Better metering powder?

[2rott]

I'm new to reloading using hand me down Lyman equipment which seems in good shape. The Lyman 55 powder measure seems to be inconsistant. I read the instructions carefully & was wondering if .2 to .25 grains off in either direction is normal for the powders I'm using. 2.8 grains of Clays & 4.6 grains of Trailboss. What powders meter better in my type of powder measure? Or, am I expecting too much?

 

[mbruce]

Hey - I'll link a thread where Mr. Walkalong (post #9) and others have typed out which powders meter well.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=568748

 

[James2]

I think part of getting the measure to be repeatable is operator technique.
For small quantities use only the top two slides. When you operate the lever start with it down. Put a casing under the drop tube then raise the handle. It will hit the stop which jars the hopper enough to make the powder fall. Do not use the knocker. Wait a second for the powder to settle, then pull down. Now is when to use the knocker to make sure it all fell. Get in a rut and make each throw with the same movement and speed.

I have not used Clays. Some say Unique will not meter well, but I find the 55 will do a good job with Unique. It will be around .1 grain consistently. With Titegroup or 231 it will meter closer than that.

Once I get the measure adjusted, I just weigh one ever twenty rounds.

 

[918v]

The smaller the powder kernel, the better the powder measures. The more square the metering chamber (diameter vs. length) the more consistent the charge will be. A dedicated pistol measure, like the RCBS Little Dandy with it's small metering chambers, will throw more consistent pistol-weight charges than a large rifle measure.

 

[ljnowell]

Use a ball powder. Accurate Arms work well.

 

[TonyT]

I used the old Lyman 55 powder measure for many years with light loads of Bullseye adn Unique powders in 38 Special, 44 Special and 45ACP. I always used the attached kocker ans my loads were well within 0.1gr. The ball powders such as W-231 as well as the fine flake powders such as Bullseye usually will meter more uniformly than the large flake shotgun powders such as HS-700Xor Clays. Currently I use aDillon 550 and Trail Boss meters exceptionally well in that machines measure.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

Several things can result in fluctuating charges.
55 Measure Instructions

Does your measure have a baffle? baffle instructions here

Also, has the measure been disassembled and cleaned recently?

Are you using the correct charge bar?

Are you being consistent when pulling the lever? A moderate speed is most controllable.

All in all, Trailboss was designed to meter consistently. While it's not as good as a small ball like #2, I have no problem with fluctuations of less than .1 grain on a 4.5 grain charge.

 

[2rott]

Thanks for all the advice & suggestions. Jesse, no I don't have a baffle. Never

heard of baffles before. Are baffles necessary? I think I'll take the powder

measure apart & clean it well before I do anything else. I weighed a dozen

loads of the two powders I'm using, & got .3 grain variance in each. I think

that's too much, especially in a small load like 2.8 g of clays. Thanks again.

 

[Funshooter45]

Yes, the Lyman 55 should be throwing more consistent than that. I don't know anything about Clays, so I can't comment there, but nearly all postol powders exceppt Unique have always metered well in all 3 powder measures that I use, including the 55. Trail Boss is a little bit different than other pistol powders though. I know that the Lyman instructions tell you to only use the top slide for pistol powders. In spite of that, try using the middle slide for Trail Boss. With all 3 slides starting at 0, try pulling the middle slide out a little ways. By trial and error, get it set until it is just slightly below or right at the desired weight. Adjust the top slide just a smidgen if needed to get it perfect. That will work much better than just the top slide for Trail Boss, and a few others as well.

Make darn sure that you have the lock screws clamped down tight after you make an adjustment of course. They can be a little loose and you slides change just a little bit.

Also, make sure that when you raise the lever to the "up" position, that you puse for a second, then use the "tapper" once or twice to let it settle. Sometimes it takes throwing 10 charges or so before things kind of settle down for a given adjustment.

 

[brickeyee]

Never heard of baffles before. Are baffles necessary?

They make sure a consistent weight of powder is on the measuring chamber, removing effects from the weight of the powder in the hopper.

The powder falls closer to the same way into the measuring volume every time.

Ball/spherical powders meter better.

Large stick powders are worse, and flake powders depend on how well the rotating cylinder fits in the powder measure.

 

[NCsmitty]

When used with a baffle, and the slide(s) adjusted properly, the #55 measure will throw more types of powders, extruded, flake, and ball, more accurately than any other measure that I have used. There is no reason not to expect .1gr variance or better.
The key to the whole operation is the use of the knocker after the powder drop as mentioned by James2.




NCsmitty

 

[Maj Dad]

+1 On The 55

I agree with NCsmitty on the Lyman 55. I have one I have used since the 60's that is extremely consistent provided you use it consistently each time. For example, if I'm using stick powder, I will raise the handle and make it "tap" at the top stop, then bring it slowly and gently, but forcefully down and "tap" at the bottom as it drops the charge. I then hit the clapper twice and after placing the next case under the drop tube raise the handle to the top, tapping it, and so on. It doesn't matter a great deal your exact technique as long as you are consistent, each and every time. With ball and flake powders I don't use the same controlled, forceful down stroke since there isn't the need to cut granules as in stick powders, and I can throw small charges of Bullseye (the old standard 148 gr wc charge of 2.7 gr) with consistency to 0.1 grain or less. I also use a Dillon 550 with the Dillon powder dispenser with great success, but if I really want it accurate, I use the 55. I'm not in the old chemistry lab where molecules make the difference, and for our purposes, it is dead on.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

The baffle will take the weight of the powder in the hopper out of the equation. For most powders my measure works better with the baffle near the bottom of the cylinder. Make one, put it in, and see how it works. Moving the baffle up and down will change the pressure on the slide, so you can experiment with the position.

The mechanism can benefit from an occasional cleaning. I clean when my measure loses its accuracy. Simply take it apart and wipe things with a clean, lint free cloth. I use a cleaning patch. All you are doing is removing what has built up on the surfaces.

 

[2rott]

With all the great advice from you guys, I'm throwing more consistent charges. I cleaned the 55 well & wiped it down with a anti static cloth. I also followed your instructions in the mechanics of throwing the charges correctly. Using Clays at 4.0 g, I threw 24 charges. Almost all of them were within .05 grains of 4.0. Most were 4.0. But a couple were off .06 to .12. After these two I rezeroed my used RCBS 10-10 scale & found the balance was off the exact amount that the 2 charges were off. Whats with the scale. After this I weighed a half paper clip over several times & found the scale didn't go back to zero exactly each time. Maybe I should make this another question for the forum.
Thanks for all the help.