Powder dipping method

[wiiawiwb]

I reload 9mm, 10mm and 45 Colt for handguns using a CoAx. When I reload I usually do 100 rounds at a sitting. I've toyed with the idea of getting a thrower but have moved away from that because of the small number of rounds I load at a time.

I'm trying to find ways to speed up the powder charging process using a dipper. The Lee yellow ones have not worked well but I also haven't tried to shave them down to get to a precise charge I use.

I've thought about using a spent casing and trimming it down and somehow attaching it to a handle. I don't have a dedicated shop with access to many tools so I'm not exactly sure how I would that.

Any suggestions about how to be able to make my dips more consistent and faster would be appreciated.

 

[LoonWulf]

The lee cups are about as accurate as your gonna get with a powder dipper, or atleast thats been my experience. I made some specific ones out of rifle cases cut with a pipe cutter, they worked well enough for what i wanted, which was a quick scoop to get me close once i had my loads worked up.

Id really recommend a powder thrower, the lee Perfect is cheap.
It has been, for me at least, very reliable.
Ive loaded 500 rounds of 9mm with my perfect, usually in 100 batches. If you record your settings, usually it returns pretty close, takes a round or two to reset where you want, then throw weights are usually no more than .1+/- at max.

 

[Reefinmike]

A lee perfect powder measure is what? like $25? You can make a custom volume dipper but a powder measure is going to be much more consistent. My Lee PPM is surprisingly precise. you just have to keep a repeatable motion when working the handle to get a repeatable charge.

 

[thomas15]

OK, true confession time. I'm a jerk.

Now that we are past that, let me say that you have one of the most expensive single stage presses on the consumer market. My advice is open up that wallet just a little more and get one of those cast iron and machine steel powder measure with a micrometer adjusting screw/drum assembly for pistol and a stand to mount it. I refer to the Redding, RCBS, Lyman and or Hornady. Look on ebay for a used one if your looking for a deal.

I have and use my Dad's RCBS Uniflow fro the mid-1960s and it throws right on the money. Get one, it greatly adds to the enjoyment of this hobby. You have a great press, complement it with a great powder measure device.

 

[buflow]

Powder dipper's

I have used empty cases as dippers by wrapping picture frame hanging wire in the extraction grove and bending into a handle. To get the case to the volume needed, they can be cut to size or glue can be put inside and allowed to dry, scraping the dried glue out to get the correct volume. Picture frame hanging wire can be purchased in small roll at hobby stores. You can use glue to tune Lee plastic dippers, but the change is permanent. I try to get a dipper so I can dip powder and scrape off the top with the funnel I use to pour the powder into the cases.
Hope this helps, works for me.
Buflow

 

[lexusmgr]

Before I was able to afford powder dispensers, i routinely used to trim cases to make powder dippers. I put a long finishing nail through the flash hole, then bent it 90° and mount on a small wooden dowel. I still have about 7-8 of these that I have used for many years. One way to adjust the internal volume is by dripping some wax inside. You can also use it on the plastic ones. To remove it, simply dip it in hot water.

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

 

[rondog]

No offense, but it's not the dippers that are inaccurate, it's the human using them. Doesn't matter who you are, dippers are pretty much a "ballpark" measure. You can make as many dips as you want, weigh each one, and the weights will be all over the place.

It's a challenge to make each dip the same every time. If I have to dip, I pick a load in the middle so I have a safety margin each direction. But now I have several different powder measures to choose from.

And different powders weigh differently. Some are light and fluffy and forgiving, and some are heavy and the weight changes quickly, like stick-type rifle powders.

 

[buck460XVR]

IMHO....a powder thrower is just a fancy dipper. They work on the same principle. With certain powders, a dipper is probably more consistent than a thrower. When I used dippers, I always over filled them and then leveled them off with a old credit card. One needs to find a consistent technique when using a thrower for consistency too.

 

[LoonWulf]

I think technique is easier to lern and be consistent with using a thrower tho.
Carding a dipper the same way every time can take alot of practice.....and for the cost of a couple decent 12 packs why not.

 

[edwardware]

I second the Lee Perfect Powder Measure. If you keep your head up you can own one for about $20 shipped.

I would never have wanted for better until I started using lots of H-110. It's a bit annoying with really fine ball powders, but it still works, and is a far better value per $ than anything else.

 

[splattergun]

A powder dipper, whether Lee's or a homemade job, and a powder throwing machine are both the same method, ie; volumetric measuring. We use a specific volume to get as close as possible to meeting the weight we desire. There are a few ways of getting a volume measure to reliably reach our desired weight outcome. You can custom build your own dipper, or make a Lee dipper smaller by putting a drop or 2 of glue in the bottom, or honing it out to make it larger.

If the volume is constant, which it is with a dipper (factory made or homemade), then the greatest variable in the charges that you dip out will be in your technique. In order to achieve the most consistent dips you must use a consistent technique. Do it exactly the same way every time.

So, whether you decide to modify a Lee dipper to make the volume reach your charge weight, or to make your own dipper the size you need it, you will still need to use a exactly consistent method.

My method with Lee dipper: I have a plastic widemouth jar that I fill with my powder. I don't scoop the powder, but instead press the dipper into the powder bottom first, so that powder will fall into the basin of the dipper. When I bring it up, the powder will be slightly rounded full.. I strike off this extra amount level with a business card.

The volumetric chart for various powders that Lee includes with their dipper set is only approximate. Use it to get an idea which dipper to use. It is your responsibility to know how much a dipper full weighs, using your scale.

If you do decide to get a powder throw, I can highly recommend the Lee Auto Drum. I have 3, soon to be 4.

 

[billybob44]

Dad's RCBS Uniflow fro the mid-1960s

This is my take on subject

I have THREE of these Uniflows, and they work well for me. Each is set up with a different charge drum to go from SMALL TiteGroup, to large Rifle powders.
Yes, the long extruded grains do "Chunk" when cutting the grains, but with a "Click-Click" rhythm up and down, most all charges are within .01 grain.

Using Ball powder makes using the Uniflow measure a DREAM......Bill.

 

[Sunray]

The Lee yellow ones for only Lee knows why are calibrated in CC's. CC's are a metric unit of liquid measure of volume. They can vary the powder charge plus/minus a full grain.
A spent casing is pretty much the same thing.
Doing it exactly the same way every time is the issue. However, using a thrower you'll adjust it until it drops the weight in grains you want. You're not relying on a device in a non-standard calibration or one that has no standard.

 

[Lost Sheep]

Weigh/Dip/Throw?

For several years I have been fascinated by the controversy over whether a powder mesaure or dippers of some kind are "better".

There are electic powder measures that mete powder by weight , and weigh every charge. One can also be built for about $20 plus a mechanical scale.

Speed of operation is important to some.

Abillity to calibrate (dippers or powder throwers) in grains (as opposed to Cubic Centimbers or Cubic Inches) or just by having arbitrary labels (dippers) or an arbitrary scale (on powder throwers) linear scale of numbers with no particular calibration is important to some.

My take:

Use a scale (with good statistical sampling methods) to verify the weight of your powder charges meted by whatever method you use. Reason: Most loading manuals are published in grains weight, so relatability to those published data is important.

Use a scale (with good statistical sampling methods) to verify the weight of your powder charges meted by whatever method you use. Reason: Repeatabality is important.

iLost Sheep

 

[PO2Hammer]

My advice is open up that wallet just a little more and get one of those cast iron and machine steel powder measure with a micrometer adjusting screw/drum assembly for pistol and a stand to mount it. I refer to the Redding, RCBS, Lyman and or Hornady. Look on ebay for a used one if your looking for a deal.

Yeah, once you own a good one, the price will soon be forgotten. I paid a good chunk of money about 8 years ago for my Redding 10X (pistol & small rifle) measure, but I'm very glad I did every time I use it.

It's very accurate, under +/- .1 grain, with every pistol powder I've tried except Unique, then it's +/- .2 grain. Luckily Unique doesn't seem to mind. But it's the repeatability that is the big time saver. Once you know your charge you can return to it anytime with the precise settings. You can even chart the settings and predict what setting any charge weight will take. A huge time saver in set up and faster dispensing.

I check about 10% with a scale and put them all in a loading block to compare them side by side for peace of mind.

 

[wiiawiwb]

For reasons I can't explain, I had no trouble shelling out money for a CoAx but flinch at the thought of getting a 10X. The cost of the CoAx, digital scale, and other items were an initial investment. No problem.

Now that I'm happily reloading, when I think of the 10X at $200, including shipping, I think of the amount of powder, primers and bullets that $200 will buy. I can't seem to get past that return on investment comparison.

 

[JO JO]

I have herd of folks with the lee dippers sanding them down or adding glue inside to get the amount of powder they want but you have to measure/dip it the same way eveytime for it to be close enough to what you want.
with my rifle loads I will use the dipper and trickle up to my weight

 

[lexusmgr]

Regardless of method, be sure to have a scale to measure throws. A tenth of a grain is not going to make a tremendous difference either way. But of course, don't load maximum charges. That makes sense. Safety first.

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

 

[mdi]

I have a cigar box full of custom powder dippers. I'm a certified "Tinkerer" and have made up dippers from brass tubing, ferrules and cases. The capacity is easily altered on a dipper, Lee dippers included. I determine what method of dipping works for a particular charge and powder (sometimes I'll use Lee's method of bottom first, but the charge can be varied by different methods; mouth first lightly, mouth first firmly, bottom first with a bump, without a bump, etc.), then the capacity can be altered (shorten the sides of the dipper for lighter loads, a drop of epoxy in the cavity to lighten loads [I've even glued BBs in the cavity to lighten the charge], drill/ream the interior for heavier loads). I always use my dippers in conjunction with a scale although I could get by with some powders and charges by just dipping; my W231 dipping is pretty accurate and consistent...

 

[thomas15]

For reasons I can't explain, I had no trouble shelling out money for a CoAx but flinch at the thought of getting a 10X. The cost of the CoAx, digital scale, and other items were an initial investment. No problem.

Now that I'm happily reloading, when I think of the 10X at $200, including shipping, I think of the amount of powder, primers and bullets that $200 will buy. I can't seem to get past that return on investment comparison.

Your money, your hobby, your enjoyment of the pastime. But you are asking for opinions.

Last week I bought an RCBS Chargemaster. I already have two uniflows and two LNLs, a variety of different drums and micrometer adjustment screws. I also have an RCBS 505 scale, a Frankfort Arsonal Digital, a CED digital and a powder trickler. So I really didn't need the chargemaster and before the rebate the cost was $300.00. Got to tell you though it's a nice addition to the bench and I'm glad I got it. I load mostly pistol, very little rifle but I still want to enjoy myself and speaking for me only I want to have good tools.

I'm famous on this forum for being critical of Lee products but I would rather have one of their auto-drums than use dippers. But that's just me.

 

[buck460XVR]

As I said in my previous post......

IMHO....a powder thrower is just a fancy dipper.

So in theory, a thrower is no more accurate than a dipper when both are used correctly. Both work off volume and not weight. Both are filled to over capacity and then are leveled off. IMHO, some of the fluffier powders do better with a dipper than with a thrower. We weigh charges when using a thrower to get the charge within a certain parameter. Then it's all done with volume. One reason we use baffles and keep the powder canister on the thrower at a consistent level.....in an attempt to keep charges consistent. Some powders actually shoot better when measured by consistent volume than by consistent weight. In my experience, Unique and TraillBoss are two examples.

With both a dipper and a thrower, consistent charges come from using the same technique every time. Hard to imagine that carding a dipper is an overly difficult process to anyone with enough hand/eye coordination to accomplish other reloading processes.

 

[thomas15]

I just wanted to add a few thoughts. Regarding the RCBS Chargemaster (or any other electronic powder dispenser), If you read the reviews at midway for the RCBS many will say they didn't think it was worth the money or was something not really necessary but once using the machine have learned to love them. It is for me the same thing with the inlinefabrication ultamounts and ergo handles for the press, I didn't want to spend the money but once I did I'm very happy for doing so. I wouldn't use one of these for pistol though.

 

[alexcue]

There's some real good stuff on here. I've used quite a few different methods over my reloading years. My favorites right now are the Lee Auto-Drum and the Hornady Auto-Charge. Had a GC so I spent only about $50 out of pocket. I'm so glad I did. After reading all the reviews and getting a little adapter for the tube. I can reload pretty quickly and IMO very accurately large loads of powder for rifle.
As Thomas said not really ideal for pistol, though on occasion I've used it for difficult powders while working up a pistol load to make my life a little easier.

For the pistol on my LCT (and even my XL650 with tiny loads) the Auto-Drum is pretty hard to beat. I must have about twenty of the little drums all preset to different loads ready to go.

 

[sugarmaker]

Using a "+1" sized lee dipper and scale is a reasonably fast way to get an accurate charge. Scoop and then dump in most of the powder, slow down at the end to get final weight. In all honesty if I have to throw a charge with a measure and then weigh / trickle, the dipper alone isn't that far behind, speed wise. If I'm after speed and reasonable accuracy I don't use a dipper, just the measure and there is no comparison, beats the dipper hands down. A lee perfect for $20 is a vast improvement on dippers. I have a uniflow, hornady, 3 pro autodisks, an auto drum, lee perfect and a dipper set. The perfect works as well as the others - not much to look at and its pretty rough but it does throw charges well. I have not experimented with the really expensive measures so I cannot comment there.

 

[jmorris]

I do and have made my own dippers.

I solder a copper wire to a case so I can drop it down into the bottle the powder is in.



Pick a case that is close and trim it to the length you need for the charge you want.