New to reloading. Got my RCBS supreme in Christmas. The 1st thing I noticed was the powder measure was binding/sticking when I tried to drop a charge. I'm not talking about a little binding, I mean stuck to where you will have to lower the handle and raise several time to get it to drop. My weights are varing +/-.5 gr or more. With no powder or ball it will work fine. I called RCBS and the guy said the casting was probably not made right and would send another casting. Casting came in (2 weeks later) and I put my meter screw and the metal round insert (don't know legal name) in and guess what it did the exact same thing. I know I'm using stick powder when this happens, but I borrowed a Lee kit before mine came in and had no problems with the powder measure and stick powder. I called RCBS back and talked to a different person and they told me this is typical with stick powder ther was nothing wrong with the measure. I asked if they had a measure that would drop stick powder and they
of course reccommended the auto despence system.

My question. Is this typical with a uniflo measure and stick powder? I know the lee worked fine. Is there a problem with Redding, hornady, etc with stick powder.

If I decide to go with an auto despence system I've seen post on RCBS, Layman, and PACT with pact being the cheapest. Pro's and con's of these please.

I don`t know about RCBS but I do know Lyman 55 measures cut stick powders and can be a bear to operate sometimes. I bought a Quick measure due to the claim they don`t cut powder and found it really does as advertized, no binding and very accurate throws.

The only powder measure that doesn't cut powder kernels (especially large kernels like IMR 4831) is the JDS (Johnson Design Specialties) measure. If you only reload for a few calibers it is not expensive. If you reload for a wide variety of calibers it gets pricey.

LD

I have ALWAYS weighed 100% of rifle charges.

Partly this is because more often than not I'm using "stick" propellants and they don't measure well in most measures.

I have a Lyman #55 and I also have a Uniflow, generally speaking the Uniflow cuts fewer grains because the "shear area" between the body and the drum is smaller, but shearing grains is simply a fact of life.

your charges vary by half a grain? not bad, not bad at all.

I have a 30year long love afair with my powder trickler.

I've got it nicely broken in.... I drilled three holes in the sides of the "Base" of the trickler then filled it with a solid block of lead (I cast bullets too) so that the trickler doesn't move around the bench

I say again I weigh ALL rifle charges...
(well, I Don't weigh charges for my M1 carbine or for FMJ "plinking" loads for the various semi-auto 223's in the family.)

If you are developing hunting loads and going anywhere near max weigh them all.

AD

The problem with kits: you can't return an individual piece for credit.

If no UniFlow users come forward to confirm or deny, I would suggest that you pressure RCBS to replace the thing. It may not be in the casting. An e-mail may help.

Your best out may be either weighing stick powder charges or supplementing your loading set-up with a Lee (im)Perfect Powder Measure. It works fairly well ONLY with stick powders (has its own bad habits).

You might check MidWay's customer reviews for feedback on BOTH measures before you venture further.

I am almost certain what you are feeling is the powder being cut. Since it works fine with no powder or ball powder and just sticks with stick powder.

I don't think you really have a problem. I always load my rifle rounds to meter low then trickle up to the desired amount.

quote:

Originally posted by wrightboy:
The 1st thing I noticed was the powder measure was binding/sticking when I tried to drop a charge. I'm not talking about a little binding, I mean stuck to where you will have to lower the handle and raise several time to get it to drop.

If this is normal, maybe it's also the explanation for no UniFlow users coming forward to offer input. I read the reviews on MidWay, and nobody complained about such a severe problem. In fact, one user commented on the unit's relatively decent performance with IMR 4064. My advice stands to make this thing RCBS's problem. Maybe they'll give you a break on a ChargeMaster (very popular and well performing unit). Unlike the UniFlow, the ChargeMaster is generally considered to be the best of its kind and works fine with the stick powders.

No mechanical measure will give consistent performance with the stick powders. I could do an "I told you so", but even the Redding 3BR and BR30 don't show well with the difficult powders. Same with the Harrell. The Lee does better than the rest.

Get a Belding&Mull powder measure and problem will be solved---it works with any powder I have tried and accurate enough you don't have to weigh charges except to check it.

OK, I'll speak up. I've been using my uniflow for more than 25 years, most of it with extruded powder. It WILL cut the individual grains. If you think the normal operation is to lift the handle and then let go of it to fall on its own weight to dump the powder, then that's NOT the way they work. You lift up, knock once or twice (your preference) and push back down. If a kernel needs cutting, you'll feel it. But you certainly don't need a mallet to do so.

Other than learning how to use this measure, the only maintenance is brushing a little graphite on the housing where it slides on the frame. Perhaps once every 5 years, in my case.

Blind tests done on the auto metering\weighing machines put the RCBS model way out in front. Although those tests were done before Lyman came out with their #3 version. The older Lyman units were a bugger to clean out the old powder when switching to a different one.

Ditto what remshooter and onefunzr2 said. Happens with most measures and extruded powders.
You can still get pretty close to the right weight even though it's cutting pieces. Then it speeds things up so you don't have to trickle so much.

If you don't like cutting powder, then stay with ball powders.

Mike

I used the RCBS powder measure a long time...bring the handle to the top with a good snap...the kernels will settle better...if not happy call the RCBS 800 #...