The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Lee PPM and VV. A match almost made in heaven.

pathdoc · May 11, 2014, 07:04 PM

Bought one of these just yesterday, based on what I have seen here & on YouTube, and I have noticed a few things.

On the pro side, it is very, VERY fast (I have previously been using Lee scoops to get close and then trickling up), and I like the practically infinite (or at least, stepless) adjustability. The ability to turn the powder flow off, pick up the entire hopper and dump it back into the bottle is also a huge asset. Cases (I have tried .303 British) pushed against the dispenser nozzle receive the powder charge with no spillage. Also it keeps the powder contained and eliminates the risk of spilling the container from which I am scooping all over the place if I make a blunder.

On the con side, contrary to what the manufacturer claims, this dispenser can and does shear long-grain powders (I tried it out with Varget, because it's what I'm currently loading with and because it's a fairly common powder). The one thing it seemed not to do when compared with experiences I've observed on YouTube is bind the thrower at all; the granule would shear, but the throw wouldn't lock up and dispensing proceeded fairly smoothly.

In addition, trying to dispense into a pan (whether the one from my RCBS beam balance scale or the one from my Frankford Arsenal pocket digital) generally resulted in spilled powder everywhere. Is there a trick to this that someone can recommend to me?

(I settled for dispensing into a fired .303 case that hadn't been deprimed (easy and mess-free!!) and then pouring into the pan on the scale (Frankford Arsenal digital), which led to almost no mess except when I was careless pouring the powder out of the case.)

Based on several hundred throws, eyeball rather than recorded and taken at various charge weights, I was getting variations of minus 0.2gn and up to plus 0.3gn for individual charges. However, dumping multiple charges onto the scale usually gave the same total weight within 0.1-0.2gn, so I think the issue is with my digital scale (or the cold weather, or its batteries, or all three) rather than with the measure. The load to load consistency as measured (with the caveats above) is still better than I would get from scoops, and demands less operator effort to achieve.

The acid test is going to be to load up ten straight, using the scale only to be sure I'm staying within reasonable charge-weight limits, and then shoot for group & see what sort of vertical stringing I get. I already know what my rifle will do with meticulously weighed charges, and if it turns out that the variations are within the limits of accuracy of my shooting then I'll have found the perfect reloading tool.

May 11, 2014, 07:04 PM	#13
pathdoc Senior Member Join Date: February 12, 2013 Posts: 669	Bought one of these just yesterday, based on what I have seen here & on YouTube, and I have noticed a few things. On the pro side, it is very, VERY fast (I have previously been using Lee scoops to get close and then trickling up), and I like the practically infinite (or at least, stepless) adjustability. The ability to turn the powder flow off, pick up the entire hopper and dump it back into the bottle is also a huge asset. Cases (I have tried .303 British) pushed against the dispenser nozzle receive the powder charge with no spillage. Also it keeps the powder contained and eliminates the risk of spilling the container from which I am scooping all over the place if I make a blunder. On the con side, contrary to what the manufacturer claims, this dispenser can and does shear long-grain powders (I tried it out with Varget, because it's what I'm currently loading with and because it's a fairly common powder). The one thing it seemed not to do when compared with experiences I've observed on YouTube is bind the thrower at all; the granule would shear, but the throw wouldn't lock up and dispensing proceeded fairly smoothly. In addition, trying to dispense into a pan (whether the one from my RCBS beam balance scale or the one from my Frankford Arsenal pocket digital) generally resulted in spilled powder everywhere. Is there a trick to this that someone can recommend to me? (I settled for dispensing into a fired .303 case that hadn't been deprimed (easy and mess-free!!) and then pouring into the pan on the scale (Frankford Arsenal digital), which led to almost no mess except when I was careless pouring the powder out of the case.) Based on several hundred throws, eyeball rather than recorded and taken at various charge weights, I was getting variations of minus 0.2gn and up to plus 0.3gn for individual charges. However, dumping multiple charges onto the scale usually gave the same total weight within 0.1-0.2gn, so I think the issue is with my digital scale (or the cold weather, or its batteries, or all three) rather than with the measure. The load to load consistency as measured (with the caveats above) is still better than I would get from scoops, and demands less operator effort to achieve. The acid test is going to be to load up ten straight, using the scale only to be sure I'm staying within reasonable charge-weight limits, and then shoot for group & see what sort of vertical stringing I get. I already know what my rifle will do with meticulously weighed charges, and if it turns out that the variations are within the limits of accuracy of my shooting then I'll have found the perfect reloading tool.