Lee "Perfect" Powder Measure - suggestions for a reliable alternative please?

[severnsider]

Good morning. Over the past four years I've reloaded some 2700 rounds (.223/.308/8mm if it's of any consequence) using the Lee powder thrower, scales etc. Until recently the Lee powder measure has been fine and I gave up checking the weight of every tenth charge on the basis that a "duff" charge could have been thrown at any stage and because the measure had been very consistent.

I took the Lee claim that "Most powders will be dispensed in such uniform charges that you will think your scale is stuck" with the proverbial pinch of salt, but to be fair it wasn't at all bad - perhaps +/- 0.1 grain when new. This was fine for me, as I was not wishing to spend hours on end trickling tiny amounts to get the weight exact.

The other comment "Extruded powders, such as most IMR powders, work just fine. They do not meter quite as well, but you can expect charges more uniform than possible with any other measure" was also noted and an appropriate "BS Factor" assigned.

I'm about to load up another 300 and was setting up the measure but found it to be very inconsistent at +/- 0.4 grain over ten or more throws.

Taken apart and cleaned, but no improvement. Consistent operation makes no difference. There's a little bit of wear in the opening in the conical section where powder has occasionally jammed/been cut, but operation remains smooth.

Setting aside any prejudiced comments like "what do you expect, you get what you pay for, Lee is just cheap shite", could some of you experienced reloaders please suggest a powder measure which might operate more consistently with extruded powders such as N133 and N140?

I really don't wish to faff around trickling for hours on end, and I don't have ready access to a range which will enable me to see whether the variation in loads will make a great deal of difference. It probably wouldn't for me.

Only shooting a bog-standard Rem 700 and a Sako 85, both of which have long chambers so loading is to standard length (i.e. not trying to get "x" thou' off the lands etc) and I'm happy with accuracy so far.

So - after all the woffle, what might you guys recommend as a cost-effective alternative to the Lee "not-quite-so-perfect-as-it-was-when-I-bought-it" Powder measure?

Thanks!

[Simon_S]

You seen this


http://www.henrykrank.com/index.php?...oducts_id=8455

[severnsider]

You seen this


http://www.henrykrank.com/index.php?...oducts_id=8455

Thanks Simon - as usual loads of superlatives in the advertising! I might try this first https://www.shootersforum.com/attach...structions.pdf

Do you use one of the Lee Classic measures and if so have you found it to be consistent/repeatable?

[Simon_S]

Sorry I not used this one but I have used the other new one the Auto Drum these are lot
better than the Auto Disk Pro I have. I drop 10 357mag loads with this and it was bang on there
was about 2 drops that where about 1/10 grain out very good
I did put this on my 308win press and try some TR140 in it, was no better than my perfect
powder measure drop about the same. The new Auto drum is a lot more flexible
to use.


http://www.henrykrank.com/index.php?...oducts_id=8524

[RobinC]

My vote is for the Lyman Gen 6 electric measure system, it is quick and convenient, we load around 2000 a year 6mmBR for 300mt shooting, I find it dumps accurately to within + or - a 0.1 of a grain, we check each dump from that onto a Gempro electronic jewellers scale and refine our loads to 0.02 grain, it is very rare for the Gen 6 to be outside its 0.1 variance and it is regularly accurate to 0.02 gn.

PS. we use Vit N540 and Vit N140

Highly recomended.

Good shooting
Robin

[Simon_S]

If drop 10 charge with the Gen 6 how do they pan out, say 41.5gr. Should be good for £260

[severnsider]

Sorry I not used this one but I have used the other new one the Auto Drum these are lot
better than the Auto Disk Pro I have. I drop 10 357mag loads with this and it was bang on there
was about 2 drops that where about 1/10 grain out very good
I did put this on my 308win press and try some TR140 in it, was no better than my perfect
powder measure drop the same about the same. The new Auto drum is a lot more flexible
to use.


http://www.henrykrank.com/index.php?...oducts_id=8524

Thanks Simon, that's helpful.

[severnsider]

My vote is for the Lyman Gen 6 electric measure system, it is quick and convenient, we load around 2000 a year 6mmBR for 300mt shooting, I find it dumps accurately to within + or - a 0.1 of a grain, we check each dump from that onto a Gempro electronic jewellers scale and refine our loads to 0.02 grain, it is very rare for the Gen 6 to be outside its 0.1 variance and it is regularly accurate to 0.02 gn.

PS. we use Vit N540 and Vit N140

Highly recomended.

Good shooting
Robin

Thanks Robin. Maybe worth a look; it's the consistency that's attractive although the price might be a bit off-putting for me!

[severnsider]

Just found that not all of the powder has been exiting the drop tube on every occasion. No idea what has caused this (static maybe?) but a couple of taps on the tube with each throw has restored consistency to the powder measure. I'm scratching my head a bit over this. Hopefully problem over, but I shall be looking at a more robust unit for the future!

[kennyc]

Just found that not all of the powder has been exiting the drop tube on every occasion. No idea what has caused this (static maybe?) but a couple of taps on the tube with each throw has restored consistency to the powder measure. I'm scratching my head a bit over this. Hopefully problem over, but I shall be looking at a more robust unit for the future!

I seriously doubt you will get better without spending a lot more and you can spend a lot more and get worse! have a look at the electronic metering devices such as targetmaster .to clear any static wash the drop tube in warm soapy water and allow to air dry

[JB101]

Ive used the lee perfect ,RCBS, harrels &'currently use a charge master.
The Lee is actually quite good as it uses a blade rather than a drum and is more consistent than the RCBS or harrels with grained / tube/rod extruded powder.
These type much prefer ball powders and meter them better ,what I used to use before the charge master was the Lee to throw near the required weight then a trickler to get it spot on ( over electronic scales) this is more or Lee how the target master & integrated dispensers works.
With the extruded powder it is always going to be more difficult to get spot on in one throw on a volumetric dispense.
ATB
James

[severnsider]

Thanks Kenny, thanks James. I started off doing the trickly stuff earlier today but by kerrrist it's tedious! Fortunately I discovered early on that not all the powder was falling down the drop tube. I've just finished 300 reloads with random checks on the weight and all seems satisfactory. just a question of technique I guess.

Interesting that the Lee item may be better than some of the other offerings for the extruded powders, so thanks for that info.

Cheers

Mike.

[Bloke]

Just found that not all of the powder has been exiting the drop tube on every occasion. No idea what has caused this (static maybe?) but a couple of taps on the tube with each throw has restored consistency to the powder measure. I'm scratching my head a bit over this. Hopefully problem over, but I shall be looking at a more robust unit for the future!

I use one of these for reloading .357 magnum. Static can be a real problem, especially if I am using a high volume light powder such as Trail Boss, where static cling in the drop tube can vary the load by up to 30%! Heavier powders seem to suffer less.

The best advice I got was to keep a tumble dryer anti-static sheet and a silica gel sachet in the powder reservoir when empty, and wipe down all surfaces/pull the sheet through the tube before starting loading. Now that I do this, and fully clean after every reloading session, I have almost no problems, but I don't usually load more than 2-300 rounds at a time, static may start to build up again at higher volumes.

The other thing to remember is that if you do get static cling, and you have some powder left in the tube at the end of your session, it could get damp over time and crust up in the drop tube etc, reducing efficient powder delivery. Cleanliness on your reloading bench is essential, and keep all powder bottles closed - moisture in any powder is not good.

[severnsider]

Thanks Bloke. Yes, it does seem to be static - never found this to be a problem in the past but I recognise the signs now and can take steps to avoid the problem.

[Simon_S]

You should never clean it out too that's what I was told, My perfect
powder measure when the handle up I give it a light tap on the side