powder measure recomendation

[silverback13]

I am looing to draw on everyone's experience. I need a stand alone powder measure for 45 lc handgun loads. which one do you guys recommend? right now the only powder I can find is bullseye. I know I will need to be super careful but Its all I have. I have the lee dippers but would like to speed up the process a bit.

[Zymurgy50]

The RCBS kit I bought back in the mid 80's had the uniflow powder measure in it, with both large and small drums. I put the small drum in it and have not pulled it out since. I have loaded everything from 9mm with bullseye to 30-06 with 4895. If you have to buy new or the used one is kinda dirty you may want to run several ounces of graphite powder through it first to help smooth it out.


Sooner or later you may want to try some IMR4227 in that LC, just sayin'.

[silverback13]

believe me I would rather use a slower burning bulkier powder but I haven't been able to get hold of anything else so far.

[Cowboy T]

A buddy has the RCBS Uniflow and loves it.

I use Lee's Pro Auto-Disk Powder Measure for my .45 Colt loads, both mild and "wild". The mild load uses Titegroup, and the "wild" load uses a hefty charge of 2400. Also, I use this same model for .38 Special loads using Bullseye. With all three of these powders, this powder measure has done well.

[silverback13]

can use it stand alone. I don't have room for a press?

[seagiant]

Hi,
Love my Saeco's

[zuke]

LEE Perfect powder measure screwed to a piece of plywood and some lead ingot's to hold it down when in use.

[Wayne Smith]

If you are comfortable with plastic go with the Lee unless you will use a lot of ball powders. The Uniflow is a good one, I like my Belding and Mull, I use it for almost everything now except the small pistol charges. They are being made again. I don't know if anyone is currently making a Pistol Powder measure using interchangable bushings but the ones I have are my quickest and most accurate. Mine probably qualify as antiques, though.

[MOcaster]

My all time favorite are Hollywood Gun Shop powder measures. They are old, heavy, and work great. The bad thing is they aren't made anymore so you have to catch them on eBay when they come up. My second favorite for rifles are Reddings. They are accurate and still in production. They are kind of pricy, though. My second favorite for pistols are old Herter's measures, especially models 40 and 45. I don't know what it is, but there is just something about them that works. The Hollywoods are going to be pretty expensive but you can sometimes find Reddings and Herter's for cheap (if I don't get to them first :) ).

[Guardian]

I have an older Hornady pistol powder measure (the one with a slide and bushings), Lyman 55, Hornady LNL with pistol drum, Harrell's Schuetzen/pistol measure, Lee Perfect (their name for it, not mine), and a Quick Measure.

For off press use with pistols, the Harrell's is my favorite. It's a work of art and meters very well. The price reflects these qualities too, but if you've got the money you won't be sorry. I will note that I only use ball or flake powders for pistol, so I can't comment on how this measure works with extruded powders.

The Lyman 55 is a good all around measure.

['74 sharps]

Uniflow will work fine. A good powder for the 45 Colt is Trail Boss. It's fluffy giving total case fill and eliminating any double charges, and makes for a nice mid-power load.

[Screwbolts]

The LEE perfect measure is a good unit and set it up like Zuke described and it is very portable. I have 3 measures and all work good, The Lee, a "55" and my old Reading.

Ken

[r1kk1]

I think just about anything will meter bullseye. My stand alone's would be overkill for what you want. I would comb the threads to see if any of measures your thinking about may have a problem metering a future powder you may want to try.

For me, their isn't a powder I don't like, but found that some measures hate it, (i.e., 800x for example or very fine ball powders). I have two stand alone's and most of the posters here utilize more than one measure for different things.


Take care

r1kk1
r1kk1

[Maximumbob54]

Have a Uniflow, Ideal #55, and the Lee PPM. I use the Lee more than the rest.

[Pb Burner]

I have a Lyman 55 and really trust it and like it. I heard a lot of people don't because they think it's hard to adjust. I can adjust to different weights and powders pretty fast. Once set, it stays put. The Lyman is all I have, but would like to have a Redding too, just not feasible to me right now($) because the Lyman does everything I need done. I've seen a few 55's for sale lately also.

[TheDoctor]

I have a Lee Perfect Powder Measure and Auto Disc Pro, a Lee dipper set that I don't use anymore, a Lyman 55, several RCBS Uniflow's, and a brand new Hornady LnL with both drums. For press mount, with general every day plinking loads, I like the autodisc. When loading in blocks, I have started really liking the Hornady. Not sure why, but I can throw with a smaller deviation than I can with the RCBS, within +/- .1 grain. Anyone want to trade a used Uniflow for a LnL, give me a holler. And the Hornady doesn't leak H-110 all over the place like the PPM. With the pistol drum installed, it is very easy to dial in an exact weight you want. Have not used it for loading rifle yet.

[mdi]

Ask a question like that and you're likely to get as many answers as powder measures made. Check this out, scroll way down to the measure comparison. After I read the comparisons I bought a C-H 502...


http://www.lasc.us/Brennan_6-4_PowdersAnd%20Measures.htm

[rpludwig]

RCBS Uniflow w/micrometer attachment, meters all powders I use well (W231, Unique, BE, and similar, use it with 9mm, 45acp, 45lc) and various rifle powders...only other pm experience was back in the day with a Herters, which was tedious to adjust but metered ok...fwiw...

[Junior1942]

Another vote for the Lee Perfect. I can't believe how much I like this cheap and cheap looking measure!

[bangerjim]

Hi,
Love my Saeco's

I use these also and really like them! They meter everything from X-Terminator little tiny round balls to that flakey TrailBoss with excellent repeatability.

Friends have the Lee measure and have been having good luck with it. Static is always a problem here in AZ, since is is mostly plastic. But running a whole load of powder thru it the 1st thing gets graphite in there and helps feeding.

banger

[country gent]

Another thought is one of the rcbs little dandies or one similar that use the rotors. A small batch of rotors would cover alot of powders and combinations. A small to medium c-clamp with a rod wnd top welded to it would make a stand for the powder measure and be quick to set up remove from edge of bench or a table top. Give the mount plate enough depth for a loading block to go to last row of cases. The uniflow is a good measure small drum would be desirable for most pistol charges. Rddings drum measure also is good. I perfer the smaller measures for smaller charges when ever possible as a measure working at mid point of capacity seems to work better for me. If possible hit the local Gun Shop and handle a few diffrent ones also local gun shows. Most will throw bullseye and pistol powders very accurate once you learn to run it consistently.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

A number of brand name measures work for many different people so it is difficult to say or tell anyone which measure to buy and use. Lee dippers work well although not as fast. Many people make their own dippers using cartridge cases as well. I currently use 4 measures...two Uniflows and two older Duo-measures that have reversible drums. No problems of any sort, Just keep your measures lubed with powdered graphite and never leave powder in them. Have a good reliable scale close by and check on what your measure is doing regularly so that there are no "misunderstandings". A good measure should and will last a long time if cared for...and never lend one out-even to a friend. LLS

[str8wal]

Lyman 55 is my personal first choice with most Pistol powder.


Mine as well.

[mac60]

With the RCBS little dandy you don't really even need a stand, just set your primed and belled cases in a loading block and use it hand held. In just a few minutes I can have 50 cases charged. The whole rotor thing puts people off, but it's no big deal to me. I just find a rotor that'll get me close. The measure itself is fairly inexpensive, but you can spend a little on the rotors. The cheapest I've seen them lately is $8.00 and change. The upside is that the rotors don't change or get out of adjustment. I use mine quite a bit and would hate to be without it.

[ROGER4314]

I've owned a lot of Powder Measures including 4- RCBS, The Little Dandy, 5- Dillon and 2- Lyman 55. The Lyman 55 is the best of all from my experience.

Flash