Powder metering

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  • Last Post 15 November 2016
Pigslayer posted this 23 February 2016

I'm getting set up to load for my incoming .380 auto. I have literally pounds of Unique as I use it in my 45 Colt, .44 Special, & .38 Special. Been using it for 40 years. Always worked very well. I haven't used any Bullseye in decades . . . no special reason, just haven't. I picked up a pound of Bullseye the other day to use with some bullets that Ed Harris had sent me for the .380 & .38 special.      As I said, I have a lot of Unique & thought that I would set up my LEE turret press & Pro-Auto-Disk powder measure for the .380 using Unique. I found quickly that Unique does not meter well/consistently when throwing the very small charges that the .380 Auto requires.      With that I thought that it's either Bullseye or Titegroup. I grabbed the Bullseye off from the shelf & set the powder measure up with a disk using the #30 hole. It gave me a VERY consistent 2.7 grains of Bullseye every time. I'm going to be shooting a Ranch Dog clone by Accurate 358-098R bullet. After cross referencing different manuals I found a max load for that size bullet from the 49th Lyman manual to be 3.1 grains of Bullseye. I didn't want to start with the max of course. So I chose the smallest of the LEE auto-disk sizes which is # 30 giving me 2.7 grains. I think that that is a safe starting point. I do have two adjustable charge bars for that powder measure but those are set for my .45 Colt & .44 Special and I declined to change them. Anyway, it was good to find a powder that meters so well. Pat       

If someone else had of done to me what I did to myself . . . I'd have killed him. Humility is an asset. Heh - heh.

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chsparkman posted this 24 February 2016

I agree. Bullseye is what I use for 380, 9mm, 40, 45 ACP, and a few others. Always meters accurately.

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Ed Harris posted this 25 February 2016

The 2.7 grain load will function your LCP positively and with 35-122T I will send you, seated at 0.95” OAL is a full charge load! 

Yes, this is above book loads listed for blowback guns, but my 1934 Beretta runs them without ejected cases swelling and the LCP is a locked breech gun so no issues.   About 800 fps from 2.75” barrel and 850 fps from a 3.5"

Run 4 grains of Bullseye from your .38 Special snubby.  Full charge, but not +P

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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Pigslayer posted this 25 February 2016

Ed Harris wrote: The 2.7 grain load will function your LCP positively and with 35-122T I will send you, seated at 0.95” OAL is a full charge load! 

Yes, this is above book loads listed for blowback guns, but my 1934 Beretta runs them without ejected cases swelling and the LCP is a locked breech gun so no issues.   About 800 fps from 2.75” barrel and 850 fps from a 3.5"

Run 4 grains of Bullseye from your .38 Special snubby.  Full charge, but not +P
ED,      I was figuring that with your bullet that I would stick with the 2.5 grs. Bullseye to start. I don't mind weighing them out at all. Pat  

If someone else had of done to me what I did to myself . . . I'd have killed him. Humility is an asset. Heh - heh.

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Eutectic posted this 26 February 2016

Many powder measures are not capable of adequate precision when measuring small charges. Just because you can set a measure to a small charge, or select a small charge cavity, tells you nothing about the precision of the measurement. Inadequate precision can compromise safety with small capacity cartridges (9mm Luger and smaller), and reduce accuracy with any ammunition using small charges. Lee advises not to use flake powders in their measures with any setting under 0.4 cc, this is about 3.5 grains of powder.  Speer in their number 13 manual recommends weighing charges for 32 Auto, this is 2.6 to 3.6 grains of powder. These warnings are necessary because of the inadequate precision of many common powder measures. However, I can assure you ammunition manufacturers are not weighing every charge for small cartridges.    By paying attention to important factors, you can get adequate precision with small charges.

Steve

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Ed Harris posted this 26 February 2016

A sane and prudent course which cannot be faulted! Pigslayer wrote:  I was figuring that with your bullet that I would stick with the 2.5 grs. Bullseye to start. I don't mind weighing them out at all.

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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RicinYakima posted this 26 February 2016

The Harrell's Schuetzen powder measure is excellent, but you have to pay the price.

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noylj posted this 26 February 2016

Never, ever start any where except the starting load. If possible, check several sources and start at the lowest starting load. All loads are pressure tested, but the results vary from test lab to lab due to the gun used, the powder lot, the exact bullet used, and even the primers and cases used. Don't assume.

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Pigslayer posted this 14 November 2016

Not only have I found Bullseye to be a great metering powder but also Titegroup. As I had mentioned in a previous post I've been using unique for fourty years and always proved to provide excellent accuracy in any of my pistols but . . . I really like Titegroup in my .44 Special.

If someone else had of done to me what I did to myself . . . I'd have killed him. Humility is an asset. Heh - heh.

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gpidaho posted this 15 November 2016

TiteGroup finds it's way into more cases at my house than any other powder, both handgun and rifle. You can make something fly out of just about anything using TiteGroup. Gp

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