Is the Lyman #55 the cure for what ails me?

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jski

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I have a RCBS Uniflow powder measure and have had problems with consistency. Between consecutive throws the difference can be as much as 1/2 gr. In addition, I have problems with the throw sizes drifting upward. After 30 throws, the next throw might be as much as 2 gr. more than the first.

What's most concerning is this upward drift I've noticed. I've been forced to measure each and every load.

Most of my reloading is for handgun cartridges, so I rarely venture above 20 gr. charges. I want above all consistency. Is the Lyman #55 my solution? I've read many a review that says consistency is its strongpoint?

BTW, I have installed the small powder cylinder and I use a GemPro 250 scale.
BTW, currently I'm jumping between H110 and True Blue, both of which are supposed to meter well.
 
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Are you running a baffle in the powder dispenser? It will help some. Are you using the small or large rotor for dispensing powder?

How are you setting up the dispenser? I tap mine till I see the powder settle. Then I take 20 drops and pour them back in before I start checking whats it 's throwing.
 
The 55 is very consistant with ball and flake powders actually one of the best for flake powders. It has a learning curve to get comfortable adjusting the cylinders. One of my favorites bench mounted measures. I've seen many of them available on ebay for a decent price.
 
The Lyman 55 is my favorite powder measure.I used the RCBS measure briefly and put it away.I have three of the RCBS measures. I picked up two on Ebay sales where I bought the measures to get what was listed with them.I need to send to a gunshow one of these days.There is a setting chart for the 55 that can be found with a google search that helps with making a starting setting.The chart is also in some older Lyman manuals.The 55 can throw sm aller charges than the RCBS and is very accurate if operated consistently.
 
Get one (Lyman) and try it. I think they cost about $65?

Anyway, do a deep cleaning of your uniflow and install a baffle. As mentioned run a few throws to get things settled. Tap on it from time to time.

The uniflow is a very good powder measure. I personally would not give up on it. Have two of them love them both.
 
After cleaning everything, try a double tap at the top of the stroke and a double tap at the bottom.
I don't use that brand but I do use a Hornady and a Redding and doing the double taps makes thing very consistent, even with Unique. I actually laugh at all the bad mouthing I read/hear about Unique. Been using it for over 30 years in all my measures, even the Lee disk and I have absolutely no problems staying within
+/- .1gr.

And I don't bother with a baffle using this technique.
 
If your measure isn't dropping True Blue consistently and with a very small variance, something is physically wring with your measure. It should be +/- .1 Gr at worst and should not vary no matter how many charges you throw.
 
I have the old Ideal 55 and it has been the most accurate throw that I have used over the years. Yes it is a learning curve to getting it throwing consistent charges but the chart that came with the old ones helps you get started. As said above getting the propellant settled in and then duplicating the throws with booring repeatability is the key with most of them no matter the brand. Where the 55 shines is with throwing flake powders like 700X or wirh small charges. FWIW I have never had a problem using H110 getting an accurate throw in any of my measures.
 
I have a RCBS Uniflow . . . consecutive throws the difference can be as much as 1/2 gr. After 30 throws, the next throw might be as much as 2 gr. more than the first.
Something is very wrong, possibly with your Uniflow, probably your technique. Mine runs +/- 0.1gr with any ball or flake powder, and +/- 0.4 with stick like 4831. No drifting at all.

1) Make a baffle.
2) Don't slam the upper stop when filling the cavity. Gently, consistently, just kiss it. Double tap the lower stop emptying the cavity to dispense the full charge.
 
I have a RCBS Uniflow powder measure and have had problems with consistency. Between consecutive throws the difference can be as much as 1/2 gr. In addition, I have problems with the throw sizes drifting upward. After 30 throws, the next throw might be as much as 2 gr. more than the first.
I quit using my Uniflow for the same reason. I haven't used it for 10 years now. I tried all the tricks and it always left me down with it's inconsistencies.
My Hornady powder measure is sitting 2' away from it and it is the most accurate, consistent measure I've had the pleasure to use.
It's on my LNL-AP and for single staging I use my AutoCharge.
I've been waiting to find a reloader around here that wants it so I can give it away.
 
I have a Lyman 55 and and as far as accuracy is concerned I do not care for it. I have tried RCBS powder measures and was not impressed. Redding and Harrell's powder measures have been the better choices for me over the years.
 
I hung onto my old Uniflow for a long time because I always thought I would figure out what ails it but I never have. I don't want to sell it to anyone when I know it's a lemon.
There are a lot of people that are happy with their Uniflow measures.
I don't know what to do with it so it just sits there, ever present on my bench.

JSKI, have you tried the normal static treatments like spraying static guard in it and waiting 10-15 minutes before trying it? I see you are in Florida, I wouldn't think you should have a static problem there but I'm in North Carolina and I do have a static problem here in the winter and it messes with all my measures to some degree.
 
2.0 grains variance?? I have a Uniflow and never experienced any thing like that.
As mentioned try a baffle if no using one, but if you keep the measure at least 3/4 full a baffle doesn't do much.

If it really is 2.0 grains call RCBS , as there is something wrong, what I have no idea, as all the rotor measures are pretty much the same,
 
2.0 grains variance?? I have a Uniflow and never experienced any thing like that.
As mentioned try a baffle if no using one, but if you keep the measure at least 3/4 full a baffle doesn't do much.

If it really is 2.0 grains call RCBS , as there is something wrong, what I have no idea, as all the rotor measures are pretty much the same,

This sort of summarizes how I feel. All measures essentially work the same way, dispensing a fixed volume of powder. Variations in weight occur because the powder kernals don't align with each other exactly the same way every time. Some powders allow that to happen more consistently, and the way you operate the measure has an effect also. My experience is the charges always have some variation when thrown that are distributed in a bell curve. Most are real close to the target but occasionally some are not as precise.

Bottom line, if you are uncomfortable with your result, weighing each charge might be a better option. Many people throw a light charge and then trickle up to the target. An electronic measure is another option.
 
I use a baffle and I have installed the small cylinder in the measure.

The thing that confounds me most is this propensity to drift upward. After 30 throws and the darn thing is 2 gr. higher than when I started! What could account for that?
 
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I had a 55 and didn't like the adjustments and even if set correctly you still had to trickle powder. I sold it and like my Redding X10 much better.
 
I have a RCBS Uniflow powder measure and have had problems with consistency. Between consecutive throws the difference can be as much as 1/2 gr. In addition, I have problems with the throw sizes drifting upward. After 30 throws, the next throw might be as much as 2 gr. more than the first.

What's most concerning is this upward drift I've noticed. I've been forced to measure each and every load.

Most of my reloading is for handgun cartridges, so I rarely venture above 20 gr. charges. I want above all consistency. Is the Lyman #55 my solution? I've read many a review that says consistency is its strong point?

► If your setup and technique isn't correct, your issues will simply follow you to the next powder measure. I'd make sure of those things before moving on....
• Did you fit the RCBS powder baffle ?
• Do you throw the first 10 or more "drops" back into the hopper ?
• Do you use a technique that knocks the handle twice at the top AND twice at the bottom of the stroke ?
• Do you average 10 "drops" to make your setting ? (If you are aiming for 4.5gr, drop 10 and see how close you come to 45.0gr.

► You've got to STOP thinking in terms of powder Weight variations, and start thinking in terms of variations in powder Density. All powder measures dole out Volumes, but you'll never get consistent Weights from Volumes until you achieve consistent Densities. (You may need to think about the Physics of that statement.)

► No powder measure is perfect, especially these designed back in the 60's and 70's. The problem being is that the major sport back then was high powered rifle. Variations of 1/2gr don't mean much to rifle. IMHO the largest drawback to the Uniflow is that the "small" barrel is about 9/16" (0.56") in dia. RCBS really should consider issuing a rotor with ~0.30" bore, because the smaller the bore the finer the adjustments will be for sub-5gr pistol loads.

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The one BIG advantage the Lyman 55 does have over the RCBS Uniflow is smaller cavities in which to meter powder. So if you're doing all the above, the 55 might help. But be aware, the 55 has about 3X as many parts. Adjustment can be tedious.

Hope this helps.
 
I use a baffle and I have installed the small cylinder in the measure.

The thing that confounds me most is this propensity to drift upward. After 30 throws and the darn thing is 2 gr. higher than when I started! What could account for that?

What kind of metering "screw" do you have, The original basic screw or a fancy Micrometer?

As far as I know there is nothing that can change in the rotor. It is a hole. Pretty simple. The metering screw is it coming loose? I can see some inaccuracies with stick powder due to cutting but no 2.0 grains. Is it really 2.0 or .2??

I would also verify that you SCALE is repeating correctly maybe it is not the measure but the scale. Use a balance beam scale to check.
 
Make double triple quadruple and quintuple sure that gempro 250 is measuring right. I have had 2 go bad on me. They tended to drift over time and got worse and worse. At first I didn't notice because I was trickling for precision long range ammo, I was wondering why my loads seemed to be shooting less and less consitently. Then I started checking the gempro with a balance scale and sure enough...so I sent the second gempro back after it did the same thing and stick with high quality balance scales now.
 
Thanks for your thoughtful response. I have never read about a double tap at both the top and bottom as being required or even a good thing. And as I've previously mentioned, I use a powder baffle. And I've installed the small cylinder.

BTW, it has been suggested to me that the best powder measure extant is the Dillon. I'm not certain which would be best for my small measures (4-20 gr.)? But one thing is certain, I'm not planning to purchase a Dillon press so I'd need something that can function as a standalone. Is there a standalone stand for the Dillon measure?
► If your setup and technique isn't correct, your issues will simply follow you to the next powder measure. I'd make sure of those things before moving on....
• Did you fit the RCBS powder baffle ?
• Do you throw the first 10 or more "drops" back into the hopper ?
• Do you use a technique that knocks the handle twice at the top AND twice at the bottom of the stroke ?
• Do you average 10 "drops" to make your setting ? (If you are aiming for 4.5gr, drop 10 and see how close you come to 45.0gr.

► You've got to STOP thinking in terms of powder Weight variations, and start thinking in terms of variations in powder Density. All powder measures dole out Volumes, but you'll never get consistent Weights from Volumes until you achieve consistent Densities. (You may need to think about the Physics of that statement.)

► No powder measure is perfect, especially these designed back in the 60's and 70's. The problem being is that the major sport back then was high powered rifle. Variations of 1/2gr don't mean much to rifle. IMHO the largest drawback to the Uniflow is that the "small" barrel is about 9/16" (0.56") in dia. RCBS really should consider issuing a rotor with ~0.30" bore, because the smaller the bore the finer the adjustments will be for sub-5gr pistol loads.

View attachment 823276

The one BIG advantage the Lyman 55 does have over the RCBS Uniflow is smaller cavities in which to meter powder. So if you're doing all the above, the 55 might help. But be aware, the 55 has about 3X as many parts. Adjustment can be tedious.

Hope this helps.
 
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Loaded a lot of .44 mag w ball powder........and Lyman 55.
Did great.
Sold all my reloading stuff when I moved.
Am on the hunt for another 55 :)
 
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