Powder Measure Bar & Insert

[Allgoodhits]

I stumbled onto something while installing the Uniquetek powder measure adjuster that may be useful to some of you. My powder measure was set to drop 3.9 gr of Bullseye, and wanted to go back to that.

Following the Uniquetek directions, I removed the powder bar from the powder measure etc. Before unscrewing the Dillon adjuster and the powder insert, I used a dial caliper to measure from the foreward area of the powder bar to that position that the powder bar insert had been adjusted to. This "cavity" would be the cavity that the powder would drop through. I thought if I measure that cavity, I could repeat that dimension, after installing the Uniquetek adjuster, and save some set up time, when going back to my 3.9 gr of BE. I did not know what the micro reading would be on the Unitquetek, but if I adjusted the dial until the cavity dimension was duplicated to my previous measurement, then that should be darn close, since I would be recreating the size of the cavity for the powder.

Wow! What a find. With some control data, you can have a means of setting a powder to drop predetermined amounts by weight of a certain powder. I checked and rechecked this numerous times and it seems to be pretty darn close. The Uniquetek device is a neat trick and with control data one can certianly repeat previous loads, and predict future loads. I have leaned by accident, that I can do all of that without the Uniquetek device. The downside is of course to get to the powder bar insert, you must remove the powder bar from the powder measure.

Here were my findings. Next time you take your powder bar out, measure the dimension. In fact measure the dimension on more than one powder bar that has a known drop weight of a powder, then start collecting data.

Here is what I found.

With a measurement from the "V" area of the powder bar to the near edge of the powder measure insert of .287 then that (my) measure would drop, 4.5gr of WST, or 3.7gr Clays or 5.1gr of BE. BTW, my Uniquetek would read .130. These numbers do not have to be in sync but they prove consistency later.

By increasing the size of the cavity to .292, an increase of .005 the measure would drop 4.6gr WST, 3.75gr Clays or 5.2gr of BE and the Uniqutek would read .135.

By increasing the size of the cavity to .297 the measure would drop 4.7gr WST, 3.8 gr of Clays or 5.3gr of BE and the Uniquetek would read .140

A powder bar insert measure of .250 would drop 5.1gr W231 and the Uniquetek would read .090

....and my first discovery was the original powder bar insert measure of .280 which dropped 3.9gr of BE with a Uniquetek reading of .120.

This is neat. As now I know that a .005 movement of the powder bar insert will give me a 1/10 grain change in WST & BE and about a half/tenth gr change with Clays.

With some more control data, in a few minutes, I can set my powder measure(even without a Uniquetek adjuster) to drop pretty darn close to what I desire, then return it to a different known setting.

Hope this is useful to you. BTW, I don't know what powder bars or inserts I have. But I have three Dillon Powder measures and the bars and the inserts are all the same.

Martin

[KeithB]

i measured my powder bar before installing the micrometer too. for me the V measurement of .262 was 5.2 of W231 and .117 on the micrometer

[Allgoodhits]

i measured my powder bar before installing the micrometer too. for me the V measurement of .262 was 5.2 of W231 and .117 on the micrometer

Keith,

Do you know what the reading would be for 5.1 W231?

I haven't done any W231 runs, but my best guess would be that mine would read .255 +/- at the "V" and .095 +/- at the micro for 5.2gr W231.

[KeithB]

i measured my powder bar before installing the micrometer too. for me the V measurement of .262 was 5.2 of W231 and .117 on the micrometer

Keith,

Do you know what the reading would be for 5.1 W231?

I haven't done any W231 runs, but my best guess would be that mine would read .255 +/- at the "V" and .095 +/- at the micro for 5.2gr W231.

Every micrometer will be a bit different. Just dial it in with the scales.

[Allgoodhits]

i measured my powder bar before installing the micrometer too. for me the V measurement of .262 was 5.2 of W231 and .117 on the micrometer

Keith,

Do you know what the reading would be for 5.1 W231?

I haven't done any W231 runs, but my best guess would be that mine would read .255 +/- at the "V" and .095 +/- at the micro for 5.2gr W231.

Every micrometer will be a bit different. Just dial it in with the scales.

Understood. I asked the question poorly. Do you happen to know how many thousandths on "your" micro or V measurement cause a change of 1/10 gr with W231? That should be a constant or at least very close, assuming the QC is good on the micro threads. The "readings" may differ but the delta of the readings should be the same.

Thanks.

MJ

[Bronson7]

There's something I'm not understanding here. Why go through all that when you can calibrate the Uniquetek using the supplied spread sheet? Somebody clue me in. What am I missing?

Bronson7

[KeithB]

1 mark on the dail is suspost to be about .02 of a grain of 231 which would make a 1/10 of 231about 4 or 5 marks, my chart says 5 gr for me is .110 on the dial.

don't forget to throw about 5 and dump back in the hopper before weighing on the scales to settle the powder bar. then you need to weigh 5 to 10 charges at each setting to be sure. This takes time, but once you have a chart your set. But you still check on scales each time you set up! once i have weighed a few individually and think i am set, i will do ten in one pan and divide by ten.

[Will Blastem]

There's something I'm not understanding here. Why go through all that when you can calibrate the Uniquetek using the supplied spread sheet? Somebody clue me in. What am I missing?

Bronson7

I'm with you, Bronson7...I just dont' know what all this ruckus is about . I just set mine up like Uniquetek said and dialed it in for my drop weight and wrote the setting in my log...I just don't understand this "new math" and it makes my head hurt

Edited January 22, 2008 by Will Blastem

[Allgoodhits]

1 mark on the dail is suspost to be about .02 of a grain of 231 which would make a 1/10 of 231about 4 or 5 marks, my chart says 5 gr for me is .110 on the dial. .....

Thanks Keith. That was the data I was looking for. You had indicated that on your equipment a dial setting of .117 yields 5.2gr W231 and a setting of .110 yields 5.0gr W231. That's .007 difference for 2/10 gr of W231. Assuming that data is accurate, then changes of approximately .007 will yield 2/10 gr changes of W231. Of course I weigh the charges, this is just to get to the target weight with a given powder much more quickly, then go back to another charge weight of a different powder if I want. ( I have 3 Dillon powder measures, but one seems to be more consistent for some reason. That's the one the Uniquetek went on.)

This information is what makes the Uniquetek useful. If I only wanted to dump one powder at one charge weight then the Dillon screw would be fine for that!

MJ