Take Two. Comparing Powder Measure Accuracy; Dillon, Arredondo, RCBS
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- Опубликовано: 28 дек 2016
- Accuracy comparison of Dillon X Small and Arredondo powder bars and RCBS Competition Powder Measure using fine grain powder.
Test 1: • Bench Report: Powder M...
Dillon Precision: www.dillonprecision.com/
RCBS: www.rcbs.com/
UniqueTek: www.uniquetek.com/
Inline Fabrication: inlinefabrication.com/
American Workbench: www.americanworkbench.com/ 
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Thanks for the diligence and the work you put into the tests. These are some of the only powder drop tests I know of that do the work with enough measurement accuracy and combine it with large enough samples. Then, you go the last mile and present the effect of the run during each 25 throws out of 100. Kudos for the extra mile since with a powder throw the performance drift during longer runs is important to note. Many thanks for the efforts. Well done.
Dino, thank you. I am glad you found it useful.
Thanks ......very informative and unbiased. I really appreciated the thoughtfulness in how the data was categorized.
Hi from France, thanks for these ihighly interesting videos, I had the same conclusion about Dillon and RCBS in the past too .
I appreciate the time and detail that went into creating this video. Very informative.
Thanks leerd68. Several times during the making of this video and its predecessor, I asked myself 'What have I gotten myself into?'.
I LIKE your philosophy and methods. This is a second excellent test (following the first). Many Thanks from the UK.
Thank you. I am glad you found it useful.
Once again an excellent, well considered article. Well done.
Thank you Gazza.
Thank you; great job. J.
Very good content! Carefully researched, no bias and straight to the point! I think I need to go over my own press setup and incorporate some of your tweaks! From now on I will keep my fingers crossed that you get into rifle reloading, perhaps .308 or 6.5-55, and redo this test with bigger kerneled powders like VV N140 or N560 ;)
Thanks for the comment UtubeEric. Right now rifle is not on the horizon for me.
Great video 👏
I can only imagine how many hours this took to do. Thank you!
Thanks Jeff. It did take a very long time to run the tests, analyze the results and then turn it into a video presentation.
We are all Happy you did change your mind and do this! Thank you so much for putting the data out! I am debating buying the Uniquetek 79.99 micrometer add on for the Dillon but for now I am using the larger knob. Thanks Again for doing this. I am going to do this test on my Hornady drum and my Brass Lee Deluxe Perfect measures vs my Dillon and RCBS Chargemaster as time allows. I have a Hornady, RCBS, and other electronic scales and a very good beam older RCBS scale I have checked them all with a full set of weights from 1 to 50 grams. I will try to document it halfway as well as you did. I am guessing there may still be nothing better than the factory Dillon. I am however hopeful it can be dethroned. The dam Dillons are just so expensive for what you get. They may prove to be worth it again tho! Time will tell. I have the various size charge bars so I may do a small and large size test , if I can ever get time. Your testing has made me want to carry on your great work.
Thanks for the comments patriotpaul. For me, there are two advantages of the UniqueTek micrometer. First, it lets you document a setting for a specific charge weight that lets you get back to the same charge weight (well, at least pretty close back to it). Second, the threads are much finer on the micrometer that on the Dillon bolt so I can better fine tune into a specific charge weight. And I cannot prove it (without repeating the tests with the Dillon powder bar minus the micrometer), but I think that helped the Dillon pass the tests.
When I adjust the micrometer, I only adjust it when the shell plate is in the raised/up position. In this way, I know there is no powder in the powder bar that might restrict its movement. Also, I don’t know if I can explain this clearly, but when adjusting the micrometer, I always go past my desired mark (to a higher mark, i.e. larger charge weight) and then slowly rotate back to the desired mark (desired charge weight). This ensures the micrometer is always ‘pushing’ into the powder bar and the backlash/lash/play is always on the opposite side of the ‘push’. I am sure a mechanical engineer could word it much better.
I would love to hear about your results.
@@knowledge2you Oh No, You worded it perfect. Thank you so much for the tips. I guess I will be ordering one tomorrow. I read it is 40 Threads per inch but I couldn't find any common screws that were except for 4/40 which is too small. I couldn't make a micrometer knob that accurately marked even if I could get a larger 40 tpi screw.
Great video thanks
That's a great test, performed very competently. My only concern is whether or not your scales are accurate to their 0.02 grain resolution, but then that shouldn't invalidate the results because of your large sample size.
I really enjoyed the mode data, I think that's a great way of looking at it.
The scale is a Gempro 250. The reason they call it Gem (pro) is because it was designed to weight diamonds and other precious gems. Which is why it is so accurate. The 250 is no longer made. It has been replaced by the Gempro 300. But you can internet either one to see for yourself their accuracy.
I don't mean to rain on your effort in the comparison you've done, and I appreciate the time and hard work you've done.Thank you for that! But my question is why did you choose to only do 2.0 grains? That leaves "barely" any room for "error", barely any room in the cylinders to make any true error or comparison. Though this is important to a lot of us when it comes to perfection and accuracy when the results matter. Leaving room for error like 20 grains or 50 grains you have room for real results, a lot of us would find -.5 to +.5, my powder measures included and in some cases -.9 to +.9, every once and a while even worse.
Thank you for your thorough and unbiased test. Your reloading bench is top notch which aids in consistency. One thing I would be interested in seeing from you is your technique / use of the Dillon. I've found that with using the Dillon, it's best to have a 1 second down stroke and 1 - 2 second upstroke to properly fill the charge bar when using extruded powder. What's your experience (if any) using the Dillon and extruded powders?
Kramer, I frequently reload Vihtavuori N310, which is an tubular/extruded powder. I have not timed myself, but I am not fast nor am I heavy handed. I find that smooth, consistent strokes work best for me. Slamming the press's arm up and down, on any press, generally does not provide good results.
Wished the Redding, Forster, Sinclaire, and Hornady powder measures were included in this test to get a more conclusive comparison.
I doubt that anyone would be willing to fork over the approximately $800 it would take to buy those for him to evaluate.
I have been using the RCBS uniflow since the late 1970’s. Is the internal drum and stem the same except for the addition of the micrometer dial for adjustment? On a side note, I have compared a “modern” RCBS uniflow with my 40+ year old one and the slop, (drum/housing/stem fit), in the new one is appalling...
cal30m1, I cannot speak with 100% certainty, but I do believe the internal drum and stem are the same except for the addition of the micrometer. When I purchased it, while it came with the micrometer, I had to remove the stem from the measure, install it in the micrometer and then reinstall it.
I was amazed at how thorough and precise your testing was.Good video! I don't have any grounding on my reloading equipment.How important is that?
I would say most people do not do it. But for me it is important because I reload in my basement which is carpeted. In the very dry winter, I am constantly being a victim of static shock and the idea of static electricity around powder and primers concerns me. Hence my precautions. Also, it is generally a mild static charge that keeps powder sticking to the sides of the hopper.
It was easy for me to do since the room behind my press is where the water and gas lines come into the house. So I just ran a wire from the press to the line and clamped it.
Glad you enjoyed the video.
As I wrote in a previous post, I found the Arredondo powder bar to be substandard durability. Mine also broke in exactly the same place yours did. Who did you send yours into? Unique-Tek or Arrendondo? Also, how long was the turn around?
I just got tired of the powder leakage and changed my hardware to eliminate leakage. It created quite a mess on my 650. I have a ton of Power Pistol and it is my preferred powder for more than a few loads. I changed to the Hornady L-N-L system for these kinds of powders.
For most any other powder, I continue to use the Dillon powder measure and found the Dillon powder bars to handle non-fine grain powder just peachy. I still prefer to charge and expand in separate stations using a Lyman M-die.
As I also mentioned previously, if you find that you still want to charge and expand in the same station, the Mr Bullet Feeder funnels for the Dillon really do perform on par with a true M-Die in the way they expand and flair. While, expensive, they are highly polished and leave no brass residue. I urge you to give one a try. I think you will be surprised.
I'm going to try your mod of using springs, like the old Dillon powder measure did, as well as the linkage. It sounds like a smart move. I'm also going to see about grounding my press...I don't have much of a static electricity problem but it seems like a smart idea.
Since I purchased the Arredondo from UniqueTek, I returned it to them. Turn around was two weeks. It was explained to me the separation is caused by the leading edge of the powder bar insert catching on the edge of the hole the powder drops through. Over time, this forces the micrometer out of the powder bar. In addition to reinstalling the micrometer, they sanded the leading edge of the powder bar insert to a 60 degree angle to help the insert clear the opening when the powder bar returns to station.
Do you use the Hornady case activated powder drop accessory? Or do you manually charge the case? Also, what station is the Hornady installed in? Station 2? I wish Dillon would change the 650 so the case activated powder measure could be installed in either station 2 or station 3.
Yes, I remember the suggestion and I am aware of the Bullet Feeder funnels, unfortunately, they only make them in half the calibers I reload. However, the caliber I reload the most often they do make a funnel for that. So I will have to give it some thought.
If you find springs return the powder bar with too much force, try rubber bands. You only need the minimum necessary to start the powder bar's return when the press's handle is raised. Any more than that is overkill.
Where I live, the winters get very dry and static can be an issue.
Thanks for your interest in my channel.
I use the entire automatic L-n-L automated powder drop. It's a bit more Rube Goldberg than the Dillon but it does work and works well. I just couldn't deal with fine grain powder leaks and did a total change out. I put the L-n-L in station 3 and put the Lyman M-die in station 2. The only downside is that I lose my powder check station.
I also use the GSI automated bullet feeder on 45 acp. I shoot so much of it that it was worth the trouble to install and tune. Once tuned, it is fantastic. The tool head is a work of art.
I have the 650 pretty much dedicated to .45 because of the GSI, both 45 acp and 45LC. I have more than a few 45LC and 454 Casull pistols and rifles.
I also have a 550B with an old Hulme wobble case feeder on it that I use for a lot of other calibers that I shoot more than a few of. If you've never seen a Hulme case feeder, it's hilarious the way it works.
I also have a myriad of single stations and turret presses for the "one offs" I have. It's amazing what you collect in 35 or 40 years....
I do enjoy your channel You actually talk about issues that people who really reload run in to. Most any other channel is an introduction to reloading.
Thanks for the information AbiNutz.
Thanks for all of your help regarding setting up my Dillon. I have an issue I hope you can help me with. I'm currently using Lovex (Shooters World) d037-01 Major Pistol Powder, and have a problem with powder escaping around the powder bar. Naturally, this ends up all over the floor, and it's not an insignificant amount (loading 9mm major).
I'm using the same micrometer on my bar as you have in this video, and I have tried two different Dillon powder measure bodies with the same results.
Any suggestions to remedy this would be greatly appreciated.
CRA677, this may help
ruclips.net/video/KpGZArdOp5k/видео.html
Thanks! I didn't know Dillon made a thicker spacer bar. This should cure my problem (fingers crossed). Again, thank you very much!
Just a quick follow-up note to thank you for telling me about the thicker spacer bar. It didn't completely resolve my problem, but it's a far cry better than previous.
Again, thank you very much!!
You are very welcome cra677
Rcbs did extremely good, wow.
For 44mag you basically don't even need an electronic scale, this does better than I can shoot