Hi All,
I'm a newbie when it comes to reloading and I have some questions about powder measuring and dispensing.
As I mentioned in a previous post on this forum, I have a Lee Handpress and I'm loading up rounds for .44 special and for .38 special handguns. I have Lee and Speer reloading manuals and a book (called "the ABC's of Reloading") as reference sources.
I have only been using Unique powder so far. Most of the steps of the reloading process have been relatively straightforward for me. However, I have been having trouble dispensing and measuring my Unique powder accurately and efficiently.
I have been using a set of Lee dippers (15 dippers in the set). The set inclues a card that translates the volume of each dipper into its equivalent weight in grains. However, I have found that the volume that I measure from a dipper is much lower in weight than the value that is printed on the card.
As an example, the card says that the 0.7 cc dipper is supposed to equal 6.4 grains of Unique powder. However, if I weigh one scoop from this dipper with my Lee Safety Scale, the value that I get is closer to 5.5 grains of Unique.
Is it normal for there to be such a big difference in the printed and actual values? If so, what causes these differences (humidity?)?
Another problem that I have is in physically loading the powder into the brass casing. I am using a red plastic funnel that came with my Lee reloading kit and it sits on top of the shell that will receive the charge. The flakes of Unique powder stick to the sides of the funnel due to static electricity. Even if I tap the funnel or try to push these flakes in, they will not go down the funnel.
Should I be worried about these sticking flakes? I'm concerned that i will get inconsistent loads or underpowered/squib loads.
Is there any way I can avoid this static build up? Do they sell metal funnels or some other non-static material funnel? is there a better way to dispense the powder into the casing?
Currently I have been measuring every powder charge with my Safety Scale before pouring the charge into the casing. I use a Lee plastic dipper to scoop out an amount that is close in weight to my desired charge amount. I then use a partially filled dipper to put smaller amounts of powder onto the scale to get to the exact amount of powder by weight (according to my Safety Scale).
This method seems painfully slow - is there something that I can do with my existing equipment to be more efficient yet still consistently dispense measured loads? Am I doing something wrong?
Thanks for your help. Reloading is fun and gratifying, but I'm getting a bit frustrated with the powder charing process.
I'm a newbie when it comes to reloading and I have some questions about powder measuring and dispensing.
As I mentioned in a previous post on this forum, I have a Lee Handpress and I'm loading up rounds for .44 special and for .38 special handguns. I have Lee and Speer reloading manuals and a book (called "the ABC's of Reloading") as reference sources.
I have only been using Unique powder so far. Most of the steps of the reloading process have been relatively straightforward for me. However, I have been having trouble dispensing and measuring my Unique powder accurately and efficiently.
I have been using a set of Lee dippers (15 dippers in the set). The set inclues a card that translates the volume of each dipper into its equivalent weight in grains. However, I have found that the volume that I measure from a dipper is much lower in weight than the value that is printed on the card.
As an example, the card says that the 0.7 cc dipper is supposed to equal 6.4 grains of Unique powder. However, if I weigh one scoop from this dipper with my Lee Safety Scale, the value that I get is closer to 5.5 grains of Unique.
Is it normal for there to be such a big difference in the printed and actual values? If so, what causes these differences (humidity?)?
Another problem that I have is in physically loading the powder into the brass casing. I am using a red plastic funnel that came with my Lee reloading kit and it sits on top of the shell that will receive the charge. The flakes of Unique powder stick to the sides of the funnel due to static electricity. Even if I tap the funnel or try to push these flakes in, they will not go down the funnel.
Should I be worried about these sticking flakes? I'm concerned that i will get inconsistent loads or underpowered/squib loads.
Is there any way I can avoid this static build up? Do they sell metal funnels or some other non-static material funnel? is there a better way to dispense the powder into the casing?
Currently I have been measuring every powder charge with my Safety Scale before pouring the charge into the casing. I use a Lee plastic dipper to scoop out an amount that is close in weight to my desired charge amount. I then use a partially filled dipper to put smaller amounts of powder onto the scale to get to the exact amount of powder by weight (according to my Safety Scale).
This method seems painfully slow - is there something that I can do with my existing equipment to be more efficient yet still consistently dispense measured loads? Am I doing something wrong?
Thanks for your help. Reloading is fun and gratifying, but I'm getting a bit frustrated with the powder charing process.
Volumetric consistency is as important, or possibly more important than weight consistency.
