The Redding Master # 3 Powder Measure www.redding-reloading.com Redding produces a full line of adjustable powder measures; including several match grade models.  The Redding has a cast iron body and cylinderal powder cavity.  The micrometer unit raises and lowers the bottom of the powder cavity, thus adjusting the amount of powder that can be metered by each pull of the handle. The powder drop tube on the Redding is plastic.   The Redding has the advantage of being supplied with a unique cast iron mount.  The mount will allow the measure to be bolted to the edge of the bench.  Redding sells a heavy cast iron accessory base that raises the measure to a comfortable height.  Many accessory bases are threaded 7/8-14.  The Redding has no threads.  A 7/8-14 nut secures the measure to the base.  The advantage of this style base is the measure won’t have to be twisted to remove it.  Simply unscrew the securing nut. 

The Lee Perfect Powder Measure www.leeprecision.com Lee, ever the innovative designer, designed a measure made almost entirely of plastic!   Quite frankly, the first time I held one of these measures my initial impression was:  “Wow, this thing looks cheesy.”  However, many things seemly frail or to simple, really work!  Then I noticed the hopper could be rotated to close off powder flow, and slide off the measure to empty the hopper back into a powder can.  My next thought was:  “Hey, that’s a good idea!”

Then I disassembled the unit and found it was a rotating cone-in-cone design.  Again, I was impressed.    The Lee is calibrated in CC’s.  If a person also has a copy of “Modern Reloading”, the Lee loading manual, the loads in the manual have the CC’s listed.  The theory being one simply adjusted the measure to the same numbers as in the book.  Of course, if your secret load isn’t in the Lee manual, then it’s trial & error to find the setting and record it.   The Lee measure is supplied with a raised priority base.  The base is stamped steel, 3/8 inch thick.  The Lee base is held to the measure by 2 sheet metal screws.

Hornady Powder Measure on Lyman cast iron stand.

The Hornady Deluxe Powder Measure www.hornady.com has a cast iron body and cylinderal powder cavity also.  The Hornady powder-metering unit is similar in design & operation to the Redding.  The Hornady comes supplied with 2 different sized drop tubes.  The drop tubes are made of aluminum.  The Hornady is supplied with a raised mount.  The mount is a simple, stamped steel unit, ¼ inch thick. The Hornady mount has no threads.  A 7/8-14 nut secures the measure to the base. 

Hornady metering units, pistol unit is in my hand.

Both the Redding and Hornady metering thimbles have numbers and a series of long & short “hash” marks on them.  These marks don’t correlate to any particular unit of measure.  The traditional method being; one finds how many turns, #’s and hash marks a particular load requires, then it is written down.  A less complicated method is to take your digital caliper and use it to find the distance from the edge of the thimble to the rotor body after the correct load is established.   Write the distance down and simply ignore all the #’s, hash marks etc.   A notebook or 5X8 card is great for recording this data.

Skip #’s, hash marks, turns etc.  Measure w/ caliper, and annotate the measurement for various loads in a notebook or on a 5X8 card.

Any micrometer unit that raises and lowers the bottom of the powder cavity in a powder measure is subject to wear over time.  The fine threads in the thimble can wear, causing the adjustment to be off by a few thousands.  Some expensive match grade units (like the Redding Match Series) have a spring system to take up for the wear.  We can do almost as well for non-match grade units by simply adjusting the thimble down past the point of a load, and then adjusting back up to the point we want.  What this does is remove the “lash” from the unit.  (If you see some guys smiling and nodding in the back of the room, relax, it’s just the machinist’s) 

I was very interested in the Redding Match Series.  It seems the Redding Match units are much favored by match shooters.  The only thing considered better are very expensive custom made units.  Redding Match units are regular production measures, not all that much more expensive then most other measures.  We’ve already discussed the spring system in the micrometer units.  The Redding Match units also have a longer handle with a heavy, knurled finger piece.  The Redding catalog offers the match handle as an accessory item for their regular series measures.    Redding Match measures also have baffles.  I did some additional reading about the measures in the “custom realm”.  Besides costing 3 times as much as regular measures, they have very tight tolerances, needle-bearing rotation, and are hand fitted.  They also have click adjustability.  All have heavy handles and powder baffles.                                                        

 

This started me thinking about handles, and how hard it is to shear powder grains.  They sear with an abrupt jarring motion.  A longer, heaver handle made sense.  My RCBS “Little Dandy” fixed cavity measure doesn’t even have a handle (The Lyman rotors for their fixed cavity measure have a rod to act as a handle).  The ends of the RCBS rotors are knurled to give a better grip.  Would the addition of a handle improve performance of the RCBS Little Dandy?     

The handle of the Redding #3 Master Measure is lighter then the match handle. Would a heavier, longer handle improve consistency? 

 

The Redding catalog states the way a powder measure is mounted tends to have an effect on repeatability.   That made a lot of sense.  The weight and amount of security a mounting system affords goes a long way to dampening vibration.  Excessive vibration would throw repeatability all over the map!    For this reason, thin, stamped sheet steel mounts are suspect.  A rigid cast mount simply won’t flex during powder metering operations.  However, the surface the base is bolted or clamped to must also be very secure.  That means a sturdy loading or work bench.  My bench is solid wood, 1-¾ inches thick.  It’s bolted to the wall and the floor. 

 

My initial plan was to test every single combination of bases, measures, handles, baffles etc.  Once I got log sheets printed out with every combination, I realized that was just going too be much!  I pared it down to the Redding, RCBS, Lee and the Ohaus.   I also pared down the combination of components, mounts, baffles etc.                                                                                                                              

 

First, the measures would be used exactly as produced.  The RCBS fixed-cavity measure isn’t supplied with any type of base. It would be initially tested in the Hornady ¼ inch thick stamped steel raised mount.  The RCBS Little Dandy isn’t designed for a handle. One simple grips the knurling on the end of the rotor.  So, initial testing would be without a handle. Later, an accessory handle would be fabricated.  Perhaps the Little Dandy’s consistency & reliability could be improved with the additional leverage and smoothness a handle affords.  After the new handle was fitted, the RCBS would be tested in a heavy, rigid, raised, Lyman cast iron base. 

 

The stock Redding would be tested in a Redding non-threaded, rigid, raised, cast iron stand.  Next the Redding would be fitted with a longer, heavier, homemade handle and a baffle.                                                                                                                                 

 

The stock Lee would initially be tested with its priority stand attached to a block of wood and C clamped to the bench.  Since the Lee’s handle is part of the rotor assembly, no handle can be fitted to it.  Also, its priority stand wouldn’t allow it to be tested in a different stand. A baffle would be installed in the hopper to see what effect that had.              

 

The stock Ohaus would initially be tested with its threaded Ohaus stand attached to a block of wood and C clamped to the bench.  Next the Ohaus would have a baffle installed in the powder hopper.

Carriage bolts; Flat washers, lock washers  & nuts secured the stands to the wood blocks. Countersinking the carriage bolts thru the bottom of the wood blocks insures the entire thickness of the block takes the pressure during powder metering operations.    The blocks were secured to the loading bench with 4 “C” clamps.  This may seem like overkill, but mounting rigidity affects repeatability in any powder measure.       

 

The proof of all this preparation would be how well any unit meters powder, and how repeatable it would be from charge to charge, without regard if it were box-stock, or selected additions have been done to (hopefully) improve performance.  It goes without saying; this investigation would still require metering allot of powder!                                                                                     

I purchased a new can of IMR 4064 for this trial.  IMR 4064 was selected because it’s one of the hardest extruded powders to meter.  I’m glad it tends to be consistently dry here in West Texas.  Drastic weather changes would throw in another variable if powder were exposed to high humidity, then to dry air. 

 

Powder was poured from the can into the stock Redding unit and 25 charges were drawn and poured back into the metering unit.  I had hoped drawing & returning 25 charges prior to charging brass would settle the powder in the hopper.   As it turned out this was just half the equation! 

 

Test Results

 

I’m not going to bore you with a lot of charts annotated with the weight of every single draw of powder.  What I will do describe the overall results, what worked, what didn’t and the two aspects of getting better performance from a standard production powder measure.

 

 

Aspect One: Procedure

 

At first I just filled the hopper with powder and drew charges.  Each charge was weighed and recorded on the form.  It was quickly evident that procedure was just as (if not more so) important as equipment! 

 

After filling a hopper with powder, I found tapping on the hopper tended to settle the powder and deliver more consistent charges, and with less variation between the high & low charges.  Additionally, I found drawing & returning 25 charges to the hopper and tapping again, before drawing any charges I intended to keep, also helped consistency.  This worked with all the measures.   

 

I tried “Knocking” the handle at the top or bottom of a stroke while drawing charges.  This oft quoted advice DID NOT seem to make charges more consistent.  Once again, using different brands and designs of measures bore this out.

 

The rhythm a person uses while operating a measure has a major effect on how consistent the unit will meter powder from one charge to the next.  What I’ve found to be the best method is as follows.  Move the handle smoothly to the stop point, where the powder moves from the hopper to the metering chamber.  Hold in that position for a long two count.  Then move the handle smoothly to the other stop point, where the measure charges the cartridge case.  Once again, hold for that long two count.  Even if powder strands have to be cut, try to be as smooth as possible while moving the handle from top to bottom.  Operating a measure too fast leads to inconsistent charge weights.  I proved this to myself with ALL the measures.

Use a case-loading blocks.  Charge one case right after another.  By charging one case after another, a steady rhythm is maintained, and charges tend to be more consistent.  Seat bullets as a separate step.  Check powder levels in cases before seating bullets.  Shine a bright light down each case neck before moving to the seating step.  Any case with too much, too little, or no powder will stand right out.

Aspect Two: Equipment

I purposely chose different brands & styles of measures to see what common threads would show up.  First however, the issue of stands needs to be addressed.  Redding knows what they are talking about.  In every case, a solid cast iron or cast aluminum stand improved performance!   Stamped, sheet steel stands just don’t cut it.  They introduce vibration, which, in very case, hurt consistency.  Buy or make a solid stand.   Someone with access to steel & welding could make a stand from a 6inch by 6inch by ½ inch thick steel base plate with a 2inch thick by 7 inch high piece of pipe filled with lead shot and a ½ inch thick top plate drilled to take the powder measure.  

RCBS Little Dandy: The Little Dandy showed the most improvement from a solid stand and a handle.  Without a handle, IMR 4064 was downright uncomfortable to meter through this measure. Trying to shear through extruded powder about took skin off the web of my hand!   I’m sure someone is thinking, “There’s no known load of 4064 for the Little Dandy.”   True enough, but, there are loads of 4198 listed on the RCBS Little Dandy chart.  4198 is extruded and similar in size to 4064. 

The improved RCBS Little Dandy.  A handle & Lyman cast iron stand really worked.

New handle for RCBS Little Dandy, a pair of 8-32 Allen screws secure it in place.

The handle I made is simple. A ½ inch, cast iron T fitting and a 5-inch piece of threaded pipe from Home Depot cost $1.71.  A Dremel tool with a sanding drum quickly opened up the T fitting to take the knurled end of the rotor.  Then I drilled & tapped the end of the T fitting 8-32, and installed two Allen head screws.                                               

Secured in the 3 lb Lyman cast iron stand, and fitted with the new handle, the measure became so consistent, it was downright boring!   It sheared right through individual powder kernels with a smooth, fluid motion.  Other then the sound of the kernels snapping, there was almost no sensation of shearing.    

The Redding Master # 3 Powder Measure:  Redding measures have the reputation of being the best of today’s standard production measures.  This reputation is well deserved.  However, the addition of a longer, heavier handle improved its performance.  I used a simple piece of ½ X ½ square steel tubing from Home Depot for the handle.  A 3 ft length of tubing is about $4.50.   I got fancy and made a grip from an old screwdriver, but that’s not needed.  I could simply have epoxied a large, straightened out lead wheel weight in the end of the tube.  Then I considered the issue of a baffle.

The rifle metering adjustment is part of the handle; so, the only thing I could do was install a baffle.   The Duo-Measure is plenty accurate “as is”, however, once again, the baffle washer caused the powder to “funnel” in the hopper, and consistency improved.

The Lee Perfect Powder Measure:  Lee’s measure is a diversion in thinking.  It’s mostly plastic.  The stand is thin & held on to the measure body by 2 sheet metal screws.   The measure tended to flex at the plastic joint where it screws on to the stand.  The two holes in the bottom of the base for securing it to the wood block were a tad small for a ¼-20 bolt.  I opened them up with a ¼ inch drill bit.                                                            

The measures handle is part of the rotor assembly, so, it can’t be altered.  I found if one holds both the handle and the other side of the rotor, flexing is held to a minimum.  However, this didn’t make the measure more consistent. Not that the Lee measure is bad.  Quite frankly, it worked better then I thought it would!  The Lee measure has a wiper system inside, so it’s almost impossible to shear powder kernels.  Its operation is extremely smooth!  Then another surprise, powder was funneling in the hopper without the addition of a baffle.  I put a baffle in, not thinking it would make much difference.  It didn’t.  Consistency wasn’t statistically improved. 

In recapping, here’s what worked.

► Dispensing powder requires vibration to be kept to an absolute minimum.  That means a solid bench (Note2).  Powder measures require heavy, cast stands as additional insurance against vibration.  Stamped sheet steel stands don’t cut it.  Additionally, the stand must be secured firmly to the bench or to blocks that can be tightly C clamped to the bench.       

► Fill the hopper with powder, and then tap on the hopper to settle the kernels.  Additionally, draw & return 25 charges to the hopper.  Then tap on the hopper once again before drawing “keeper” charges. 

► Once you have your measure adjusted to give you the required load by adjusting and individually weighing 2 or 3 loads, then measure 10 loads and weigh them all together.  If you want 40.0 grains of powder, and feel you have it adjusted correctly, then the scale should balance right at 400.0 grains.   If it’s off a hair, make a small adjustment, measure 10 loads and again weight them together again.  This works!                            

► Fill brass slowly and deliberately, give the metering chamber time to fill and time to empty into brass.  

► Use a case-loading block.  Fill all the brass at the same time and seat bullets as a second step.

► If possible, make a heavy handle for your measure.  The increased leverage makes for smooth, vibration free operation.

► Install a baffle in the hopper.  It will insure a consistent supply of powder to the metering chamber. 

Adjustable & fixed cavity powder measures are convenient and affordable.  Provided one develops proper operation techniques and carefully considers their bench & equipment, a powder measure is a joy to use.