Success Pacific Pistol Powder measure

[Wayne Smith]

Some time ago I posted a question about making inserts for my Pacific Pistol Powder measure. I got some good ideas, I struggled with it, and got distracted when the garage was too cold in which to work. I came back to the project this week and thought that I might be able to use my SuperNova chuck with the 5mm jaws and my wood lathe to do this. I got a piece of the 1/2x1/2 brass rod and sure enough, those jaws fit it well. I have a Jacobs chuck for my tail stock.

First I used a hole starter that I got last time I was at Harbor Freight and then tried a #22 or 23 bit and it went through fine. Then I got the 1/2" hole starter to widen the hole and put my 10mm pen making bit into the chuck. A lot of Kroil and very slow cutting later this is the result:

[Wayne Smith]

It dispenses: 10.8gr Bullseye, 7.7gr Unique, 6.7gr Clays, 13.4gr 4227, 13.3gr 2400, and 11.6gr Power Pistol.

How in the world does one add text after pictures??

[Green Frog]

Wayne,

If I've followed you correctly, yours is one of the later style with a square sliding bar and interchangeable bushings similar to what we see on a MEC shotgun press, right? :?: How are you planning on using it?

I'm still going to have to cobble up a couple of the round rotor type for my early style Pacific Pistol Measure, but finding some brass stock that large is expen$ive! :shock: I foresee using that little guy to load cat sneeze loads in my 32 S&W Long rounds. It's just so darn cute, and looks right at home alongside my old TruLine Jr with its 32 S&W L die set. :mrgreen:

Froggie

[Wayne Smith]

Froggie, I have a Bair Pistol Powder Measure that uses the round bar that twists around to release the powder. Mine I think uses 3/4" round stock to do this, with a cut for the stop rod and a hole for the powder measure.

My Pacific is the newer one that originally used an aluminum sliding square bar that accepts brass inserts, but that bar was broken when I got mine off eBay cheap. Buckshot made me a steel one that only needed a couple passes with a file to fit. The insert is based on 1/2" cut offs of a 1/2" brass round bar. I found an internet place (I don't remember where) where I could buy 6" lengths so that's what I did. Now I have four cut off and filed to fit, just need drill bits between 1/4" and 1/2" - all mine are woodworking brad point.

[Green Frog]

Cool! :mrgreen: I sure would like to be able to find some of those short lengths of 1/2" brass stock you mention. I could make my Pacific Pistol Measure rotors with the full diameter knobs out of it. [smilie=w:

Froggie

[Wayne Smith]

Yours takes 1/2" stock? PM coming.

[texassako]

Cool! :mrgreen: I sure would like to be able to find some of those short lengths of 1/2" brass stock you mention. I could make my Pacific Pistol Measure rotors with the full diameter knobs out of it. [smilie=w:

Froggie

Is that the one with rotors like the Lil Dandy? If so, they are .685" unless you are going make some kind of insert. I have one that someone made a brass insert to reduce the charge weight. I also have a homemade one someone tapped for a threaded plug to make it adjustable.

[Green Frog]

That's right, it was 3/4" I need for blanks. My one original rotor has the larger diameter knob integral to the body, so I'll be turning off a fair amount of brass from my starting point. :???: I still think that it will be worthwhile to make these rotors though because the overall size of the unit should make it easier to make small chambers that actually work... it's a matter of scale. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! :mrgreen:

Froggie

[3006guns]

Hey guys........stop right there, use calipers or a micrometer and carefully measure the rotors on those old Pacific measures. I have one of the early blue ones and the O.D. of the brass rotors is an odd dimension, at least on mine (it may have been changed later). Why Pacific chose something other than standard is one of those great mysteries of life and making some additional rotors is one of those "round tuit" lathe projects I have scheduled for the future.

[Green Frog]

Been there, done that this afternoon. :mrgreen: The main body is on the order of .663-.665" and the knurled knob (nice alliteration, huh ;) ) runs about .765 or so. Exact measurement was made difficult by the knurling. This is one of the old black painted measures made of cast iron and having a brass reservoir.

Froggie

[texassako]

Mine was mic'ed, have a several rotors for a bluish one with brass reservoir and Pacific engraved vertically. Kind of dragging the original post off topic, but lots of different rotor changes for the Pacific: http://55project.com/Base_Photos/PacificPPMRotor_Base_Photo.html

[Wayne Smith]

Don't worry about going off on a tangent, this is all educational to me. The rotors for my Bair are .686" in diameter and the knurling is just applied to that diameter apparently. They are 2.193" long and appear to be almost exactly the same design as the Pacific ones.

This is a cast iron, Bair blue, plastic reservoir, with a two part mount. One screws to a bench or wooden mount and the measure attaches to this with a bolt and wing nut. Very convenient to take it down and put powder in cases in a rack. I can do 50 pistol cases very quickly with this.

[W.R.Buchanan]

You guys can buy small quantities (like in 1 foot lengths) of Brass round stock from McMaster-Carr. It is not that expensive.

For your fit to the castings on your rotors you need about .001 clearance. If you can't measure the ID of the hole super accurately, like with telescoping gages and a Micrometer, then start with your blank and make it a couple of .000 large and then do test fits with the measure body taking .001 at a time off until the parts go together smoothly.

Don't take the part out of the chuck until you are done with it, you can test the fit while it still in the machine.

Randy

[Wayne Smith]

Froggie, for what it's worth, and I know it doesn't directly relate to what you are doing, a #30 drill through a 1/2" piece of brass = .8gr Bullseye. A #27 drill likewise = 1gr Bullseye.

[texassako]

I was getting my adjustable rotor out to load some .25 ACP. Maybe someone can get some tips from it. The hole is threaded so the plug can move up and down. I can accurately repeat as low as .8gr of Bullseye and 1 gr of Clays, and as high as ~4.5 gr if I need something in between the rotors I have. I am not sure if the bushing style measure could be done this way. The other tip I took from this one is not cutting the stop slot(I don't have a mill) and turning a groove on the lathe with pins as the stops.

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