Measuring powder? is there a better way?

bill c68

bill c68

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Ok, I am new to relaoding and have learned most of it from watching my father and visiting CGN.
I am only loading rifle and am looking for consistent accuracy.

I am juust wondering if there is a fater way to measure powder accurately and consistently?

Right now, I am using a scale, a scoop and a trickler, takes forever. But I want to be accurate with it., I am anal enough to add/remove one pellet of powder to get the scale to balance. Any advice?
 
You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars on a powder measure, they throw by volume not weight. I have a cheap Hornady that I use that will throw Varget powder very accurately. I set it up to throw right on the weight desired and about 60% come out on the money. The other 40% are about .1-.2 under according to my digital scale. I don't trickle powder, I use my fingers:eek: and pinch a few granulars of powder to bring it up to weight.
 
i use the RCBS measure for smokeless and a Lyman Black Powder measure and neither is very expensive, i set them up to drop about 1 grain low and then trickle powder until the exact charge registers on the scale.
 
The Lyman 55 measure has been on my reloading benches since the early 1960's, and it is a great piece of equipment. Runs around $60US.

If you really wanna get fancy, the RCBS 1500 Combo unit, around $265US.
 
maynard said:
You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars on a powder measure, they throw by volume not weight. I have a cheap Hornady that I use that will throw Varget powder very accurately. I set it up to throw right on the weight desired and about 60% come out on the money. The other 40% are about .1-.2 under according to my digital scale. I don't trickle powder, I use my fingers:eek: and pinch a few granulars of powder to bring it up to weight.
Click to expand...

I sometimes use my finers too, then got thinking baout possible (but unlikely) contamination from whatever might be on my fingers, sweat, grease, a booger whatever.
 
about the only measure i haven't had is one of the off brands or the lyman, the rest as i recall threw +-.1-.2 /10ths grains all the time except when they were damned near empty, then they tended to throw light- even the cheapest-if you want to be fussy, you could still buy a measure, thow a charge, weigh it, and then "adjust " it with the trickler- but if you're weighing to exact instead of a tolerance, then you sould also factor in all the other variables ( bullet weight, case weight, primers, ) as well s the factors in the rifle itself and your own variables- breathing, wind, full moon, etc- point is, for most of us, get the measure to throw 10 consistant charges within variance, and then just go from there, cking evry 10 or 20 charges, just to see if anything moved
 
I'm a Chargemaster convert too for the most part but it's mostly for the convenience. When loading pails for my .223s or handguns I can't stand the added time and revert to the measure. With the fine and ball powders I prefer for these calibers the measures work very well. With coarse grained powders and large charges they aren't nearly as accurate. With very few exceptions it doesn't matter. A crap load doesn't magically turn good because you weighed it, and a good load won't fall off it's sweet spot if the scale goes a couple 10ths over or under. If it does you don't want it anyway, it will turn sour every time it gets cold out.
 
pickin' your fight

me, I'd be more worried about powder up my nose. :D A few milligrams of nitroglycerine absorbed into the bloodstream raises your heartrate and bloodpressure.:runaway:

bill c68 said:
I sometimes use my finers too, then got thinking baout possible (but unlikely) contamination from whatever might be on my fingers, sweat, grease, a booger whatever.
Click to expand...
 
I'll throw in another vote for the RCBS Chargemaster. I use this for my target loads.

I also use a Lee Powder Measure for loading Varmint rounds where .1-.2 +/- grains is not going to make a lick of difference to the gopher.
 
I would suggest following what Maynard says. I have a Lee prefect powder measure yeah yeah don't laugh. All I need the Lee to do is get close to my powder setting so i can trickle up to my desired weight. (I weigh every charge) I would suggest you invest in a high quality scale either digital or balance. the scale has more uses weighting cases, powder, bullets (and primers if your REALLY anal)

Denver make a great scale or if you want a beam get a Ohaus 10-10 scale.
AND a weight scale set to calibrate your scales.
 
i have an RCBS scale (balance) seems to work ok. but yeah, I have never actually weighed a known weith to confirm it, other than some bullets.
Also, curious, what will weighing the brass tell me? just consistency?
 
The idea to sorting brass by weight is that all brass being sized have the same external dimensions so if some are heavier the extra brass has to go somwhere meaning less internal space for powder/combustion, all things being equal if you ignite the same chrge in a smaller chamber, the result will be an increase in pressure one more variable. In regards to your original concern I would suggest a test. Measure accuracy of your pet loads measuring powder by volume some loads are not all that sensitive to minute variables in chrge wheight that occur by measuring by volume, if your getting the results, why waste the time.
 
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