I am having trouble with consistant weight charges with my Dillon 650. I am dispensing W231 and trying to achieve 5.5g. Every once in a while It will weigh 5.4, sometimes it will hit 5.6g. I faithfully check every 10 rounds, and gently tap the shellcase to get all the powder out. I'm kind of nervous about moving up to 5.6g. Also do you dump the powder back into the shellcase and reinstall in the shellplate and continue, or do you dump?
Question about charge bar metering on Dillon 650
- Thread starter sar4937
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OP
I am having trouble with consistant weight charges with my Dillon 650. I am dispensing W231 and trying to achieve 5.5g. Every once in a while It will weigh 5.4, sometimes it will hit 5.6g. I faithfully check every 10 rounds, and gently tap the shellcase to get all the powder out. I'm kind of nervous about moving up to 5.6g. Also do you dump the powder back into the shellcase and reinstall in the shellplate and continue, or do you dump?
Skip Sackett
US Veteran
You are being too, um..... strict on your tolerances. The best you can hope for with "metering" on any powder is +/- .1gr.
Remember, you are not "weighing" each charge. You are loading by "volume". If you get three heavy pieces in one throw and three light ones in the next, you are going to see quite a swing.
It isn't that big of a deal UNLESS you are at maximum AND you are trying to get one inch groups at 100 yards with your 1911.
If both of those apply, please weigh each charge and let us know how you do!
Remember, you are not "weighing" each charge. You are loading by "volume". If you get three heavy pieces in one throw and three light ones in the next, you are going to see quite a swing.
It isn't that big of a deal UNLESS you are at maximum AND you are trying to get one inch groups at 100 yards with your 1911.
If both of those apply, please weigh each charge and let us know how you do!
Wheelgunner840
Member
Howdy.
With W-231, what you are experiencing is quite normal. The simple act of pulling the handle on the press slightly differently than you did for the round prior can make a 5.5gr. go to a 5.4, or 5.6. It is not enough of a difference for you to worry about. You can drive yourself crazy making adjustments.
You will find that smooth, consistant pulls on the handle will result in 98% of those rds. weighing exactly the same. Powder also settles. If I stop to replenish the primers, I will alsmost always have the next rd. come out .1 grn. high. Another variable, is the level of powder in the reservoir. As the powdr level drops, so does the downward pressure. I always lose .1 - .2 grns. of weight when the reservoir starts getting low. Always keep it about half full (or half empty!
)
Lastly, you may have some air circulating in your reloading room that causes your digital scale to move up or down. As I said, a gain or reduction of .1gr. isn't even going to be noticeable to you at the range. What caliber are you loading with a 5.6 grain charge? It's a little hot for a .45 ACP. if you are using a 230 gr. bullet.
To answer your question, I just pour the powder back into the case and continue. If I had a larger variation in the powder weight (+or- .2) I may pour it back into the reservoir and weigh the next 5 or so powder charges.
WG840
With W-231, what you are experiencing is quite normal. The simple act of pulling the handle on the press slightly differently than you did for the round prior can make a 5.5gr. go to a 5.4, or 5.6. It is not enough of a difference for you to worry about. You can drive yourself crazy making adjustments.
You will find that smooth, consistant pulls on the handle will result in 98% of those rds. weighing exactly the same. Powder also settles. If I stop to replenish the primers, I will alsmost always have the next rd. come out .1 grn. high. Another variable, is the level of powder in the reservoir. As the powdr level drops, so does the downward pressure. I always lose .1 - .2 grns. of weight when the reservoir starts getting low. Always keep it about half full (or half empty!
Lastly, you may have some air circulating in your reloading room that causes your digital scale to move up or down. As I said, a gain or reduction of .1gr. isn't even going to be noticeable to you at the range. What caliber are you loading with a 5.6 grain charge? It's a little hot for a .45 ACP. if you are using a 230 gr. bullet.
To answer your question, I just pour the powder back into the case and continue. If I had a larger variation in the powder weight (+or- .2) I may pour it back into the reservoir and weigh the next 5 or so powder charges.
WG840
OP
My Hornaday manual shows 45acp FMJ RN @ 5.7g w231 maximum charge 800 fps. I started at the bottom with 5.3g and made my first jump to 5.5 because I was worried about making the power threshold with the temp in the teens. So if I was loading for Bullseye matches I would weigh each and every charge seperately, and weigh each bullet to match everything. I am shooting IDPA/USPSA and can tolerate more inconsistancies for the ease of mass production.
Don't forget that OAL is part of equation.
Hornady's 230 gr FMJ recipes are for an AOL of 1.23"
My OAL is 1.26", and according to Speer #14 (who also uses an AOL of 1.26), 5.7 gr 231 is a START load, their max is 6.2 gr. Even at 1.26, those loads still seem warm to me though...
I'm experimenting with 5.6 gr 231 @ 1.26 for my hardball bullseye load.
For some reason, I'm having a hard time finding a hardball load that I like.
Hornady's 230 gr FMJ recipes are for an AOL of 1.23"
My OAL is 1.26", and according to Speer #14 (who also uses an AOL of 1.26), 5.7 gr 231 is a START load, their max is 6.2 gr. Even at 1.26, those loads still seem warm to me though...
I'm experimenting with 5.6 gr 231 @ 1.26 for my hardball bullseye load.
For some reason, I'm having a hard time finding a hardball load that I like.
OP
I started with an overall length that I knew cycled through my gun without problems. By feel only, after thousands of factory loads, 5.5 feels close to what I'm used to. No science to that. I had to start somewhere, and the Hornaday manual is what I chose because the gunclub I belong to gets a discount on quantities. Initially I was lokking to download to the minimum, and work up from there. I was more concerned that I was not metering accurately enough to deliver consistant loads.
Sgt Preston
Member
Sgt Preston here. Wheelgunner offered excellent observations & advice. I try to keep my resevoir between 3/8 & 3/4 full. I also tap on the side of the "glass" a few times with a hammer handle after I add powder to "settle it down". I also put the powder back in the brass & put the brass back on the carousel. I too load with Win 231, but on a 550 & find that 85% of my loads are within + or - a 1/2 of a tenth. I try to check the weight about every 10th round. Hope this helps. Sgt Preston USMC LLA
