Anyone use a hornady micrometer powder measure?

[pretzelxx]

Is it worth the hassle of not having to swap? Does it actually work and meter more accurately? I see some reviews but I wanted opinions outside of the websites that sell the stuff.

[SeabeeMan]

I have the pistol and rifle micrometer inserts and wouldn't say they are worth the cost. The believe the adjusting threads are finer but I don't think this equates to any increased accuracy in metering powders, you just have to turn it more to get the desired change. I also won't let myself trust them enough to simply record a reading and go back to that next time to start reloading a previous load. It would get me slightly closer to begin with but I'm still going to do a dozen or so tests before I begin, so the time savings is negligible.

I mean, they're the best thing ever...want to buy mine?

[pretzelxx]

Seems legit.. My original measure part has rusted itself stuck at 1.1 to 1.3 grains and to load for 45 I need to throw two or three then trickle.. 100% needed to be weighed

[Ranger 7]

Have used the Micrometer insert with the Pistol drum in place of the standard drum.
Work great, no problems, quite accurate.
Agree on never trusting anything, always check weights often.

[oldcanadice]

I use the rcbs equivalents. I like them because I mess around a lot with different loads and they are way quicker to make changes with than when using the coarse guess-its-setting originals. I still check weight to start, but don't bother further weighing after that if the weights are within bounds. Saves time. Accuracy and variation bounds are the same as the measure and your technique provided before the change -- they do NOT turn an RCBS into a bench-rest measure. If they're worth it or not depends on your circumstances, but don't expect any miracles.

If you are thinking of buying, consider a redding.

[JASON4X4]

I like having a starting point when I set it up never had to adjust it to much

[diopter]

Found one in my reloading tool chest I forgot I had. There was a pistol rotor assembly in there too.

I was wondering if there was a way to get a ballpark setting for a particular powder load.
First thing I noticed was the dial was not zeroed.
Fully inserting the micrometer stem locked it to the rotor against the powder measure housing. I backed off the stem until it could move, loosened the lock screw of the numbered thimble and set it to the zero line on the stem. Very few flakes of titegroup powder managed to get into the rotor and did not register on my electronic scale and balance scale.

Then I removed it from the pistol rotor and measured the diameter of the piston, 7.92mm = 0.792cm.
Next was to measure the stem
Measuring stem at at line numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 gave a stem length difference of 2.56mm± = 0.256cm per number.
There is another line in between the line numbers which is 0.5 value, which is equal to a full rotation of the thimble.

So Cylinder Volume per full number =∏ x Radius Squared x Height. in cm
0.12612cc = 3.142 x (0.396 x 0.396) x 0.256

151010

My Electronic scale just wouldn't settle down.
Had to resort to balance scale.

Good news.
Hornady's Pistol Micrometer Metering Insert is very consistent on powder throws, surprisingly so.
Talking .1gr accuracy with titegroup on RCBS balance scale up to highest weight I measured at 7.3grs (.32S&W Long case)

As for using the micrometer for accurate powder weights, yes to a point.

Using Lee's VMD #( Volume Mass Density) for Titegroup of .08475 and the CC volume number I derived from measuring the Hornady Micrometer of 0.12612cc per whole number on the stem, it was very accurate to what it should have been up to #3.0 on the stem.

It should have been 4.46grs by calculation and it came out 4.3grs on three consecutive throws. Still not too shabby.

At #0.2 on the stem it should have been 0.297gr. and I got 0.3gr.
At #0.3 on the stem it should have been 0.446gr and I got 0.45gr.
At #0.6 on the stem it should have been 0.893gr and I got 0.9gr.
At #0.7 on the stem it should have been 1.04grs and I got 1.0grs.
At #0.8 on the stem it should have been 1.19gr. and I got 1.5grs.
At #1.4 on the stem it should have been 2.08grs and I got 2.1grs.
At #2.0 on the stem it should have been 2.97grs and I got 3.0grs.
At #2.7 on the stem it should have been 4.02grs and I got 4.0grs.
At #2.8 on the stem it should have been 4.17grs and I got 4.1grs.
At #3.0 on the stem it should have been 4.46grs and I got 4.3grs.
At #4.0 on the stem it should have been 5.95grs and I got 5.4grs.
At #5.0 on the stem it should have been 7.44grs and I got 6.7grs.
At #6.0 on the stem it should have been 8.93grs and I got 7.3grs

Actual VMD's may vary as much as 15% from published numbers with different lot number and my Volume number for the stem of 0.12612 maybe be off also. My Titegroup lot was 1072307(1lb July 23, 2007) next line 160 actual lot #

Expected calculated weight was done by ( Micrometer stem # multiplied by 0.12612, my cc volume per full number on stem ) divided by Lee's VMD # for Titegroup .08475 to get expected charge in grs.
Error does grow with volume.

Still very useful. No powder drops were larger than expected within scale tolerances.
Now to get some 2.0gr loads for 32 S&W long done up.

[pretzelxx]

Wow, thanks! I'll invest in one as soon as I can,