First Reload - Frustrations/Questions

BUS33

New member
Well, I started my first round of loads the past couple weeks. The brass prep went smooth from FL sizing, to trimming, to primer install.

I started charging powder and seating bullets tonight. Here is my first load data:

Noslar 55gr CT Ballistic Silvertips
24gr H335

OAL is 2.25 (loading for my RRA Predator Pursuit)

I should state that I am strictly hunting and plinking.

My frustration lies with the H335 powder. The powder seemed to want to stick to everything from the pan to the funnel. I couldn't get consistent measures. It seemed like I could never really dial the powder thrower (RCBS Uniflow) in and when I did the next throw would be off by +/- .1-.2 grains. It was also tough to funnel the powder into the .223 case mouth without spilling, etc.

After the funnel issues, I started going directly from the powder thrower to the case and that seemed to work pretty well.

I guess my questions after the first round are as follows:

1. Are certain powder harder to work with than others? The H335 just seemed really clingy.

2. Is it acceptable to throw the powder directly into the case rather than use a funnel? It was tough to get the funnel square to the mouth without spilling powder.

3. What should I expect as a margin of error? I am not a competition shooter but do want to dial in my AR and Boltgun to shoot better than factory loads. It seemed I would be off by +/- .1 -.2 grains after measuring each throw. Is this acceptable?

4. I started at the middle ground for recommended powder charge. How much ladder should I use to dial in a load? With my +/- .1 to .2 gr it seems it would have to be greater than that. More like a .5 grain ladder?

Sorry for rambling. Everything seemed smooth until I started throwing the powder.

Thanks for your help.
 
Wipe your funnel and pan down with a drier sheet. I throw my powder directly into the shell, not an issue. Some loads will vary .1 +or-, I dont worry about that unless I'm trying to get as accurate as possible. Remember though many scales are only accurate to .1 +or- too.
 
Your new equipment prolly needs breaking in. H 335 is one of those powders that I really like because of the way it meters. One thing that I do is load the powder measure and dump quite a few loads through it into the scale pan. Measure occasionally until everything is set. I only weigh every 5-10 shells after that. Its an easy powder to measure. Static electricity in the plastic is prolly messing with you in the plastic. Good luck.
 
Dryer sheet wipe off [bounce] or whatever, for the funnel and pan. Throw charges into the cases, and scale every 10 or 15 rounds just to make sure your thrower is on.

I would move away from H-335. It is temperature sensitive, and gets crazy in the heat. Newer ball powders are not as sensitive, but I prefer extruded powders such as 4895, 8208xbr, benchmark ect...
 
Yep, the dryer sheet trick helps. I use a Satern caliber specific funnel for .22 cal and then made a couple of adaptors for the universal funnel that came with my kit (for the ones it didnt work well with).
That is the same combination of powder and bullet used for my first loads, WSR primer,I remember the most accurate out of my rifle was the max listed on the jug (started lower than 24g and worked up to max).

ETA- wouldn`t hurt to empty out the powder throw and wipe it out w/dryer sheet too. Also for whatever reason (I`m not sure why) dump the first couple of throws back in the reservoir..
If you are loading up several cases before seating a bullet, use a flashlight to look in each one and compare to see they are all about the same.(you wouldn`t see .1-.2 of a gr. but would alert you if ya missed one or one was way off).
 
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As stated, used dryer sheets can help. try dumping your measure and wiping anything down. Then load everything back up and run a bunch of drops back into the jug of powder. Then try it again. Some powders work better with certain measures. If you run across a Lee prefect for a good price (they are real cheap anyways) get one. Beleive it or not, they are real good at throwing well.
 
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Thanks for the replies. I will start over after wiping stuff down with the dryer sheets. I thought maybe it was oil residue from the factory and from my handling.
 
whitedogone, does dumping the first couple back in the dispenser help with static? I always do but forget why..lol
 
Originally Posted By: BUS33Thanks for the replies. I will start over after wiping stuff down with the dryer sheets. I thought maybe it was oil residue from the factory and from my handling.

Could be that as well.
 
Originally Posted By: Hookedwhitedogone, does dumping the first couple back in the dispenser help with static? I always do but forget why..lol

You always want to run at least a couple of dumps thru, then weigh a couple more before you actually start filling cases. What I was talking about was more like running a whole hopper thru to try and break in the measure some.
 
Well, I remember reading that somewhere to dump the first couple or at least the first one back in the hopper, even my DPS dispenser I think said to do that. I had always trickled every single load on the beam scale anyway. Then my sister spoiled me with an electronic dispenser for my birthday a couple years ago.I`m curious though, so after awhile I`ll go see if I can find an answer.
 
You want the powder in the measure to "settle" down. You want the powder to become one with the measure. Kinda like pouring a beer. The foam isn't where the action is.
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Buy a Sinclair funnel specific to the caliber you load for. As started wipe everything down with a dryer sheet. Its not the powder, its the static
 
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Originally Posted By: whitedogoneOriginally Posted By: Hookedwhitedogone, does dumping the first couple back in the dispenser help with static? I always do but forget why..lol

You always want to run at least a couple of dumps thru, then weigh a couple more before you actually start filling cases. What I was talking about was more like running a whole hopper thru to try and break in the measure some.

I agree; once I have my powder measure 'pretty close' to where I want it, I throw 5-6 charges, dump them back into the hopper then weigh the next charge. Adjust the measure as needed, and repeat. This is one place where you don't want to have a senior moment! Thirty-five grains?! I thought it was throwing twenty-five grains!!
 
One other thing if you have not done it, is to take the uniflow completly apart and clean it, they come with a coating of Oil or what ever and they need to be cleaned good before using... then add a baffle to the hopper and dryer sheet everything inside and out...
 
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