Inconsistent Powder dispenser

[Lancaster]

1. There is a plastic tab on the plate that the lever sits on that stops it at the vertical on the downstroke and prevents it from over rotating, remove it with a sharp blade and smooth it with some fine wet and dry..
2. Take out the conical rotor, smear it with grinding paste, reassemble and rotate it back wards and forwards for 10 minutes replacing the grinding paste after 5 minutes.
3. Thoroughly clean, degrease, dry the assembly and reassemble.
4. Get some waste powder such as the dregs from the bottom of a tub, add about 25% powdered Graphite, mix, then run this through the powder measure a few times.
5. Make a baffle from a plastic gravy granule or coffee tin, it should be gently V shaped and slightly slightly oval to fit snuggly into the hopper with the V facing upwards and have 10mm holes drilled in it.
6. Adjust the central screw, too tight and the rotor will be too stiff, too loose and powder might leak.
7. Try throwing your powder again, as the measure rotates past vertical it will still have a few kernels of powder in it, on the upstroke these will drop into the pan/case.
8. Always try to move the handle at the same speed, with a bit of a knock when it hits the stop on the upstroke.

I have 3 of these measures, I've done it to all of them, all throw accurate charges

 

[Mungo]

1. There is a plastic tab on the plate that the lever sits on that stops it at the vertical on the downstroke and prevents it from over rotating, remove it with a sharp blade and smooth it with some fine wet and dry..
2. Take out the conical rotor, smear it with grinding paste, reassemble and rotate it back wards and forwards for 10 minutes replacing the grinding paste after 5 minutes.
3. Thoroughly clean, degrease, dry the assembly and reassemble.
4. Get some waste powder such as the dregs from the bottom of a tub, add about 25% powdered Graphite, mix, then run this through the powder measure a few times.
5. Make a baffle from a plastic gravy granule or coffee tin, it should be gently V shaped and slightly slightly oval to fit snuggly into the hopper with the V facing upwards and have 10mm holes drilled in it.
6. Adjust the central screw, too tight and the rotor will be too stiff, too loose and powder might leak.
7. Try throwing your powder again, as the measure rotates past vertical it will still have a few kernels of powder in it, on the upstroke these will drop into the pan/case.
8. Always try to move the handle at the same speed, with a bit of a knock when it hits the stop on the upstroke.

I have 3 of these measures, I've done it to all of them, all throw accurate charges

What does the baffle do?

 

[hybridfiat]

Don’t bother with a powder measure. They do my head in as well.

Get a set of yellow lee powder dippers. Pour your powder into a round bottom cereal bowl. Scoop the powder, tap to settle and dump on the scale. Use a scoop that isa little under the charge.

Then a little powder in next scoop and tap with finger.

You soon get a technique to scoop then tap trickle in the rest.

Indeed you will soon realise that a volume scoop is really quite accurate.

This is what I mean "by hand".

 

[Mungo]

This is what I mean "by hand".

I’ll certainly give it a go and see where that gets me.

 

[cjs66]

Don’t bother with a powder measure. They do my head in as well.

Get a set of yellow lee powder dippers. Pour your powder into a round bottom cereal bowl. Scoop the powder, tap to settle and dump on the scale. Use a scoop that isa little under the charge.

Then a little powder in next scoop and tap with finger.

You soon get a technique to scoop then tap trickle in the rest.

Indeed you will soon realise that a volume scoop is really quite accurate.

This is the only way I’ve ever done it, I’ve got a powder thrower, an RCBS one but it’s never been used. I keep thinking about giving it a go but the the above method, with the right scoop for the cartridge, is very accurate and fast enough for what I need.

cjs

 

[Bo Diddley]

Interesting thread on something I had never given any thought to.
I throw slightly under and trickle up. Throw the charge into the scale pan, pan back on the scales, and seat the next bullet while the scales (Lee) are settling, then trickle that up and repeat.
I guess that throwing by volume and expecting to be insanely accurate by weight is a big ask of a powder thrower of any make.
I probably only reload 500 - 600 rounds a year, but would quite like an RCBS Chargemaster Lite.. maybe a Christmas gift to myself...

 

[bluesako]

get a harrel powder thrower, ive used one for donkeys years the are epic, i can load a 100 cases with powder in 5 min, accurate load as well, stop faffing about with lee stuff bs

 

[Eddie P]

I use a lee thrower, which can be consistent with good technique, but to be lazy I've invested in a targetmaster. It's changed my life. Throw something about right and then press the button.

 

[Lancaster]

What does the baffle do?

Evens out the consistency of the charge dropped regardless of how much powder is in the hopper, otherwise the charges can become more inconsistent as the level drops.

 

[cjs66]

get a harrel powder thrower, ive used one for donkeys years the are epic, i can load a 100 cases with powder in 5 min, accurate load as well, stop faffing about with lee stuff bs

Had to Google one, blimey, they're not cheap. You could get a new fangled electric one for the same money. If you're doing hundred in five mins though, they must be worth it..

cjs

 

[trickie]

Buy a baffle for the hopper, that levels out the differing pressures on the measure ensuring a lot more consistent drop

This guy (strange website pay by bank transfer only) is easy to deal with despite the payment and website. Has a few items that will improve your Lee experience.
Bristol based

Reloading Tools 2

 

[Bo Diddley]

Had to Google one, blimey, they're not cheap. You could get a new fangled electric one for the same money. If you're doing hundred in five mins though, they must be worth it..

cjs

Exactly what I thought when I Googled Harrell Powder Thrower, looks like a good bit of kit, and nothing electronic to go wrong I suppose.

 

[bluesako]

Had to Google one, blimey, they're not cheap. You could get a new fangled electric one for the same money. If you're doing hundred in five mins though, they must be worth it..

cjs

they are fantastic bits of kit, mine cost £150 of s\d rcbs uniflow 11 powder throwers are £150, and are a great bit of of kit, but not as precise as the harrel, i have this one which is mint condition that i have never used with stand for £85, the best way to use these powder throwers not the harrel, is to under throw a charge then trickle up to your charge weight, but with the harrel i just throw a charge which i have checked on my scales straight into the case, when i was in the usa, i watched a guy at a comp benchrest shoot at a 1000yds, and he was a great shot, he was reloading at his bench and just dumped his charge weight in his case and didnt use any scales, he said i havent got time to weigh each case, he used a harrel gl bs

 

[nun_hunter]

Interesting thread on something I had never given any thought to.
I throw slightly under and trickle up. Throw the charge into the scale pan, pan back on the scales, and seat the next bullet while the scales (Lee) are settling, then trickle that up and repeat.
I guess that throwing by volume and expecting to be insanely accurate by weight is a big ask of a powder thrower of any make.
I probably only reload 500 - 600 rounds a year, but would quite like an RCBS Chargemaster Lite.. maybe a Christmas gift to myself...

I measured two 5 shot groups, one group of exactly weighed charges and one group of charges thrown directly into the cases (Creedmoor) using an RCBS competition thrower.

The weighed charges group was 20.3mm and the thrown charges group was 22.8mm, both at 100m. My ability to shoot and notice a 2.5mm difference in any conditions is nonexistent so for me the speed of throwing direct to the case was well worth the (potential) drop in accuracy.

My powder choice and reloading process took this into account so others may find different results. I'd expect with a smaller case, Hornet perhaps the difference in velocity/accuracy would be more dramatic, while using a larger PRC or magnum case the difference would likely be even smaller.