LOL....consistency IS important to me, friend.
DS, Consistency is important to all of us in one form or another, and the universal truth is: Accurate is not fast, nor is it convenient.
That's why I make my living making accurate things for people (and sometimes the stuff I make is exactly wrong LOL!)
When using a powder measure, the best accuracy that I have ever experienced is with a Dillon automatic powder measure on my 550. absolutely mind boggling how consistent it is, but it still wont do what you are asking.
The truth is, if you are trying to charge your cases to .01 grains, you cannot use a powder measure. Especially because volume does not always equal weight. It's like you are trying to draw a perfect square on a piece of paper with a pencil duct-taped to the end of a broom handle.
Can you get close? yes....sometimes.
Can you be consistent? No.....most times.
Can you convince yourself that you are actually being both consistent and accurate, even though the truth is far from that? Sadly, yes. As have I.
True accuracy has nothing to do with belief. In fact, your consistent accuracy potential will always be 5 times worse than what you can do if you get lucky.
Its like a guy that I knew that got a new rifle, and took it to the range and shot a 3 shot group he could cover with a dime. He took all kinds of pictures, and told everybody about it. He was bragging to me about his awesome rifle, and I asked him to show me. Sure enough, he slammed three shots into a group the size of a quarter at 200 yards. I said, "Hmmmm! that's pretty impressive! Now shoot the rest of the box.
By the time he had fired 20 shots, (except for one flier that went high by about 5") his group could hardly be covered by a baseball (which was still very impressive).
You see, he was very accurate, but he was not consistent.
It's the same way with your powder measure. Trying to throw a hundred charges and keep .01gr consistency, is no better than my friend shooting at 200 yards and expecting a dime sized group. By trickling every charge, you are moving the target but back to 50 paces. You will now be very accurate and consistent, at the small cost of a little time. Save your energy for the range.
On a side note, you could do like I do: Set the powder measure so that it will never throw a heavy charge, and occasionally it will throw a charge that is .5 grains low. Throw the charge into your pan, and set it on your scale. Pour some powder into the cap of the powder jar, and pinch some grains and trickle the charge until you get it perfect. It still takes some time, but it's a little faster.
True accuracy is a brutal business that demands absolute truth, humility, and honesty. You are not getting the idea of accuracy until you work on something for 10 hours and have the strength to throw it in the trash can because it is not right.
Most things in life can be fudged on, but being truly accurate is like being tailed for ten miles through heavy traffic by a cop fresh out of the academy. You ain't gonna be worrying about getting where you're going as fast as possible, are ya?
Darn good discussion we got here.
For those using electronic scales...here's an interesting read:
http://www.mnguntalk.com/viewtopic.p...+scale#p387710
Very good point. Resolution is a far cry from accuracy. I only use a balance beam scale. It seems that my accuracy limit on my RCBS Ohaus scale is only a matter of how well I can line up the needle.
I have been following this thread and what I have not seen mentioned is the weight of the cases. Case weight affects volume which affects pressure. A heavy case is like a increased powder charge and a light case is like a light charge.
This reminds me of an old adage "A chain is no stronger then it's weakest link". Everything has to work to bring out the best in our hand loads, the gun, the ammunition, and the shooter.
Yeah GS, I hear that. I don't have the patience or need for that kind of skull aching pain lol. I can't imagine inside neck turning each case and then batching each case by capacity weight and then uniforming all primer holes and throwing back the ones big enough to allow powder in the flash hole and using match primers and then trickling each load and then ladle pouring every boolit and batching them by weight. I'd go insane and that is only the beginning of a taking advantage of .01 gr of powder consistency.
Daddyseal,
Are you trying to achieve this kind of precision (which is FAR beyond what the most accurate benchrest shooters demand) for a handgun load? It's admirable to want that kind of consistency but it isn't useful unless your handgun will shoot well under 1/2" at 100 yards. Benchrest shooters that shoot groups under 0.1" five shot groups load by volume rather than weight. They set the measure by weight but do not weigh each charge. A 1/10 grain variation at a 50 grain charge is only a 0.2% variation. A 1/10 grain variation at 5 grains is still only a 2% variation.
Only a high dollar balance beam will achieve the accuracy you want. It would take something like the balance beam our high school chemistry lab had that would weigh a pencil mark on a piece of paper. Like others have said, you are talking about an increment that is far less than what a single granule of powder weighs. Add to that the vibration of a press mounted powder measure and +/- 0.2 grains would be outstanding accuracy. The smaller the charge, the harder it is to maintain a high level of accuracy due to a single granule being a significant percentage of the overall weight.
If you would tell us what you're trying to accomplish (the reason you want the extreme precision) we might be able to point you in the right direction.
David
Doc, You are the man lol. I don't have the patience. Not to mention I haven't been shooting rifle much lately anyway.
Not just no but he77 NO!
No measure is going to drop to .1 grain grain consistancy, never mind .001 grain. And no affordable reloading scale is going to measure that close anyway. Nor would it make any difference on targets if we could get that close, the tiny differences between individual primers and cases will have more effect than that!
In order to get the kind of accuracy and consistency talked about here, you would have to start with the powder. Each and every granule of your powder, say Alliant 2400, would have to be precisely the same shape, dimensions and weight, in order for a mechanical device (your measure) to dispense exactly the same volume and weight each and every time.
Since you will never find any powder where the kernels are all of identical shape, size and density, you are chasing a dream.
smokeywolf
This was a legitimate question.
It is possible to measure as accurately as the OP is asking (albeit not with a powder throw). There are those that do. Have you ever seen a man using an exacto knife to cut all the grains of powder to the same size? My father did. There is no limit to how far you can take this, and it is a shame to look down on a man who wants to try to take it to the enth degree with the equipment he has and is used to using.
Some of us take casting to extremes that were thought to be ludicrous 75 years ago. A thermometer inside the mold itself? Crazy I tell ya!
There is no such thing as a stupid question. We are all just experts in training. Some of us are better trained than others, but the moment that you think you are immune to that shocking realization that you are mistaken, watch out! You have a surprise coming.
Kudos to the OP for putting yourself out there and asking. Keep 'em coming!
daddyseal,
I was in no way criticizing your question or your goal. This has been a good thread with lots of great input. Even if you don't attain the goal mentioned by the OP, the goal of the forum itself is reached; that is to learn from the experience of others.
smokeywolf
Most of what I have to say about this has already been said.
Resolution and accuracy of equipment are very different at prices most are willing to pay for.
If you are looking for ultra consistent loads your time and $ is better spent on case prep.
Necks, flash holes, sorting etc. etc. .
I recommend talking to some SERIOUS bench rest shooters about what they do.
Not to drift too far afield, but one thing you can do is design your cartridges around brass made by Lapua. Saves a lot of frustration. It's like jewelry. I'm not what you would call a serious benchrest competitor, but my father in law is and he considers brass quality to be extremely important.