SmallCaliberCentral

I am having problems deciding on a powder measure...

Sorry I can't help you out Squatting Wolf. As i'm stell useing my old rcbs powder measure yet. But some of the other guys should jump in here and let you know what they like.

RCBS Chargemaster

I use a $15 Lee and have NO need for a new one. It works very well for me because I throw them light, then trickle to within .02 grains.

SquattingWolf - hold on a week....I will let you know.

I own or have used the first two....the last one will be here this week.

Email me on Wednesday - acloco@yahoo.com


Of note, you are MISSING one powder measure - Belding & Mull.

+1 with Hawkeye Joe.

acloco - good catch...last night when I was setting up the poll I forgot to add the Belding & Mull! I'll send you an email on Wednesday!


To date the only powder measure I've used is an old Lee and set it up to throw the loads a bit light and then trickle them up to the desired grain. It got the job done but for some reason I've spent money on every other aspect of reloading, I figured I might as well top it off with a quality powder measure.

I just bought a BR-30 and it has really impressed me. Since it measures by volume, you need to make the graph up on each powder you use and they tell you how to do that in the instructions. You can print graph paper up by just searching graph paper online. I was loading Benchmark, got it dialed in and never had to use my powder trickler. Midsouth had the best price online that I found. The Satern funnel is a must have too!

SW: I've owned and used Lee, RCBS, and currently use the RB-30. The BR-30 is the most accurate of the lot. That said, if you want the VERY best of the ones listed, the Harrell would take the top spot, being used by more bench resters than any of the others

The Harrell is in a class all by itself, and if I was shopping for a measure at this point in time, that would be my choice, but I can't see dumping the bucks into one when my BR-30 works so perfectly. It works so well, than when loading fine ball powder such as H335 for my 223's and 223 Improved, I only weigh one every 50 rounds, and it is always spot-on, so you can "progressive load/direct dump" right into the cases once it's been scale-checked, and really rock through a lot of 100 cases.



Just my .02 FWIW.....

SW I use a Harrel Custom 90. It is a beautiful piece of equipment. Like any measure, the accuracy of the tool will be dependent on the powder used. I use H4895 which is not a great metering powder. The Harrell will throw some very consistent charges if everything else is constant. The level of the powder in the measure if a factor and the way the handle is manipulated is huge. I weigh every charge, and after loading over three thousand rounds with the Harrell I think I can say with confidence that there is always the potential for a rogue charge to come through that is a tenth off one way or the other. I think this is significant enough to warrant the weighing of each charge for a small caliber cartridge. With that said almost every charge is within several individual sticks of powder which on my MX123 scale weighs .02 grains. I don’t even use a trickler anymore but find it faster to use a 90 degree pair of tweezers and add the appropriate number of grains to the charge to make it perfect. I don’t even wait for the scale to register the additional pieces of powder. All and all I am pleased with the Harrell but there are others like the Redding which have a good reputation also as some of the very experienced members here have stated.

I placed an order for a Harrell Premium Culver Powder Measure today . Hopefully it'll be here by the weekend so I can give it a try!

SW, You will never regret it. Harrel’s is one of those small American companies that have made this country great. You always have to pay a bit more for the best quality, but I have rarely been disappointed buying the best and frequently disappointed making a compromise.

I have used most of the measures you listed except the last one, and I can say that the Harrells precision is top of the line. I only live 20 minutes from him, and he is one heck of a nice guy. The thing I like about his measures is the repeatability. Once you get the charge you want, record the # of clicks and write it in your re-loading journal. If you want to go back to a load later, there is no guess-work, just set it and check it on the scale one time. Mine has been right on the money EVERY time. You have made the best choice in my opinion. Let us know what you think!

The new powder measure is on the truck for delivery! I ordered it sunday afternoon and it's going to be delivered tonight! It'll be this weekend before I can pick up some more H322 however, there is no good place to buy powder in Bloomington so I have to make a run to Springfield, Il on Saturday.

The big brown truck has arrived...and the powder measure is awesome. I did have one question however. It comes with two 4 inch drop tubes, one 3/16 inch and one 1/4 inch ID...is the idea to match up the neck of the case to the appropriate sized drop tube?

I need to make a minor modification to the new bench in order to use the mounting system that came on the measure. After I get it installed, I'll post some pictures!