Lee dippers

[hiram]

I have Lee old dippers with numbers on them like 108, 141, etc.

Is there a conversion chart somewhere to show equivalent cc measure?

[docone31]

If you write Lee, they should at least be able to provide you with a conversion.
They are pretty good about that.

[Rustolium]

Hiram, I have a chart on file somewhere on this thing and will PM or post it on here. I'll look around for it.
- Stolium

[imashooter2]

A chart is available for download from the Lee web site:

http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi-data/instruct/Dippers.pdf

[Nazgul]

It is also in the Lee reloading manual.

Don

[Doc Highwall]

The problem is the dippers he has is when LEE first made them he just assigned meaningless numbers to them and he states this in his book. After he restarted in business the second time he made the design that is out now with the volume in CC marked on them. I think if he contacts LEE they might be able to help him on the volume of each dipper.

[hiram]

Doc--

I didn't know that Lee had restarted, but the situation I have is exactly as you describe.

[BudRow]

Those numbers on the red dippers are cubic inch designations (volume). The newest yellow ones are cubic centimeters

[Japlmg]

I use both the old red dippers and the new yellow dippers. Using the red ones often allows you to get powder weights in between the yellow dippers.
If you use the yellow dippers, try to get a old red set to use with the yellow set.
Gregg

[mooman76]

I use both the old red dippers and the new yellow dippers. Using the red ones often allows you to get powder weights in between the yellow dippers.
If you use the yellow dippers, try to get a old red set to use with the yellow set.
Gregg

This is what I do also. Getting a conversion chart like you want really won't help you much so you might be making a vain atempt. I find that on either the yellow or red set which has a chart with them is only close to right and always seems to leave a little leway so you really have to weigh the charges anyway to get an accurate readding of what you are throwing! I even sat down and made a cheat sheet one day by measuing and weighing the powders I was using which did get me closer but I fould that the next time I used the dippers they seemed to be off a couple tents of grains so I still had to weigh the charges again. I wish Lee mad more sizes in the dippers. I really like using them but sometimes one is too light and the other is too heavy.

[mousegun]

This is what I do also. Getting a conversion chart like you want really won't help you much so you might be making a vain atempt. I find that on either the yellow or red set which has a chart with them is only close to right and always seems to leave a little leway so you really have to weigh the charges anyway to get an accurate readding of what you are throwing! I even sat down and made a cheat sheet one day by measuing and weighing the powders I was using which did get me closer but I fould that the next time I used the dippers they seemed to be off a couple tents of grains so I still had to weigh the charges again. I wish Lee mad more sizes in the dippers. I really like using them but sometimes one is too light and the other is too heavy.

Buy two sets of the yellow dippers and trim the dippers in the second set to fall in between the values in the first.

[mooman76]

Actually what I did was put a small piece of card boarg in the bottom. The boxes had small round cut outs for the dippers and some of those fit about perfect. Plus I had the extra dippers that all come with the die sets.

[copilot001]

I just tilt the dipper to one side and give it a sharp shake then drop it in the digital scale to check. after a few practice toss,s I can get it to withen a few 10,s of a grain.
The eye is pretty good at judjing the amount of tilt after a few tosses.
once I feel comfortable I dump directly into the case,since I load my pistol ammo down for target shooting and plincking thats good enough for me.
For serious game or target shooting the scales come out.

[flutedchamber]

I have an old set of black dippers...from the 70's. Would that fall under (I assume) the ones with the meaningless marks??

Thanks guys.

[canebreaker]

I have the black and red sets of dippers.
From the red set, I use the 020 dipper for loading
.38 spl. 110gr. rn, HP-38 for flutterby. That way she can stay
all day if willing.

[canebreaker]

http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi-data...ct/Dippers.pdf

What color dippers is this chart for?

[MtGun44]

cubic inches are not any more meaningless than cubic centimeters. Mine
are black, too. Didn't know there were red ones.

Bill

[Bret4207]

I use both the old red dippers and the new yellow dippers. Using the red ones often allows you to get powder weights in between the yellow dippers.
If you use the yellow dippers, try to get a old red set to use with the yellow set.
Gregg

Bingo, nothing handier than having both sets of lee's when you need a box of loads in a hurry. Simple, cheap, can't screw them up. What more can ya ask for?

[Bret4207]

This is what I do also. Getting a conversion chart like you want really won't help you much so you might be making a vain atempt. I find that on either the yellow or red set which has a chart with them is only close to right and always seems to leave a little leway so you really have to weigh the charges anyway to get an accurate readding of what you are throwing! I even sat down and made a cheat sheet one day by measuing and weighing the powders I was using which did get me closer but I fould that the next time I used the dippers they seemed to be off a couple tents of grains so I still had to weigh the charges again. I wish Lee mad more sizes in the dippers. I really like using them but sometimes one is too light and the other is too heavy.

I had the same issue. Near as I can figure it's moisture in the air. Even though I keep my powder in a warm, dry storage bin (dead refrigerator) I think the humidity and atmospheric pressure affect it. I still check my charges with a scale if they're any where near max.

[Junior1942]

.....I wish Lee mad more sizes in the dippers. I really like using them but sometimes one is too light and the other is too heavy.

All you need to increase or decrease the capacity of a Lee dipper is a cigarette lighter and a probe rounded on the end like a pencil eraser. Slowly heat the bottom of the dipper to the plasticity point and NOT THE IGNITION POINT, then simply push the bottom out to increase capacity or in to decrease capacity.

I made a set going in .1 cc increments from 1.6 cc to 3.7 cc.

[MarkK]

0.17 cc Lee dipper? I see this one in my Lee manual but don't have one in my dipper kit. Does or di this dipper ever exist?

[0verkill]

The 0.17 dipper only comes with a select few die sets. I got 1 in my 25 ACP die set and the other I think was in my 32 ACP dies.

[Mk42gunner]

I make dippers for specific powder charges by trimming discarded brass to the correct length, then soldering a handle on.

Robert

[TheGameMaster]

I make dippers for specific powder charges by trimming discarded brass to the correct length, then soldering a handle on.

Robert

Hi. The 32 H&R mag. set I got for .327 Fed.Mag., doesn't have it. I got a 32 acp seating die as the 32 lee set is too long for seating. The flare die for 32 H&R will work for 32 acp if you take the stem from the seating die and put in the flare die. The fcd is for a roll crimp (revolvers), and so you need a taper crimp die. I got the RCBS seating die, which has a taper crimp in it for 32 acp. Saved a lot of money not having to buy a whole set for 32 acp. Anyway, all that to say, you can't get a .17 dipper by itself unless you find it on ebay. Lee, Titan, Midway, etc. do not carry it. I have one red dipper that says 190 on it and it came with my lee handloading 12 Guage set. I have no idea what size it really is. I think they used Drams or something like that??

Rodney

[alamogunr]

A comparison of both old and new dippers is here:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?258428-LEE-Dippers-Old-(Balck-or-Red)-powder-dippers-vs-New-(Yellow)-powder-dippers

Go down to post #11 for the chart giving CC's for both

[44magLeo]

Do you have a friendly relationship with your doctor? Or maybe your vet. Ask if they have an old syringe of 5cc or so that you can have.
Use the syringe to check your dippers. Fill syringe to 5cc mark. Squirt into measure till level full. Read the level in the syringe. Subtract the after level from before level to get capacity in cc's.
Leo

[gwpercle]

I did it the hard way: I made my own chart.
I use dippers a lot , some are Lee's and some I made and needed to know what they measured out.

I got out all my powders , all my dippers and my scale....worked out my dipping "technique" and went to dipping and weighing . Recorded everything in a binder . Listed the powder and then what each dipper measured out.
Sometimes the Lee chart didn't agree with what I dipped....but now I know exactly what they dip.

Took awhile but gave me something to do on rainy cold days.

Gary

[alamogunr]

Gary, I did that for some surplus pistol powder. It does take awhile, especially if you are extra conservative and need to refine your dipping technique. Now I need to go thru some homemade dippers that were included in an unrelated buy from a member here.

[chris112]

A chart is available for download from the Lee web site:

http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi-data/instruct/Dippers.pdf
That is for the new (yellow) dippers.

[TNsailorman]

I use the charts that came in the 2 plastic sets that I have, one black and one red. They are close enough for me as I dip the correct dipper onto a scale and then adjust one way or the other. I notice that no one mentioned the old metal dippers. They are number differently from the plastic. Metal dippers that came in the Lee Loader kits were number according to gauge in the case of shotgun(10,12,20,410, 16) and rifle and pistol had numbers assigned to them, 30-06= 12m. Interesting enough the 12 gauge number and the 30-06 number were the same (12). But the 30-06 is marked 12m, not just 12. Studying Lee and his methods is both interesting and exasperating at times. But he did know what he was doing and he certainly helped a lot of us get into reloading when maybe we didn't have money to afford it any other way. my experience anyway, james

[toot]

i have an old WHACK A MOLE 12 gauge with a black dipper mkd. #127 but no load chart. how do i find what it throughs of what shot gun powder?

[TNsailorman]

I have in the past just gone the old "try and see" method. I pick the powder that I want to use and don't have on the list and one of the scoops that is listed for that gauge or caliber and throw about 10 charge on the scale and average them until I find one that is close. Then I just trickle a little powder on a scale or remove a little to get the correct charge. I never trust a thrown charge from either a powder measure or a Lee scoop. I had weigh each and every powder charge I use. my experience anyway, james

[toot]

james, so you say if i want to use RED DOT or UNIQUE or GREEN or BLUE DOT. for a shot gun load in my hand loader just dump loads of a given powder with the dipper onto a scale and see how much it weights?

[TNsailorman]

What I am saying is that I have 2 complete sets of Lee powder scoop measures. I look at the load chart for the number of grains that is recommended in a given gauge/caliber to find the load in grains. I then look on the Blue Dot or Green Dot or Red Dot powder listed on that chart and see what number of scoop that I need to try to get on or close to that powder charge. I then do 10 separate weighs of that powder with that scoop, record each one and then divide by 10 to get an average. If it is close, I can then dump a scoop of that powder from that scoop onto the scale and adjust it up or down as needed to get the correct charge. As I said, I do not trust any scoop or powder measure to hit the charge weight on the button each and every time, so I hand weigh each charge before dumping it into the case. If you only have one scoop (say from a 12 gauge Lee Loader), then use it and just adjust up or down as needed by the scale reading. My method takes longer to load but I am retired and an ol man and in no hurry. Others may find my method too slow or would drive them nuts. If I have not explained this very well, I apologize and plead ol timers disease. Take Care, james

[toot]

james, thanks for going and taking the time to explain it. toot.

[TNsailorman]

I don't always say things in the correct way that leads to understanding but I am always willing to try again. james

[toot]

TNsailorman, trying again is a good thing. sometimes the first time it some times gets muddied.

[MOA]

Looks like I need to find me some red and black dippers. Unless the red and black are the same except for color. Nice to have a well rounded out scoop collection for when the recipe calls for it.

[toot]

MOA, no they are not the same. the black are the oldest i be leave and red came next. and now they are yellow in CC'S. i never thought of getting them both. i think you may have turned a light on in some of the old re-loaders, me for one.

[Flailguy]

I have the old black set with the chart. Says 1966 on it.

[Flailguy]

Picture

[Flailguy]

Picture

[MOA]

MOA, no they are not the same. the black are the oldest i be leave and red came next. and now they are yellow in CC'S. i never thought of getting them both. i think you may have turned a light on in some of the old re-loaders, me for one.

What are the red and black designated on the scoops, ie if the yellow is in cc's, and the red is in ? And the black is in ? Guess I should start my searching today.