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jmac2112

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    John McMahon

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  1. Thanks, Miranda, I'll try that! I ran across a similar idea recently, which is to take a strip of dryer sheet and put it under the lid so that it dangles down into the powder. Your idea seems better in that it actually provides a pathway to ground now that I've got the metal part of the powder measure grounded. I have several of these Lee powder measures that I used about five years ago when I first started reloading. I really started to focus on the possibility of static electricity a couple of days ago when I noticed that one of them still had powder clinging to the inside of the "neck" of the powder measure. I also ran across the fact that rubbing nylon against other materials (or against itself) is a great way to create static electricity. Guess what those Lee drums are made out of.... That could explain why I have never noticed this problem with my Dillon powder measure.
  2. Miranda: The adjuster is not hitting anything. I grounded the metal part of the powder measure last night (by running a wire to the part of an outlet that is grounded with the green screw), and that seems to have made a difference. I say "seems" because the weather here has also recently gone from very cold and dry to warmer and more humid. Whatever the reason is, I am now able to operate the powder measure more quickly without getting a light charge. If I go nuts with it I can still get 2-3 tenths less than I want, but it's giving me the right charge as long as I go at a moderate pace. Thanks for all the suggestions, and I will provide an update as things progress!
  3. Thanks for all of the ideas! I'll apply your suggestions and see what happens.
  4. Thanks for the replies! I should have specified, however, that what really matters is how fast the powder measure is activated, NOT how much time I allow for the powder to drop once it is fully activated. In other words, if the drum begins its clockwise motion too quickly, that's what causes a light charge. To me, that doesn't seem to make sense, because the cavity in the drum has had plenty of time to fill. The only thing I can imagine is that centrifugal force could be flinging the powder upward into the hopper, but that seems pretty far-fetched. None of this would matter if it weren't for the fact that I have to actuate the drum REALLY, REALLY slowly in order to get the full charge. "Gingerly" might be the best word for it. Bizarre.
  5. Having trouble with a Lee Auto Drum powder measure. Essentially, the amount of powder I get depends on the speed with which I work the handle. This is on a Dillon XL 650, which I usually use with the Dillon powder measure; I'm just experimenting with a Lee Auto Drum that I happen to have lying around. Anyway, the charge is spot on if I go very slow, but the more I speed up, the less powder I get. For instance, I'm currently aiming for 4.1 grains of Sport Pistol, but I will get as little as 3.9 if I run the press fast. The hopper is half full; I haven't tried adding more powder. Is this just the nature of the beast? Or could it be static electricity? I'm thinking of grounding my press, even though there doesn't seem to be any extreme amount of static. Any help appreciated! Thanks, John
  6. Sounds good. I just thought there might be a different setup for the Photo Escape funnel, but I guess it's the same basic idea.
  7. There were no instructions with my Photo Escape die. Do you set yours up according to the MBF instructions?
  8. I do have the MBF expander, and it does what I need most of the time, BUT.... Sometimes I shoot 147 grain coated bullets, and it's nice to have an expander that reaches deeper. Keeps the base of the bullets from getting swaged down, especially with certain headstamps. Funny you should mention the Photo Escape expander, since mine just arrived in the mail today! I've just started experimenting with it, and it seems to work fine. I don't really understand the rationale behind making the 2nd stage so much longer than the first, though. You really don't need that much of a pocket to keep the bullet straight, and it lessens the amount of brass that grabs the bullet. Not necessarily a problem, though, unless I'm using Blazer brass. I swear that stuff is a special alloy of brass and butter.... Good for solving my problem with swaging, though!
  9. Just to follow up on this months later (in case anyone is interested).... I tried the RMR 124 gr Matchwinners and the Precision Delta 124 gr JHP (V1). They are both great bullets, but I got slightly better accuracy with the PD (1.6" vs. 2" groups at 25 yards, benched). I shot a bunch of groups with each type over several range sessions and then averaged the group sizes, so I'm pretty confident in the results. Having said that, I would not hesitate to shoot the RMRs in a match! I continue to get crap accuracy with Blue Bullets 125 TC (about 4" at 25 yards, benched). Not blaming the bullets since I'm sure I need to work on my reloading technique. I just bought a new powder-through expander die made by Photo Escape that looks like it might help: Photo Escape - 9mm – HTC Powder Transfer Unit (photoescapeinc.com) It's like a Lyman M die except that stage 2 is longer than stage 1. I'm not sure I follow the logic there, but it gets good reviews.
  10. I recently learned that NOE is (again) producing powder through expander dies: Powder Through Expanders | NOE Bullet Moulds (noebulletmolds.com) They are meant to be used with the Lee Short Charging Die. I've done my time with Lee Auto Drum powder measures, and I have no desire to go back to them. Has anyone experimented with using these expanders with the Dillon powder measure? Is there any way that doesn't involve duct tape/baling wire/epoxy/etc.? Or if anyone is really a fan of Lee products, I'm open to persuasion. I still have several of those Auto Drum powder measures. I could occasionally get them to work without spilling powder, but maybe Lee has come up with something better in the last five years. Thanks! John
  11. OK, thanks! I do have a bunch of Blue Bullets 125 TC in both .355 and .356, so that's where I'll start. I used to shoot a Shadow 2, and that was my go-to bullet for that gun.
  12. I've pulled bullets and am definitely not damaging the coating or swaging the bullets down. I use the Dillon crimp die. I own a Lee FDC but haven't seen any use for it, plus I was afraid it would squeeze the bullets (perhaps a misguided fear). Are you recommending the FDC, or recommending that I stay away from it? Feel free to PM me if you think this will start a war! I'm ashamed to admit I've never recorded the SD when I chrono. I record the average PF and the low PF (using the lowest velocity out of a ten shot string). There is always at least 1 PF difference in those numbers, usually two, so there is room for improvement. I would expect the difference to result in vertical stringing, but with my latest testing I was surprised at how the shots were all over the place.
  13. Yes, I was surprised that they weren't more expensive! Always available is a nice feature as well.
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