2nd newbie question about measuring powder

[scrabtree121]

I got a Lee perfect powder measure with the equipment I bought and can't get a consistent throw to save my life. I got some H380 from Dong's, its what Nosler listed for the bullet. Its off by 2-3 grains between pours. Is this just something to expect from this thing? 2-3 grains seems to be a lot from what I've been reading.

thanks for any advice.

 

[Fyrtwuck]

It is a lot. Have you checked your scales to make sure they were zeroed before you started? Are you sure it's not 2-3 10th's of a grain? Are there any obstructions in the powder dispenser that could be interfering with the powder drop? Is the adjustment knob secure and not moving when you drop the powder?

 

[scrabtree121]

Yeah I actually zeroed it out and tested 10 times zeroing it out each time. Its a digital scale that comes with a test weight I used that to verify the weight. The adjustment collar is nice and tight and there don't appear to be any blockages. I was doing some more searching on Google and came across a site talking about static electricity problems causing issues. It suggested using a dryer sheet to wipe everything down and try again. I thought it was kind of wacky at first but I'm gonna give it a try.

thanks

 

[MoBoost]

Ball powders tend to measure poorly in plastic throwers - that's why I have one plastic and one metal. Lee doesn't chop or stick with "stick" and "extruded" powders, but "ball" powders work very well in Redding.

 

[rebelracer79]

I'm thinking it might be your scale, tried the electornic scale once and couldn't keep the sucker zero'ed it would get off calibrated very easy and ended up being more frustrqting thqn anything

 

[guns are dumb]

I've figured out in my own reloading, that while I can get very consistent charges from my RCBS Uniflow, they are never exactly what I'm looking for, so I throw a smaller charge and top it off with a trickler (if I need exact charges).

Second thing, I also have an electronic scale and they just aren't that great unless you spend some big money. Get a beam type scale, I've got an RCBS 10.10 and it's friggin' awesome.

I would bet that the problem lies in your scale, not in your powder measure, like rebelracer said. Which scale are you using? I personally have a little MTM Case Guard scale that was about $40 that seemed to be popular, though I'm not sure why, as it would jump around a lot between each measurement, that thing is worthless.

 

[scrabtree121]

Yeah got a beam scale with the equipment I bought and tested with it as well. I also got a full set of the Lee perfect pour scoops, I started using those and was noticing the grains doing weird things after dumping. The balls that were left in the scoop were rolling around the inside of the group in this crazy way. I was able to get 10 done last night using the scoops. I really think it was a static charge that was keeping grains in the scoop as well as the powder measure, crazy as it sounds. Anyway I attached a pic of the group I got at the range today I am very happy with what I'm seeing. Had 1 primer failure where it left a really good dimple but nothing happened. 48grains of H380 turn out to be the winner.

Thanks for everyones replies. Believe me when your just starting it all helps.

 

[jd138]

I have heard those with static issues fixed it by pencil shading any areas that could make contact in the powder throw. The graphite helps knock down the static charge.

 

[Old Fart]

I'm a big fan of the Lee products, but I have heard a time or two that the Lee perfect powder measure isn't the best option.

Been my experience that all brands have a stinker or two and I've used just about all of them over the years.
So if it turns out the scale is a dude don't swear off the Lee stuff.

I would rather spend less and use the leftover for components.

 

[alank2]

Hi,

I usually wipe the inside of power measures with a antistatic dryer sheet and it keeps the static down just nice.

Some powders do not measure well through a volumetric type measure. Even so 2 or 3 grains seems excessive.

One thing to understand about digital scales is that they will wander. They all do. They are better on battery power than wall power if battery power is an option with them. They have a load cell that drifts up and down. This is why when nothing is on the platen they usually will indicate "zero" or "-0-" on the display. This is their way of telling you they consider the platen empty and whatever the load value drifts to, they will keep accepting it as zero. So, to get them off you you need to add a decent weight all at once such as 0.3 grains or more. This will get them off zero and they will give you a weight of went they went off zero compared to what they see on the load cell with weight on the platen. Here is the thing - the longer you stay off zero, the more than cell can wander and cause your value to have some error in it. So, return to zero between weights. An easy way to see if it is in consistent is to weight the same object again and again. Take it off, let it zero, put it on, take measurement, repeat. I love digital scales because you can do cool things like weigh 5 charges in a row to verify your charge. if I am going for 5.1 and I dump 5 successive charges I will get 5.1, 10.2, 15.3, 20.4, and 25.5. This tells me I have that measure set accurately. Another great thing you can do with a digital scale is post weigh your rounds. You should find them to all be within a certain range, say 207.5 to 209.1 grains. Any outside the range you see as you go along might be worth looking at.

Mechanical scales are nice too, but you can't do some of the same things on them. They too can have their inaccuracies because of the way they were machined, etc.

Good luck,

Alan