Reloading Powder Scales & Measures ~ Put your money away!

Are you wondering about shelling out for digital and automated powder measuring systems that suggest greater speed, accuracy, and efficiency? See why they really are much slower, far less accurate, and much less efficient than the reasonably priced, scales and measuring products these same companies have been selling for over 100 years. See how to accurize your powder measure. Discover that powder charge variations are far more accurate than you thought!

[@gizmocarr3093]

I really enjoy your down to earth approach to firearms, shooting and hunting. I visited New Hampshire and Maine and stood on top of Mount Washington. I was greatly impressed of the hidden beauty of your small state. There is no place quite like it anywhere. I spent four years attending night classes at The Pennsylvania Gunsmith School in the early eighties. Before that, I spent four years as an 0311 Marine and my last year on the rifle and pistol ranges. Pennsylvania deer hunting rules have made high magnification optics popular because some areas of the state require antler deer to have at least four points on one horn to be taken legally. This changes the idea of shooting running deer to zero in most hunting situations. It reduces wounding game and wild rapid shooting. The first day of deer season stopped sounding like World War Three. Once you learn to use high magnification variable scopes, they are quite easy to use. Metallic silhouette shooters use high magnification fixed power scopes shooting offhand with great success. There are always exceptions to the rules. No wood stock rifle I own has one drop of plastic bedding. True custom-made rifles shoot accurately without the need for it. No rifle made in The Pennsylvania Gunsmith School was permitted to have any and pass as a finished rifle project. I did make two rifles as extra credit using Sako actions and Brown Precision fiberglass raw stock blanks. They were the first two ever made by a student of the school. They all thought this would never catch on at the time. Boy, they missed that by a country mile. You can bed any rifle without using plastic if you know how. It only takes a little extra time to properly bed even a factory-stocked rifle 95% of the time. Composite molded stocks and carbon fiber or fiberglass stocks are two very different stock materials. Composite molded stocks are heavy and kick like a mule. Fiberglass stocks are light and absorb recoil better than any stock material known and that’s a fact. I grew up when the 35 Remington and the 300 Savage 99 ruled the deer woods. No one trusted scopes much because they fogged up. I hunted groundhogs with one old geezer that had a beautiful stocked 30/40 Crag action. He necked it down to 224 and let me tell you he laid low every groundhog he dropped the hammer on. I never saw him miss. He had an old K-8 Weaver and screwed on a new barrel on that thing at least three times I know of. He belonged to a groundhog-hunting club and all the groundhogs were kept and consumed at the awards banquette. They made burgers, meatloaf, chili, and fried groundhog. It was all mighty tasty. He seldom ever missed getting an award. That was long ago in Lancaster Pennsylvania. You need to come south and watch what goes on at this place at least once. The Original Pennsylvania 1000 Yard Benchrest Club, Inc. The Birthplace of Long Range Shooting God Bless…

[@DOUGLASLASH-xy4ct]

THIS MADE ME SMILE! MOST...OF MY RELOADING EQUIPMENT IS... ANTIQUE ALSO... I DID PURCHASE ONE OF THE NEWER DIGITAL POWDER DISPENSER / SCALES ... BUT I USE MY BALANCE BEAM SCALE TO VERIFY THE CHARGE IT THROWS! THANK YOU SIR!

[@bray1952mj]

Thank you for the information. You make it easy for a relatively new reloader to learn. I started reloading in my early 60's and I'm 67 now. Who says that you can't teach old dogs new tricks.

[@gtwhizz]

This was a great tutorial. I have been having problems loading Cowboy loads in 357 brass. Your tutorials gave me insight into a bunch of problems. Thanks for your help. It is a rare kindness.

[@JefferyAshmore]

Use lee dippers much easier, no fail.

[@joelblackburn7177]

You sir are a breath of fresh air. Amongst all the digital gadgets and toys they sell now I'm glad to see someone show how the basics still works. Thanks for the great video.

[@bassman-mv2ry]

I have new found respect for the speed and accuracy of my rcbs powder measure, scale and powder trickler. Very impressed after cleaning and using your tip to set powder charge with adjustment of the plunger depth again the back wall of the housing, what a time saver! Anxiously awaiting your new 30/06 rifle reveal video, God Bless

[@markr6754]

Always something new to learn. I love the idea of halving the charge and double charging the case. I’m going to implement that for my .300 Blackout loads.

[@tommoss2005]

Just be sure to pay attention and make sure you double throw. An accidental half charge could be very dangerous.

[@johnbesharian9965]

@@tommoss2005, Absolutely, "Boom!" and/or "Oops" are not our favorite word or sound.

[@MFitz717]

When I reload rifle, I always charge into a pan and then trickle. It takes time but I think it makes a difference. Thank you for providing your videos with so much education and experience. I’ve only been reloading about 2 years but I’ve gotten more and more into it. Trying different powders and bullets/weights for shooting

[@GunBlue490]

I encourage you to try just charging without trickling to see what happens. I think you will be pleasantly surprised and it will give you perspective on things. Unless you're shooting at ranges beyond 600 yards, and you have very difficult powders, there's little advantage.

[@kenrobba5831]

One has to “enjoy” the detail - and develops observations and insight to get consistency. The gun shoots way better than me and the quality of the components ( cases, powder, primers and BULLETS ) helps for great down range result ! Once happened to weight LEAD PROJECTILES (i.e. WADE CUTTERS ) 148grn, an old standard target bullet ! Took a while for the light to illuminate in the skull - a range betwixt 144 to 152 grains !!! turned out .000s of an inch in length - SO, set a light one, a dead on one and a heavy one on the bench and you can sort QUICKLY by comparison and the down range result was sure worth the little effort.

[@derweibhai]

Been loading over 25 years. That trick to initially set your measure is awesome. Will add that to my process. Thanks!

[@JamesS.254]

Thank you for your time and experience, I've always liked doing things by hand as much as possible including loading my own ammo. There's always been something in the back of my mind when it comes to relying on electronics and batteries.

[@jan-reiniervoute6701]

Exactly my experience since the early 80's with the same kit. Just added the micro adjuster to make MY reading of the scale easier. Well presented and all the information to settle doubts or start a beginner. 👍

[@tommoss2005]

Love this guy's no nonsense approach. Blows all the BS surrounding reloading and shooting away. Clear, concise and right on point.

[@josecanisales3491]

I also use a redding powder measure-thrower bought around 1970. Still works great.

[@skidoc03]

Fantastic! I'm new to reloading and this kind of information is invaluable. Math doesn't lie and you can't beat experience! I'll be rethinking my shopping list. Thank you.

[@minutemanqvs]

One thing to note is that a 0.1 grain difference in a 223 load has more effect than a 0.1 grain difference in a 300 Win Mag, so load big cartridges :p

[@cbroz7492]

I bought one back in 1972 also via the RCBS Ammo Crafter Kit..also the micrometer adjustable balance beam scale...while I was in the Army in Germany thru the post Rod and Gun club..still have both despite nany moves beginning in 1979 from NJ to FL

[@flyingbeaver57]

Thank you for this superb lesson in the basics of using these tools. When I began reloading, I had very little money to spare for fancy equipment. So, I attended estate auctions, and acquired some very high quality equipment that was not "newest of the new" but that was superbly accurate, repeatable and reliable. And I've never had occasion to regret the fact that circumstances led me down that road. Reloading is something that is (or can be) fun and relaxing, in and of itself. Having good tools make that experience much more enjoyable, even if they are not computer -driven!

[@gunwrites6222]

My maxim... IF IT HAS TITS, TIRES, OR CHIPS, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TROUBLES WITH IT!!

[@johnbesharian9965]

@@gunwrites6222, Especially if the Chippy's "Poppa Was A Rolling Stone".

[@GaryRocke]

This was a great video! Re-affirmed everything I knew and believed. I was given a brand new RCBS Charge Master several years ago and I have used it to load hunting rounds. I love it and its very accurate and as you point out 1-3/10 of a grain doesn't have a significant impact especially on large rifle cases.

[@MrCervuselaphus]

He just rumbles along with the confidence that practice faith and his years have created. I picked yup a couple of things to be done next time i get the powder thing out. Thankyou

[@pepperoni-prepper]

i recently found out my powder measurements were varying up to +/- 0.1 grains. I did wonder how much of an issue that was, and thanks to you i now know it does matter for F class when my rifle shoots 0.35moa, and my vertical spread is anywhere up to 0.2moa out to 1000m. X ring is half moa, so combined, im likely losing valuable X scores. your video also showed me that my hunting loads are way over engineered and i can easily spend 1/10th of the time reloading those in future. Thank you very much :)

[@poot111111]

Thank you for your videos, just loaded up .223 for the first time with help from your advice. I have loaded tens of thousands of pistol rounds but rifle was a bit intimidating. Also, thank you very much for cutting the fluff, the reloading industry likes to scare you into spending the most money possible.

[@jordangreen6768]

I love your content. Clean and concise instructions backed behind real experience and not sponsorship!!! You are a gift to the reloading and firearm communities! I share your content everywhere I go. Please give us your opinion on precision rifles and reloading. Such as the custom actions, blueprinting/truing action, $3-5k optics, $300 bi pod...etc. I'd love to hear your insight on this market!

[@olskool3967]

you do realize blueprinting is nothing more than a drawing don't you? if you are a military sniper you may need a $3-5k piece of glass. but other than that keep your money. the only reason to spend a ton of cash on a custom action is if you are in competition. other than that it is not necessary, even then it is not a necessity,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[@wraith67]

I've got that same powder dispenser, I ended up buying the large micrometer add on, which I think improved the consistency with pistol powders. I have the high speed and expensive trickler/scale, I'm only using it for rifle now - the last .5 grains takes an additional 30 seconds or so, which slows things down quite a bit, especially when doing a hundred+ at a time.

[@normanmfakierjr2387]

My mentor, ex-Marine, taught me to weigh the case, throw the powder, weigh the powder loaded case. After 25-30 cases you have a spread sheet with the variations and the process really moves along well. This is with a digital scale that is re-calibrated every 50-100 cases.

[@tripplebeards3427]

My darn rcbs powder dropper is so inconsistent! It drops a good 3 plus grain variance no matter what powder I used. Thank god modern technology and electronic powder stoppers came to market. I’ve had zero problems with inconsistency. with my electronics, I even test them on my beam scale to make sure they’re throwing the correct charges. The charge master lite is a gift from god!

[@George1mac]

I use the Lee dipper method which is usually just under the needed charge....can then either tap a few grains in or use the trickle like you have. Saying that, I do have a drum charger from the 1980's that I just never used...why, it seemed like a hassle to me to set it up....after watching this, I am going to give it a try. For pistol, I have the Lee turret press with the powder measure which has been good at measuring within a tenth....thanks for a great explanation!!!

[@fredheimer]

Brought to the point by an old hand , very good explanations of how to adjust the powder filler. Could you also tell me how to find out whether I have an RCBS filler with the small drum or the large one? Diameter of large vs. small drum? I'm a reloading beginner and your tips are very helpful!

[@MrRichinil]

Hi . I just found your channel . I too like the manual powder measure and balance scale . I agree 100% with you . You did show me a few tricks that I never knew . Thank you a bunch . You have a new subscriber !

[@paoemantega8793]

Fascinating video thank you, and Great to hear Benny is doing well :)

[@gvet47]

When I purchased my RCBS powder measure in early 70's it came with both size rotors. Never used the large. Started first with the measure spoons. And still like my little Bonanza Bullseye powder measure. I just turned a few more rotors as they are not made. Check the all with a similar balance beam scale.

[@briankerr4512]

I use a Rock Chucker 2 looks like the same powder measure. I don't charge all my cases first. I charge then seat the bullet one at a time.

[@thomasjefferson1457]

I've used RCBS uniflows for over 50 years and I love them too.

[@richardbriscoe8563]

Adding a baffle to the powder column greatly increases the consistency of the measure.

[@snowgorilla9789]

Great video have both types but my go to is always my beam scale because you can't cheat gravity and you can trust what you see/read

[@albertcrabtree875]

So glad I found your channel. I just turned 70 and decided to get back into shooting. In the past I shot with a local gun club in RI. It was called the Ocean State Pistol League 22 in the winter 45 in the summer. When we moved to FL eight years ago I had sold most of my firearms. But now I decided to get back into shooting. I purchased a Savage .308 model 10 FPS, a M&p 9mm shield, and a Kimber Gold Match 1911. I use a Dillon 550B for the pistols and I’m thinking of getting an old RCBS Rock Chucker for the 308. Do you think I could use the Dillon for the 308 ? It’s a simple matter to change from pistol to rifle cartridges but I was concerned, perhaps unnecessarily, with it’s ability to to load rifle cartridges accurately as well. Thanks Al ,

[@GunBlue490]

The Dillon will certainly load good ammo of any sort. Ammo accuracy depends on consistency, which is a matter of doing everything the same way, not the machine that does it. Progressive machines simply combine operations.

[@Stevesmith-yw7cr]

I reload my .223's with a Dillon 450. After throwing the powder with the auto powder drop, I dump the powder on a My Weigh 250...accurate to 1/100th of a grain. If it is correct, back into the case the powder goes. I use the Dillon as a rotating single stage. Yeah, beam scales are nice....but the digital My Weight 250 is faster and I can still powder trickle if I have to. The Dillon powder drop assembly is one of the more accurate powder drops....but it also cuts extruded powder. Your method is excellent as it was what I did back in the 80's. The new higher end digital scales are far better than they were previously. It comes down to what each person prefers.

[@CaveBear1031]

I absolutely have no idea why I ask other people "ammo/gun" questions. When all I have to do is watch one of Gunblue490s videos. This video cleared a lot of things up that were confusing me about reloading. ( I'm such a noob that I haven't bought any reloading equipment , let alone used any ). Now I know just what to buy , and how to use it. Slow and easy suits me just fine . Thanks for a great and informative video. If all my Teachers in School taught class like you present a video , I'd be a Rocket Scientist right now !!

[@TheShawna1]

i have almost the exact setup as you only difference is the balance beam scale mine is a RCBS.I Never thought to get the small drum for the dispenser will be getting one soon. I always trickled mine up but will try the other drum and see what i can accomplish.jim

[@TheJuls630]

Indispensable knowledge. Thanks for sharing this information.

[@eaterofpoptarts]

Please keep making videos, you are a wealth of information!

[@michaelenochs4033]

I want to get a balance beam soon. Before I got into reloading, I had a little digital scale already. I bought a Frankford Arsenal digital scale anyways because digital doesn't give me the warm and fuzzies to feel safe. Anyways, I measured out 5.2 grains for 45acp using the Frankford Arsenal scale, then I used my original digital scale. My old scale said 4.8 grains. Well, now I'm really nervous. So I ran a test using different types of weights built into each device. When I changed them from grains to ounces, they both hit the same numbers. So going back to grains, again they were both off using the same weight. So there has to be an issue with the original digital scale I had and that scares me because I cannot trust it. I'll have to continue checking each scale and changing the type of weight to be measured to make sure they're actually the same. But I wholeheartedly believe analog beats digital in accuracy it's just more time consuming.

[@GunBlue490]

I feel the same way. Gravity doesn't lie, while digital scales force you to rely on a check weight, and have faith in their accuracy for other charges. I am also partial to the way a beam visibly "comes up" as a charge is trickled in. It's just very intuitive to watch the beam rise, and you can twirl the trickler accordingly.

[@phillhuddleston9445]

I found that minute temperature changes effects the scale significantly. Beam scales are bullet proof if used correctly and taken care of.

[@scottrobinson3281]

Couldn't agree more. I got my Ohaus Du-O-Measure, RCBS-Ohaus scale, Pacific Multi-Power and Power C presses in the early to mid-seventies. Here in South Africa we have a good range of extruded, flake and ball powders made by Rheinmetall Denel Munition and the Du-O-Measure certainly prefers the ball powders.

[@shotgundrums]

Can't beat the beam scale. Unless earth has a high gravity day, there will never be a question of accuracy. Great video, sir.

[@MrTrollHunter]

In one of my pistol loads I use as little as 1.4 grains of powder. If the charge would change by just 0.1 grain, that would mean 7,14% change in the charge weight, that is not an insignificant change.. Well, there is many other factors in play as well, so whether that has a practical impact on the result for pistol shooting or not I don't know, but if you translate to a rifle load, I'd say a 7.14% change in the charge weight have a massive effect on the result..

[@GunBlue490]

Your math is correct, but powder measures don't work that way in practice, because the degree of error decreases significantly with small charges, because such charges use very easily metered pistol and shotgun powders. This powder measure throws 2.8 grains of Bullseye, 3.5 grains of Green Dot, or 1.8 grains of Accurate #2 with absolutely zero error. It is only with coarse rifle powders where dispensing errors become apparent, but it's also with such powders that errors such as one or even two tenths of a grain in relatively large charges become meaningless. Keep in mind that ALL factory ammo is loaded by a volumetric powder measure, to include the diminutive 25 Auto.

[@jabaadams4734]

First of all, a huge thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge. I also like your quantitative, logical, and no-frills approach. I would like to offer some comments on accuracy and sensitivity. When really pushing to the limits of accuracy in a quantitative / scientific context, every instrument and set-up is going to have some uncertainty, which scientists should try to quantify so that we can tell if we should believe the results. So even though a balance-beam scale uses simple principles, each individual scale and measurement will have some uncertainty associated with it. That said, and I think this is the main point of your comments -- I think you're saying that the accuracy and repeatability of the balance scale measurements are more than good enough for the purpose it's being used for here. If you were doing precision lab-work, part of doing a real experiment is identifying all possible or at least relevant sources of error, and trying to mitigate, minimize, or at least quantify them. That's where the + or - comes from. Note that I'll use "error" and "uncertainty" interchangeably. In this context, "error" doesn't necessarily mean that the experimenter did something wrong. It's just a deviation from the unknown or unknowable true value. We typically distinguish between systematic and random errors. Systemic errors would be either outright mistakes, or aspects of the experiment or procedure that tend to bias things a certain way. Every time you do a repeat measurement, they tend to tilt things the same way. For instance a yardstick that's not really a yard long, or a timer that's consistently fast, or slow. Random errors are things that are going to go either way around the true value, and will tend to cancel out the more measurements we make and average. The great thing about random errors is that you can greatly reduce the uncertainty by just taking more and more measurements. So here are some sources of uncertainty for a balance-beam scale: manufacturing variances -- machinists know that nothing is truly straight, square, or level. It's always within +- something. Those +- tolerances in the machine construction translate into +- tolerances in the measured weight. Cleanliness of the weigh-boat. We don't care about the weight of specks of dust, but they're there and they matter for ultra-precision work. Same with air-currents. Maybe there's a magnetic device like an electric motor nearby that can slightly attract/repel the magnetic parts. Also, gravity does not have the same uniform value everywhere on the surface of the earth, because the earth is not a perfect sphere and not all made of one uniform material - we have hills and valleys and mountains. What we want to measure on a scale is mass (how much stuff there is in a thing), but all we can actually measure is the force of gravity (weight) which gets converted to mass by dividing by the acceleration due to gravity. That acceleration is nominally 9.81 meters per second per second (32 freedom units?) but it varies. Mineral prospectors and others use sensitive gravitometers that can detect fine changes. So a scale with a 1 oz mass on it will not read the same value at the bottom of a mine, or at the top of a mountain, if it's sensitive enough. Anyway, all of this might seem pedantic, and your point stands. I just want to clarify that every scientific measurement should have +- error bars attached, or we don't know if we should believe it. The standard quite readable and thankfully thin book for this stuff is Taylor's _An Introduction to Error Analysis: The Study of Uncertainties in Physical Measurements 2nd Edition_. It's a favourite used to torture undergraduate physics students but actually quite readable. We typically also assign uncertainty to our ability to read scales and gauges. For instance depending on the size of the gaps between ticks, you might be able to reasonable measure down to half a tick or maybe even a fifth. Also, you might want to account for things like eyesight and parallax. For instance +- 1 tick. Finally, I don't understand the +- .1 turning into a .3. The standard scientific way to quote a value with uncertainty is (best guess of true value) +- uncertainty. I'm not sure if this the same for machining. Here the best guess is the average (mean) for repeated measurements, and the uncertainty is related to the width of a bell-curve (one standard deviation). One fully expects some measurements to be outside of the +- range, but assuming a bell-curve distribution, 68% should be within that range. 95% should be within twice that range, and 99.7% should be within 3 times that range. Okay, that turned into a lot. Thanks again!

[@mtericktucson]

Great upload Sir. I like my RCBS powder measure, I have the micrometer adjuster and it is great like you said. Not needed, good point. I should clean it. Really enjoying your channel, thanks a bunch for your time.

[@lissaleigh9189]

Very informative video that helped me decide how to dispense and measure my loads

[@duxrusso]

God bless you sir, thank you for all your info , you have helped me a lot on my journey. Thank you for being such a great mentor. Thank you for taking all the time to share your great knowledge with us your fans. Best regards. 🍻😷👍

[@KW-qq7nu]

Hi,surely it's a two twelfths variability e.g. 29.9 grains lowest to 30.1 grains highest, which is two twelfths difference? All the rest of the video is fantastic.

[@dufus2273]

Just think of all the reloading knowledge here on this site. I'm 76 and still use and learn on my equipment on a regular basis. It saddens me greatly to think that this current administration wants us to bury this knowledge. The upcoming generations think the only way to get ammo is already loaded in the box. They are stifling the entire learning system. I try to learn something new everyday. Thanks for your assistance. Even if you don't shoot that much, reload for others. Stay sharp.

[@archeryanarchy2274]

I’ve used that same measure to load my poor man’s 22PPC bench rifle. You dont need expensive electronic scales and chargers. I shoot very small groups with that rifle. The measure is quite capable of throwing a charge within the limits of the powder’s efficiency. Measures are for charging and scales are for adjusting the measure. No need to weigh each load. It is a waste of time.

[@stuartmarkman769]

I like a digital scale but I have seen the weight scale go up by itself with nothing on the scale so I am careful to watch the readout and be sure it is on zero before pouring the powder in the powder dispensing cup.

[@williammawk1720]

In my experience the balance beam scale is consistently more accurate than a digital scale. I put a short measure of powder in the cup then use a trickler to bring it up to the perfect weight. Bingo, now every case has been charged to the "EXACT MEASURE"

[@zayacz123]

I bought mine used from someone in the 80’s. They just work.

[@arrianyveswheeler8151]

Great video! Although I’m a hunterA this is not a Hunting question. Can I use this machine to deposit a fine chocolate powder into small 3gram glass Vials?

[@2102jeffrey]

Best tutorial ever. Thank you.

[@nigel900]

For those unfamiliar with cartridge reloading, these tools aren’t “outdated” or “antique.” These are the standard, tried and true instruments of precision reloading. Digital scales and measures are primarily for verification, and not mass production. Like most people theses days that are dependent on digital gizmos, when the power goes out... they’re completely lost.

[@russhayes4882]

Now that was informative and great information !

[@Larry-tl6vw]

I bought the same uniflow back in 1973, still works great , why buy another….

[@scclare]

I benefited greatly from your video and was wondering, since you mentioned that you had loaded hot rounds for the .45 Colt, what was the load you settled on using H-110? Also, are large pistol magnum primers the same as large rifle primers? Couldn't find any link on your channel to ask these questions other than this.

[@GunBlue490]

Sorry, but I no longer have records of those .45 Colt loads. They were published by Speer and should be available. Rifle and pistol primers, whether standard or magnum, are entirely different and can never be interchanged. Please watch my presentation on primers in another of my videos, where I give this information in great detail. Thank you.

[@scclare]

@@GunBlue490 Thank you for your reply. I really enjoy your videos and look forward to many more.

[@nebraskaman8247]

What do you think about the newer ohaus scales that only read grams? Is there enough adjustment with them to measure grains using conversions?

[@MrM2hb]

Always informative, thanks.

[@johnfrederikson2002]

Nice job. thanks. J.

[@CHEECHMUN]

Good to hear that about Benny!!!

[@djstl100]

Some classic guns to do a review/ history/general talk, Ruger 1#... Remington pump 760...can anybody else think of any more 1930s-1970s classic deer rifles for him to review?

[@uperrsc]

Excellent. Thanks!

[@metalicmario]

Sir you mentioned 2 techniques (average and trickle up) but forgot one. The frustration method. This method is used with powders like 800x. You'll be scooping out powder and trickling up but almost never getting your target weight on the first try. I've personally seen the powder throw nearly 1 full grain off +/-. It's the worst! 😓

[@em--draws]

What are the increment values on the left side of the beam scale? Where the needle points there is a zero and lines above and below. Is each line a tenth of a grain?

[@besong6420]

Thank you, sir.

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

GB490, do you feel that a baffle or baffle system of some kind benefits the user of a manual powder measure, such as the one you are using? The idea being that a baffle would tend to even out the variation in powder drops due to different column heights in the reservoir. Have you done any testing or work on these?

[@tomluker1743]

Another great video! Thanks

[@frankcadillac9151]

I have the same measure and rub in some powdered graphite on the drum.

[@alhodge4051]

very instructive. thanks.

[@wdtaut5650]

Is your balance beam always in place on the stand? I was told to remove the beam to reduce wear on the knife edges. Is it worth the effort?

[@GunBlue490]

The round dial on the front lifts it off. You should lift it off if it is in a vibration prone room. Concrete floors with no nearby traffic might be okay.

[@wdtaut5650]

@@GunBlue490 I see it, now. Mine doesn't have that valuable feature, and it is subject to vibration. Thank you for the information.

[@NebukedNezzer]

I use the same powder measure you do.

[@SaneAsylum]

I have found that the magnetic dampening can actually throw the scale off more than I like. You'll see this when the charge will actually bounce below zero for a bit and then blow past zero and over-weight. Always drives me nuts. I'm considering removing the magnetic dampener from the scale. Static (built up by powder moving around the pan) can also play games with it. Some folks wipe the pan with a fabric softener sheet to prevent it but I don't like that idea at all.

[@mark-wn5ek]

I realize that I am old school, when most of my equipment hails from the 70s when I started reloading. My Redding powder measure is probably late 50s or early 60s. If it ain't broke....don't fix it. I've owned just about every innovation that came along up to about 15 years ago when I decided I had enough toys. I sold off the Dillon progressives, all the duplicate O frames and kept an old Orange Crusher and a spar-t turret. The RCBS presses brought more money but didn't do anything the Lyman's won't. I'm down to about 75 die sets and 100 bullet molds and handles, 2 lubrisizers, one RCBS and one Saeco. One RCBS lead furnace. Maybe down to a ton of WW ingots. All this stuff is old and works perfectly. I'm 62 and no longer work perfectly! It'll be here doing fine when I'm long gone.

[@normanmallory2055]

You got that part right on , i started reloading and casting bullets in 1964 and still do .. My equipment works perfect after all of these years ..well said

[@KathrynLiz1]

Only 62?... Just a pup... I have 15 years on you! :-D

[@normanmallory2055]

@@KathrynLiz1 I first learned to reload in 1958 with my dad using Lyman 310 hand tool, really enjoyed that tool , just resizing but I was hooked. Soon as I finished high school In 1962 my first job I had i stated with a C press and beam scale , 2 ten pound pots for lead and Lyman bullet moulds and lubesizer... I was off at that point. Hollywood press soon followed along with a RCBS powder measure to replace the old Lyman #55... Since I have added dies along with the Redding 3BR measure and Redding scale.. I load 3 handgun and 4 rifle ctgs at this time.. Not certain what would be next for me. Have been thinking hard on the .260 Remington. But I lean more towards the Remington 6mm BR ctg.

[@twintwo1429]

Hey mister , do what you do, and keep doing what you do. We need men like you. Thanks.

[@ironbomb6753]

I hope you guys can find a worthy family member or youth to appreciate and take care of that equipment when God calls you home. ♥️👍

[@jolebole-yt]

This channel is the encyclopedia of reloading. Thank you sir!

[@survivingchicago5797]

I was born in 1971.... I wish I was in as good a shape as that drum....

[@phillhuddleston9445]

1973 here, I didn't age as well either.

[@tymz-r-achangin]

I was born in 1945 and wish I was in as good as shape as that powder measure lol

[@ozziejim8472]

Happy 50th mate 👍

[@SimpleLife1971]

I was drafted in 1971.....

[@redrock425]

I must be doing well. Slight running injury, sore tendon but otherwise fighting fit. Some is genetics, some lifestyle and some is luck. The best adage I think it's use it or lose it, I try to keep pushing back. I think time will win but not without a fight!

[@ep2223]

I love that you have your Dymo label reminder on your scale. This shows that it doesn't matter how old your equipment is. If you take care of it, it will serve you well for many many years. Thank you for showing us that you don't need the latest equipment. We just need to respect the value of what we have.

[@011CJ]

He has reminders on everything lol it is hard to argue with your self and take short cuts when you leave your self reminders it makes me want to buy a label maker

[@mikedurhan9941]

How wonderful. No fancy jargon; no fancy equipment. Easy to understand. Thank you.

[@jasonbrohipower4157]

You’re like my grandpa just a wealth of knowledge and I can’t get enough of thank you so much

[@rogerbloxham5381]

If he still around spend some time with him, I’m sure he would enjoy it

[@texasyotehunter2964]

Your videos are one of my top sources of information for anything related to firearms. I really enjoy all of your videos and thank you for taking the time to share all of this information with us. I've been around guns most all of my life, been reloading for many, many years and yet the more I watch your videos the more I realize I don't know. The learning process never ends.

[@bpentea2403]

AMEN!

[@silencerbear9347]

You have a gift for making things very simple to understand. I was just looking into reloading and after this I’m definitely going to start. I was looking at all the fancy stuff and at the cost upfront thinking “no way is this worth it”.

[@KathrynLiz1]

Go for it. Get some basic gear and start 'rolling your own'... only way to go. If you shoot much the equipment will be paid for in a very short time and you ammo will be custom made for your guns. All you need is a simple press, balance scale, a trickler and some dies. This will let yo load world class ammo at about one third of the cost of half decent factory stuff, and probably still a lot cheaper than millsurp, if you shoot such a calibre. You can get all the gear you need in the USA for under $200, and that will enable you to load ammunition that is the equal of any that you can buy at any a price. Better ammo, and you are saving heaps of money...... Gotta be good!

[@JohnSmith-dh4gw]

I have a couple of tips for using a balance beam scale. Keep your balance inside a cabinet mounted at your normal line of sight when seated at your loading bench, which it appears you have. No parallax error, no bending over (a factor we figure out as we age). The cabinet keeps it dust free when not in use. And no battery issues or power cords cluttering up the bench. I use a lid stay so the balance cabinet door becomes my “balance table.” It sits in front of the cabinet so I don't have to reach inside or have the compartment constraints. I've also mounted a trickler pedestal and used magnets to add security to give me greater clearance between the trickler spout and the balance pan. Also, shallow “dimples” in the cabinet door/table will insure consistent location of the balance. I really enjoy your vast practical knowledge.

[@bff1316]

Using Hornady progressive. My pistol shells ±1g is okay, defensive rounds for practice and 4 Inch group shot fast at 30 feet. My rifles the accuracy is ±0.2g when I have the temperature at 68℉. I fill and weigh every fifth brass, if within ± 0.2g I continue. With the 338LM I fill and weigh each individually. I expect a less than 1" group at 1/4 mile and it is the only way I can come close to guaranteeing that. With my elderly muscles, lungs and heart it is hard to hold steady, I use my limbs not bench rests.

[@PatriotPaulUSA]

Your wisdom and years of learning are much appreciated! Thank you for all that you do. As a newby to reloading you have helped me understand, and learn so much.

[@jefhamner2401]

I’m looking for a complete non electrical process for reloading. I’m at the powder drop stage. I started watching this and thought we’ll I’ll never get through it. Man was I ever wrong. This by far the best presentation of manual powder drop I’ve ever seen. Thank you so much for all you do.

[@richardperry4115]

Also practice with your Lee powder dippers, they'll get you out of trouble. If there's ever no power ( electric ) you will always have your beam scales, powder thrower and dippers . Good luck my friend.

[@jmfa57]

Thanks for the tip on how to set up a charge weight in that powder measure by measuring out the charge on the scale first, then using that to set the micrometer depth. One question though - - WHERE WERE YOU THIRTY YEARS AGO WHEN I FIRST STARTED??? Great video, many thanks for sharing!

[@44hawk28]

Love learning the technique that you use and setting the powder charge. The only the only question I have, is 29.9 to 30.1 is a 2/10 difference not a 3/10 difference, but you maybe just observing that there are three points of differential in that span. The Cutting of the IMR powders however was one of the reasons why they came out with the short IMR powders that would meter better in such devices. As for pistols, I had a lot of success using the RCBS little Dandy measure. It would throw a consistent charge 3.8 grains of 231 every single time. I believe it was 1984-85 that they upped the max charge for the 380 from 3.2 grains up to 4.0 grains. I rather large change. But my Walther PPKs loved that load of 3.8. It was a completely different animal to shoot. And blazingly accurate for what it was.

[@dellrand3628]

Hi I have the same kind powder dispenser as yours and balance beam scale, but my scale is made by RCBS all bought in 1975 .I have loaded 1000's of loads no complaints.

[@kcb3887]

Love the embossing tape labels. So old school.

[@wilfdarr]

Now I know he knows all the stuff on those labels like the back of his hand, so it makes me wonder how many grand kids are using this equipment too.

[@pbc1951]

got it also on my 1972 RCBS !!

[@14goldmedals]

The great DYMO gun using DYMO tape to squeeze out the embossing.

[@LuvBorderCollies]

I don't miss those old label makers.

[@timothylewis2709]

Voice of reason in a complicated world, glad Benny is doing well.

[@DualDesertEagle]

I gotta say I was skeptical about handloading until I saw this video. Now I would go ahead and load my own ammo from the ground up! The thing is, I live in sh!tty Germany where it's hard to even own a gun at all, let alone load ur own ammo for it! But should I finally get the chance to move to a country that has reasonable gun laws I'll remember this video, buy primers, shells, bullets and powder all separately and of course the tools shown here along with everything else I'd need to hand-load and never buy factory ammo even ONCE!

[@henryhenry5897]

Wir sind deshalb nach Kanada gezogen ich reloads hier macht richtig Laune

[@DualDesertEagle]

@@henryhenry5897 Im Moment dürfte dieser Vollidiot von Justin Trudeau es euch allerdings ziemlich schwer machen, oder?

[@learningthehardwayalways185]

I really like how you got the measure close by dropping a weighed charge into a empty measure and then adjusting the spindle, lightly pressing the powder against the cylinder wall. It never occurred to me to try that, thanks.

[@2dResq]

weigh every charge Luc!

[@learningthehardwayalways185]

Clay Cooper I do, I don’t take chances. I do like his trick though, gets me really close right away with only small adjustments needed

[@2dResq]

@@learningthehardwayalways185 yo get close enough then by using the scale you you trickle just enough to get the exact charge. I never through a rifle charge without measuring each and every charge.

[@Niels357]

That scale is not accurate!

[@bladerunner5810]

@@Niels357 Elaborate.

[@barlscharkley5411]

If you have a target weight of 30 grains, and your weight can vary from 29.9 grains to 30.1 grains, wouldn't that be a delta of 0.2 grains? I don't understand how you get a delta of 0.3 grains.

[@ArkansasBadBoy]

This is a masterclass on manual powder dropping. Very delightful video.

[@bigracer3867]

i still use the same as you, i just added a micro measure.

[@br4713]

I would say if you're happy with 0.1 grain precision maybe that's a solution. I agree that cheapest digital scales can be less accurate than this, but that's not the case for ALL digital scales. With laboratory scales you can get way more accurate powder measurment repeatably. Also an important think you're not talking about is that harmonics changes due to the powder charge variations will have more effect on vertical dispersion than the theorical bullet drop with 0.1 grain error. So it depends on what you are looking for, speed or accuracy.

[@noleshot2713]

MY Redding BR30 had gotten sticky over the years and after watching this video and cleaning/lubricating properly...it is slick and smooth and good as new - many thanks from an old infantryman.

[@thedetective8150]

Me too. I love my BR30!

[@josephcarr2742]

When loading rifle I always load one at a time no progressive.

[@stevendeatley4878]

I load all my ammo that way,I have plenty of time now days and it gives me something to keep me busy besides doing laundry and dishes which I do often since I became disabled after my stroke

[@gunwrites6222]

@@stevendeatley4878 So sorry to read of your misfortune. Best of luck with your rehab Steven. Keep on the sunny side(Important in all aspects of life). Also give thanks where thanks is due.[LOOKING UPWARD]

[@stevendeatley4878]

@@gunwrites6222 thank you and I do Thank the Good Lord that I am still alive each day.I have plenty of time now each day to play with my bird dog and my children .the Kids are all growed up ,but my English Setter is still a puppy he is always ready to play or go for a hike in the woods.I no longer have rehab ny Dr.says walking in the woods is plenty good .so I do alot of that now.I live about 1 mile from the Appalachian Trail,so I have loads of places to go on walks,there was a therapist who came to my home and would go walking with me .I showed him what ramps looked like and picked alot of mushrooms those Morrels he took pictures of them. but he diddn't want to eat any.I think when I put my old 3 screw super blackhawk in the old flap hoelster and showed him all the Bear tracks along the old road we was walking made him a bit nervous..lol

[@faddydaddy25]

I agree with the KISS system also !!

[@bff1316]

@@stevendeatley4878 10 4. Being disabled provides a fresh outlook. I spend more time with my wife and children, out tracking animals, scouting and just realizing how much our Lord has provided.