Leaving powder in feeder for how long???

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emptybrass

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I've learned here that leaving powder in a powder feeder is not a good idea in that it can deteriorate the clear reservoir cylinder over time. Often I'll reload some one night and want to finish up or do another batch of the same recipe the next night. I use Hornady LNL powder feeders, so is leaving powder in the hopper for a couple of days a no-no, or is it only extended times I need to avoid?
 
All my hoppers are designated for a particular powder and are clearly labeled. I typically have a minimal amount of powder in each one and don't worry about it.

Some of my powder hoppers were pre-owned and are very dark - they still do their job.

A couple of days shouldn't hurt anything, but if you're concerned, you can always dump out the powder each day.
 
Some powder will react with the plastic faster than others,

The recommendation is not to leave any powder. That said I have left different kinds for a few days and not problem LEE powder measures. I always empty my RCBS Uniflow.
 
I think I have only left powder in the dispenser once in close to 4 decades of reloading. I try to always empty the reservoir when I through for the day. It does not take long to fill it and get it to settle back down, and confirm the charge.
 
I never leave powder in my measure hopper. If I don't finish reloading a particular lot, I empty the powder back into its sealed container until I'm ready to load again.

I'm more concerned with moisture absorption, plus, since I only have the one powder measure, I may decide to load something else, that needs a different powder.
 
Until I am done loading for the day. Remember to run 10+ charges through it again the next day when you continue. I never leave it in the hopper.

That said, the hopper is going to get discolored, it's just the way it is. I sure wish they would make them from a better material.
 
It's a bad habit as eventually you'll return to the hopper a few weeks rather than a few days later. By then the mfg's can that powder came from might have been stored away.

Then it's: Uh, ok, what's this powder?
 
wow i guess i'm the lazy one...

i never take powder out of the hopper. on the dillon 1050 it's a PITA to take the hopper off. so whatever goes in there stays in there. i always leave the parent can of powder next to the press to indicate what is in the hopper.

on my harrell culver measure, i also leave powder in the bottle. never really been a big deal. when i use hogdgen like h4350 and varget, i use a 1 lb bottle of it, that i refill from 8lb jugs. when i use accurate or alliant powders, i put them in the clear bottle that came with the thrower. heck, i've left powder in there for months at a time.
 
taliv said:
wow i guess i'm the lazy one...

i never take powder out of the hopper. on the dillon 1050 it's a PITA to take the hopper off. so whatever goes in there stays in there. i always leave the parent can of powder next to the press to indicate what is in the hopper.

on my harrell culver measure, i also leave powder in the bottle. never really been a big deal. when i use hogdgen like h4350 and varget, i use a 1 lb bottle of it, that i refill from 8lb jugs. when i use accurate or alliant powders, i put them in the clear bottle that came with the thrower. heck, i've left powder in there for months at a time.
Click to expand...
Nope, I do much the same. I just try to guess what I'll use.
 
It's a bad habit as eventually you'll return to the hopper a few weeks rather than a few days later
Click to expand...
+10000

Despite my best intentions to return in a short while.
Sometimes it doesn't happen that way.

My rule of thumb for leaving power in the hopper is:

DON'T!

rc
 
I always put the powder back into the jug. Once I've walked away from the reloading set up too many things could happen to confuse what powder is in the measure.

I also make sure only the container I got the powder from is near my reloading area, the rest of my powders are on the other side of the shop.
 
I do not leave powder in the measure.

Among many of the reasons listed, I probably will not come back to reload that particular cartridge at the next loading session. I'd have to dump the measure and re-fill it anyway.

Once, I planned to continue loading a cartridge the next day. Unfortunately, life conspired against me and it was a couple weeks before I got back to the reloading room.

Some folks use clear plastic sheet protectors to line their hopper and provide some protection to the hopper plastic. Swap out the sheet protector when it gets discolored.

Too much effort in my opinion but what ever floats your boat.
 
why would you have to dump it and refil it after leaving it for a day?
 
When you change to a different cartridge that uses a different powder, then you need to empty the measure and fill it with a different powder.

i have equipment to reload about 30 different cartridges of which 10 or so are actively being loaded and shot at any time. i do not know from one loading session to the next what cartridge I will be loading. Sometimes there is a need, sometimes i just feel like loading something different.
 
I always empty the hopper after stopping for the day. I return it to the bottle and close tightly. Thats how Iv'e done it since 1973 , not going to change now. Just seems safer to know everything is put away and my bench is cleaned up.
 
guess im bad too. i left my dillon powder measure half full of varget for 10 years. yes. 10! loaded up some rounds and believe it or not they shot just fine. probably will not leave powder open like that again but it didnt seem to hurt anything
 
I used to leave powder in the hopper but after an extended ,,( loooong time ) period of time this is what bullseye did to my older lyman 55 hopper.
Those little malicious grains embedded themselves into the plastic and ain't coming out anytime soon,,,,:evil:.

I have the bigger brass hopper now but I empty it after each session....
 

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Alrite guys, I think OP gets it, that we never leave powder in the hopper. But that isnt what he was asking. Maybe someone can tell us which powders are the worst to leave in? Or which are "high nitro"?

Ive always heard Bullseye is a no-no to leave in the hopper .
 
heymarine1833 said:
guess im bad too. i left my dillon powder measure half full of varget for 10 years. yes. 10! loaded up some rounds and believe it or not they shot just fine. probably will not leave powder open like that again but it didnt seem to hurt anything
Click to expand...
That's hilarious..sounds like something i'd do.
 
I've left powder in my Dillon for a year several times. I try to empty it if I'm not going to do any more loading in the next couple weeks.
 
I have had to send both of my LnL powder measures back to Hornady for a refit of new hoppers because I left powder in them. The hoppers actually fell out of the measure body due to shrinkage of diameter from leaving powder in them. I never do it now. A few hours at most. The hoppers were damaged by Bullseye, VV N320 and other fast pistol powders.
Stu
 
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