Hornady Perfect Measure not so perfect

[osteodoc08]

I was doing some load development for my 41 mag using a 230gr LFN and AA#9 powder. I started off at 15gr and have been working up. Well, I ran out of room in the pistol powder rotor on the Hornady powder measure that comes with the LnL (and dumped quite a bit on the floor due to the design). When I switched to the rifle rotor, I dialed it in to 15.8gr for 5 throws and started to load. I went to check the charge weight at the end of 50 rounds and had 17.2gr. Checked it 3 more times, 17.2, which is an overcharge and now these all have to be broken down :evil:

Does Hornady make a rotor that will reliably throw in the 15-30gr range? The small one is too small and the big one is too big. I dont even see a mid range rotor to buy. I dont want to weight them all out. But I will if I have to. I'm almost having buyers remorse and wishing I opted for the 550 instead. I'll go ahead and load some 45 today and make myself feel better. It throws those small charges of 231 very very nicely and as uniform as can be.

[blikseme300]

I like Hornady products but prefer the Lee Pro Auto-Disk with the double disk on my presses. They are economical so I have one for each of the cartridges I load. Much easier to document the loads used and is repeatable without having to reset a rotor.

With some powders the double disk is more consistent than with a single. For some stick powders I even use 3 disks with a modified unit.

[W.R.Buchanan]

You can buy a Dillon Powder measure along with the adapter die and proper powder funnel for what ever you need and it will work on any press just fine. It is activated by the case going into the die and if there is no case present it doesn't throw the charge on the floor.

All powder measures work best with fine grained Ball Powder. Some flaked powders will measure pretty accurately. Stick powders are not going to be consistent in any measure beyond a certain limit, despite what people may say.

It is the nature of the powder that governs how well it meters in a mechanical measure, not the measure itself.

I got around this by getting an Electronic Powder Dispenser. It will throw charges of Cheerios accurately to +/- one Cheerio. with gun powder it is even better than that.


Randy

[BK7saum]

I don't use aa9 but with different powders in the Hornady measure, it sometimes takes several throws for the powder to settle completely. Once I get the measure set I check every 5 for about 20 rounds or so until I am comfortable with where the measure is set.

Did you refill the measure as you set the rifle rotor? If so, the powder probably hadn't settled when you started throwing charges.

Once the powder has settled I find the hornady to be as consistent as other comparable measures.

[Heavy lead]

Are you using a powder baffle in the powder measure? I have three LNL's and only use the small rotor for the 45 acp, I use the larger for .357 through .475 Linebaugh and have no issues, but with some powders, especially 2400 I have to use the baffle supplied with only the latest LNL to make it consistant.
I don't use AA No. 9, but maybe this would help.

[osteodoc08]

I'll try again after pulling these boolits. The problem is that the lube always has powder stuck to it and it a mess. I end up trashing the powder as I touch it getting the boolit out and just reuse the primed case. Its a hassle and is aggravating. I'll toss the boolits into the relclaim bin.

[ReloaderFred]

The LNL powder measure should be dumped before changing the inserts. That's one of the reasons they made it so easy to unlock with the bushing.

With any powder measure, and I have 7 or 8 of them, I never start throwing charges until I've given the measure a chance to settle the powder. I'll through 20 or so charges and pour them back into the measure, and then start weighing to get the charge I need for that load. Once I think I've got it, then I'll throw 10 charges and weigh them. For example, if my charge is 10.4 grains, the 10 throws should weigh 104 grains. If my 10 charges are within about .2 gr. of the 104 in the example for all of them, then I'll weigh a couple more throws for good measure and if they show the charge I want, then I'm good to go. If not, then I adjust as necessary until I get 10 charges that weigh 10 times the target weight.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

There are some types of powders that measure better than others on specific brands of powder measures. Generally speaking, Hornady measures do better with rifle powders. Lee and Dillon measures, similar in concept, do better with pistol powders. After all these years, I own 3 Lees (Pro AutoDisk) , 2 Dillosn (Fine tuned, with springs to operate on non-Dillon progressive), 1 Hornady (LNL) and 2 RCBS (Uniflow) powder measures and 1 Redding (BR2 - used on the bench single stage rifle development).

When I am developing a specific powder for a specific load in a specific caliber, I try out different measures to see which ones meter the powder the most accurately and easily without spillage. I make copious notes of this in my reloading book along with any possible useful specifics that pop out. Once I'm done with development and am ready to progressively load a cartridge, I use those notes to select dies/powder measure/etc. to get the best results I can.

This approach is proving to be very satisfying, both in quality, quantity and reloading satisfaction.

[osteodoc08]

I just have to play with them I guess. In everyones experience, what has been the best measure for flake powder or small spherical powder that can be used on the LnL with a charge weight around 20 grains?

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

I just have to play with them I guess. In everyones experience, what has been the best measure for flake powder or small spherical powder that can be used on the LnL with a charge weight around 20 grains?

All of the above mentioned measures in my post can be used on the LNL. My choice, based on your requirements would be either the Lee Auto Disk or the Dillon Measure. Note: You'll need to order the "old school" springs to get the Dillon to work on the LnL or the Lee will work just as well for less money, but has less capacity.

[Calgacus]

With any powder measure, and I have 7 or 8 of them, I never start throwing charges until I've given the measure a chance to settle the powder.


Bingo.... When I fill a powder measure, I hold down on the top and gently tap the sides several times to settle the powder before I start throwing charges. The LNL drop is very consistent for me when I settle it first.

[Swede44mag]

I have several corroded Dillon chargers for both of my Dillon 550 presses even though they are in a
dry garage that has a 50degree minimum thermometer for the winter.
They work fine but look ugly. If they were made out of Stainless Steel or a composite material they might look better.
Good luck

[osteodoc08]

Lowered the baffle, and placed a foot of an empty brass tumbler on the top for a minute to settle the powder and threw over 50 charges before weighting. +- 0.2gr for the AA#9. Good enough for now. The LilGun measured much more consistent with minimal hassle. Oh well.

[emorris]

Tap on the measure body and rotor when you fill the measure. Then throw several charges by hand with a powder pan under the spout. Then sou start adjusting the measure to dial in the charge you want. When I use bullseye, HP38, Acc5, and Acc2, there is no need for me to check the charge once I have it dialed in.