RCBS powder measure question

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OBOne

New member
I have an RCBS powder measure. It came with two measuring cylinders, a large and a small. I sent RCBS an email over a week ago with no response. Couldn't get through on the phone either. So I need some advice from you experts.

I want to reload 30-06 and use H-3450 or H-355 and reload 223 using H-355.
So which cylinder should I use for each powder?

Thanks for the help
OB
 
I waited on the phone with the for over an hour...after the hours i just asked them for their address so i can ship their crap back!

dude send it back!! [beeep] service and it doesnt matter which measure cylinder you use its gonna measure differently every time....had a shotshell reloader the RCBS grand and parts broke left and right then took 3 weeks for a replacement and the machine dumping inconsistant powder loads! cant trust that in shotshells ...deff not gonna trust their crap for rifle reloads...hope you dont blow off your face
 
I on the other hand, I have no problem with the RCBS powder measure, but I like to weigh all my rifle loads. I use it get me close, but just under the desired weight. Then I use a trickler to bring the weight exactly to what I want on the scale. If your patient, you can often get the powder measure to throw very close the previous weight, but it depends on being very consistant with how you operate the tool. More vibrations can pack the powder, just like too little powder in the measurer can result in light powder drops that are under weight.

As to which cylinder to use, TRY THEM BOTH. It won't hurt the powder if you pour it back and forth between the can and the measurer a few times. For your 30-06, like my 25-06, I'd start with the bigger cylinder. Your trying find/select a powder that will fill your case over half full, but under 100% full, for safety and for more uniform burning.
 
I have one that has served me well since 1978 some powders meter great some don't, Bigdog2 is right on set it to be slightly under then trickle to desired weight if you are using a powder that is difficult to meter accurately.
 
You should always use the smallest one that will hold the charge you're throwing. The smaller cylinder will generally give you better consistency.
 
If memory serves me right the powder charge for 30-06 generally falls between 50 and 60 grains. If you are unable to throw that much powder in one throw set your dump to dispense exactly half of your charge and do it twice per case.
Now this being said be EXTREMELY CAREFUL that you check each case to make sure the powder levels all look the same.

Always check then check again.

Good luck.
 
Thats good info. This measure was bought back in 1975 or so. So maybe it's an oldie but goodie. So far it has weighed correctly with the 30-06 loads of H-355. I weighed every one of them till I saw they were all OK, then weighed every 5th or so. Didn't know it was so unreliable. I'll check closer now.

Thanks
OB
 
Originally Posted By: OBOneI have an RCBS powder measure. It came with two measuring cylinders, a large and a small. I sent RCBS an email over a week ago with no response. Couldn't get through on the phone either. So I need some advice from you experts.

I want to reload 30-06 and use H-3450 or H-355 and reload 223 using H-355.
So which cylinder should I use for each powder?

Thanks for the help
OB

Use the big one, as mentioned the small one is for pistol powders and charges. The more coarse the powder is the less likely it will measure exactly right on. Get a baffle for inside the hopper from RCBS, it helps.

FYI there is no powder I am aware of designated H-3450....in the world of handloading "typos" can be a killer.
 
I use the small one, it will go up to about 65.5 grains of IMR 4350 which covers all but the larger magnum cases. Try to operate the handle in a consistent manner, as it can make around .2 grain difference in your loads. Depending on the powder, I weigh every charge or every ten, but if one doesn't feel right then weigh it.
 
Quote:You should always use the smallest one that will hold the charge you're throwing. The smaller cylinder will generally give you better consistency.

Exactly right, it's more consistant. With the smaller cavity, the adjusment is also finer per degree of rotation. If you develop a good technique, that powder thrower will be accurate within about +/- .1 gr. after the powder is settled in the hopper. I fill it, then throw about 25 back into the can before I adjust for weight (to settle the powder column in the hopper).
Keep the hopper at least half full, when it gets down to half, fill it back up.
I still throw one out of every 5 or 10 into the pan and check the weight, it's just smart. If I want exact loads, I set it up to throw about 2 grains light and trickle.

I haven't had the big cavity installed for about 20 years, since I don't own a rifle that the small one won't throw a max. load for.
If I did, I'd buy 2 throwers instead of swapping back and forth, because the fit of the cavity to the body is very critical to accuracy, and swapping them in and out is going to loosen up the fit, in my opinion.
 

FYI there is no powder I am aware of designated H-3450....in the world of handloading "typos" can be a killer.

Yup: Your right, it's H 4350.
 
one for ball, one for extruded powders. Use the larger one for your 30-06 loads, as mentioned above. I weigh every round for the first ten, every third for the next 12, and every fifth after that.

I have also had nothing but good luck with RCBS products, and the ONE occasion I have had to call customer service, they had a new part in my mailbox in four days....no questions asked. I now own almost exclusively RCBS products, and am quite content.

WNYStalker
 
It might explain why I found I have to throw about 25 charges back into the can before I see a consistant drop weight. I'm not doubting it works, I was just wondering how.

No big deal.
 
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I have the baffle, too, and it does make the throws more accurate. I don't know how it does it. Maybe by controlling the flow into the funnel chamber and evening out the packing of the powder. Maybe magic. I don't know and I don't really care that much as long as it works.

Fast Ed
 
The baffle keeps the weight(force) of the powder entering the chamber consistent....resulting in more consistent charges.

Personally, I try my best to find a powder that meters well and stay away from the large extruded powders if at all possible when using a measure.

I've just never had much luck keeping .1gr consistency with those powders and that's my personal threshold.
 
I'm with Bigdog. Throw a charge 1 gr. less than you need and trickle the rest for consistent loads. It takes a little longer but its way more accurate. I've only used the large cyl and it seems to work well with the trickle method. These days I use a Lymann DPS 1200 but for large capacity cases I throw a charge 4-5 gr less and put it on the electronic scale.
As for RCBS service-- every time I have dealt with them they have been excellent. No finer cust. service in the industy IMO. You might find emailing them quicker. Good Luck!!!
 
I always set the thrower under what charge i want then trickle it in to get the exact ammount...way more consistant and they are all the same that way...with Rifle powders they dont measure well right out of the thrower like someone else said due to the style of powder they are....just the way it is....i have all RCBS stuff and wont have anything else have used their customer service a few times due not to the products fault but my own and never had a complaint....in fact a few years ago i had bought a RCBS podwer thrower used..it only came with the large barrel...well i needed the small one for pistols at the time...i contacted RCBS and told them that i wanted a price on all the parts for the small cyl plus a cap for the thrower since i didnt get one of those either...i told them up from that i had bought it used and it didnt come with this stuff when i got it....they sent me an email back and said they would send it to me at no charge...even though i told them up front that i did not buy it new that it was used.....a week later i had everything in the mail....far as i am concerned you cannot beat RCBS for their customer service...i have always got a very quick reply....will continue to buy all RCBS products as long as i can
 
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