Powder question while reloading

[JcBook47]

How perticular do you get with your charges when reloading handgun ammo. I'm reloading 9mm right now and using 6.1 gr of powder but I found my powder dropper drops any where between 5.9-6.3 with some going a little more. I'm weighing each charge and dumping ones back that arn't 6.1gr.

I know I should get a trickler and just set it for less and trickle the rest to my charge but if I move on to a progressive and the powder is attached to the press and dumps in is there a way to check to make sure its at 6.1 and not +/- of that number?

[NathanB]

I don't like deviation more than .1 in either direction so that wouldn't be acceptable for me especially if you are already on the hot side. It may not affect anything but it's just me. What drop are you using

[Pkspawn]

Are you single stage reloading? And weighing each charge?

On my progressives, I weigh 10 charges, get a number. Then recalibrate the scale and weigh 10 more charges. if they are the same, I am good to go. The individual charges will be kinda all over the place within a few tenths like you are seeing.

I do the same practice for rifle and pistol. My 223 rounds are under an inch at 100 yards (and shoots well out to 200yd), so I don't think those few tenths/hundredth differences matter too much.

But I also go by the average that is being dropped, and not what a single drop is. I only do single drops to get me in the ball park before I start doing the 10 drops. Time consuming, but I find it easier to repeat the setup.

[Bang]

For handgun loading, I made dippers from fired brass. Soldered flash hole closed, stuffed with home-made cardboard discs until shell held a little more powder than wanted, then trimmed mouth until a dip produced spot-on measure. I soldered heavy gauge copper wire to the shell, bending the end to form a handle. Like the secret to a powder measure, the trick is to do the same thing the same way each time. Dip into a (cat food can) of powder, tap the wire handle on the edge of the can once to let the mound settle off. Tested the dipped volume on a balance scale something like 25 times to satisfy myself that this was reliable and it is.

[RobW]

Generally speaking for handgun loads you are fine just sticking with volume measurements with an occasional sanity check. +/- .2 is actually pretty normal with a standard volume measure, +/- .1 takes a little more care. If you see charges that are off by more than .2 your technique probably needs work. There is a little something to getting a volume measure to drop more consistent charges. The speed at which you operate the handle, the amount of force you use, how stable your bench is, what type of measure you are using, what shape/type of powder you are loading all contribute to consistency, or lack thereof.

If you are just starting out, I would suggest you stay away from max loads and try to work on being smoother. If you are loading a flake or stick powder and don't want to weigh/trickle (waste of time IMO) consider switching to a ball powder that meters more accurately. YMMV.

[mrat]

That much variation in a 9 isn't going to matter much unless you're up near the max load. In that case, adjust so you are throwing 6.1 and less.That amount would be fine for target or defense,IMO. What percentage of loads are off? For my pistol and general rifle loads, I check every 5 or 10 to make sure nothing changed, and some may think that's too often. For target rifle loads,I go low and trickle up. Tricklers aren't really that expensive if you want to get right on. But I think for now you should be good. Happy reloading.

[wanneroo]

When I started reloading I had those issues with the Lee Perfect Powder Measure. I was having major bounces between .5 grains when I was trying to load 5.7 grains for 9mm.

I think there were 2 problems. One was static buildup in the new powder measure. Second was Unique is a big flaky powder and doesn't meter well.

Once I used the measure more and it was coated in graphite it worked better.

I moved to the RCBS Uniflow measure and much of my issues went away. That measure seems to get me within .1 all the time, at most .2, so I'm happy with that. I wouldn't worry about a trickler unless you are getting up into the max ranges of what you are loading.

[JcBook47]

Thanks guys! I'm using Lee's 35th anniversary single stage kit. Power pistol is the powder.

Another question I have is I am using berrys 115gr rn bullets and when I seat them the nose flattens out and just below the tip is a cut from the bullet seater. I'm using RCBS dies.

How do I check seating depth? I used a bullet puller on a round o loaded and measured where the case marked the bullet.

[mrat]

Sit bullet on top of case and measure overall length. Subtract length of finished cartridge. That's how far bullet is seated.

[Delkal]

I assume the Berrys bullet are the cast lead ones but they should not deform like that. Your probably not expanding the neck enough before seating the bullet. Is lead being shaved from the sides of the bullet? I like belling the case to where you can slip a bullet in by hand, push a little, then pick the case up just by holding the bullet. If you see any shaving, bell a little more. When you LIGHTLY crimp the bullet the bell will go away. A light ring under the nose where the seater die hits is normal and won't hurt anything.

I couldn't imagine having to weigh out every single load of 9mm! I have a few ultra precise rifle loads that I load that way but I usually load about 50, not 500. Is pistol powder a flake powder like the Dots or Unique. They are known for not metering that well but for a 9mm you won't notice the difference. Another reason not to push a max load!

Measuring a small charge to 0.1 grain is challenging on ANY scale. And while Lee scales work they are not that good. I would weigh 10 combined charges then divide the weight by 10. That is your average weight and you should go with it. Even if one case gets an extra 0.2 grains you will not blow up and probably not even notice.