making powder dippers

[mdi]

I've found that by using different dipping methods I can vary charges by nearly a full grain with some powders. Use the "Lee method", push the dipper backwards and strike the mouth w/straight edge or dip, shake, dip again, or push dipper through powder mouth first or push dipper through mouth first twice. All will give different charges. I double check my method with a scale with every powder I dip. But consistency is the key, what ever method you choose, do it the same force, same speed, same way every time...

[Alferd Packer]

Easy way to make a dipper from a fired rimfire .22 case , or use a .25 or .32 case or whatever, you just weigh the charge using the right powder and put it in the case. Then, by eye just mark on the outside of the case where the powder level comes to.
Dump the powder and trim the case to fit.
That's when I take a piece of wire about five inches long and bend one end in a loop around the case to just fit.
I slip that one loop off the case and bend the other end the opposite way in a loop around the case and slip it off the case.
Then I just bend the wire in the middle so the loops come together and overlap.
I get a hot glue gun warming up and slip both loops over the case and slide them together one atop the other down to the rim on the case.
Then holding them snugly together I apply a bead of hot glue to the wire loops and the bottom of the case .
I just hold together till the glue cools and sets hard and usually it works.
One thing I will add about hot glue.-It has a tendency to remain slightly sticky for 24 hours after you use it .Its best to let it set to cure overnite because it will be sticky for quite awhile afterward.
I found that to be true after I used hot glue to make glue bullets.They needed to set up and cure overnite too.
Epoxy is almost the same.

(A straightened large wire paper clip can be utilized if you don't have wire handy. Just use needle nose pliers to help you form the loops.)
Then I work on the fine adjustment to the powder weight to tweak the dipper right on the mark.
You can file or sand or grind the case edge to remove some or even trim some off with scissors on the .22 rimfire if you are careful. Even sharp wire nippers.
Some times I just wad a small scrap of paper up and punch it down in the case to take up powder space. You should use a tiny smidge of glue when you use the paper wad in the case trick. You don't want the wad to come loose and fall out unnoticed thereby changing your dipper by a tenth or so of a grain or whatever.
Even a dot of hot glue in the larger dippers.
I usually keep them together in an old cigar box or a clear plastic jar but I give them away too when visitors glom into them. They always say "that one is just right ".
" I need a little dipper like that."
It's a mystery to me.
It keeps them from taking my LEE Dippers of which I have the old black ones, the red ones, the yellow ones and assorted metal and wood handles dippers from early LEE Loader sets which were in parts and pieces.
I like making them and also solder handles on when I feel like it.
It's still all a fun hobby for me.
I usually only make the one, two, three, four, five grain dippers and they are usually tenths of a grain more to come out right.
The one and 1.3 grain are the most requested once they see how fast and convenient they are compared to fiddling with a powder measure to get it set .
More and more young people are getting into reloading the .32s and .380s as well as the 9mms.
Some are rediscovering the .38 specials again too.
2.7 and 3.0 grain dippers.
Loading careful and only using a dipper for the powder, they can reload without buying a scale or powder measure as long as they don't change powder or bullets.
A press and a set of dies and a LEE dipper that comes with the dies is all they need for starters to begin loading.
A primer seater to fit on the press and they are good to go.
That's the way I started with a LEE Loader kit.
I didn't need the press to hold the dies and I did get a few used loading manuals and a scale to weigh powder but I had my Dad and a Scoutmaster who loaded catsneeze loads for a 30/30 and a 30/06 milsurp rifle.
But that's another story.
It's all related to home made dippers for gunpowder.
I have a lot of scrap copper wire which is easier to solder to brass cases than the steel wire. Steel wire needs acid flux which can be corrosive where the copper wire can use rosin flux , a little cleaner and easier.
The hot glue gun can be used by those who lack the soldering skills or the tools to solder with. No problem.
The wire can also be twisted with pliers tightly to form an acceptable handle.
And there's always two part epoxy as well as JB weld epoxy from the auto parts store.
So no excuses for not making your own dippers.

[Littlewolf]

i made a scoop for 45acp loading back when all i could afford was a set of lee dies a hand press and safety scale, found a scrap board and drilled a bunch of 1/2" holes with a borrowed brace and bit (i'm 45 and know what a brace and bit is). any how i digress the scoop i made was a 32acp case with a bit of copper wire twisted on for a handle that throws a consistant 5.3gr green dot without trimming. i still use this rig from time to time so my hands remember how in case of boot scootin reloading.

[kootne]

Made this one this morning to go in a homemade "Lee Loader" for .32 Rimfire.

[Mr_Sheesh]

I made a 3D printer file that I can use to enter in the desired volume of powder and it automagically creates a dipper volume that's just right to hold that much powder, ordered the 3d printer and needed bits, filament, etc.

Family member who stole so much of my firearms goodies also got my brass and orphan brass so I don't have any cracked / messed up cases to use for it, so that's how I will be doing this for now.

I need to get out to ranges more, the range I used to go to has become weird (they mostly don't answer the phone, the guy who processes their brass and lead has successfully NOT called me in over 2 years of leaving him messages, they seem to have not delivered a message from me to a member there, etc.) to where I think I don't want to spend any money there.

[ackleyman]

I have many sets of the lee scoops. I just file off the top of the scoop to the charge I want. Each filed scoop goes back into the original box, where the charge is marked on a chart in the lid. The box is an important tool to keep me organized...Hee Hee!

[caseyboy]

I have made a few of these in various sizes. They work great as long as I am consistent with my “scooping” technique.

[Alferd Packer]

A large or small primer cup with the anvil removed can be used to get one grain of bullseye or less after soldering to a wire or gluing to a popsicle stick.
Make a couple to see what they throw on a scale.

[Littlewolf]

I 3d print and with the help of VMD charts and math I have made a few powder and charge weight by caliber labeled ,UV resin lee-ish style powder scoops and caliber specific funnels that fit in the wood tray with my 310 tools inside of a 50cal ammo can.

[Charlie Horse]

Coat hanger wire, an empty cartridge case, and some JB Weld has provided me with many a powder dipper.

[gwpercle]

I'm a confirmed "tinkerer" and I've made up a bunch of "custom" dippers. Some I used pistol cases, some I used brass air hose ferrules with a bottom soldered on (one I turned from a solid chunk of stainless steel and epoxied a handle on it. Waaaaay too much work). For "zeroing in" a charge I would either cut down the length, or drop epoxy in the cavity, and to enlarge slightly ream or drill out the cavity. I numbered the dippers and made a list of applicable powders/charges. I'm gonna load some Unique in a few 44 Magnums so I think I'll dig out my dippers and find one that fits (approx. 9.0 gr Unique)...

According to my "Dipper Notes " , if you dip and settle the powder in the scoop and dip again to refill and mound up powder in scoop and then level off the scoop :

A 1.0 CC Lee plastic yellow scoop will dip 9.0 grs. Unique .

A scoop made from a 38 Colt NP (New Police) also same as a 38 S&W ...
will dip 8.5 grains Unique .

Those are the two closest scoops . I make mine with fired handgun cases and #12 copper wire handles , soft soldered in place .
You can vary the scoop weight by varying your "scooping , settling and leveling " techniques ... once you find a technique that scoops what you want ... just repest that technique every time for a consistent charge .
Gary

[greybuff]

I have made several dippers using .22 cal and copper wire for pistol cartridges. But for rifle, somewhere I stumbled across a guy that makes all aluminum adjustable dippers. I get my desired charge, set and than measure with my calipers. When I need to get that load again I just get out my notes for that particular cartridge and re-set the dipper. I think it's LMF on fleabay.

[Eddie Southgate]

I have many sets of the lee scoops. I just file off the top of the scoop to the charge I want. Each filed scoop goes back into the original box, where the charge is marked on a chart in the lid. The box is an important tool to keep me organized...Hee Hee!

This is what I do also. I buy any loose lee dippers I find to modify and keep the three sets I own original. Lee used to would sell you individual dippers pretty cheap but I'm not sure the do that anymore.

[ebb]

I tried some of these methods and believe I have an easier way, at least easier for me to make with what I have on hand. I drill a hole in the extractor groove of a 9mm case from one side to the other and glue a piece of brazing rod in the hole. Doesn't matter if it has a spent primer or not as the rod will obstruct the hole. Cut the rod to about 4 inches so you can reach powder in a container. Ive made 4 of them and belt sand the 9mm casr down till it holds the desired amount of powder.

[Rockindaddy]

When I was a kid starting to reload my spent cartridges, I would gather up empties at the shooting range and take them home and soft solder copper No. 10 gauge wire into a small handle. A fellow down the country road from my home had a powder scale. He would let me weigh out various charges of powder with my homemade measures. They worked well till I could move up and afford a Lyman No. 55 measure. Never had a luber/sizer. Made up my own homemade beeswax/grease melted in a sardine can. My cast boolits were held with a pair of plyers and dipped in the hot lube. Bullseye, Unique, and 2400 was cheap in the 1960's.

[Charlie Horse]

I'm thinking of using a piece of wood or anything similar and drilling a small, blind hole in the end of it. It would be easy to strike the powder off level with your finger.

[country gent]

If you leave the case rim open you can use your case trimmer to adjust weight.
Handles can be bent from heavy wire if bent right they fit snug around case and can then be epoxied or soldered.
Adjustable dippers can be made with hobby tubing but are trickier.

[gloob]

^ Even better, you can bend a spring steel wire that holds a case so it can pop in and back out. I have one dipper handle that will snap onto any 9mm, 380, 223, 357 case. I think I even made one from a 7.62x39.

Then you can make a new dipper in a minute and collect a wide range of them for future use... or to never be used again.

[Green Frog]

I’ve pieced together a set of the old pre-1900 S&W dies in 32 S&W. I don’t load that many of the little shorties, but I’ve thought of making a nice little brass dipper for the cat sneeze charges they require. Wonder what the volume is for a quarter grain of Bullseye would be???

[Wayne Smith]

Forget it Froggie! One grain and a round ball (piece of sized buckshot) is my load. I drilled out a piece of 1/2" brass rod 1/2" long for my Pacific Pistol powder measure. One for 1gr, one for 1.2 gr. When I took this to the range and told the range master what I was shooting I noticed he followed me down to the pistol range. I asked him why? He said he wanted to make sure it went through the backing - it did.