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How often do you re-check powder drops in a progressive?

3K views 14 replies 13 participants last post by  RustyFN 
RAJBCPA:

After using my Dillon RL550B for over 25 years it has proven to me its ability to give duplicate drops of powder every time. Consequently, I set it then check it a couple of times in the first ten drops of powder then never check it again for an entire reloading session which is often a couple hundred rounds.

But..... I use mostly spherical powders or very small grain powders and only occasionally short cut extruded powders. Even then some powders don't meter well at all and for them I use a Redding BR-30 manually on an adapter on the powder die but that is only one or two calibers of my over 30 different calibers I reload for.

I will never suggest anyone else do it my way. If the book says check the powder drop every 10 rounds then that is what I will suggest. If and when you get confidence in the Dillon powder measure then you can do it any way you want.

As an aside, reloading experts (that is not me) from testing have found that exact measurement of powder to better than a couple of tenths of a grain are a waste of time.The uncontrolled variables in reloading swamp out any advantage of measuring powder to much closer than a couple of tenths of a grain either way from nominal.

LDBennett
 
gdmoody:

The baffle is suppose to reduce the "head" of powder above the powder measure slide or drum so that weight of the column of powder does not effect the quantity of powder metered. The Dillon measure comes with the baffle very near the bottom so adding powder is not necessary (theoretically) until the level falls below the baffle. But your testing assures me that we Dillion owners can wait even longer. I'll stick to using the baffle as a level guide as to when to add powder.

I see other's measures with the baffle way up the reservoir and wonder why (??). It makes the most sense to me for the baffle to be low in the reservoir like Dillon does it. And the recommendation of adding powder when the reservoir is half full when the measure has a baffle in it that is much lower than that seems really stupid to me (??).

But what do I know? I use my common sense and experience to evaluate any suggestions I get either in books or from other reloaders. We all should do the same but keep safety in mind!

LDBennett
 
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