Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Throwing charges advice

I'm starting to load .223 in (fair) volume using Benchmark powder. It gets old weighing each charge so I'm looking for some direction in throwing instead of weighing.

What do you use and why?

Thanks,

P

I only throw charges, weighing every tenth or so. Still using my 35 year old RCBS Uniflow thrower with two "knocks" at each end of the throw.

I use a Redding BR-30, and I actuate it with a slow, high torque motion by grasping the arm on the side of the drum as well as the handle that sticks out. I don't tap at either end of the throw.

I use one of those bent metal powder baffles in the hopper.

I've found the "micrometer" style adjustment to be reliable and repeatable. Often I don't use a scale at all. When I get a new lot of powder I generate a calibration equation relating the scale on the dial to the powder at hand. When I want a new charge I plug it into the equation and back out the dial setting.

Benchmark meters extremely well.

Barrel or BR30

But learn the tricks to through consistently

Things like throwing 15 charges and them start loading, keeping the powder column the same height, making sure the tube for the powder is static free, and using the same conservative handle throw method....

Is there really a powder measure that will throw extruded powder as accurately as .1 of a grain?

My Uniflow won't. It will with ball powder

I've found Benchmark to meter quite well through my Uni-Flow. Probably not as well as H335 and other sphericals, but pretty consistent nonetheless. I have the aluminum baffle plate in mine, I think it helps.

Benchmark, H322, N133 and the like meter pretty well in my BR-30, which seems to do a bit better than my Uniflow.

I know you do long range match shooting, so a tenth grain might mean something there. But for an awful lot of applications even a couple of tenths don't amount to much. With my factory stock 40X in 308 I've punched a ten shot, half-moa group using thrown charges of IMR 3031, and those kernels are Lincoln Logs.

My 550b will throw 3031 within .2 grains (I always bump it twice). I was arguing with a friend about how accurate that thing was and he made me prove it with the largest kernel powder we had.

Here's a tip: Don't try to fine tune the setting on a powder measure by weighing one charge at a time. You'll just be chasing your tail.

For the charge weights I typically use, I throw ten charges and weigh them together. Sliding the decimal point over one place then tells me what charge weight I'll associate with that particular dial setting on the measure.

No, because they all throw by volume, and ball powder also meters better by volume.

Yep, that's what I do too. Throwing for the .223 rem is a no brainer. It would be a big waste of time to weight every charge for the .223 rem. My uniflo drops the charges for ball powder pretty consistently too. Good enough for varmint hunting loads:

10 shot group (of course)...

Exactly. I take advantage of the fact that I can use 1/4-grain increments also by using this method.

25.8 grains benchmark, 52 grain sierra gives 3400 out of a 24" tube. I weigh the first 3 then just start throwing. weigh at # 20 then just keep throwing. Then weigh #50 as I load in 50 lots.
Everyone that I weigh is within +- .1 as benchmark meters very well.
I don't use a uni flow for rifle powder, that's just used for pistol. For rifle I use a Hornady with a 1 lb. hopper that I have had for close to 30 years.

I used to do a lot of the above tricks until I started shooting in volume loading for IHMSA and High Power matches on a progressive loader. The only way .1gr is going to make a difference is in Benchrest as far as I could tell. The only powder I still weigh each charge is 4831. Other than that, just throw and go. Just be consistent.
If tapping, bumping and crossing your fingers makes you feel better, feel free.

I use a Redding BR30 and I don't weigh charges after I get it set. I also don't use powder that doesn't meter well. Too many good powders out there to deal with powder that doesn't meter smoothly.

This then add the posts about using a baffle and whatever method you use to throw the charge be consistent.

I use an old Belding&Mull measure, the same one for about 30 years now. It has a floating chamber which alleviates the need for baffles in the reservoir. Like the rest of y'all, I use the scale to set the measure, then just measure away. I honestly can't tell the difference in my hunting loads. The only time I weigh each charge is if I'm doing small batch trials of target/varmint loads when I can weigh 5 or so quicker than diddling with the measure.

For measuring charges for pistols and cat-sneeze loads in small rifles with flake powders, I use this measure, with interchangeable rotors, that I made myself.

Check out a Johnson Quick Measure. http://www.quick-measure.com/index.htm

It doesn't cut stick powder.

I am impressed. Well done.