I've been fortunate enough to get a couple of LDs and a complete set of rotors as well as a couple of AMs with all of their rotors, but although I have several of the Pacifics and their later (Bair) iterations, I'm still trying to assemble a complete set of the rotors for that system.

    No, I'm really not OCD, but everybody needs a hobby!

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  9. #29
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    Froggie, if you come up with duplicates of the Bair roters let me know.

    Country Gent, that sounds like my Pacific slide measure, but bigger. The Pacific uses a 1/2" hole.
    Wayne the Shrink

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  10. #30
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wayne Smith View Post
    Froggie, if you come up with duplicates of the Bair roters let me know.

    Country Gent, that sounds like my Pacific slide measure, but bigger. The Pacific uses a 1/2" hole.
    Wayne, I'm beginning to get the idea that the only way I'll get a collection of Pacific/Bair rotors will be to make them. They weren't made in all that large numbers way back when, and were never that common around here, so I just find the occasional rotor or two (usually in a box with a powder measure) and have tried to build up a set... but it's very slow. The downside is that I have about 4-5 of the measures and only about a dozen rotors with virtually no dupes. Have you been able to get any you would be willing to swap?

    BTW, the later Bair/Pacific powder measures used a slide and bushing rather than the rotor... sounds like the style Country Gent has built for himself. By comparison, they would be a snap to make, but that's a story for another thread, this one is about the Little Dandy and its rotor style of inserts. We could go on for a long time talking about this style since it is so widely used, even with some modification in Dillon and Star Progressive Presses.

    There is a certain attraction to having a powder measure with fixed capacity charge chambers... you get a consistent load. There is a certain disadvantage to it though... you only get those specific loads for which you have the proper chambers.

    Froggie
    "It aint easy being green!"

  11. #31
    Boolit Grand Master

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    If you ever get to your machine tools I think I have two blank rotors that I'd send you.
    Wayne the Shrink

    There is no 'right' that requires me to work for you or you to work for me!

  12. #32
    Boolit Master
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    I use my Little Dandy handheld over a reloading block and go back over the charged cases with a bright flashlight to check levels. For what it’s worth I normally use a powder charge that will visually overfill or overflow the case with a double charge. Some powders work much better than others, 2400, BE86, W296/H110 all flow like water. Unique not so much but it gets used A LOT in my loads.

    I have a wooden box with a foam liner that I bored holes in to hold the rotors upright, I wipe the rotors every so often with Gunzilla to keep away the rust.

  13. #33
    Boolit Buddy three50seven's Avatar
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    I use one of these with mine: https://gun-guides.com/UNIVERSAL-Per...2%AE-p83298045
    and mount it directly to the top of my Lee powder-through expander dies.

    I use a plastic tackle box with the adjustable dividers to store my rotors in.

  14. #34
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    I PM'd Bailey Boat about his adjustable rotor for the Little Dandy. Here is his reply:

    "John, I do still make them but am not accepting any orders at this time. The machinist that has been making them for all these years for me has gone MIA. I’m currently totally out of stock and if I don’t hear from him this week I’ll be forced to find someone else to make them for me.
    I’ll save this email and when I have the situation under control I’ll holler back at you….
    Sorry for the delay… Bill White"

    My reply to him was that I didn't really need the adjustable rotor but it would be nice to have. In the meantime, if I need a different charge than the standard rotor, I can utilize one of the temporary fixes mentioned in above posts.
    John
    W.TN

  15. #35
    Boolit Master Airman Basic's Avatar
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    I'm not the only loader who double drops the LD, am I? For example, I drop two #15s to get my load of 4227 for 44 mag.

  16. #36
    Boolit Master
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    Nope, I double as well. Use mine hand held over the block , then count each charged case as I check them with the light. When doing 1 at a time, if I get destracted it goes back in the measure and charge again. Easier for me to stay focused 1 time while I inspect the block. Also ,like when using unique, I can verify any short charges, level of each case should match it's neighbor.I really like the fixed charge. I use a piece of paper in the reservoir to note powder type thats presently in it. Got 2, buy them wbenever I run accross one reasonable $.
    I find them to be more repeatable, with powders like unique, because I can "snap" the rotator each direction.
    Last edited by rking22; 12-05-2018 at 07:51 PM.
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  17. #37
    Boolit Buddy daboone's Avatar
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    Here are some things I learned so far.

    Kids playground chalk is great to get the rotor's numbers to pop out, be visible.

    RCBS lock rings attached to the grip portion of the rotors make them easier to rotate.

    Nobody makes a powder baffle for the LD.

    These rotors are susceptible to rust. I've cleaned the light surface rust with 0000 steel wool followed with paste wax.
    ​​​​​
    A plastic sixteen gauge box is good for storage of the rotor.

    I started testing it with Bullseye, 700X, Red Dot, Unique and 2400 just using the appropriate RCBS rotors for loads I'm interested in time 20 dispensing. I was impressed with the consistency delivered (+/- 0.1) with each of these powders. I did note some cutting but this didn't seem to cause and significant difference. Some were very close to the printed Chart loads some were not. This testing was done with the LD mounted on a stand. Today I will see how it does freehand, not mounted. The Bailey Boat adjustable rotor looks like it will fill in the gaps but I haven't really done any serious testing yet.

    Thanks for all your advice, comments and suggestions.
    "An ignorant person is one who doesn't know what you have just found out." Will Rogers

  18. #38
    Boolit Buddy daboone's Avatar
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    PM sent. I'll take it
    "An ignorant person is one who doesn't know what you have just found out." Will Rogers

  19. #39
    Boolit Buddy daboone's Avatar
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    PM sent. I'll take it
    "An ignorant person is one who doesn't know what you have just found out." Will Rogers

  20. #40
    Boolit Bub
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    Done.
    Last edited by blackhawk man; 12-08-2018 at 09:54 PM.

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BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
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GC Gas Check