Got tired of dumping powder when storing powder die or pausing for a week or 2. Ordered a 2-1/2” lamp glass tube off Amazon. Had to modify base .020” bigger and made brass baffle. Installed, filled with powder HP-38 started cranking and weighing perfect operation.
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Sweet!! I have often wondered why they don't at least offer a glass hopper as an option!
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Nice!
Did you consider the solution from Dram Worx?
Yes I did, but this only cost around $12. Took a chance, first one was 3’’ 2nd was 2.5” still had to modify base, which wasn’t hard to do. Just cheap I guess.
Looks good.
Hey, cheap is good!
What powders do this to the hoppers? I use 748 and Red Dot and haven't seen this staining and etching problem.
Bullseye is one that started attacking plastic hopper. Best to just remove back to original container when done. Different types of plastic may or may not cloud up. My Dillon didn’t cloud with HP38 but the RCBS did. So to solve this problem I just went with glass. There’s no direct sunlight in my reloading room and temp is kept between 65-78’. I think its the solvents in some powders that do this.
what did you have to do to modify the base?
Iowa Fox, to get the glass to fit the base I had to mainly open up the base where the glass would sit. With Dremel sanding disc about .020’’. This lip around bottom support isn’t very thick so had to watch not to get too thin.
I love the idea of glass hoppers. I just cannot and will not justify the cost of the Dram Works units, would need 3 or 4 of them and that much would buy one or 2 of the old Lyman moulds that I really want. Great work, I may have to try something like this. Not sure how one would hold the glass in a Uniflow.
I actually asked somebody at dillon why they dont offer a glass hopper. He kind of talked around the issue a little bit. I kind of picked up what he was saying, so I just asked straight up if it was a warranty issue. He laughed and said that I would be amazed what people can break...Originally Posted by geslayton
The stock Dillon powder measure hopper is made of polycarbonate, which is the same material that most safety glasses are made of,
for the exact same reason: it won't shatter and create sharp glass shrapnel if impacted or close to an explosion, like primers going off a couple inches away.
Myself, I prefer the safety of polycarbonate vs. the potential hazard of glass.
You decide for yourself what you want to do, and I will decide what I will do.
Also, keep in mind that glass does not show up well on a xray, unlike metal particles.
I know of a person who was haunted for many years by problems caused by high speed wood splinters (akin to flying wooden spikes)
from an industrial wood mill, because the docs could not find all the splinters and they didn't show up clearly on an xray.
FYI I believe that Dillon will replace the powder hopper under warranty if the smoked polycarbonate really bothers you.
Sounds like a good solution if you don't dump powder after a day of reloading like I do. My powder measures still look like new because I don't allow powder to stay in them for extended periods of time.
I generally empty the powder measure if it is going to sit for more than a day. Seems like an easy solution. Works fine, been doing that for years.
I do have a question about securing the glass tube to the base of the measure. The plastic Dillon tube is held in by a pair of screws that engage the plastic tube. On a glass replacement, how do you keep the tube secure to the base?
A hack that works for me is to line my Dillon measure with a trimmed down document cover. I don't know what kind of plastic it's made of, but it doesn't discolor and has kept the measure from becoming opaque.
After I got the base opened just press fit, really hard to move out of position. You could glue it tho if it was loose.
I store my red dot in my progressive hornady measure for years and it’s still as clear as new. Ive also run a lot of bullseye in there. Not sure what the differences are in plastics, but it hasn’t been an issue in my life yet.
GONRA 's never had problems with Dillon or RCBS Plastic Hoppers - BUT has only used "Modern Powders" - 231, HP-6, (fresh) Blue Dot in them....
Am certain you CAN really mess up some Plastic Hoppers with some powders. Gotta be careful!!!
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