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Thread: making powder dippers

  1. #21
    Boolit Buddy
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    Melted candle wax is a great way to adjust the amount of powder a case will hold. Just start filling up the case with wax til you get where you want to be. Make a mistake? Dig it or melt it out and re-do!
    Ask an American Indian what uncontrolled immigration did for his lands and his way of life. Then, think about your children's and grandchildren's future.

  2. #22
    Boolit Master 44magLeo's Avatar
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    Calibrating your home made dippers to cc's Like Lee does. In the back of the Lee reloading book there is a list of powders and how much a cc of that powder weighs. You use that number multiplied by your measure in cc's to get the weight of powder your measure holds.
    An old hypodermic syringe with most any needle and some water can be used to measure your dippers.
    I have the Lee yellow dippers and hove added homemade dippers to cover the in between sizes the Lee doesn't have.
    Leo

  3. #23
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    My smallest dipper is a trimmed 22 short case with an allen wrench soldered to it. Never have actually used it yet though.

  4. #24
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    I thought I should label my dippers too, but then I just open the powder and throw the charge on a scale and I usually have the right one or one next to it.
    Easy living.

  5. #25
    Boolit Master OldBearHair's Avatar
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    What Schrek said. Then I would add to use a straight wall case and fit a plug inside that would hold back the powder with threads attached. I made one similar to that for blackpowder measuring.

  6. #26
    Boolit Master Castaway's Avatar
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    A 2.8 cc dipper with the bottom removed allows a 450 Bushmaster case to be inserted and does my large volume dipping for 45-70 loads. Adjustable smaller by squeezing in a vise or larger by resting bottom of dipper on edges and tapping Bushmaster case downwards. Friction fit and doesn’t come out of adjustment once set to volume desired.Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by Castaway; 03-29-2021 at 10:10 AM.

  7. #27
    Boolit Master
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    Just like on the Old Hill Street Blues
    "Be careful out there!"

  8. #28
    Boolit Master
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    I ask the medical doctor at examination to give me the little black funnel they peer thru when examining your ears, eyes and nose. They discard them and use a new one on each patient.
    They are also a tiny funnel to use when filling .25 and .32 auto cases.
    They may also be used to drop lube into a clock or a firearm crevise.
    Nice addition to the dipper use.
    Last edited by Alferd Packer; 04-01-2021 at 05:39 AM.

  9. #29
    Boolit Buddy Landy88's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alferd Packer View Post
    I ask the medical doctor at examination to give me the little black funnel they peer thru when examining your ears, eyes and nose. They discard them and use a new one on each patient.
    Given that my annual is due but delayed due to the pandemic, I think that I'll soon be making a similar request from my doc. I've a very small portable loading kit that would benefit from such a small funnel. Thanks for the idea.
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  10. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alferd Packer View Post
    I ask the medical doctor at examination to give me the little black funnel they peer thru when examining your ears, eyes and nose. They discard them and use a new one on each patient.
    They are also a tiny funnel to use when filling .25 and .32 auto cases.
    They may also be used to drop lube into a clock or a firearm crevise.
    Nice addition to the dipper use.
    That's one heck of a good idea! I'm due for an appointment with my doc soon and I'll see if I can pick up a couple.

    The suggestion about using a case trimmer for final calibration is also great. The cleverness of the people on this forum astounds me at times.

  11. #31
    Boolit Buddy Landy88's Avatar
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    I know that it means more cutting to capacity, but I like using the case of the intended cartridge to make dippers - they're already 1/2 labeled. Two preferred loads / dippers each, a pb level cast and a full power jacketed or gc cast level, seems to serve me well; but I don't experiment a lot, preferring to develop and load the two proven loads per cartridge. You don't have to ruin a good case, either, through normal loading wear and tear a case here and there goes bad for reloading but remains good for making a dipper.
    The first purpose of the Second Amendment is too often overlooked, fostering a liberty of mind and action necessary in the people of a free republic.


    “Ironically, the only gun control in 19th century England was the policy forbidding police to have arms while on duty.”
    ~ Don B. Kates, Jr.

  12. #32
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    the only thing I make dippers for are real small pistol cases

  13. #33
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    Don’t forget that you are measuring by volume. The same volume can give you different weights with different powders. I like measures for BP, but am not too keen on them for smokeless.

  14. #34
    Boolit Buddy
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    I shoot a bit with round ball plinking loads. A bunch of midsized cartridges work well with 3.5 gr 700X and for my 6mm Rem bolt and a sized #3 buckshot I load 2.0 gr of same. Making dippers out of cases attached to paper clips with a dab of epoxy has saved a lot of time and haven't noticed any difference compared to powder measure dropped loads.

    Filed down .380 case for 3.5gr and .22 for 2.0gr

    Click image for larger version. 

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  15. #35
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    Nothing wrong with hand operated dippers, they are after all is said and done a fixed volume measure. The key is to use them consistently; figure out a way that works for you, then use it.

    I have made numerous dippers in the past for loads that the 15 plastic ones from Lee don't cover.

    I am in the process of making a few right now. Since I usually just solder a piece of brazing rod on for handle, I thought to make these nicer, and also to mark them as to what they are for.

    What sarted the whole project was I couldn't find my dipper for 2.5 grains of Red Dot. Then I spied a maple branch in my Mom's yard and thought "Hey, that would make a decent handle for some dippers." Shaved some bark off, cut to length, then couldn't find my remaining piece of 1/8 brazing rod.

    Off to the store, brazing rod has gotten expensive, I don't want or need a full tube, a single three foot section will make all I am planning on. Thinking of what I have at home, I remembered the old ~six gauge wire the power company finally replaced.

    Stems material now on hand, old suitable cases (with fired primer), proper diameter drill for handles, check. The propane torch puts out way too much heat for the dissimilar thickness of the copper wire and brass case. Now the search is on for my old style electric soldering iron.

    This is all taking place while helping my widowed cousin with her mechanical stuff, getting our uncle ready to move, and trying to get something done on my own house; so it really isn't going to be a fast job, but it should bring satisfaction for years when I use the "Bespoke Dippers."

    Robert

  16. #36
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    making powder dippers

    Quote Originally Posted by jgh4445 View Post
    Melted candle wax is a great way to adjust the amount of powder a case will hold. Just start filling up the case with wax til you get where you want to be. Make a mistake? Dig it or melt it out and re-do!
    Hot glue works better if you have a hot environment. Wax can melt in a car or hot garage/attic far too easily.
    Holds on handles as well if you’re not too rough on them.

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  17. #37
    Boolit Master


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    Yeah, you guys did like I have over the years. I was in need of a dipper for loading large shot with my MEC. The charge bars don't drop anything close to prescribed weight for 3s, (yes I had a partial bag) 4s and 5s. They're all factory calibrated for 7 1/2 shot. I finally made a dipper from a .458 Win Mag case by trimming down until I got the right weight, then drilled and tapped the base for a piece of 4-40 all thread for a handle. It got me through that phase of my experimentation. Like you guys, I have had to innovate./beagle
    diplomacy is being able to say, "nice doggie" until you find a big rock.....

  18. #38
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    aluminum arrow shaft makes pretty good dipper stock for small pistol charges.
    NRA Endowment Life Member

  19. #39
    Boolit Man mf79's Avatar
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    maybe you can cut the end off of a 3cc medical syringe and the cc calibrations will allready be there

  20. #40
    Boolit Master
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    I thought about labeling my home made dippers but it's too easy to open the powder I need and weigh a dipperful.
    I can either dribble to make up or just cobble up another dipper to measure with.
    With practice it is easier than adjusting a powder measure.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check