How about some reviews on Powder Measures for under 10 grain charges

How about some of your reviews on Powder Measures for use on under 10 grain charges? What do you got, and how well does it work?

Harrells Schuetzen/Pistol (http://harrellsprec.com/index.php?crn=49&rn=378&action=show_detail), Redding 10X, everything else.

I've used my Lyman 55 since the late 60's (bought it used ;) ) and it works very well, and very accurately. I also have a Dillon 550B and the pistol measure bar on it works well and accurately (as does the rifle/larger charge bar). If I were looking for any greater precision, I would throw a slight under-charge then dribble it up to desired weight on a scale. I have a Lee powder measure kit I use for that purpose. I am very cautious in throwing maximum loads of any round in a measure-er, especially large magnum charges in 357 & 44 mag. The same caveat applied to very small charges - be really vigilant for under/double charges. I am happier setting the measure to load 23.9 gr of 296 with a 240 jacketed rather than the recommended 24, just to allow for Murphy's Mechanical Malfeasance Measure, if you get my drift... :uhoh:

Lee perfect powder meassure with adjustable charge bar.

I use my Hornady LnL powder measure with the pistol rotor. It throws a 3 grain charge of W231 very accurately all day long. I have had Lee, RCBS and Hornady and the Hornady is IMO the best.

Redding works good.

I began mechanized reloading (after using a Lee hammer-it-in kit for a number of years) with an RCBS Uniflow powder measure. That worked fine for rifle loads, but later on I began shooting target pistol and discovered that the Uniflow was very unhappy measuring 3.4 grains of Win 231. Anything smaller that that was impossible.

So I don't recommend a Uniflow for small charges at all.

Later at a gun show I came upon a Lyman No. 55 powder measure, which has 2 different screw-adjustable sliders to regulate the powder charge, a large slider and a very small one. Long story short: Bought the 55, took it home, tried it, it worked for the small charges, I've been using it for years, and am very happy with it. Easy to adjust, will take the tiniest charges--it just WORKS!! :):):)

I still use the Uniflow for loading rifle cases. And a big +1 for the Lyman No. 55 for small loads of powder.

I am using my Uniflow for measuring 4.5g of 231 for loading S&W .40 seems to work fine. Smokey, your post is the first I've seen about the lower limits of what a Uniflow will do. I may look into the Lyman for loading pistol rounds.

Historian

"A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of a common enemy."

Samuel Adams

The Redding 3 and the 3BR are the two very best for 10gr and under with the handgun insert. I can get accurate 5 gr and up with the universal insert too.

Lee auto disc with adjustable charge bar works great.

For that matter, the Auto Disc with the discs also works well, but you are limited to what the holes will throw. For micro-charges (ie 2.0gr Bullseye) you have to order the micro-disc.

Q

Only because it fits the piggy back loader I use.

I do 2 things that help set the measure to meter small amounts:

1. When I get close, I set the SCALE for 10 times the target charge.
Throw 10 charges into a BIG case and weight it.
An Example of this is looking for 3.9 grains and setting the scale at 39 grains.
Weighing the 10x charge, balance the scale and the resulting amount divided by 10 is the average amount thrown.
This helps when trying to set the powder measure for amounts less than 10 grains.

2. Once I have the powder measure set I measure the length of "stem" (adjustment screw) of the measure, using the depth feature on the back of my dial caliper.
This number is noted with the powder amount in my loading records.
The next time I want to throw that same amount I just reset the powder measure "stem" to this amount to within .001 inch and varify the weight with the scale.

Note: Many are not aware that the Uniflow Measure comes with EITHER the small or large cavity cylinder, but not both.
Trying to meter small amounts with the large cavity cylinder is much less precise.

Tilos

The RCBS Uniflow works very well for me also.

I have the micrometer adjusting stem on my RCBS Uniflow with the large cavity. I have no problems with charges below 10 grains.

When I set up for a charge, I weigh enough samples until I am satisfied with the adjustment(before putting any in a case). I then weigh every fifth load for the next 20 rounds, then I change to once every 20 rounds until I finish that batch, check the last charge too.

That method has worked for forty something years, I don't forsee a change coming anytime soon.

Jimmy K

I also use the uniflow with small cylinder and micrometer adjustment. Love it. It is very accurate as long as you do the same routine.

I got my Redding 10X so I could reliably throw 1.8 gr charges of W231 for my .32 S&W wadcutters back in my single-stage press days. It did the job beautifully, but I've since switched to the Hornady measure on my LnL, and it seems to do a very good job as well.

I have 2 old Ohaus powder measures with micro adjustments, very accurate, Old Bell and Null, Herters with cam and dial adjustmers, Lyman with the slide and screw adjustments, Dillon with all of the bars, RCBS Uniflow with both the large and small roters and I have a couple of Redding powder measures. When I load pistol and want accurage charges I use the RCBS Little Dandy, the system is an investment (NOW) with the powder measure going for from $35.00 to $41.00 dollars each and the rotors going for $12.00 each, there are 28 of them.

F. Guffey

Fguffey
Someone was making an adjustable rotor for the Little dandy, I not sure if I saw it on here or somewhere else. That would have been a good idea, if it worked.

Jimmy K

for most of my pistol loads I use the Lee powder-thru-expander die and measures made from empty cases of various chamberings with a wire handle soldered on. if the measure is too much them I have a punch I make tight-fitting 'spacers' I press in to lower the volume to correct amount.
most rifle loading I use the Lee dispenser but it doesn't like fine ball powder at all. spherical and 'cord' it does fine.

Well now, there's this Ideal #5 sitting on the shelf... you know, the Grandaddy of the Lyman #55...

Hornady L'n'L with pistol rotor ... 3.1 Ba-10, 3.5 - 4.5 BE, accurate all day long. Gotta keep your eyes open with flake types such as Clays.
/Bryan

I load .38 spl & 9mm using titegroup
usually around 4-4.5 grains

I use an RCBS Uniflow Powder Measure with Small Cylinder

They come with either the small or standard cylinder. You want to make sure you get the small cylinder.

i have 3 Uniflows that all work great. My Dillon PM's all work great as well.

LGB

Hmmm. Didn't know there were 2 different cylinders available for the Uniflow. Having bought my Lyman #55, it's a moot point for me, but nice to know. It stands to reason that RCBS wouldn't allow a goodly part of the powder-measuring-market to just slip away from them.

Redding Model 3 with small chamber.

Smokey, your post is the first I've seen about the lower limits of what a Uniflow will do.

LIke the others allude to my uniflow with the large rifle micrometer stem gets a little flaky below 3.0 grs on a propellant like ww231 or a setting of less than "20". I think I have the small drum too somewhere but to date I've not had to resort to using it

But right now I'm 1/2 way through the process of loading 1000 rds of 9mm using 4.5grs of ww231 and so far charging has been flawless from full hopper to the last 3 charges before empty

Krochus and Yurko

I was vaguely aware that the Uniflow came with two cylinders but didin't stop to think that Smokey might be using the large one. I have the small one in mine and it works well for me since I load only .223 and S&W .40. I get really good results using ball powder like H335 and W231 (although that one doesn't look like a ball powder to me). Thanks for the reminder.

Historian

So Smokey Joe, how's that Lyman #55 workong out?

Exceptional metering but a bear to adj. from one amount to another and back.
With more than one slide/adjustment I found it difficult to return the Lyman to a previous setting.

The Lyman #55 is a favorite with bench rest shooters but they use a different after market cylinder.
I'm sorry to say I do not recall who makes this cylinder but do know it comes with a spread sheet of cylinder settings for all popular powders.
Remember these BR guys load at the shooting bench while shooting, switching powders based on conditions...without a scale!!

Maybe a Bench Rest shooter will chime in with a source of this cylinder.
With all that being said this magic cylinder may not work for metering small amounts of powder.

Tilos

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Hmmm. Didn't know there were 2 different cylinders available for the Uniflow.

Its probably a DuoFlow.

But for the OP, I really like my Lee Pro Auto-disc powder measure. Very consistent with flake or spherical powder in small charges. But them I'm content with the offered charge cavities and not worried with splitting grains.

Regards,

TB

The Lyman #55 is a favorite with bench rest shooters but they use a different after market cylinder

The Harrells (http://www.harrellsprec.com/) line of measures I linked to is the evolution of the Lyman 55 "Culver conversions" prominant in Benchrest years ago. The Harrells is the dominant measure in Benchrest today.

Niel Jones (http://www.neiljones.com/html/measure.html) also makes a similar measure.

this magic cylinder may not work for metering small amounts of powder.
Sure does. The Harrells measure (http://harrellsprec.com/index.php?crn=49&rn=378&action=show_detail) I linked to earlier.

I am sure the RCBS measure with the pistol insert does a fine job, as I know the Redding 10X does, because RCBS makes great stuff.

Harrels, RCBS (pistol insert) or Redding 10X. Final answer.

There you go...Walkalong knew

Anyone still make that conversion??
It has to be cheaper than a complete measure.

#55= pita to set.

Tilos

Anyone still make that conversion??
Not that I am aware of.

Good thread (http://www.benchrest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53667) at Benchrest Central

If you pony up for a Harrells, you will not be sorry, and it will last forever.

When we talked about how much powder we were shooting, we talked in "clicks", not grains. Took me some getting used to at first.

I started using a Redding throw with the rifle measure drum, not knowing that there were different sizes. It did NOT like throwing single digit charges of Unique for my .45 ACP loads.

That being said, by the time I learned about the different metering drums, I'd already set my sights on a LnL AP which came with both drums for the LnL measure.
With the addition of the micrometer adjustable pistol insert, I've had it measuring in the 2gr range, reliably at tenth grain settings.

I have the RCBS Uniflow. Bought it last fall with the large micrometer. The small mike wasn't available, so I thought I would pick it up later. When I started trying to throw charges under 5 grains I learned that the large mike wouldn't throw them consistently. But the small mike still wasn't available. I ended up buying a cylinder converting it to a quick change. No micrometer is made for the QC, but I could get the small meter setup. It works great. I can throw 3.0 grain charges all night long.

The quick change has some other advantages. No screw through the body like the Uniflow. You can raise the mechanism, pull the pin, and either change the measure or insert a drain tube. Far superior setup than the Uniflow. A micrometer would make it better, but is not offered.

Disadvantages. The conversion rotor had to be deburred, along with the meter. The burrs on the rotor were where the hole for the meter intersects the cylinder and where the threaded hole for the release intersects the bore for the meter. The meters had burrs on the edges that go into the rotor. Without work, the meters would not fit and the rotor would not turn. It took me about an hour to fix this, and is a deal-killer, IMO.