spottedpony
01-21-2007, 09:21 PM
Heres a trick i learned probably 30 years ago, thanks to an article in a handloader digest & still as usable today as it was then. Anyone who's fought with making drastic changes in the adjustment of a micrometer type drop will appreciate this.
All thats required is some graph paper, a sharp pencil & straightedge and some time at your loading bench.
My old RCBS measure has graduations from 0 to 10 (i think it is) with four turns of the micrometer adjustment to change between graduation numbers, so not all graphs will start at 0 micrometer adjustment if throwing large loads.
On the bottom of the graph paper number your powder measure graduations. in my case starting at 0, (& skipping graph paper lines as it corrisponds to the individual measure.) so line one is 0, lines 2, 3, and 4 go unmarked representing a quarter turn of the micrometer stem, and line 5 gets marked as one, repeating this across the bottom of the graph paper for each incriment of micrometer adjustment.
Up the left side of the paper, mark the powder in grains corrisponding with a loading range of the powder load one uses. so if one loads in the 40 grain range, start at say 30 grains, up ten lines to 40 grains etc. (or with a finer graph paper it could be done in 1/0th grain incriments)
set a minimum charge on the measure and weigh it several times for accuracy and make a pencil dot at the corisponding point on the graph. IE: if 2 turns open equals 30 grains of powder make a mark at that point on the graph, following 30 grains over to the 2 index mark at the bottom
Next pick a load exceeding your maximum by several grains, and make a corrisponding mark on the graph paper, say 60 grains, and that equals 4 turns open on the micrometer adjustment follow the 60 grain line over to the line corrisponding with the 4 index mark on the powder measure and make a pencil mark at that point.
All that remains is connect the dots with a pencil line and you can reference any powder load you wish, to get the measure close with an initial setting. Find the charge you wish to use, read over to your pencil line & down to the measurement setting listed at the bottom & voila, your close. usually two or 3 little tweaks will get you right on the money for the charge you want to throw.
alot of you old timers may well know this trick, but for those who dont, it makes adjusting a mic type powder measure a snap.
All thats required is some graph paper, a sharp pencil & straightedge and some time at your loading bench.
My old RCBS measure has graduations from 0 to 10 (i think it is) with four turns of the micrometer adjustment to change between graduation numbers, so not all graphs will start at 0 micrometer adjustment if throwing large loads.
On the bottom of the graph paper number your powder measure graduations. in my case starting at 0, (& skipping graph paper lines as it corrisponds to the individual measure.) so line one is 0, lines 2, 3, and 4 go unmarked representing a quarter turn of the micrometer stem, and line 5 gets marked as one, repeating this across the bottom of the graph paper for each incriment of micrometer adjustment.
Up the left side of the paper, mark the powder in grains corrisponding with a loading range of the powder load one uses. so if one loads in the 40 grain range, start at say 30 grains, up ten lines to 40 grains etc. (or with a finer graph paper it could be done in 1/0th grain incriments)
set a minimum charge on the measure and weigh it several times for accuracy and make a pencil dot at the corisponding point on the graph. IE: if 2 turns open equals 30 grains of powder make a mark at that point on the graph, following 30 grains over to the 2 index mark at the bottom
Next pick a load exceeding your maximum by several grains, and make a corrisponding mark on the graph paper, say 60 grains, and that equals 4 turns open on the micrometer adjustment follow the 60 grain line over to the line corrisponding with the 4 index mark on the powder measure and make a pencil mark at that point.
All that remains is connect the dots with a pencil line and you can reference any powder load you wish, to get the measure close with an initial setting. Find the charge you wish to use, read over to your pencil line & down to the measurement setting listed at the bottom & voila, your close. usually two or 3 little tweaks will get you right on the money for the charge you want to throw.
alot of you old timers may well know this trick, but for those who dont, it makes adjusting a mic type powder measure a snap.