After much deliberation considering which powder measure I wanted to get (including the Redding, RCBS and others) I decided to try a Lee PPM. I mounted it on a 6"X12"X1" hardwood block, ran several funnels full of R-22 through it to break it in and let the powder lubricate it and then gave it a try.
I was amazed that out of approximately 50 test measures (set for 60gns of R-22) it threw all of them within .2gns, most of them within .15gns and about 50% within .1gns. Many were right on.
There was zero leaking, operation was very smooth right from the start, no static effect and the bottom line is it is dependable, consistent and inexpensive.
I could see having several set up for different throw weight/caliber combinations. At about $25 each you could have 5 set up for the price of one Redding.
I can give my highest recommendation for the Lee Perfect Powder Measure. It may not look like a beautiful Redding but it will do the job right and is a joy to use.
If you have any questions about this powder measure please feel free to e-mail me. I would be glad to help any new handloaders get started.

This has gotta be an April Fools joke.

ZM

yea it has got to be. I purchased one 5wks back or so and have it clamped down and still never had thrown 1 charge-go figure.

On a good evening I can "throw" within five IMR sticks.

Nicely said Zeke, but you missed a couple of things. I can outload you and out shoot you anyday of the week. Educate yourself before you go out and tell others how bad their equipment is.

quote:

Originally posted by MontMike:
Nicely said Zeke, but you missed a couple of things. I can outload you and out shoot you anyday of the week. Educate yourself before you go out and tell others how bad their equipment is.

Um.....I said the measure was bad, where?

For the record, I used the Lee Measure for eight years. It does some powders OK, some not so OK. So I can make a reasonable accessment of it's performance. I bought an RCBS measure last year. Much better measure, more repeatable throw to throw and a generally better piece of equipment.

As to your comments about your reloading and shooting skills in comparison to mine. It takes no brains or guts to hide behind a keyboard and talk shit about someone that you do not know.

Piss off little man. I have no time to endulge you.

This is my opinion. Your opinion will probably vary.

ZM

No wonder the we're losing greatly experienced Africian hunters form this forum. They want to stick around to read this kind of stuff?
Gents, can't we write more informative posts than turning it into a pissing contest everytime someone gets their feathers ruffled?

ScottW: I need to replace my powder measure and the Lee seems to be an option. I´ve so far used a Hornaday but it doesn´t handle Vihtavuori powders all that well, I get quite a few "snags" when throwing. Any comments/advice?

quote:

Originally posted by ScottW:
No wonder the we're losing greatly experienced Africian hunters form this forum. They want to stick around to read this kind of stuff?
Gents, can't we write more informative posts than turning it into a pissing contest everytime someone gets their feathers ruffled?

The gentleman from Montana's comments were uncalled for. His mouth runneth over so-to-speak.

I have Lee gear and find the Lee Measure less than perfect. As I stated earlier. Some powders it works great, lousy with others. I load for too many rounds to mess with a fussy measure. Moved up to RCBS last year. Much better measure.

And since you posted on April 1st, I really did think it was an April fools post.

AR is much more civilized than it was a couple of years ago. For every aforementioned loudmouth, there are thousands of nice helpful folks here.

ZM

cewe:
I am not a reloading expert. I have handloaded for 5-6 years for what that's worth.
I believe most powder measures do best with ball powders and worse with extruded powders.
So far I've only used the R-22 which is extruded.
I found that there was zero leakage, no binding and just smooth, accurate powder throws from my measure. I cannot account for other's PPM's or their technique or what the measure is mounted on. As I mentioned, I mounted mine on a hardwood board and it is very secure. A little vibration when throwing a load is helpful to "settle" the powder into the throat (down tube) of the measure. The important thing,with all powders, is to be consistent in how you cycle the handle...almost a timing sort of thing. It is also important to wait a few seconds while the powder is leaving the top funnel and loading into the down tube. If you get in a hurry you may "short" your powder load and very possibly cause a dangerous situation when you fire that charge. Hope this helps a little.
Personally, I don't think this measure would have problems with most powders as it has a different mechanism than those than most.
I can afford to buy any measure I want to and would if I find that this does not serve the purpose most excellently.
For hunting purposes and for target shooting, throwing all charges within .2grns and most within .1 grn is not remotely significant in terms of terminal performance. That equates to 1/3 of 1% differnce. Most electronic measures can't throw any more consistently, I'm told (I've never owned one).
I'll report back if I see any changes in the performance of this measure--good or bad.
I'm not going to "pump up" the virtues of a product I own just because I own it. If it does not perform you'll know about it--for better or for worse. Sorry for this long response but short, uninformative responses are useless to me.

I tend to make short responses. To follow up on my purchase of the LPPM was for loading H110 for either my .45 LC or 44 mags-which will take place as spring bear season begins. I still prefer to weigh my loads for my rifle use and have been loading for quite some time. This may be a slower method but I do have alot of time on my hands. The practical use of throwin powder for my handguns seems quite appealing as it will be fast-much faster thank goodness.

I have only been around the reloading scene for a few years and just got really into it within the last few months. I bought the Lee Anniversary set and that is all that I really need and have the money for right now. The only thing I replaced was the Lee Safety scale.

I have had troubles getting consistant throws with stick powder like IMR4350 and sometimes Varget. I have even had troubles with leaking small powders like MagPro and Lil gun, but that is very minimal. So I weight every load whether it be for .223 or .300WSM to ensure maximum consistency.

Please don't take this response the wrong way, but read the instrucions for the Lee PPM carefully.

There is an adjustment screw on the side of the "drum" which allows you to set the "tension" on the internal nylon blade. This can eliminate leakage with fine powders and reduce binding with stick powders. It also increases consistancy between "throws".

I weigh the powder for most of my rifle loads, and I use the Lee to get me close. It has been as accurate as any other powder measure I have used previously.

Most problems people experience with Lee products can be eliminated by reading the instructions carefully.

quote:

Originally posted by mike_elmer:
Please don't take this response the wrong way, but read the instrucions for the Lee PPM carefully.

There is an adjustment screw on the side of the "drum" which allows you to set the "tension" on the internal nylon blade. This can eliminate leakage with fine powders and reduce binding with stick powders. It also increases consistancy between "throws".

I weigh the powder for most of my rifle loads, and I use the Lee to get me close. It has been as accurate as any other powder measure I have used previously.

Most problems people experience with Lee products can be eliminated by reading the instructions carefully.

mike

i totally agree with your last line above. not only do they not read the instructions whenever the equipment doesn't perform absolutely dead on they rush to get a bfh, bigger f*&^ing hammer, to fix it with. their mechanical skills almost equal their lack of reading and comprehension attributes.

and zm ought to practice what he preaches.

Scott & Others:

I've loaded my own ammo since 1958. Started on the old hyped up Herters scales that wouldn't dump two charge's of the same weight in 500 tries.

Went to weighing each load on an Ohaus scale that cost $20. Turns out I'm still using the same scale without a problem and it's been renamed by RCBS and now sells for nearly $100!!

About 10-12yrs ago, I started shooting by the thousands instead of 100 or less a year. I got two Lee measures. The perfect, which it isn't. and their sliding plate type for pistol powders.

The perfect worked almost as it's named for years with 4895. Never had a problem with it til I started using a fine ball powder AA2200. Then it leaked powder all over the place. Replaced the thing, and tightened the screws many times. Sent it in for overhaul, bought two others. Everyone of them leaks the AA2200. Their service guy said: "that's the way they work, you've gotta expect some leakage" BY damned, NOT ME!!

I haven't loaded with that powder in sometime now. Not sure what I'm gonna do when I start loading more of this powder.

The pistol powder measure works great, only time it leaks Red Dot is when I bang against it and spill it. Otherwise it's accurate as anything I've ever seen. I do have the scale sitting next to it and verify now and then. Never found a charge yet that's not right on with this. But, I use Red Dot.

I've learned many yrs ago to cut back to only 2 or 3 powders for all my loading. This will create lots of arguments by many that will claim this, that, or some other powder is Best.

Thing is, no one has been able to define Best to my satifaction yet.
For my use, 4895 is a very good "average" powder for everything from .223 all the way up to .375H&H. No, it's not the hottest, slowest, fasted velocity, or cheapest etc. But, it WILL provide a good consistant Average velocity in the vast majority of cartridges.

Same as pistol ammo for plinking by the thousands. .38, 40. 45's, 44mags. Red Dot works great, where it's not as good, I used H110/H4227. Mostly those are used in my .30 carbine Blackhawk.

The AA2200 came along at $45/jug for .223's by the buckets full. I bought 4 jugs. Since then they've discontiued it. Do wish I'd bought ten more jugs as it's a great powder for any bullet between 35 and 55gr in the .223. That's the heavist bullet I shoot in it.

Lets see where that puts me: 4895, 2200, Red Dot, H110/H4227. Total of five powders for over 25 different cartridges. Sure makes things easier for me to keep track of. Most of these I can buy in the 8# jugs, where IF I'd use 49 more powders I'd need to get them by the pound cans as I couldn't afford that many various jugs at todays prices.

Just my thoughts thrown out here for others to think about. No matter what you might think about it.

IF I was a maximum velocity shooter in every gun I load for. No, I wouldn't restrict myself to these few powders. I'd go ahead and get the hottest powder for each cartridge and hell with how many half empty cans would accumulate.

I will be in the market for another hopefully very good powder measure before this year is up. Right now, I have no idea's yet.

George

My Lee measure throws perfect and consistent charges with some powders such as AA2230. Stick powders take a bit more care and adjustment, but are satisfactory.

I use the Lee measure, and have had similar results.

For ball powders, it works good. For sticks, well it works ok. I weigh every charge, so I usually set it to throw just under the desired weight and go trickle up.

Haven't bought a different measure because the Lee works well for what I am doing. Really can't justify spending 5 times as much for a measure that might work a bit better.

I use one all the time with awsome results! i also prefer Lee dies and get accurate ammo. Good product at a great price in my opinion!

I have one for Loading Pistol rounds, it does well for me. I've found that if I consistently throw each charge the same the weight is very consistant. I usually raise the handle tap twice and lower the handle and tap twice, seems to work well. It does much better w/ the small extruded powders like Varget than it does w/ 4831 and the like. I use it w/ stick powders if I'm loading volumes of rifle loads by setting it to throw just a little light into the powder tray and I trickle to get them exact.

Good Luck

Reloader

I just put in an order for the Lee PPM from Midway Finland -I had to add a Lyman lubing pad to make the minimal order!

I put my trust in AR -haven´t had any bad advice yet.

Cewe:
I think you made a good decision. If you have problems with it (which I am not expecting you will) please e-mail me.

The beauty of the Lee Perfect Powder Measure is that you can, as the great cooking inventor says: "Set it, and forget it!"

I will be buying another shortly so that one will be set up for my -'06 and the other for my .375 H&H. Mine has not thrown any loads greater than .2 gns differenc; most within .1 gn. That is more than accurate enough for hunting loads and general target shooting.

George:
I like your style. Thanks for sharing your vast wisdom and experience with us! I agrre narrowing your powder choices down to 3 (or 4) is a good thing for simplicity sake. I can do all of my rifle loading with R-22 and R-15, my pistol with Unique, and my shotgun with Clays and be done with it. Only thing is it's fun to tinker!

I think I have six different powders in storage. Using VV one has to diversify if loading calibers from 6.5x55 to .416 Rigby. Some people say that the new progressive powders can replace most of the old ones, others don´t share the enthusiasm...

Though somewhat optomisticly named, I find the Lee Perfect Powder Measure to be as a good as anything on the market.

I have powder measures by Herters (my first), Lyman, Redding, RCBS, Dillon, Star, Neal Jones (now selling at about $300) and others, as well as the Lee Perfect.

The Lee easily equals or betters them all in everything except ease of adjustment. The Jones is much easier to adjust as it is "click"-adjustable.

Luckily, my Lee arrived with the tension perfectly set and functioned flawlessly from the git-go with both ball and extruded powders.

Based on my testimonial, one of my shooting associates ordered one. He was bitterly disappointed with his. So, he called Lee to "read them the riot act" and tell them he was returning his measure. Over the phone they instructed him as to how to correctly tension the "wipe".

He is now both very pleased with it, and somehat chagrined.

Alberta Canuck (and others above) nailed it.

The Lee Perfect Powder Measure isn't perfect, but I prefer it to the Hornady and the RCBS that I've owned before.

I've used a Harrell, but its main advantages were speed of setup (count clicks) and pride of ownership. The latter is something that the homely plastic Lee totally lacks! Still, I have to admit that it works well.

Read the instructions, including the part about cutting a little tab off to let the measuring cylinder go over centre. Removing it made my Lee measure even more precise with VV N160.

Also, either run a few hundred grams of powder through to coat everything up with the graphite from the powder, or do like I did and toss in a half a teaspoon of powdered graphite, work the measure through it paces, then dump it out and start measuring powder.

John

I have one as well and like it alot. The only thing that bothers me is the leakage. Although I have minimized that it still leaks a little. Was curious if anyone has used the rcbs handgun measure?? it looks interesting, and you don't have to mount it, you can just load a block with your brass and put it directly over each one. Any experiences?

after my last thread I took the liberty to adjust and drop N560 just a few tenths less than set and I do have to trickle and times it drops right on. It is by far faster than my years of weighing with the Lee dippers and my 505 scale.

I just installed my new Lee powder measure on my bench and I have to say that it doesn´t look reliable at all -let´s hope it works better than it looks!

The Lee PPM looks like a cheap carnival prize.

But, it works well.
Actually works very well with big stick powders like H4831.
It beats my Redding BR3 with all the Sinclair goodies bolted to it with H4831 ( This really bugged me at first... )

Best dang $20.00 powder measure on the planet.


Travis F.

quote:

Originally posted by cewe:
I just installed my new Lee powder measure on my bench and I have to say that it doesn´t look reliable at all -let´s hope it works better than it looks!

It will! Just run a half a kilo of powder through it before using it to coat things up with the graphite coating found on the powder or it will bind and have problems with static (this is in the instructions that no male ever reads!).

Or, do like I did and put a teaspoon of powdered graphite (like you buy at gas stations for car locks) work it around for 20 cycles then dump it out and start using the measure.

It looks and feels cheap, but works as good as most measures (and better than most with really coarse powders like 4831 non short cut).

John

The thing about a carnival prize really hit the mark!

I´ll follow jpb´s advice but I´ll run powder through and not graphite (I can just imagine what a mess I´d make with that!).

I was a bit dissapointed when I saw all the plastic, guess I´m just a romantic still hooked on metal and chrome.

quote:

Originally posted by cewe:
The thing about a carnival prize really hit the mark!

I´ll follow jpb´s advice but I´ll run powder through and not graphite (I can just imagine what a mess I´d make with that!).

I was a bit dissapointed when I saw all the plastic, guess I´m just a romantic still hooked on metal and chrome.

The carnival prize comment really is spot on as regards appearance!

If you want precision metal and workmanship (right down to real needle bearings), see
Harrell's powder measure in Europe