Friend of mine was reading about the lee dippers where you load by volume not weight. Just wondering how many people do it & why?? Is it hard to get the right size dipper for your loads as I can see every powder measuring out differently>

I only load for .223 and weigh all charges. When I finally settle on some standard loads I think I want to try to make custom dippers for them and see how consistent I can make the charges.

I've heard some will use a combination of the Lee dippers to make up a charge, and would like to hear the opinion of folks who do.

If you want top accuracy weigh your powder charges. The lee line of loading equipment is geared to those who want to spend the very least they can to load their own ammo and top accuracy is not the goal. In some rare cases a rifle will shoot very well when loading with those Lee dipper charged cases, but those instances are very uncommon. You can get a very reliable scale for about 25 bucks. To many powders on the market with many different grain sizes to use the dipper method in my book.

The powder dippers dispense by volumne, much the way a powder measure dispenses a powder charge. But, even though the dippers are calibrated to different powders, accurately changing the charges by small increments is impossible.

I have 2 scales, and use one to check the other before each loading session. It is my opinion that inaccurate powder charges is the most dangerous part of loading your own ammunition.

If you can afford a gun, scope, gas to the range, press, dies and powder then you can afford a scale. I suggest using a scale and powder measure. Both of which can be had for much less than $100.

cwilson

When not using my powder measure (for one reason or another) I use the Lee dippers to get close, put the powder in the pan on the scale, and then trickle up to the desired weight.

Dave

[ 02-06-2003, 16:23: Message edited by: rifleman ]

In most instances I do exactly as rifleman. The dippers to the digital pan and trickle to exact.

The issue of weight vs. volume has been raging for decades. The top benchrest shooters all load by volume, from a powder measure. That should tell you something about how important weight is. Furthermore the powder manufacturers point out that the full charge of propellant is NEVER totally consumed at ignition. I believe they say that up to 3% is left unburned and that number is inconsistent anyway from charge to charge. Loading by volume should be perfectly fine. Still, in spite of logic, I weigh almost each and every charge I load in rifle cartridges down to the last .1g. Probably doesn't help, but it makes me feel better.

I prefer to weigh every charge thrown then "bring it in" with a powder trickler. However, I don't usually load over 100 cases at a time. I know plenty of guys who use Lee dippers and progressive loaders (not at the same time). They are all right with them. I have seen a progressive loaded .45 colt get a bullet stuck in the barrel of a Ruger revolver. Guess it was a little under loaded. Makes me wonder how many were over loaded? Nothing like loading them slow.

Consistent powder volume is more likely to give low extreme spread than consistent powder weight. To that end, we set up a Lyman 55, that has been accurised, to the powder charge required and throw the charge straight into the cases. Apart from being the faster way to load, less fiddling results in less possibility of mistakes.

The Lyman 55 has a small tapper attached to the powder measure to ensure that the entire charge has dropped. Our routine is to throw the charge, tap with the tapper, place the bullet in the case and seat. No powdered cases hanging around with open mouths to get up to mischief if the loading session is interupted by dinner or something equally important.

Dipping is for snuff.
Scales is for powders

I like that comment Tailgunner.

I weigh every rifle charge (No I don't do high volume rifle) And pistol I use the powder measure and check the weight by scale every few rounds. I got a dipper with my one set of dies and was afraid use it with out checking.

Hcliff

Gerard Schultz,
I was wondering what you did to make your Lyman 55 more accurate.

A scale is necessary for serious loading; however, whether one dips or one throws, the secret is consistency. I understand that many benchrest competitors dip loads and others throw loads without weighing them, having long ago established the accuracy and appropriateness of the load they are using by scale weight.

The secret is to be consistent regardless of your method and, of course, always be safe. Ku-dude

A scale is necessary for reloading. Powders can change density in storage. Different lots of powder can have slightly different densities. Use your dippers for speed, but check the weight thrown frequently on a scale. It might even catch a more serious problem, like using the wrong dipper.

I agree with rifleman. I use the lee dippers to get close. pour each charge into the scale pan and trickle if necessary to get the approiate weight. If you are using the dippers by themselves there is no way you are going to shoot very accuratly scales are less than 50 bucks, how much did you spend on rifle and scope, I am not taking any chances with my 600$ rifle, the whole point of reloading is to have a consistant and exact reloaded shell if you don't you might as well just keep buying factory ammo

Like everything else in the world, it all depends.

I've got scales and three powder measures. Most of the time, I use one of the measures.

BUT, for small batches, I reach for the dippers. If I am loading ten cartridges with one powder charge, 10 more a grain heavier, etc., I am not gonna mess around resetting a measure, I use a dipper and trickle to the weight I want.

I also reach for the dippers when I just want a load that will safely go bang and push a bullet downrange. I sure don't put a lot of time and effort into working up loads for oddball 75 year old ironsighted milsup. All I'm gonna do with it anyhow is plink. I look up a load at or just above starting load levels for the bullets I have, look up the right dipper for my powder on the Lee slide rule thingie and have at it. If I am going for a nominal 40 grain charge, I don't really care if I am actually getting 39 or 41 as long as I am getting a consistent charge.

And the Lee dippers are a lot more consistent than most will admit IF you know the technique. Dump some powder into a suitable container, push the dipper into and through the powder, strike off the surplus with a straightedge. Try that sometime and weigh ten consecutive charges. You're gonna be surprised at how close the weights are.

I like the Lee Powder Dippers..I have had some very good luck with mine. I have my powder measure adjusted perfectly for a .44 load that I like, so I just use the dippers and top it off with the trickler in the scale pan if I'm loading at or near maximum.

Joel Slate
Slate & Associates, LLC
www.slatesafaris.com

7mm Rem Mag Page www.slatesafaris.com/7mm.htm

"Dippers, throwers and tricklers: we've come a
long way since the days of cap and ball haven't
we. I guess I line up with the throw the charge
and trickle to the line with my trusty old 5-0-5
RCBS scale. I'm not as anal as I used to be 15
years ago but I do weigh a lot of charges and the
groups tighten up from time to time. I feel like
once you've found an optimal weight range you should try to get as close as possible each time.
My great grandmother used to tell me that she
was taught to load her father's musket with however much powder would fit in her half closed
palm. She was a snuff dipper too. She didn't have
a scale, but I do! BLR7

Turkeyshooter,
The Lyman 55 barrel diameter is a pretty good fit in the body of the powder measure but it has some side play on the vernier and the barrel. We took it apart and machined a spacer that fits between the barrel and the plate that fits onto the barrel on the left side of the powder measure to remove the side play. To get to a previous setting quicker the threads on the adjuster has to be improved for less play. This is a lot of work and only worth while if you are readjusting the powder measure a lot. Before we did the threads, we simply treated it like a lathe or slide on a mill that has a lot of backlash -work in one direction only when setting it up. Our powder measure works so well my father recently did the same work on a couple of 55s for friends of his as well. We get loads to within less than a tenth of a grain providing the hopper is topped up to more than half all the time.

[ 02-06-2003, 22:20: Message edited by: Gina Schultz ]

To George and Gina Schultz, thanks for the tips on accurizing the Lyman 55. I just bought a used one and used it for the first time the other day with some H380. For years I used my father's old Herter's measure and thought that that was a good as it was going to get, I had to weigh every charge. I noticed after the tenth charge of H380 out of my Lyman 55 that I didn't even need the powder trickler after I had set it up perfectly, it was on the nose every time. I just charged straight into the case, fastest 100 rounds I've ever loaded. I love my Lyman 55 and paid all of $20 for it!
Yardbird

I load everything on my Dillon 550B. I use my electronic scale to set the weight of the powder charge I want to use. I have never had a problem with under or overcharging. The Dillon powder measure is very accurate from charge to charge.

I weigh every near max or hunting load. I do use the Lee scoops when I'm just throwing some "coke can ammo" together because of the speed. A dang ole .38 BBWC doesn't care how much powder it gets as long as it gets some. Same for a .44 WC. I would not suggest anyone use only scoops for the best most consistant loads possible. For very informal coke can shooting the speed of scoops VS weighing each charge is not even close.
Rick

Bob338 mentioned that the benchrest people load by volume.Are any of you who replied benchrest shooters?? I have 1 gun, 1 load ,1 bullet that I use for g'fers & was just wondering if the dipper would be an ok way to load this round.

You all might check out Sinclair's website at http://www.sinclairintl.com/ - They sell the Harrel powder measures that are precision ball bearing measures designed for volumetric measure. These have an internal baffel that keeps the compaction constant. I understand they repeat very well. Perhaps someone here has some experience for or against???

I spoke to one fellow on the phone at Sinclair and he told me that all their clients are going to volumetric measure. One reason he said was that weight is largely affected by humidity and varies from day to day. Also it is hard to load by weight at the range because of wind.

The bad news is that the cheapest one is US$175. However, the folks around these parts seem to be using them to win benchrest matches. I am still trying to figure out how much I can gain for a $175.

Todd

Weighing each charge??? Bench rest shooter just throw them and the consider powder charges the least important factor in accuracy, which I agree with....

I throw my charges with my old Redding Powder measure and just measure one now and then, for no good reason..It is accurate and I have been using it for many years and am consistant in how I toss a charge....I use a powder that pretty well fills the case, that lets me visulize the powder in the case...