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Old June 14, 2012, 01:17 PM   #1
mohr308
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Lee perfect powder measure

I just received my Lee perfect powder measure and ran 30 test throws with it. Using my digital scale I checked each throw, I was setup for 25.5 grains of varget and getting +- .2 grains on some throws. Will this be a big deal when loading some hunting rounds? I was going to try some CFE223 powder over the weekend and see how that meters.
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Old June 14, 2012, 01:20 PM   #2
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Removing static per instructions and adding some graphite might help. Also a "firm" and consistent movement of the charging arm helps. Not too fast, not too slow, consistent and "firm." All the way back and forth. Hopefully this helps.
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Old June 14, 2012, 01:32 PM   #3
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RTFM

Yes, follow the instructions. I ran a hopper full of powder through, and back into the cannister to coat the innards with graphite. Works great, light, portable, has its own bracket. Just use a C clamp to attach it to a board and you can use it anywhere. I give mine a consistent tap to settle the charge and then another after I drop. I use mine mostly with ball powders and it seems very consistent. CFE is a ball powder. Varget is a stick/extruded powder.
I have both a Lyman mechanical beam scale and a digital. I gave up on the digital because it gave varied results depending on battery, humidity, etc. With a beam scale I have 100 o/o confidence of the indicative weight. Try this: select and mark ONE penny and weigh it each time you turn on your digital scale. If you do not get the exact same weight every time . . . ____. But I do not recommend the Lee scale.
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Old June 14, 2012, 04:23 PM   #4
wncchester
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"....2 grains on some throws. Will this be a big deal when loading some hunting rounds?"

Not if your charge is well chosen. But goodness, what real hunting round needs only 25.5 gr. charges?
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Old June 14, 2012, 04:42 PM   #5
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Note if you go to spherical powder the Perfect measure sometimes benefits from disassembly of the drum, a little careful flashing removal, rubbing down inside and out with graphite powder from the hardware, and reassembly just snug enough to keep grains from getting caught between the drum and its journal.
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Old June 14, 2012, 05:10 PM   #6
mohr308
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I actually meant to say 26.5, not 25.5. Well that load is just my next workup using varget for some varmint hunting. But I will be working up some loads using nosler bullets for medium game and I just was a little concerned about that varying weight.
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Old June 14, 2012, 05:26 PM   #7
FiveInADime
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco Califo View Post
But I do not recommend the Lee scale.
Why not? Works pretty good for me? What's the matter with it?


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Old June 14, 2012, 09:26 PM   #8
saitek
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mesure

the one's we have work great they throw within one to three tenths of a grain and i always use a digital scale and a trickler to get each charge exact .
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Old June 14, 2012, 09:45 PM   #9
Marco Califo
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco Califo
But I do not recommend the Lee scale."

Why not? Works pretty good for me? What's the matter with it?
If your works for you great! I used a Lyman 25 years ago when I started. Years later I bought the Lee because it was priced less. It is smaller, light plastic and I did not find the results, and using it, to compare well. I bought a new Lyman.
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Old June 14, 2012, 10:54 PM   #10
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You can get more consistent loads than that with varget.
Starting with the handle up, move it down, then give the part where it pivots two taps with your finger, firm, but not super hard. Now hold the case under the funnel, bring the lever back up and give it two more taps.... you should easily get +/- .1 or less..... also, make sure you keep the hopper at least 2/3 full.

as for the scale, I trust my lee beam scale over my digital any day.... Any time they do not agree, I calibrate the digital, and like magic, they suddenly agree... I just use the digital because its easier for load development, but when checking loads during production, the lee beam scale comes out....
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Old June 15, 2012, 01:31 AM   #11
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thanks for the info!
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Old June 16, 2012, 09:03 AM   #12
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The Lee scale always seems to get mixed reviews. Some find it awkward to set or feel it takes too long to settle, and a few have had trouble with accuracy and/or repeatability. Others have had no problems at all with it.

I seem to recall there was a post by a fellow who had fixed one that didn't play well right out of the box, but I don't recall what he did. May have found some plastic flashing in the way somewhere. You could search the subject. You could also search the web generally to see if anything pops up, as I'm not 100% sure that post was on this forum.
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Old June 16, 2012, 01:20 PM   #13
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I've got two Lee Precision scales and they are accurate and inexpensive but since I use dippers I rarely use scales. Only for the first couple dipper charges to make sure the powder is labeled correctly and the new powder is consistent with old production. I would probably get one of the inexpensive electronic scales with some check weights if I used scales more often or the RCBS 1500 Chargemaster if I had more $$$.
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Old June 16, 2012, 02:26 PM   #14
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Some dislike Lee's Perfect Powder Mesure because it has Lee's name on it. I have been using one for nearly 27 years (not the same one though). And, just like any other powder measure, some powders just don't measure well. I have 3 different powder measures and find some metering difficulties, depending on the powder, with each one. Yesterday I found a powder my Lee doesn't like: True Blue. My Hornady prolly won't like it either. The grainuals are so small they leak a bit around the drum. The throws are pretty accurate, but powder leaks a little bit. For general use I'd say +- .2 gr. is acceptable, and I read somewhere that 2% variation in powder charges is acceptable for prime accuracy...

Like many things today Lee products are merely different. New, modern materials are used in their products and that doesn't make them less usable or reliable (anybody own a Glock?). Lee's products seem to come from thinking "outside the box" and new innovative ideas/products result (interchangable turrets on a turret press? A whole lot different than a Redding ot Lyman turret). Just my thinking...
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Old June 16, 2012, 07:30 PM   #15
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I think the biggest problem people have with lee stuff is the price. Something that costs 1/3 as much in red as it does in green or blue CANT be as good, right?

I have found that 90% of people who bash lee products have never tried a single lee product, and 9 of the other 10% have never tried the specific product they are bashing. Most of the remaining 1% are complaining about the lee beam scale for some reason or another.... On a recent thread, it turned out the guy was using it in a garage with the door open and couldn't understand why it took forever to stop moving ....
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Old June 16, 2012, 08:01 PM   #16
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I have been using one for over 20 years, and yes, it IS the same one. Once did a test, I loaded some Scharch brass unsorted with the Lee, then I weighted and prepped 20 Winchester cases for weight and oal and measured my charges on a digital scale. Both of them loaded with 24.7 grains of RL15 and the 75 Amax. Shot both batches out of my NM AR at a 45 round 600 yard match. You guess which load did best...
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Old June 17, 2012, 08:02 PM   #17
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I used a nice smelling dryer sheet to wipe down my lee, ran the graphite through it and now I'm throwing charges dead on 99% of the time. I was loading some .223 rounds for my ar using 24 grains of varget, and hit it every time but once, was .1 off. can't complain!
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Old June 17, 2012, 09:24 PM   #18
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I use the Lee Perfect measure and get drops +/-.1gr of the desired weight 99% of the time. Like several others have mentioned, I give it a light, but firm tap with every cycle and keep the hopper above half-full. It does take a little extra time to change the settings but once she's locked down, just flip and pour!
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Old June 20, 2012, 01:01 AM   #19
mohr308
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I used the LPPM today with CFE223 for the first time, seems quite rough with that small ball powder, still got good drops though
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Old June 22, 2012, 02:34 PM   #20
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You may need to disassemble the measure, rid it of any flashing with a razor blade, rub it down with graphite and tighten the drum some. The roughness is grains getting between the drum and body, and you want to take that extra space out. The grains will be sanding it down.
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Old June 23, 2012, 10:00 AM   #21
mohr308
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will give it a try
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