Keeping Powder in the Press

[motosapiens]

8 minutes ago, wgj3 said:

Stinks when you go longer than anticipated between loading sessions and forget which powder is in the hopper...

 

I leave the bottle of powder on the bench. there is only ever one bottle on the bench. everything else is stored on a shelf across the room.

 

Of course I've only used 1 powder the last 50k rounds or so, so it's pretty easy to keep track.

[Jim Watson]

Right, the powder in the hopper came out of the can behind the press, no others on the bench. 

[IHAVEGAS]

2 hours ago, SilverBolt said:

I label my hopper with the powder and drop weight and verify the drop before starting each session. 

 

+1 

I also write down oal & bullet.

[IHAVEGAS]

1 hour ago, wgj3 said:

Stinks when you go longer than anticipated between loading sessions and forget which powder is in the hopper...

 

On the bright side though that is how 9mm major came about. 

[Shootymacshootface]

Hodgdon Longshot will destroy most plastics if left in contact for more than a few weeks. It either appears to melt some plastics or make them very brittle.

[warpspeed]

< Full disclosure  - I am Dram Worx >

 

Win231 isn't an aggressive powder like Superhandicap or Titegroup. Those powders will clump and destroy the plastic in most measures. That's the reason I made a Pyrex hopper in the first place. The plastic on the Horandy is the worst. Dillon has changed their plastic to stand up to Bullseye & Titegroup but will still yellow over time. 

 

As for the Pyrex, yes it's more than plastic but it will never discolor or hold static like plastic does. 

 

 

[MikeyScuba]

I don't.  The way I see it it the first few throws are going to be light as the powder will settle with the rattle of the press.  If I do have an empty tube I'll fill it up and tap to get the powder to settle just like it would after 10-20 pulls of the handle would.  I use N320

[tdp88]

The biggest reason I see for dumping the hopper is safety.  If you are loading with several different powders on the same press you need to make 100% sure that you do not inadvertently mix powders.  I label my hopper with the powder and drop weight and verify the drop before starting each session. 

I forgot to mention that I only loan 9mm and use the same powder/ bullet/ primer combo. If I were loading several different powders I would think it’s probably smart to fully empty the hopper each time.


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[Gomar83]

On the caliber’s that i load the most I keep the powder in the hopper unless it’s going to be awhile before returning to it. The other thing that I do is write on a pice of paper what cal., powder used, and what charge weight it is set for.

[Aggieddad02]

I believe you are going to find that most of the answers are based on individual preference, that being the case , if I know that I will not have another reloading session for a week or more then I empty the powder back into its original container.  My press and all supplies are located inside my house so they are relatively not exposed to temperature or humidity swings, however, I do live in Louisiana  

[tacomandood]

I’m in a dry desert climate, so I usually leave powder in my hopper for up to a week or more at a time. However, I hardly ever fill it more than half way unless I plan on loading 1000+ rounds that day. Using a Dillon 1050, and haven’t had any issues with inconsistent powder throw... I thought that’s what the baffle is supposed to prevent?

Anyway, the only times I empty the hopper is when I’m only resizing/depriming brass, adjusting the die, or changing powder. Haven’t had any issues with the hopper turning yellow or corroding, but it’s still pretty new, I guess. I figure I’ll get one of those Pyrex glass ones eventually, just haven’t had the need for it yet.

[Harlow]

Only time I occasionally  take the powder out is if I'm changing heads for a different caliber. Even then I prefer to love the powder in the hopper, and take the risk of spilling it, as I've accidentally dumped powder into the wrong jug and ruined a half pound of pistol powder. Never doing that again. 

[Mac_Menamy]

I have never taken powder out of my press. Just run it until its empty and fill it back up. I jus throw a towel over my press when I'm not using it, but other than that nothing special. 

[Midwest3Gunner]

On 11/19/2018 at 11:50 PM, Mac_Menamy said:

I have never taken powder out of my press. Just run it until its empty and fill it back up. I jus throw a towel over my press when I'm not using it, but other than that nothing special. 

I do pretty much the same thing, except I like to fill it once it gets down to about a quarter of the measure.

[anbrumm]

I take the powder out unless I know I am going to be loading again soon. I do not reload on a consistent enough basis to leave the powder in the press.

[124gr9mm]

I have a Hornady lock n lod and I USED to keep powder in it all the time, but eventually the plastic tube discolored and then started bulging.

Whatever the plastic is made of doesn't react too well to Titegroup (or Winchester 231) over extended periods.

 

I flipped the tube to solve the problem and I no longer leave it full for extended periods of time.

I could snap a picture if anyone is interested.

[warpspeed]

On 12/12/2018 at 11:22 AM, 124gr9mm said:

I have a Hornady lock n lod and I USED to keep powder in it all the time, but eventually the plastic tube discolored and then started bulging.

Whatever the plastic is made of doesn't react too well to Titegroup (or Winchester 231) over extended periods.

 

I flipped the tube to solve the problem and I no longer leave it full for extended periods of time.

I could snap a picture if anyone is interested.

 

Does it look like this:

 

 

[tacomandood]

Jesus that one definitely needed to be replaced! Lol

[Shootymacshootface]

Some people still won't believe us.

[Gomar83]

So how long does the powder have to sit in the measurer in order to have that type of reaction with the plastic?

[Shootymacshootface]

1 hour ago, Gomar83 said:

So how long does the powder have to sit in the measurer in order to have that type of reaction with the plastic?

That would take 1-2 weeks with Hodgdon Longshot.

[quiller]

7 hours ago, Shootymacshootface said:

That would take 1-2 weeks with Hodgdon Longshot.

That's some reaction. Already mentioned here but you might want to try a hopper from Dram Worx. Ward is a stand up guy and if all customer service was like him the world would be a better place.

[IHAVEGAS]

On 12/12/2018 at 1:22 PM, 124gr9mm said:

Whatever the plastic is made of doesn't react too well to Titegroup (or Winchester 231) over extended periods.

 

Interesting. 

Wonder why Hornady does not make tubes out of a plastic as non reactive as the plastic used to make the containers we buy & store powder in? 

[Steve RA]

Probably because the powder containers are very difficult to see into !

[Gomar83]

Wow 1-2 weeks for longshot!! I have had Titegroup in my powder  Measure for a month. But I have also been reloading and adding powder the entire time also, and no signs of hopper deformation yet.