Slow o so Slow

[Sagebrush7]

Been loading rifle shells the last two days. Tried using my old RCBS powder dispenser. Cutting powder and sometimes stopping up. Beam scale so tedious. Would you buy a new Lyman digital dispenser? Three bills is expensive or there something else better?
James

[Mk42gunner]

Would I buy a $300 electronic powder dispenser? No. What I do is find a powder that works well in either the RCBS Uniflow or the Lyman 55, and work on my technique to get consistent charges. When using a powder measure, I do not weigh each and every charge. If I am going to weigh every one, I find it faster or at least more convenient to use a teaspoon or dipper and the scale pan.

I detest powder tricklers, I learned to reload metallic cases by using a teaspoon to dip 3031 from a coffee cup into a scale pan for a .22-250.

Robert

[Catshooter]

Sagebrush,

I feel your pain. Well, I used to.

I load rifle on my RCBS Ammomaster. It is a five station progressive, and the machine as the shell plate is lifted activates the RCBS Uniflow powder measure. The drum has to be cutting a lot of kernels for me to be able to even slightly feel it. But it sure doesn't slow me down. Very accurate charge dropping too.

So no, I wouldn't be buying a $300 powder trickler.

I doubt this will helpful for you, but what the heck. Maybe it'll help.


Cat

[Artful]

Technique - you will find for stick powders you need to give a little more vibration to the operation. No bridging and fewer cut kernals. I keep a
screw driver handy to use the handle as a thumper.

[labradigger1]

I cannot speak for the lyman unit but I have a pact digital dispenser. For precision small batch loads I use it regularly. Well worth the purchase price. I prep all brass and push the dispense button, charge case, push the dispense button again and seat the projectile in the coax while the next charge is being weighed.
Are they a necessity? No.
Are they handy and accurate? Yes.

[flashhole]

I find the OCW for the combination of components I want to load then use dipper cups (some custom) for dispensing powder. I find it very repeatable and the process is as quick as I want to load. That's the nice thing about finding the OCW, you have a range of powder that yields the same results on target.

Sometimes I batch load from a skid, sometimes I load from a turret press sometimes from a single stage but I generally always use a dipper with a funnel. The exception is my 7mm Rem Mag, I have a Redding 3BR set up to drop that charge.

No, I would not drop 3 big ones on an electronic dispenser.

[Three44s]

I have an older RCBS powder dispensor and that is slower than the "pain" you are feeling right now.

Right at the present, I am loading some 300 RUM for a family member .......... using IMR 7828 SSC and my Uniflow, it does not throw a large enough throw weight so I cut the charge in half and throw twice into a RUM case and pour it onto my mechanical scale. I then trickle with my RCBS trickler and I am there in no time.

Does it cut kernels? ....... yes, some ......... Does it take a bit of time to trickle a bit more powder? ....... yes.

If I get to a point where I want another powder measure, I break out my Lee Perfect and with it's rubber wiper it cuts little if any ......

I started with a disposable plastic spoon and a Ohaus 505 scale for my powder handling and have come full circle with large rifle powders back to the 505, either of two measures and a trickler.

Last night, I needed another six rounds ....... two batches of three as we are running up to find max and get a look at accuracy and it took no time at all to have them loaded and even run for bullet/cartridge concentricity.

On a side note, I tested a Lyman 55 as I always wanted one and a friend had one for sale.

What I found with heavy stick powders was that you want the width of the chamber to a minimum because a wider frontal area of potential powder shearing surface ........... does just that ......... shears more powder.

Nothing magical .... it's just physics.

............. and nothing against the "55" ..........

I think one would find if one tested all the major measures ....... each has it's own achiles heel ...... nothing is perfect .......

For me, the RCBS Uniflow and the Lee Perfect ........ cover my bases adequately.

Best

Three 44s

[Sagebrush7]

I bought some H4831SC thinking it would flow better in my Uniflow. It Didn't!. I miss the Winchester ball powders as they worked so smooth and gave great results. The H205 was the best powder I every worked with. With a 180 gr Nosler I could safely reach the same velocity in my 30-06 as my 300 Win. At 300 yds they both would place bullets in the same place with a 2" high setting at 100. The 30-06 and 7mm Mag loads are done,working on 30-30 and 45/70 today. Throw ,spoon trickle and dip.

[troyboy]

RCBS chargmaster is worth every penny.

[GhostHawk]

I find I have mostly been reloading with Red Dot myself. It seems to get along fine in my old rcbs measure.

If I need to run a small batch of something else I normally make a dipper. Old worn .357 mag brass, 9mm brass, .243 brass, Whatever I can find that will get me close. If I am just under I often take a punch and swell the top of the case a bit. Will normally gain me up to half a grain. The little harbor freight cuttoff saw can be a handy tool for this. Twist a bit of copper wire around the base for a handle or at need lock a vice grip on it and go. I keep a couple of small glass dishes around ust for this. 3 days ago put 20 grains of IMR 4895 into 50 7.62x39 in about 15 minutes imcluding the time to make the dipper. When done fine point sharpy lets me know how many grains of which powder for next time. Beats weighing each one and is close enough for what I do.

[shooter93]

I have the Hornady and it works very well but if you don't want to spend that kind of money get a Belding and Mull measure. They work well with stick powders and may even be faster that the auto measures. I have three of them and use then quite a bit.

[Sagebrush7]

Yea, I have the assortment of dippers made from 22 cases up to 45's with copper wire twist handles. My handles have masking tape flags with the identification marked with a ink pen. Maybe I will try and make some bigger ones for the rifle calibers. I also have a set of aluminum measuring spoons that work pretty good. The Lee dippers can get you close by double dipping to settle the powder if needed. Then you can trickle into scale. Slow O So Slow.

[shotstring]

In my experience, there isn't a manual powder measure made that throws perfectly consistent charges every time. Most of the time yes. All of the time…no. So if I was loading casual ammunition for hunting or plinking where absolute accuracy wrung out to the last quarter inch wasn't necessary, I would do what others suggest. Just find a powder that you can live with that throws pretty consistently and then work on a consistent technique.

But if you are talking competition accuracy, there is no substitute for weighing charges. All measures throw an odd quantity occasionally and that is even with my Neil Jones measure which I hear goes for a crazy price of $500 these days. My RCBS Uniflow measures throw just as good or almost as good a charge as the Jones, but no where near as easy to duplicate settings. If you aren't doing competition, what do a few extra tenths of a grain matter anyway. When the difference becomes over a grain, that is catastrophic for competition but not so for hunting or target shooting.

[David2011]

RCBS chargmaster is worth every penny.

Agreed. They are a little slow but still faster than trickling. The best measure in my reloading room is an old Saeco. It's far more precision that the Uniflow. It will throw H4895 +/- 0.1 grain. My Uniflow throws the same powder +/- 0.4-0.5 gr. Saeco hard chromed the rotor bore and fitted the rotor to the plated dimension on each measure so the fit is excellent. They're well worth the effort to find.

David

[cajun shooter]

I've loaded since coming home with my new hammer it in Lee loader, a 8 ounce square can of Bullseye powder and a 100 pack of primers and bullets in 1969. I used a set of Lee scoops until I purchased my first Lyman measure. This worked fine until I became a Police officer, went to the FBI Firearms Instructor School and then to the Sniper School. After going to Sniper school, I could not make myself use anything to load my rifle ammo except a weighing scale of top quality to weigh each and every load.
I don't understand those that may shoot less than a box of 20 rounds for both hunting and sighting in use a machine that drops a load of powder into a case in just milliseconds. What is wrong with taking time to make sure that each and every round will give you every chance that you may have to place that bullet in the kill zone with one shot. It's humane for the game and makes you take time to place that shot. Why do you need to fill fifty rifle cases in less than 15 minutes?
If the ammo you are using in that semi-auto rifle is intended on having fun by shooting watermelons and other targets that give a very vivid picture or sound then using a measure is fine if you just miss it or hit the edge because you have other rounds right behind it that are coming just as fast as you can pull the trigger. I'm like everyone else and have fun with this type of shooting also. This ammo does not require precision loading.
Later David

[TXGunNut]

RCBS chargmaster is worth every penny.


Most certainly! As my friend Salvadore is fond of saying when you first use this machine the skies open up and the angels sing, lol. It may seem a bit slow but it will dispense easily a charge while I'm seating a boolit over the previous charge.

[jeff423]

RCBS chargmaster is worth every penny.

Another vote for the above. I normally load 100 .243's at a time and it's a pleasure to use.

Jeff

[jmorris]

I fit it the find a better powder group. With the right components sub MOA ammunition can be loaded on a progressive press. If that's not good enough then there are other options.

if you want to eliminate the crunch, pick a non extruded powder to use.

What are you loading and what powder are you currently using.

[Kevinakaq]

RCBS chargemaster...don't leave home without it! Which I did when I moved up to NH...sure am missing it. Need to get brother to mail it.

[youngmman]

I've thrown away three electronic scales and now use the Redding 3BR competition measure for rifle and the 10X measure for pistol loads. I could not be happier and find it more advisable than necessary to check thrown weights after every 20 or thirty throws.

[Smoke4320]

RCBS chargmaster is worth every penny.

another vote for the RCBS Chargemaster ..
Just like the RCBS Pro melt till you have used one you don't understand the quality

[dragon813gt]

RCBS Chargemaster /thread

[Kevinakaq]

another vote for the RCBS Chargemaster ..
Just like the RCBS Pro melt till you have used one you don't understand the quality

Now we are getting sidetracked, BUT I tried out my Pro Melt for the first time this weekend and it was a pleasure after using my Lee for many years. While the Lee does an admirable job and I wouldn't think of downplaying a device which has helped me make so many fine boolits, I think long term the RCBS is going to be a much better tool. RCBS is definitely a fine company, though their reliance on China concerns me. With such great products, a level of customer service that should be a role model for all, I wish all their products could say "MADE IN USA".

[ascast]

I use a Belding & Mull for those long stick powders. I don't have a high volume need so it works fine. Need one? pm me

[brassrat]

Belding & Mull for all powder (except Trail Boss) I'm guessing, but I scoop or scoop up, usually.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Got the Hornady powder dispenser unit about 2 years back, about the best thing since sliced bread to me for my large batch ammo loading.Robert