What's the best powder measure for rifle reloading? Best for the money? How accurate are they?

Thanks

If you're reloading stick powder, large stick that is, the best is arguably also the cheapest: the Lee. It uses a different mechanism from most of the others and has been verified to work best with the large stick powders that are often "cut" with the Culver type measures.

From a money's no object perspective you might look at the Neil Jones measure.

Many people now days would point you toward the Harrells. Much like the Jones, it is wonderful for dialing in loads for repeatability.

As far as repeatability, the longer the handle the better and once you've acheived an absolute minimum of variability in technique you will get the same sort of precision with most any brand.

I would have a hard time not recommending the Harrels for a variety of factors.

Good luck.

Reed

i am an amature at this, but have tried lyman 55, herter 40, rcbs uniflow and bonanza bench rest. i found the bonanza the most consistant and handles the small extruded powders the best, so quit looking for another measure.

I have tested an RCBS, a Hornady, a Lee, and one other measure I forget now (Lyman?).

I think I threw 20 loads from each measure with a ball powder and then with a coarse stick powder, and I calculated the standard deviation.

No difference in performance with the ball powder, but the Lee was a bit better with coarse stick powder (original H4831 if I recall correctly -- it has been a few years. I presume this is because the Lee uses a rubber "wiper" rather than shearing powder grains.

So I use the Lee. I hate its cheap plastic feel, and there is sure no snob appeal to it, but it was the best in my limited testing.

Disclaimer: It is possible that one can tailor your operation and get better performance from all these scales. I just used them all in the same way...

jpb

jpb,

You repeated to a degree what was tested rather extensively and written up in Precision Shooting within the last couple of years.

It's not often that the best tool for the job (large stick powders) is also the cheapest.

This subject gets a LOT of discussion in the BR crowd and to condense their findings into one common thought would be to say that no matter which model you do get, make sure you treat it EXACTLY the same way between throws. For example, if you have a particularly bad shear you might want to throw away that throw and possible even the next 2-3 until the throw "equilibrates."

Beyond that it's features. I think a long handle is essential and a dial feature such as the Harrels or a micrometer such as the Redding make it easier to dial in previous loads without a lot of fitzing getting it adjusted to throw the right weight.

Reed

Reed:

Interesting! I have heard of Precision Shooting, but I do not subcribe. Too bad -- sounds like I could have saved myself an evening's work!

jpb

I use a RCBS electronic measure and digital scale. I'll weigh every 20th round or so and check it on a scale and they are right on the money. I found that with the gravity style measures by the time you get it close and then use a powder trickler to get the last grain ot so I can use a table spoon and a cereal bowl just as accurately and its a lot faster.

I haven't tried all the powder measures but with IMR 4831 powder the best repeatability I can get is something like +/- about 5/8 grain.

So I use H-4831SC (short cut) and I can improve on that a bit...more like +/- 3/8 grain.

So I have a choice: either drop a little less and "dribble" a little more on the balance beam scale until a "0" reading is achieved, or shoot the charges as dropped.

Most of my loads for .338, .375 etc run past 70 grains and honestly +/- 3/8 grain don't mean squat to me in accuracy or pressures since I never load to max anyway.

Once a hunter gets over the idea that every load he makes must be an absolute max load.....that a .300 mag needs to shoot xxx grain bullets 100'/sec past the max listed in the manual, once a hunter gets over the idea that a 3/4" grouping rifle is better than a 1 1/8" grouping rifle; that is the day reloading becomes a practical past time.

If you're a benchrest competitor however, the world changes.....I'm a hunter.

FWIW, I currently use an old Hornady measure that I bought used. I got a Harrell's measure for Christmas two years ago, and it was beautiful piece of machinery. When I tried it out in the garage, I could not get any better accuracy in dumping stick or ball powders than I got in my rusty old Hornady measure, no matter what technique I used or how I settled the powder in the measure. So, I sent it back to Sinclair's.

Since I trickle and weigh charges for all the ammo that I really care about, I can't personally justify the expense of a "precision" measure.

Steve

I've been using an old fashioned Lyman 55 since Christ wore sandals...neither He nor I have had any problems with it.

I have an old Redding that has been giving me good service for years now. I picked up an RCBS 10-10-10 at a gun show last year and occasionally use them both as a check for each other. Both are quite good. If you're having a problem with the stick powders giving a smooth flow you might try to make an extra long handle, about 10" long. It will make quite a difference in leverage when shearing the grains of powder. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

I also have an old Redding that I have been using for 30 or 40 years...

The make isn't important, it the repeatability of the user that makes a powder measure work..I seldom weigh a charge anymore with that old Redding and its seldom over 1/10 th off base, if that...

a bunch of the benchrest guys are using Harrell's precision stuff...its good stuff...that is if $ isn't an object to you. He works out of VA. You can get his stuff from Sinclair i'm pretty sure...check it out!...I have a measure with ball bearings in it, not bushings...He said he thought that it was his best measure..i'm sure satisfied!
Simon

Hadn't heard the term "Culver type measures." Is that the rotating drum, like my RCBS Uniflow?

Using that measure's what got me all enthusiastic about Ball powders. It shears badly with extruded powders. Takes a very forceful operation (consistently each time, WHAP! WHAP!) to keep it from stopping when it catches a kernel.

The Lee 'Perfect Powder Measure' does indeed look like a POS. But if you stick with it for awhile and run a couple of pounds of powder through it, it'll likely settle down and throw charges within 1/10 grain all day long. Mine throws small charges (5-7 grains) right on the money and rifle charges about 1 to 2 tenths of a grain off. For hunting or plinking loads I can't ask for better and I have to trickle target loads anyhow, so I usually set it a bit low to start with.

Natchez is selling them this month for less than $20, so You could buy three or four of them for the price of one Harrell's.