Stick powder metering question

[CHeatermk3]

Hello all
I'm loading IMR 4895 and need exactly the same charge weight because I'm shooting the rounds in competition.

Presently, I'm throwing charges with my RCBS unit into the pan of my 10-10 scale and then adding a few granules manually out of a Lee dipper to bring the charge up to weight. This all takes me hours to assemble 100 rounds.

Is there a way to speed up the process without compromising the uniformity of my loads?

I am considering one of the automatic powder dispensing machines--eg RCBS chargemaster. Would appreciate comments/suggestions regarding these also.

Alternitively, is there a ball powder that I can substitute for 4895?

TIA!

[Rp-]

Ive heard volume is more important than weight.

That said, my lee powder dropper is pretty good with 4895 when i load for my jap rifle.

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[daboone]

The PPM consistently drops accurate charges of both IMR and H4895 for my Garand and K31. Never more than +/-.1 gr and 90% of the time dead on.

[z28z34man]

I have an rcbs charge master and love it. 99% of the throws are right on the other 1% are generally .1 heavy. I think I have only had 2 that where off by more than a tenth.

[Rp-]

If course there is always a trickler and scale method. If you want them that precise thats your best bet.

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[trails4u]

http://www.6mmbr.com/prometheus.html

Not cheap......might be hard to find, but by most measures (pun intended) it is the Holy Grail.

[CHeatermk3]

daboone--what is the PPM you referred to?

I've been "trickeling" up when necessary by tapping individual kernels of 4895 out of a Lee dipper--done it so many times that I now know that 3 kernels of IMR4895=0.1gns by weight.
Just want a faster method with the 4895 as my rifle loves the stuff!

[country gent]

I have used a Redding br30 for years and it did good throwing charges for me. The Belding and Mull does well also but is a 2 handed operation. The best measure I have used are the Harrels standard and shurzen models. Very accurate and easy to use. I believe consistant operation is more important than the actual powder measure. Most measures do well if operated the same everytime ( one reason the powder measures on progressives work so well) Ive seen several loaders set up a little lee c press with a powder die and measure to charge cases that way. Operation is much smoother and consistant with the press driving it. The measure needs to be solidly mounted on a solid stable surface also. Things to do before running a powder measure. Did assemble and clean well with alchlol or acetone. really scurb it good to get oils and preservatives out. Lightly dry lube it with mica or moly. Reassemble and cycle it empty a few times feeling for sticky. tight, or binding spots. Mount measure solidly. Fill with powder your going to use. Throw 10 charges making note of them. If these look good throw 90 more in 10 charge incremants writing them down. This will show you 1) your consistency as you throw charges the measure will start to settle down. 2) the measures breaking in and settling down. 3) What to expect from your set up.The RCBS charge master does a very good job on the weighed charges. I set my measure up 5 grns light drop in pan and hit the go button, this way the charge master is only weighing 5 grns up from the charge start.

[noylj]

Amazing that precision shooters for decades voted for volume over weight, but the new shooters have to have weight.
Someone should really try loads produced both ways and see for themselves which works the best (provided someone gives them the rounds so they don't if they are shooting weighted or metered rounds). You could compare both accuracy and velocity consistency, though accuracy is what wins a match.

[runfiverun]

we shoot ladder tests to determine which 2 weights are the closest.
then we split the difference for a reason.
.2 grs + and .2 grs - means squat.
I use the lyman DPMS-2 and just push the button with hard to meter powders [IMR-4895 ain't one of them]
combined with a powder dump set about 7 grs low it is ready in about the same time as It takes me to seat the previous throws bullet.

[CHeatermk3]

I'm seeing up to .5gn + or - throwing charges with my RCBS uniflow set up with the large drum. Set a few tenths low, any 5 throws will have about 1 charge at 28.0gns(my target) and a few on either side of 28. Most wind up with .3 gns low. Not that big of a deal but at 200 it could be. I have a Belding & Mull; guess I'll give it a try but I didn't have much luck using it for 5744.

I'll also try beefing up my mounting of the Uniflows. If all else fails I'll save up for an automatic machine Lyman or RCBS; kinda shy about them as I've been reading reviews and they are not confidence inspiring--a friend has the Chargemaster, though, and swears by it...

One thing that has me thinking, when I tested loads at 50, 28.0, 28.5 and 29.0 all went into 1 hole so perhaps I'll shoot for 28.3, throw 50 charges and shoot them at 100 and 200 and see what happens.

Thanks for all the input.

[EDG]

The Lyman/AMT Autoscale will do it. If you want really fast use 2 of them.
The beam is the same beam that Ohaus put on the RCBS 5-10.
The scale will weigh to the .1 of a grain.

188495

[daboone]

PPM = Lee Perfect Powder Measure.

There is a "sticky" above in this section devoted to it.

[jmorris]

There are a number of ways to do it the charge master 1500 combo won't be anymore accurate than what you can do by hand, .1 grain accuracy but is faster.

I have built my own that will repeat a charge to +\- 1 kernel of powder.

[Kevin Rohrer]

Hello all
1. I'm loading IMR 4895 and need exactly the same charge weight because I'm shooting the rounds in competition.

2. Is there a way to speed up the process without compromising the uniformity of my loads?

3. Alternitively, is there a ball powder that I can substitute for 4895?


I divided your message into the three questions you need answered.

1. If you are shooting National Match, you and/or your rifle will not be able to shoot better than +-.1gr.

2. Use a powder trickler. Load 100-rounds close to where you want to be, then trickle the rest. You should be able to do 100-rounds in a half-hour w/o rushing. A hand-truckler works fine. Mine is a Lyman w/ a long neck, but they all work.

3. BLC-2 is a Ball powder and works well w/ 7.62mm and 30-06 for full-power, NM loads.

[CHeatermk3]

I'm shooting CBA benchrest matches--were I shooting Highpower I'd definately be using Ball powder thrown from one of my Uniflow measures. Last weekend I almost cleaned the 100 yd match with 199-4x shooting RCBS 30-180-SP boolits lubed with BLL over LSS-2500+. My testing was done at 50 yds; one slightly-larger-than boolit diameter hole.

If there is a ball powder that will perform under a 180-202 grain cast boolit as good as the 4895s I wish someone would steer me towards it so that I could give it a test run--uniflows and ball powders works for me but I'm having phenominal success with the 4895's (thank you BruceB may you live forever in peace on heaven's range).188527

These are 5-shot groups at 50 (raining-need to put a roof over the target stand).