How much variability in charge weight do you get from your powder measure?

[Balrog]

For people who use a case activated powder measure, how much variability do you see in the measured charge weight? What powder measure are you using?

I am loading a bunch of 223 Remington on a Dillon 650 using Dillon powder measures. I am loading with 26.5 grains of Winchester 748, and am getting +/- 0.2 grains (the lowest I have ever measured is 26.2 and the highest is actually 26.8).

I have a RCBS Uniflow that does about the same.

Is this typical of case activated powder drops?

 

[Walkalong]

748 should do better than 26.2 to 26.8

 

[Balrog]

What should it do?

The majority of the time it is tighter than tat. I would say that if I were to measure 10 consecutive cases, 8 or 9 out of 10 would be 26.3 to 26.6 (ie, +/- .15 grains) , with 1 or 2 outliers coming in at 26.2 or 26.7-26.8.

 

[EddieNFL]

I don't use 748, but with TAC and 2230 I've never found a charge outside a tenth. That is with Dillon, RCBS and Hornady measures.

 

[Balrog]

What could I possibly be doing wrong? It happens with both RCBS and Dillon measures.

 

[Randy1911]

With my Hornady measue it depends on the type of powder I am using. With bal powderl I can set it and it never varies any. With a stick powder I get +/- 0.1. Same for my old RCBS Uniflow.

 

[Steve Marshall]

My RCBS UNI-FLOW will easily vary more than 1/2 grain with the larger stick powders. With ball powders it's close to 1/10th grain. But then again I always weigh each charge with the stick powders as I know what the measure will and won't do. Just for one example, when loading larger cases, the sticks won't bridge, but if you are loading some of the smaller calibers, you use the smaller nozzle and they bridge quite often. So you give an extra whack or two with the handle which settles the powder differently in the hopper and varies the next thrown charge, which is why I weigh every charge when using stick powders.