bullseye doesnt meter well?

T

troy_mclure

New member
im having problems getting bullseye to drop the same weight from my measure every time. trying for 6gr, and getting 5.7gr-6.5gr.

no other powder that i use does this, is it just cause its flake powder?

what is a good way to get reliable metering with it?
 
R

Ricklin

New member
Static???

You don't mention the type of measure you are using. On a measure with plastic parts it's helpful to wipe down the "measuring" parts with a dryer sheet which you can swipe from the laundry supplies.
 
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LHB1

New member
Does that powder measure have a (large diameter) rifle metering insert or a (small) pistol metering insert? For small pistol charges under 10 grains, a small diameter pistol metering insert will give much more consistent charges than a large diameter rifle insert. I also insert a powder baffle in the powder hopper if the measure doesn't have one.
 
J

Johnny Guest

Moderator in Memoriam
I'll bet it IS the static thing.

Troy, I have but limited experience with Lee's powder measure -- maybe a thousand rounds of .45ACP - - but that measure has been standardized for a long time and they should have ALL the bugs worked out of it.

I suggest you clean it well with rubbing alcohol and cotton swabs. Dry thouroughly and then do the dryer sheet thing.

At last count, Bullseye powder has been used to load 3.6 gazillion rounds on progressive presses, so I doubt the problem is the powder configuration. :D

Good luck
Johnny
 
H

Hardcase

New member
I'll chime in, too, and say that something is wrong, but I'm sorry that I can't offer any solutions.

I use the same measure and load Bullseye in 9mm, 357 and 38. It meters just fine for me, +/- .1 grain, as long as I don't screw things up on my end.
 
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Bud Helms

Senior Member
For those flake powders, there is a region I have marked on the side of my Dillon powder measure (two marks) where I try to keep the powder column. As I load and the column slowly comes down, when it hits the lower mark, I fill it back to the top mark. The two marks are about 50-60% of the full powder measure cannister and the two marks are about an inch apart.

Another thing I have added to my powder measure is a baffle that mitigates that changing weight as the column decreases in height. It is made of thin sheet aluminum and is cut to partially block the weight of the powder column. The baffle only blocks about half the area of the cross section of the measure cannister.

Lastly, as I hold the press lever down on the powder drop step, I tap the side of the powder measure, so that the column settles and lose flakes drop free past the baffle and the cut off.

These tricks help a lot with my Herco and Blue Dot loads.

Hopefully that will help with those very light flake powders. BTW, I got these tips from a reloading manual. 'Got a couple?
 
D

Dragon55

New member
I concur with all above especially the tapping keeping about 2/3 to 3/4 full.

Also, have you 'primed' the plastic? I usually run about 20-30 charges through system each time to get an even amount of graphite on everything.
 
G

GP100man

New member
troy

To permanetly eliminate the static problem get some powdered graphite & saturate a small peice of fuzzy towel , put it in the measure & shake it until all coated inside.

I can get acceptable throws with HERCO & 800X with my AD doing this .

Oh yeah get some disposable gloves before startin , don`t ask how I know!!LOL!!!!!
 
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M

Mr.RevolverGuy

New member
Can't be static for me I know mine is coated already as I have loaded I know about 40,000 rounds with this Lee Pro Hopper. If I try to measure 38spl bullseye loads (very low loads) it may throw 3grains then the next case will literally not throw anything no matter how high the hopper is filled.

I have 2 things of bullseye that is just sitting now, I decided to stick with W231 it meters like a champ.

Oh yeah it measures well in my RCBS Uniflow but that would be like loading mass 38 on a single stage for me and not just that much time any more.
 
E

Emerson

New member
I use a lot of Bullseye and have never had any problems with it metering well out of my 550b. Every load I weigh comes out the same............4.0 grains.
 
F

Fullthrottle

New member
Troy this may or may not be helpfull but, is your thrower new? If so Lee does recommend running a container full through it to coat it, I had a similar problem at first. Then I poured a bunch through to get more consistant throws! It worked in my case.
 
U

Uncle Buck

New member
I had the same problem with while trying to use Bullseye powder. Turns out it was a combination of the wrong drop tube and static.
Like you, I followed the recommendations of the folks here and problems solved.
 
U

Unclenick

Staff
Also, per Bud's earlier comment, I have baffle templates in PDF file form you can download here. Even though the Lee Perfect measure (assuming that's the kit measure you have) has an integral bottom baffle, I found adding a second one about 1/3 up the hopper, then always keeping the powder above that level helped.
 
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Edward429451

Moderator
Glad the problem was solved. When I'm setting up a measure to throw charges, I always get it set nominal, and then throw 10 charges into the pan to get the average. That assures everything is coated with the graphite or whatever and all settled in. This puts me into my comfort zone for throwing charges.
 
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