Hoping you guys can give a little insight on a issue I'm having with the Pacific Power measure (looks like Hornady's) I picked up a couple of days ago. I'm using H4350 powder. I cycled about 20 charges through it to get a feel for it before I measured any. I then set it up to charge 52gr of the H4350 and I can not get the charge consistent. They vary as far has .6gr using a Lyman beam scale. One thing I did notice is that it seems to "catch" a grain on the initial cycle making you have to give a little extra pressure to start the lever. Thanks guys for any idea's!
?? on Pacific powder measure.....
- Thread starter 350mag1
- Start date
Welcome to the joys of stick powder. The catching feeling you are getting is the drum cutting a granule of powder. I am using a Hornady and get the same thing with Varget. Out of 50 charges I threw the other day only 3 where right on the money. I weigh ever charge.
rnbra-shooter
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Brunswick
That's the way it goes.
And BTW, this is OK and expected. In most cases, this is an accurate-enough metering of powder charges.
I use a Redding BR-30 (a reasonable quality powder measure). If I throw 50 charges of Varget or Reloder-15 (stick powders, but shorter grained and a bit better metering than 4350), most of the charges will be within a 0.4 grain interval, i.e. my target weight +/-0.2 grains. **BUT**, out of the 50 charges that have been carefully thrown, the spread from the lightest to the heaviest charge is usually 0.8 grains or even as much as 1.0 grains.
I use these thrown charges in my .308 match ammo, without reservation out to 600m at any level of competition; it easily and consistently shoots honest sub-MOA. Some particular load combinations (e.g. my load with Varget and #2155 Sierra 155) are consistent enough to shoot well at 1000 yards with thrown powder charges (though I admit that I do weight and trickle some of my 1000y ammo). The funny thing is, the biggest match I ever won in my life was fired at 1000y, and I used borrowed ammo made for a friend's rifle - Sierra #2155s seated to magazine length and thrown powder charges!
And BTW, this is OK and expected. In most cases, this is an accurate-enough metering of powder charges.
I use a Redding BR-30 (a reasonable quality powder measure). If I throw 50 charges of Varget or Reloder-15 (stick powders, but shorter grained and a bit better metering than 4350), most of the charges will be within a 0.4 grain interval, i.e. my target weight +/-0.2 grains. **BUT**, out of the 50 charges that have been carefully thrown, the spread from the lightest to the heaviest charge is usually 0.8 grains or even as much as 1.0 grains.
I use these thrown charges in my .308 match ammo, without reservation out to 600m at any level of competition; it easily and consistently shoots honest sub-MOA. Some particular load combinations (e.g. my load with Varget and #2155 Sierra 155) are consistent enough to shoot well at 1000 yards with thrown powder charges (though I admit that I do weight and trickle some of my 1000y ammo). The funny thing is, the biggest match I ever won in my life was fired at 1000y, and I used borrowed ammo made for a friend's rifle - Sierra #2155s seated to magazine length and thrown powder charges!
