My homemade 'dipper'

[chris in va]

I'll post pictures later, but essentially I decided to cut down a fired 380 case so it holds exactly 4.0gr of 231 for my 9mm. Took some stiff wire and super glued it to the case.

Works great, and I weigh the powder every so often to check and it's dead on.

I'm posting this partly to be sure I'm not doing something stupid, but so far it seems to work excellent and I know for a fact every single reload has the same amount of powder.

BTW it will be labeled "4.0gr 231" and only used for that application.

 

[azredhawk44]

I did this a long time ago for black powder loads, making a fixed size measure for Hodgdon Triple Seven.

Cut down a .38 case and glued it into the center of a plastic stick as a handle. Worked good for old-timey .38 black powder and lead loads.

 

[spacecoast]

Yes, it works. I did the same thing with a .380 to make a .6 cc dipper. You can also twist the wire around the extractor groove.

 

[wncchester]

Tens of thousands of reloaders can't be wrong!

Some of us have been using home-made dippers for as long as reloading has been going on. And Dick Lee sold a pile of his plastic powder dipper sets in the 60s-70s, many of them are still in use too.

 

[SL1]

"...and I know for a fact every single reload has the same amount of powder"

Well, a dipper can pick-up a range of charge weights, depending on the technique used to fill it. If you keep your technique constant, the dipper can be very consistent. But, if you vary the technique, you can vary the charge weight by several tenths of a grain in target-size charges.

SL1

 

[bigautomatic]

I currently have three RCBS throwers, designated for one powder in each, (one for Varget, one for H110, and the third for 322), because I'm too lazy to dump and clean one thrower when loading different cartridges. These are the powders that I use 75% of the time. For everything else, I made a set of dippers from the shortest, fattest cases that I could find (50 AE works great) by shooting a three inch brass screw into the side of the case just above the web. Then I trim the case down until it will hold about 2 or 3 tenths of a grain below the intended charge. A slight turn on the trickler gets it right on the money. Yes, they all go across the scale this way, but It makes me comfortable knowing they are all the same. And I'm not loading 500 at a time either. Homemade dippers are easy to make, and adds a little more to the satisfaction we get from this hobby. Now, if I could make some primers, I'd prolly never leave the basement!

 

[Lost Sheep]

Still making them

And Dick Lee sold a pile of his plastic powder dipper sets in the 60s-70s, many of them are still in use too.

Still making them. I have powder throwers on my progressive presses, but for my single stage loading, I sold my powder thrower in 1979 and never miss it.

Lost Sheep

And dippers are pretty much incapable of cutting granules of powder.

Fairly easy to adjust, too, if you feel the need. Make a spitball out of paper toweling and any white glue or paste (even that old elementary school standby, flour and water paste). And it doesn't go out of adjustment.

 

[Don P]

Excellent idea. Now why didn't I think of this? Guess its time to change the tin foil. To all who have figured this out on there own, you all get 2 extra servings of raisin pie on the house.

We must remember to weigh random charges during the process to insure we don't get the famous KABOOM

 

[rwilson452]

I made several from cases. I used a wire coat hanger for the handle and soldered it on the case. I filed that case down to get the exact load I wanted. Several sets of lee dies I had came with a Lee dipper. So I filed them down to get a correct load. Then I bought two sets of Lee dippers that were on sale at a local store that gave me plenty of dippers to modify.

 

[chris in va]

Ok here's my jerry rigged dipper. It works great, having just loaded 500 rounds the past couple days. Note the ergonomic bend in the handle.

 

[wncchester]

Good dipper. BAD solder joint!

As an ol' space electonics guy, let me suggest you clean the joint surfaces with sand paper or steel wool first, then use a bit of rosin flux and more heat the next time you make one. The solder will flow and adhere much better and smoother. You'll like it!

(Yeah, there's always the critic! Sorry.)

 

[chris in va]

Not solder, super glue. Told you it was jerry rigged!