Off-press powder charging technique?

[Western Living]

I'm going to change from charging cases on the progressive press to using an off-press drum measure and seating the bullets on a single stage or arbor press. What is an efficient workflow for charging cases? I expect to load 100 to 500 in a batch on the single stage. I'm definitely downsizing from the thousands I loaded in progressive sessions, but not so far that I don't want to be efficient.

It's been years since I've used a single stage, but what I did in the past was to put the cases in a loading block. Take one out, hold it up to the measure, turn the handle, and put it back in the block until all the cases were filled. Then I inspected the block and placed bullets. I'd do this again if it turned out to be the best.

I know if I were to weigh charges or trickle them that I could use a pan and dump them into the case in the block with a funnel. I don't intend to trickle charges in large quantities. Most of my ammo is for handguns and carbine. I'll weigh and trickle the few cartridges I use for big game but don't need an efficient technique for those quantities. I use ball powders and just bought a good powder measure.

So even if I didn't weigh charges, I could still use a pan and funnel. I know Lyman makes those combo funnel-pans, the "Powder Pal." I get the impression they don't work too well.

Does anyone charge a block of cases directly with the powder measure without removing the cases? Could I do that with one hand on the block and one hand on the charging handle? I wonder if I could slide the block around on some ball bearings under the measure and use a funnel. Maybe I could use a vinyl tube on the drop tube to make it flexible so I can move it around the block.

I don't have the equipment yet or I would try some of these things myself.

 

[TheOfficeT-Rex]

If you're not weighing individual charges, why are you moving away from the progressive press? What are you trying to gain? It might help steer the answers you get.

Get a good funnel. If you don't want to weight each charge, just throw straight into the funnel. I wouldn't pick up the whole tray- because 1) spillage and b. you still have to move the funnel each round.

 

[memilanuk]

What progressive press are you using?

If you're not weighing individual charges, why are you moving away from the progressive press? What are you trying to gain?

^ also this.

There are ways to run 'better' drum-style powder measures directly on the press, even have them operate automagically as part of the press stroke.

 

[Old Dude]

My RCBS doesn’t throw precisely enough for me to trust it. At least using H1000. I set it light and check every single round then trickle up to spec.

 

[Western Living]

I'm mostly loading handgun cartridges, so not weighing each or trickling those. Ball powder and a powder measure is adaquate. I expect to get within 0.1 grain with ball powders. I do weigh and trickle rifle cartridges but not looking to load enough of those that efficiency makes a difference.

Why am I switching off the progressive for handgun then? Several factors. One is that the case actuated powder measure jacks up the case mouth. There's just no way that ramming a case mouth into that thing isn't going to jack it up. The more I work on having nice case mouths for both handgun and rifle, the less I want to do that. I know I could use a powder measure with a handle on the progressive press, but there are other factors. The Lee progressive I have doesn't resize well except in die station #1. The case feeder is easily the best feature of the progressive (check out the Lee APP press as an example of a single-stage with a case feeder -- very quick if you can deal with Lee contraptions). But I'm sick and tired of dealing with the Lee. I've loaded over 20,000 rounds on it and it works a hell of a lot faster than hand-feeding, but it takes a lot of fiddling. Another factor is my Lee progressive won't load magnum rifle cartridges which I want to start doing. The final factor is I'm loading less. Shortage isn't a factor because I'm stocked up, but quarantine is -- I'm not traveling or doing any classes. I'm just hunting and doing a little practice. I don't need 1000+ rounds a month and I'd rather have better quality ammo that comes from meticulous attention to the case neck and neck tension, consistent sizing of the body and shoulder, and from consistent powder charges. It consider it essential for precision rifle and hunting. Carbine classes? Maybe not. Random fodder is fine for handgun classes too, but I like to shoot revolver longer ranges and handgun hunt.

So I got a Harrell pistol measure. Claims 0.03 grains per click. I'm just thinking how would I load 5 blocks of 50. When I did it in the past I didn't use a funnel. I just put the case mouth up to the powder drop tube.

 

[memilanuk]

I've seen some options in the past for some sort of mounting 'arm', so that there would be more room under the measure to be able to get a tray to fit.

Usually those were for something like an RCBS or Redding powder measure... but if the Harrell measure you have is anything like the one I have (Custom 90), in that it simply clamps to any lip or ledge of appropriate thickness... it shouldn't be too hard to either mount it to the edge of a shelf, or fabricate a little stand with a cantilevered section that sticks out, and where the base can be clamped to the bench top.

 

[AManWearingAHat]

1. Those lyman combo pan / funnel units are junk. The plastic they're made from generates a lot of static and makes the powder stick and messes with the scale.

2. I use a progressive press to load all my handgun ammunition but I also throw powder off of the press. Here is a brief description of how it works for me. I use a RL-550C for reference.

After the pull of the handle, the primed case in the flaring station is manually removed (I do not use the provided Dillion powder measure / linkage system). I throw a metered powder charge with my Redding 10x (best handgun powder measure money can buy IMO), visually confirm and then place a bullet on top. With my other hand I grab a fresh case for the resizing/priming station. I place the now charged and flared case with a bullet in it back in its position, advance the platform one position, and place the fresh case for resizing. My 10x is mounted in a convenient location near the press such that I have an efficient economy of motion for my process and I have a couple lights mounted to make visually inspecting every charged case very easy.

I also do this for my bulk 5.56 loads when primers are available with the exception that I will have already resized the whole batch on my single stage prior to wet tumbling and trimming. I set my 10-x to throw half the powder charge and just drop two charges. With a nicely metering ball powder like H335 it is dead on every time.

Hope this helps.