Gentlemen,
I have read over the years about the advantages/disadvantages of weighing powder charges versus dropping them from a powder measure. some will tell you only an exact weight of powder will be accurate, while others will tell you it's the "volume" of a given powder that will be the most accurate (I.E. Lee's CC measures). Obviously I'm referring to rifle loads here, as I think most people "drop" their handgun charges.
Not being sure which method is best, here's my solution. It's quick and easy, especially if loading more than 20 rounds. For example, when I load 223 rem for use in my RRa Ar-15 this is the method I use as I usually load 100rds at a time.
My chosen load for 223 rem, with 55gr FMJ BT bullets, is 26grs of IMR-4895. So, I set my Lyman 55 measure (actually i have a few and keep one set just for this powder/weight) to drop 26grs of 4895. When loading, I simply drop a charge of powder into my scale pan (volume) and set it on my RCBS electronic scale (weight). If it is between 25.9grs & 26.1grs, (which I feel is an acceptable variation in this charge weight) I charge a case with it, if not I discard the charge and drop another one. This way, I feel I cover both bases, volume and weight. I have even done this with a balance scale (before I bought an electronic scale) by simply figuring out how "high or low" the pointer had to point to indicate a charge outside acceptable parameters.
This seems to work well for me, and is quick on larger lots of ammo. For 20 rounds or less, I still just weigh each charge. Although I am leaning towards using this technique with all ammo, based on results I am getting.
So, how do you drop or weigh your charges??
SSB