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04-04-2009, 03:12 PM
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What kind of metering accuracy are you getting with clays powder on your Dillion 550 powder drop? I seem to have trouble staying consistant on the charge wieght.
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04-04-2009, 03:12 PM
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What kind of metering accuracy are you getting with clays powder on your Dillion 550 powder drop? I seem to have trouble staying consistant on the charge wieght.
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04-04-2009, 03:46 PM
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With Universal Clays I find it quite accurate once the measure settles down.
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04-04-2009, 03:56 PM
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Here's a little secret. Go to Walmart and buy the cheapest aquarium aireator they have, I paid around $6.00, and tape it onto the side of the dillon powder measure hopper. The vibration will really help level off your charges. I run my Dillon 650 this way all the time. I load American Select and this works great.
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Big Fred
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04-04-2009, 04:14 PM
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Fred that makes sense to me. I was wondering if the problem could be the larger flakes could not be packing into the powder bar consistantly. I am used to much finer flakes of Titegroup. I also have some American Select in the collection. What are you loading with American? Here again is an ideal that makes this site great!
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04-04-2009, 05:02 PM
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Had the same problem.
Switched to Bullseye. Problem gone.
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04-04-2009, 06:09 PM
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I usually stick with Titegroup, I guess you stick with what you know for the 8 pounders, so I got to make it work until its gone.
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04-04-2009, 07:18 PM
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Magnum12pm, I load 3.2 gr. of American Select in .38 special with a 125 gr. Penn TC. I'm a cowboy shooter and between me and my son we go through a lot of 38's in a year. I used to load Clays but found I like A.S. better. Seems less smokey and cleaner than Clays. I've run the aireator with Clays and A.S. It really helps. You may still get a variation of +or- a tenth.
You won't need the aireator with Titegroup or any other similar grained powder. I also have about 6 lbs. of Titegroup left to use up. I am presently loading 5 gr. of it in .357 with a Penn 158 gr. TC for around 900 to 1000 fps, depending on barrel length. It is my .357 plinking load. It shoots nice but is not as clean as A.S.
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04-04-2009, 07:38 PM
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I reload with Clays on a 550 and a 650 all the time with excellent results. The body of the Dillon measure is just an aluminum casting – it’s none too smooth. Fire up your Dremel with a felt polishing tip and apply a good helping of Flitz or a similar metal polish. Disassemble the measure and polish everything to a mirror shine – including the charge bar. Also, keep the measure at least 1/3 full. The aerator sounds like a neat idea, but I haven’t needed it to get consistent charges with Clays – or any other powder.
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04-04-2009, 07:49 PM
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I load .45ACP, 38's and 9mm on a 550 using Clays almost exclusively now. This is regular Clays, not Universal oe International. No problems with charge weight at all. Meters very consistantly, +/- less than 1/10 grain. Clean, accurate, and soft recoiling. BTW, the 550 powder measure is bone stock, and not been cleaned in at least 10,000 loads.
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04-04-2009, 07:59 PM
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Quote:
I load .45ACP, 38's and 9mm on a 550 using Clays almost exclusively now. This is regular Clays, not Universal oe International. No problems with charge weight at all. Meters very consistantly, +/- less than 1/10 grain. Clean, accurate, and soft recoiling. BTW, the 550 powder measure is bone stock, and not been cleaned in at least 10,000 loads.
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I'm loading .40 S&W, 45 ACP and 44 Specical with regular Clays on both a 650 and a 550. everything is "Bone Stock" and I am also staying with +/- 1/10 of a grain
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Semper FI
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04-04-2009, 10:44 PM
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I'm loading 3.5 of Clays with a Dillon. A light charge by any "measure". Weights hold to +/- 0.1 grain. Never had any problem. I tap the reservoir and throw 10 loads before checking weight. Doing those things seems to settle the system down.
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04-05-2009, 12:26 PM
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I have worked on this problem and now believe it is not the Dillion 550 at all, which has been flawless for me as far as metering. I have concluded that it is the powder scales failing to maintain its calibration, floats all over on the same charge in the pan. It will vary 3/10, plus or minus from the actual charge. I know someone will ask (Pack BBK Scale).
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04-05-2009, 01:24 PM
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I'm going to weigh in here but only because of two things. One being Clays powder and the other a digital scale.
#1, I will never use Clays again in an auto round, that's right, I said NEVER. Surely not in the 40S&W! The pressure curve is super steep and a .3gr difference is enough to put powder in the stratosphere. In some firearms, like my old Browning High Power, it proved to be too much and caused a KB. Revolver cases, sure.
#2, Having a digital scale as your final check is problematic in my mind. I have never had my beam scales get out of calibration. I do have digital ones but only for intermittent checks and simplicity. Load development and for those rare occasions where I am pushing the envelope, I use my beam scale.
FWIW
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