powder settling changes measure

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

I have found that Power Pistol from a lee auto disk measures differently if it has had time to settle

i was using a 1.18 disk of power pistol to charge soem 44 mag if i pour the powder in from the fatory conatiner into the hopper i toss out the first 3 pulls back intot he hopper, then start weighing and it will through 12.9 gr just as consistant as can be , but if i leave the powder in the hopper and come back to reload later it will through 13.3 very consistanly

just removing the measure and agitating the powder did not make it measure any different but pouring it back into the factory container and then back into the hopper set it right back to 12.9 consistanly for the next 30 rounds , thats all i did last night. and ran out of empty brass

i weigh alot , i wiegh the first 5 then every fifth after that and the last


yes i probably shouldn't leave the powder in the hopper all day or over night , i currently have 1 powder and reload for 1 calliber

i have some 13.3 and some 12.9 loads made up now and will see which i like better book starting was 13.4 and max 13.5


has anyone else noticed this happening and by .4 gr ?

[williamwaco]

There are two reasons not to leave the powder in the measure. 1) It will darken the plastic hopper and eventualy, you will not be able to inspect it visually. 2) Settling. You already know one way to fix that. Here is an easier way. Take a small container. I usually use the scale pan or the top of the powder hopper. Throw about 15 or 20 charges into the continer. By now, it will be back to throwing the correct charge. Dump the dummy charges back into the hopper. Of course, if they are rifle charges, you will need a larger container.

[Rocky Raab]

High NG powders don't just darken the plastic reservoir, they react with it. That not only destroys the tube but chemically changes the powder. Not overly wise.

Install a powder baffle to cure almost all settling problems. Cut a circle from a piece of aluminum, copper or brass sheet that will just fit inside your measure's tube. Now punch a 3/4" hole in that disk, like a donut hole. Slide the disk down into the bottom of the tube so it rests flat.

The powder will flow through the hole freely, leaving the portion below the disk un-packed.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

i have a lee turret press the turret pops out so easy , i don't even remove the measure from the turret just pop the hole turret and pour into the funnel.

i will have to be better about not leaving the powder in the hopper

[cbrick]

i will have to be better about not leaving the powder in the hopper

That would be good. You may be loading for only one caliber with one powder right now but someday you'll probably be loading for more than one gun with many powders. Get in the habit right now of having one powder at the bench at a time and put it away as soon as the last case is charged.

Rick

[geargnasher]

Titegroup will melt a hopper in a few days.

Gear

[303Guy]

A cone at the base of the hopper is a good baffle. It is self regulating in that pressure from the top causes it to hold back so it releases from the bottom up. All very well if you happen to have a lathe to make one on.:roll:

[cbrick]

Titegroup will melt a hopper in a few days. Gear

Does this require a match or will a spark do?

Rick

[geargnasher]

Nope. It just turns the polycarbonate to goo. Good thing I found a NIB spare hopper cylinder in SS and snagged it (Uniflow). I never gave it a chance to see what it would do to the Lee plastic.

Gear

[C.F.Plinker]

A cone at the base of the hopper is a good baffle. It is self regulating in that pressure from the top causes it to hold back so it releases from the bottom up. All very well if you happen to have a lathe to make one on.:roll:

Could you make one out of a metal or plastic funnel?

[williamwaco]

Could you make one out of a metal or plastic funnel?



Before most powder measures came supplied with one, I made them out of the cardboard backing of a legal pad.

[btroj]

I have never left powder in a measure when done loading. In a double base powder the nitroglycerin can actually migrate from the powder into the plastic of the hopper. Sounds strange but it is true. This is also why nitroglycerin tabs for heart patients should always be kept in the original container.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

it has a small baffle to keep the strait vertical preasure from affecting the charge , but it is beveled from the sides and after time the powder settles pushing in from the sides also causing the difference .
i talked to the coworker who first told me about power pistol he reloads 9mm and 45acp he has 2 lee pro autodisks leaves them on his powder thru expander die and leves the powder in them but thye have an on off hopper flow with a metering chamber below that holds about 24gr my his estimate , so his procedure is to turn off the flow then pull the handle on a empty cartrige and dump back into the hopper till it is clear then he turns it back on and tosses the first charge back in the hopper then starts weighing them and claims it drops the same 6.2gr for his 9mm every time he only uses power pistol and each hopper stays atached to the dies for that cal. and he has left the powder in for 2 years without having the plastic melt he said he is always adding more but never dumped out of the hopper back into factory container.


i plan on loading more things with more powders and am not likly to get a measure for every turret so i will get in the good habit of putting the powder away each time now.

i was thinking about the baffle , since it has one and it seems to work as long as the powder isn't left in the hopper i will just keep set up the way it is for now as long as i pour fresh it tosses 12.9 every time.

[Pepe Ray]

It is the light that precipitates the corrosive effect within the hoppers.
Keep a small brown paper bag/sack nearby and cover the hopper when it must be left unattended for a time.
Pepe Ray

[youngda9]

Don't run a max load when reloading bulk pistol shooting ammo and a small variation is a non-issue.

[Cranium]

I've had this same thing happen after only a few minutes of leaving the powder sitting there.

I'm using Power Pistol and typically reloading about 5.4 gr. I'm metering with the Hornady Case Activated Powder Drop fitted with a pistol micrometer. This also has a v-shaped powder baffle installed at the bottom. The powder level is typically kept pretty high. If I stop loading for just a few minutes and then weigh the next drop, it will be higher by ~ .2-.3 gr. I've learned to always recycle 2-3 drops after stopping more than a minute or so.

[williamwaco]

That would be good. You may be loading for only one caliber with one powder right now but someday you'll probably be loading for more than one. Get in the habit right now of having one powder at the bench at a time and put it away as soon as the last case is charged.

Rick


This is excellent advice.

In addition, I always write the powder number on a yellow sticky note ( write on the sticky side ) and stick it to the inside of the top of the hopper. This makes the writing readable from the outside.

Sooner or later you WILL wind up with powder in the hopper and either NO bottle on the bench or two bottles on the bench.

Do not depend on your memory. Accidents can cost you money, or more.

[pdawg_shooter]

I stick a plastic kitchen funnel in the top of my measure. The tip is about 2" above the drum. Fill the funnel with powder. Maintains a constant load on the drum and increases the powder capacity.