[Dave R]

Christmas is coming, and a powder measure is high on my list. I'm new to reloading, and on a tight budget. Been hand-weighing all charges, using the Lee "set o' scoops" to speed things a little. But that's still the most tedious part in the whole process for me.

So which powder measure should I wish for? Cost IS an object. Don't want junk, just something usable and inexpensive. Will be for rifle & Pistol. Shotshell reloading is next-years Christmas list.

[Steve Smith]

You will be told that the Lee Perfect Powder is the best measure, but I disagree. While it may perform well, it is not built very well at all. I would suggest you surf Ebay for you better quality measure.

[MoNsTeR]

The Lee Pro Auto Disk, though it may not meet all your needs.

[P95Carry]

Lee is always IMO good value but .. to a degree you get what you pay for. Most of my stuff is Lee but would suggest you consider something like the Hornady one ... tall hopper ... not sure of model designation..... had mine ages but for rifle and demanding stuff it's good.

Necessary too ... mandatory in fact ... scales. The Lee ones ''will do'' but a Lyman 500 or 550 type is better.

[308win]

I use an RCBS and it feeds all powder types well and more importantly accurately. If I use good technique it will throw within .1 grain regardless of powder.

[Mike Irwin]

At this point I've got over 10 years and between 20,000 and 30,000 rounds through my Lee Perfect Auto Disk.

I strongly disagree with the good Moderator.


It's as accurate as my Uniflow with all of the powders that I currently use, it's quick to adjust, and it is turbo repeatable with ball powders.

[Dave P]

Take a look at the redding models. I think they rate high on the value scale.

[Steve Smith]

Come on, Mike, Fisher Price could make one that felt more solid. I know they measure well, but AARRGGHH, even at $20 they are 4 times more expensive than they feel like they should be! (sorry, I can't help but avoid cheap plastic)

:)

[Black Snowman]

I've had good luck with my Auto-Disk and my Perfect measures BUT ONLY WITH POWDER BAFFLES in them. Without the baffles they were all over the place. I made my baffles with a pair of scissors and an old ammo box. Plastic scoops from laundry detergent make cooler looking and more durable ones ;)

The Lee gets the job done to within +-0.1 gr with a baffle in all of the powders I have tried which are Universal, 2400, H110, and Varget. That's well enough that I gave the Lyman DPS1200 a miss and just got a Cabella's digital scale to replace my Lee Safety Scale. The Safety Scale was hella-accurate but nearly worthless for measuring individual charges as the small grain weight adjust would move every time I touched the scale. The digital scale isn't perfect but a huge improvement.

[oldfart]

Steve's right, the Lee Perfect Powder Measure looks like a classic POS... but it works and it works well. You have to use it awhile to run a couple of pounds of powder through it before it settles in and measures properly.

I have two; one for handgun and the other for rifles. They both measure accurately enough but adjusting either one of them from handgun to rifle loads would be a real PITA.

Actually, I'm glad there are people like Steve who favor appearance over functionality. I bought my last powder measure for $3 at a gunshow. It just keeps working....

[Steve Smith]

Hey hey hey, I never said I favored looks OVER funtion, but I think there are measures that are equal to the Lee's performance that won't break if I stubmble while unpacking, inevitably stepping on it, or if I trip walking to my loading bench and a 500 ct. box of .45 lead bullets finds its way to the measure. I have to shop for longevity because I am my own worst enemy! I can look at a Lee product and break it. I'll happily spend $30 for a used Redding rather than $5 on a Lee.

[Black Snowman]

Ya, Lee will wear well, but break easily. They won't take abuse like a cast iron or aluminum piece will. But you can usually replace them a few times over for the same price. YMMV and the other disclaimers :)

[Mike Irwin]

Perception is a FUNNY thing, Steve.

Your perception is that the Lee measure doens't feel solid, so therefore it shouldn't work as well as it does.

Yet it does.

Your perception is, apparently, based largely on your inability to avoid creating catastrophies in your loading room, too. :) You can damage any piece of reloading equipment if you abuse it.

For what it's worth, I dropped my Lee a couple of years ago on my concrete basement floor while swapping tool heads. I figured I was done for the day until I could replace it. Nope. No harm, no foul.

So, either the Lee measure is flawed, or your perception is.

I know which one I'd bet on. :D

Oh, by the way, those plastic cylinders that hold the powder on Redding, RCBS, etc., powder measures? They WILL break.

[mtnbkr]

I've had good luck with my Auto-Disk and my Perfect measures BUT ONLY WITH POWDER BAFFLES in them. Without the baffles they were all over the place. I made my baffles with a pair of scissors and an old ammo box. Plastic scoops from laundry detergent make cooler looking and more durable ones

Can you give more detail or post a pic? I can't quite visualize what you are talking about.

thanks,
Chris

[Steve Smith]

I guess you just want to fight today, Mike, and that's fine. I don't want to. I'll stick with steel, and you stick with Nerf, ok?

[Mike Irwin]

You need a course if Visualization Basic, Chris.

Cut a circle out of cardboard or plastic just a HAIR larger than the inside diameter of the tube (you want a snug fit, but not a binding fit).

Fold it in half.

On the curved section, the side opposite the fold, cut two "U" shaped openings, about as wide and as deep as a nickle.


Spread the disk partially open. Now, with the cut-outs down and the fold up, insert it into your powder measure and push it to the bottom.

Essentially, you want it to be tented, with the sides sealing the tubes fairly well, with both cutouts free to allow powder down into the bottom part of the measure hopper.

What this does is helps keep the weight of the powder feeding into the disk even, which helps promote consistency.

You can do largely the same thing by making two marks on your measure, anywhere from about 1 to 2 inches part, and keeping the powder between those lines as your're loading.

That's what I do, and I notice virtually no variations in charge weights.

[ocabj]

You'll probably end up getting the RCBS Uniflow. It's not perfect but it's probably the best of the low cost powder measures. It won't feed flake powder very well and get variance of .1-.3 grains. It measures W231 and Hodgdon Titegroup fairly well (I use those and Hodgdon Clays on the pistol side).

I don't use my RCBS Uniflow for rifle powder. On the rifle side, I only reload .308 for a bolt action right now, and I do all the powder measure by hand with a Lee scooper (came with the rifle die set) and trickling onto the scale.

The Harrells Precision powder measures are probably the best. They're about $175 give or take depending on which one you get. Since I'm starting to reload .223 as well, I may end up getting a Harrell's measure.

[P95Carry]

Fisher Price could make one that felt more solid. :D :D S'OK Steve ...... really .. treat em right and they will do the job!! :neener:

Mike - thx for the descrip re baffle .. if Chris hadn't asked I was gonna check on what you guys use. Sounds pretty much what most like to do. I have invariably kept powder level between ''mark#1 & mark #2'' but must try the baffle approach I think.

[Mike Irwin]

Once again, though, a matter of perception. You perceive that I want to fight. That's incorrect.

I disagree with your contentions about the Lee measures, providing objective proof to their longevity and servicability, and your rejoinder is a set of hypotheticals about what could happen, not about what has happened. I guess your signature line says it all, Steve. :neener:

[Mike Irwin]

One measure I did forget to mention that is a nice one is the RCBS Little Dandy.

Best used when charging cases that are held in a loading block.

[RobW]

With ball powders, the Lee disk-measures are very reliable. After an "initiating" check of every 5th load it became quiet boring. The 1st load is the same as the 50th! (I work in batches of 50). With no extra baffle.

By the way, the "Lee Safety Scale" has a little pin at the 0.X scale. Depressing it, locks the slide (I use the RCBS scale, it's just easier to set, but not more accurate).

A good source of pros and cons of Lee-stuff is the "inofficial" site at

www.geocities.com/southbeach/boardwalk/9760/lee/homeleft.html

[Dave R]

Ahhh. A juicy controversy. Only one person mentioned Redding? The Lee sounds good to me. If it throws decent charges with reasonable care...

[Sarge]

I've got an old Hornady Deluxe that is the most utterly rellaible and repeatable measure I've ever used, excepting an old Belding & Mull that decorated my bench about 20 years ago. The Hornady has had only one problem- it is made just a bit too tight, and gets a little sticky once in a great while. Hodgon's Universal Clays seems to irritate it more than anything else. Now I give it a shot of powdered graphite once in a while and the problem has all but disappeared.

[Mike Irwin]

I just spent some time going through the "unofficial Lee Loading site" that was referenced.

Largely I find myself agreeing with the author on the items that are talked about and which I've used.

I'm going to send him some comments on the auto-indexing (or not) appliance for my Lee Turret. It's never worked well, and I doubt that it ever well. Luckily, however, it's fairly easy to use it by rotating the turret by hand.

[P95Carry]

Mike - not sure how old your turret is but ...... my first one (Circa 1981) has a threaded thumb wheel which bears on the detent ball spring .. so you can increase/decrease tension ... that allows for turret to positively ''click'' into place each 1/3 turn ..... or if too tight . you can slacken off.

My second turret . maybe only 3 years old .. has no adjustment on detent spring . and on mine the tension seems inadequate .. hard to get the thing to register positively in the position each time.

Beyond that I found i had to do some tweaks on the spiral hex rod and nylon engagement piece .... had to pack outside of nylon piece to ensure it was gripped properly and didn't slip.

Get all these annoyances sorted and it all works pretty well.

[Mike Irwin]

Yeah, mine probably needs some spacer material in the washer collar. I was thinking about that.

I was also thinking that it's one hell of an annoyance.

[bogie]

I own...

A $225 Harrell
A tricked out RCBS uniflow
A pair of Lee "perfect" measures (or did I give one to Oleg???)
A Lee autodisk with the adjustable charge bar

The Lee "perfect" measure is better than the Harrell for long stick powders. The Harrell just feels right tho, and is what goes to benchrest matches. The Lee(s) get used for handgun and blasting ammo.

The RCBS uniflow, with a sinclair clear drop tube adapter and a bottle fixture (so that you can just screw in a Hodgdon or AA powder bottle), and the RCBS stand and micrometer adjustment dealie, is for sale or trade.

[Steve Smith]

Actually, 5 recommended the Lee, 2 recommended the Redding, 2 recommended the RCBS, and 1 recommended the Hornady. Considering that the Redding, RCBS, and Hornady are all variations on the same design, you have an equal score. I'll thow out the Harrells vote because it is a multiple revision result of the RCBS general design and "value" on this piece is subjective.

Despite Mike's urge to annoy me and make me look silly, I stick by my recommendation.

[Poohgyrr]

Rob,

Thanks for the link......

And FWIW, I use a Lee auto disk for general pistol, and a scale for rifle....

[keano44]

Mike Irwin
Thanks for the Visualisation Basic, now I understand about the baffle. But I, like you, find that if I just keep the level consistant in the hopper, I get the same results.


Another vote for the Lee Autodisk with the adjustable charge bar.

[ocabj]

With Harrell powder measures pushing $225, no one mentioned the PACT Scale/Dispenser Combo (also RCBS branded). It runs for about $250. Does this device actually work well?

[Tony Z]

Excellent in my opinion.


Just a bit spendy

TONY Z

[Mike Irwin]

I think I mentioned those with a passing reference, Ocabj, but that may have been in another thread.

I've used one, but I never found that much to recommend them over a good volumetric measure.

[bogie]

The "dispenser" electronic measures take too long. Fine if you're not shooting a whole lot, or if you're not loading between matches.

[Dave R]

Update: found a used RCBS Uniflow for cheap. Cleaned it up tonight. Should have a chance to use it tomorrow.

[Dave R]

Update: I ran 50 rounds of 9mm through the well-used RCBS Uniflow. I was using Unique powder, which I hear is not an easy powder to meter cuz of the large flakes.

After I got the measure dialed in for the charge I want (that only took 3 tries), the first 4 charges I threw were within .1 grain. This is with a 5.6 grain load. Spot checks thereafter kept everything within .1 grain, and most checked were right on.

So I didn't have to "run a pound through it before it settles in and gets accurate. "

So I'm a happy camper. This saves a LOT of time over scoop, trickle and funnel.

[44and45]

HA! Forget Lee and all that other ilk...except maybe Redding...get yourself one of these Herter's Dial-O-matic powder measure...if you can find one.

Jim

[P95Carry]

Hey Jim! How's it hangin my friend?:p

Looks sorta similar to my Hornady, which I use entirely for all rifle loading ..... maybe takes a tad longer to set this one up but ... very accurate. This one has suffered a bit of corrosion thru age!

http://www.bedford.net/design/shoot/horn meas_s.jpg

This overall style i do like tho ... and no doubt that Herters is the dog's ''thingies''!:)

[44and45]

Hi Chris, I have a Hornady simular to yours, it has small pistol meter insert and a larger one for rifle...they are very good powder measures.

If you send me that ole Hornady I'll clean it up to look like new for ya, got all the tools to do it my friend.

Check this out, Lyman Tru-line Jr. press and No.55 powder measure. You should have seen them before they were restored...really pitiful state of decay...the shell holder platform was stuck fast to the blued post stand, took a lot of WD-40 and whacks to break it loose. Now it looks and works great.

Jim

[P95Carry]

Hey Jim ... nice job on the Tru-line and ''55'' . very nice!I'll clean it up to look like new for ya, got all the tools to do it my friend. No sweat Jim ... I also have all the tools (I am an engineer doncha know!) . and in fact did a ''job'' on it way back ..... just about time i did it again ... but its function is fine.

Yeah .. the two insert ''thingies'', one for pistol one for rifle .. I find it a good measure.

Take care dude. :)

[44and45]

Roger that, Chris.

Just wanted to do something for ya, you're always helping me with these computer workings.

Jim :)

[P95Carry]

Heheehe Jim ....... one of these days my friend .... the time will come when i will request a ''payback'' ..... no sweat!!:)

Just good to know ya!:)