Reloading question

[Mike in Virginia]

How careful are you fellows with reloading charges?  Do you weigh each charge?  Do you use dippers?  Do you charge cases from a metering hopper?

I'm asking because I have recently loaded a big batch of 45-70s, all LBT and Beartooth cast bullets, using Trail Boss and Unique.  If I had a Lee dipper that approximated to the load I wanted, I used it.  Powder charges for which no dipper existed, I threw from a Lee hopper after weighing the first one, and then adjusting the hopper to throw that amount.

When the snow melts, if ever, I'll take those rounds to the range.  Should I expect less accuracy that if I had weighed each charge?  What has been your experience?  I'm new at reloading rifle charges.  I've always loaded for revolvers, and weighed each charge. 

Thanks.  Mike   

[44 Man]

You should be fine.  Back in the day 'BC' (before Dillon), I used a lee dipper for all of my 44 Mag and .38 spl loading and they did just fine.  The 45-70 is also very forgiving.  I'm sure you will be just fine as long as you used level I or II loads.  Probably they were only level one loads listed in the lee kit.  44 Man

[Datil]

 I loaded with dippers along with old classic Lee loaders.
 Did just fine. I got up town got scales and powder thrower.
 I can not tell the diff in results. Datil

[phatgemi]

Unless you are loading max loads, you should be fine. What I do is spot check every few loads to see how accurate of a load i'm throwing. Usually it's right on. Less critical on a rifle load with lots of grains anyway.

[Bullshop Junior]

I throw all of my charges, and have never had any problem, especially in a big case like the 45/70.

[Dances with Geoducks]

Ive been weighing each load for 40 years, aint gonna stop any time soon.

[bubba]

I bought a digital powder scale. Pours and weighs allin one. So everyone is weighed.  before that I used dippers and was just fine.

[bikerbeans]

I use a Dillon 550 progress press to load all my rifle and pistol cartridges.  Everytime I load a new caliber or use a new powder I check the weight of the first 10 to 20 rounds on a digital scale to verify I am loading the correct charge.  After that I check the weight of one round out of every 25 or so.  What I have found is ball type powders are the most consistent on weights.  The rod rifle powders have some deviation and the flake type (700X type) tend to hang up in the powder bar.  As luck would have it I load a lot of 700X for bullseye target shooting so my fix is to rap the powder measure with the palm of my hand on every cycle.  I never got close to Dillon's 500 to 600 rounds an hour anyway so it doesn't slow me down that much. 

Also, the weight deviations are almost always light, I don't seem to get any heavy loads from this press.  The deviation on the 700X loading in the 3.5 to 4 grain range is usually no more the .1 grain and occassionally .2.  By rapping the powder measure each cycle the deviation pretty much goes away.   The heavier charges for the rifle cartridges are usually within .1 to .2 grains, this is using Ramshot TAC & X-Terminator powders. 

Also, If I do decide to load near maximum I only load five rounds and I do weigh each one.  I also shoot them one at a time and inspect each case/primer for overpressure.  If I seem something I don't like, or don't like the way the gun bucks then I pull the rest of the bullets and make a note not to load that heavy again.

Good luck, and if you sandbag your gun and shoot with a string, please video and post.

thanks

Bikerbeans

[Scibaer]

i have the Lee dippers, a lyman powder dispenser, rcbs 505 scales with a trickler and a glass metering tube and use them all depending on what i am loading, but each charge gets weighted . i will allways weight each charge.

[Frank V]

I use scales in conjunction with a powder measure. I weigh every 20th round just to make sure nothing has gotten out of whack. With some of the larger granulation powders such as 4350 or 4831, I'll use the powder measure & a powder trickler to get each charge just right. The larger granulation powders don't measure as accuratly through most powder measures. One of the most accurate measures I've ever used it the old Belding & Mull visable measure & the Lyman #55.
Frank

[gendoc]

i use the lyman dps 1200 III, and still check it against a tri-beam bout every 10 charges.

[MSP Ret]

either method is good as long as you are careful, consistent, and careful again. The arguement about powder volume vs. wieght for reloading (accuracy) has been going on for years and has proponents and opponents on both sides. Whichever you prefer and whichever gives YOU the best results and the most confidence is what you should use. I have done both but usually wiegh....<><....

[tykempster]

I throw every charge, and set the powder thrower a bit light.  Then I weigh it precisely on a scale.  I really want a chargemaster though.

[dpe.ahoy]

I use my Lyman DPS 1200 for everything.  With a single stage press, I'm ready when it is.  (Besides, it does say, DP'S) .  DP

[PawPaw]

I've done it both ways.  I've got a set of Lee Dippers and I've got a couple of scales and I've got a Lyman 55 measure.  Tricklers, you name it.  I've even got a couple of old brass dippers that I salvaged.

However, I've been looking at the new Hornady digital measure.  I like the looks of it.  And at a price point significantly lower than the RCBS unit, I may have to order one.

[quickdtoo]

It's even less at GBO sponsor Midsouth. 

$220 is the same price I paid for my Lyman DPS 1200 II over 4yrs ago including the cost of the DPS III upgrade kit a couple yrs ago! 

Tim

Hornady Digital Dispenser