Best Powder measure for stick powder?

[Mt_Medic31]

Ok,
This is kind of a continuation of my other thread "powder and temperature". It is not as expensive as I thought to put an adapter on my dillon. SO, what powder measure/dispenser works best with extruded/stick powders in your experience? I see good reviews for the redding match grade on on midway. I only have experience with dillon products, never used anything else. Thanks.

[Bob Mc Alice]

In my humble experience, the tried and true Lyman #55 is hard to beat. Still in production after 60 plus years. I got mine as part of a reloading kit in 1968. Must have thrown a million charges by now. Still very accurate, had no desire to "improve". It is all I use. All measures shear extruded propellent to some degree, no big deal. Varget meters very good at plus or minus a half grain or less every time.

[Snake]

I actually agree with McAlice! However the Redding is easier to adjust and the shear surfaces are a lot sharper than the lyman making the occasional shear of a grain less disturbing. The Neil Jones measure is really spiffy (like the Harrell) it is repeatable with click adjustments and bronze bearing surfaces....smooooth...it still cuts a grain now and again. For the buck the redding is the most precise and easily repeatable....Lyman's cool just a little more tedious to adjust....reasonably priced. unlike McAlice i bought a lot of throwers in a vain search for the best...I currently have a Harrell, a Jones, a Redding, 2 Lymans, a Belding & Mull (old style thrower), and a Dillon ( ..just Ok)
The bench rest crew claim there's no significant change in accuracy with a + or - .2 gr. ---

[Bob Mc Alice]

[quote="Snake"]I actually agree with McAlice!

Snake, are you feeling OK ?

I have to give that old Lyman more credit than I did earlier. I got home and did an accuracy check with three different powders. I aligned the three slides to be flush inside the rotor drum then withdrew the assembly to an approximate 40 grain charge. I set up my digital RCBS scale for better accuracy readings. I kept the hopper full. The measure does have a home made sheet brass baffle to maintain constant volumetric pressure on the rotor assembly. I threw 10 charges of each powder and recorded the the weights. The results were pleasing, hence my not looking for something better. This measure is a very good product for not so much money.

Varget (extruded).........H335 (ball)..........IMR4350 (extruded)
no shearing................no shearing..........minor shearing
41.1..........................46.0..................39.8
40.8..........................46.0..................39.2
40.8..........................46.0..................39.5
40.8..........................46.0..................39.8
41.0..........................46.0..................39.6
40.8..........................46.0..................40.0
41.0..........................46.1..................40.0
41.0..........................46.1..................40.0
40.9..........................46.1..................40.3
41.1..........................46.1..................40.2

I usually dump the charges directly to the case and spot check weight every so often. I am a high volume user of Varget and it was reassuring to see near individually weighed charges falling from the #55.

[Snake]

McAlice.....I still agree with you. I used that Lyman 55 for years. then curiosity got to me and i bought a redding br...for stick powders it was easier to adjust and spot on (+ or- .2 gr) I then figured that if this redding wiith the micrometer adjuster was better then there had to be better yet, so i bought a Neil Jones ( costly) ..it had better adjustments and pill bottle for a hopper flexibility (you know take one off and put another with different powder on)...it is perfect on ball powders and + or - .2 gr on sticks ...even them long ones like 4831.....still no improvement over the redding BUT I can definitively say that the RCBS thrower and the Dillon on stick powders...just plain SUCK

Opps....Mcalice haven't you got anything better to do than throw charges at night...then again doing that will keep you from going blind from your usual evening activity

[Mt_Medic31]

Excellent info Bob n Snake, just what I was looking for. thank you. I may have to give the lyman a try, and I agree, the Dillon just SUCKS for extruded powder.