Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Using the Dippers...

I was wondering, if a change of my "technique" would result in a different mean charge weight.

Technique 1 "The Trickle":

Let the powder flow into the dipper and level off.

Technique 2 "The scoop":

Scoop to th bottom, turn up, raise and level off.

The test:

mass thrown [g]
1 2,95
1 2,91
1 2,95
1 2,94
1 2,93
1 2,93
1 2,96
1 2,99
1 2,93
1 2,97
1 2,9
1 2,91
1 2,94

n= 13
SD= 0,025
Mean= 2,939
Min= 2,9
Max= 2,99

2 3,01
2 3,01
2 2,93
2 2,98
2 2,91
2 2,93
2 2,94
2 2,9
2 2,99
2 2,99
2 3,02
2 2,99
2 2,97

n= 13
SD= 0,041
Mean= 2,967
Min= 2,9
Max= 3,02

So the method 2 of scooping gives a high mean charge mass than method 1 The Trickle.
But is this likely to be by chance or not?

Ttest tried:

p of F-Max--> 0,121262235
Use Equal Variance

Equal Unequal
Variance Variance
Mean diff. -0,027692308 -0,027692308
SE 0,013197035 0,013197035
t-value -2,09837342 -2,09837342
df 24 12
two-tailed p 0,046577672 0,048645165

The result for two tailed p being smaller than 0,05 indicates that the differences detected are most likely (95%) not by chance alone.

Lessons learned -

Lee dipping with the powder used gives 0,05 g +- / ~0,8 gr. +- extreme spread for target charge mass.

The way of dipping has an influence, do not change - as per their instructions.

****

Disclaimer:

This little test assumes no validiy for any other components or results by other "dippers".

I am hamfisted and all you numismatics probably get the charge mass right just by feel...

Wow! I have used Lee Dippers for years and you lost me there..

I'm simple.. pour powder into old plastic yogurt cup..

scope out with appropriate dipper, making sure to have less than the charge I need...

Trickle the rest to charge desired with my RCBS trickler from my Rock Chucker set up..on the old 505 beam scale...

That way gives me pretty darn consistent charges...

No - Seafire, you are way ahead off me. LOL.

The RCBS trickler trick does away with the inconcistencies reported.

If only loading 25 rounds or less, I use a dipper that will give me a charge weight a few grains too low, then trickle the last bit, weighing on a beam scale. If loading more ammo than that, I use a thrower set to be about a grain light, then trickle.

How about method 3, which is like method 2, except you tap the dipper and let it settle, than top it off and level?

Than a test comparing stick powder versus ball powder.

And I need the results by Monday.

Yes, Boss, and Trailboss as discussed?

no need for the donuts.

Yay! Fun with statistics! Somebody was bored...

Way too cerebral and mostly a waste of time. I measure my rifle loads underweight and trickle till the scale pointer zeros. No problem in 40+ years of reloading. Pistol loads the RCBS Little Dandy is your friend, no need for more precision than that. When using a rotor for the first time ALWAYS check the weight of the first few charges to be sure the rotot is throwing the weight the chart says it should.

You say that, as if that was a bad thing. LOL.

Exercise was pretty much just for giggles. Always did want to know, how well I could do using the dippers and how much effect technique was having.

Boredom, however, did have nothing to do with this, you hear, Huntnshoot? Thats what my sock drawers are for.

Hardly a waste of time.

As one that reloads a lot of Colt rounds and some 30-30 using a dipper, I oft wonder about the nature of fliers, and if it was a charge issue, a crimp issue, or loose nut behind the trigger.

Some independent verification of "dipping" is a nice, unwasteful use of time IMO.

Especially it saves me from doing it.

This is what I do, except for the part about the trickler; I have never had the patience to use it. I just dribble in more powder from a small dipper. Sometimes I have to take a little back out of the pan with the dipper, but it still is faster and less annoying than getting that #%$^ trickler "primed" and clearing it out when done. Different stubborn old men have different methods.

On another note, the "let it flow over the dipper" method seems like it requires a rather large quantity of powder for it to work as stated. What happens when (a less-than-well-suppled) person gets down below that amount of powder?

the Lee Dippers are my method of choice for measuring powder charges.

Some powders dip a little more precisely than others. And I wish the set had a couple more dippers on the large end, for the fast .30s...

Dip and trickle, or
Dip, dip and trickle simply works...

For the powders that dip more precisely, I dip and then strike level with a business card...

Does it matter what the business card is for, say, "gun store" versus "massage therapist"?

It depends...

You looking for a happy ending?

An attorneys business card gives lower velocity...

Just checked - no ball powder at hand, sad to say.

As a working hypothesis I should think with ball the effects to be less pronounced, but unable to test just now...