I used an AI to generate this. There is more too it, I’m sure, but it’s a starting point.
When it comes to measuring powders for reloading, the type of powder and the powder measure can be crucial for accuracy and consistency. Here’s a general guide for ball, stick, and flake powders:
Ball Powders
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Best Powder Measure: Drum-type or baffle-type powder measures, such as the RCBS Uniflow or the Hornady Lock-N-Load, work well with ball powders. These measures have a rotating drum or baffle that helps to break up any clumps and ensures a smooth, consistent flow.
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Why: Ball powders are typically very fine and can be prone to bridging or clumping. The drum-type or baffle-type measures help to break up these clumps and ensure an accurate measurement.
Stick Powders
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Best Powder Measure: Tubular-type powder measures, such as the Redding BR-30 or the Lyman Gen 6, are often preferred for stick powders. These measures have a narrow, tubular design that helps to guide the stick powder kernels smoothly and consistently.
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Why: Stick powders have a longer, more irregular shape than ball powders. The tubular-type measures help to prevent the stick powder kernels from bridging or clumping, ensuring an accurate measurement.
Flake Powders
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Best Powder Measure: Drum-type or baffle-type powder measures, such as the RCBS Uniflow or the Hornady Lock-N-Load, can also work well with flake powders. However, some users prefer the tubular-type measures for flake powders, as they can help to prevent the flakes from bridging or clumping.
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Why: Flake powders have a flat, irregular shape that can be prone to bridging or clumping. The drum-type or baffle-type measures can help to break up these clumps, while the tubular-type measures can provide a smooth, consistent flow.
Additional Tips
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Calibration: Regardless of the powder measure type, it’s essential to calibrate the measure regularly to ensure accuracy.
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Cleaning: Clean the powder measure regularly to prevent powder residue from building up and affecting accuracy.
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Powder Choice: Choose a powder that is suitable for your reloading needs and the type of powder measure you have. Some powders may not be compatible with certain measures, so it’s essential to research and choose the right powder for your setup.
Remember, the key to accurate reloading is consistency and attention to detail. By choosing the right powder measure for your powder type and following proper calibration and cleaning procedures, you can ensure accurate and consistent measurements.
Ball powders, particularly those with a graphite coating, are known for their excellent metering characteristics. The graphite coating helps to reduce friction and prevent the powder from clumping or bridging, allowing it to flow smoothly and consistently through various types of powder measures. As a result, ball powders tend to meter well through drum-type, tubular-type, and other powder measures.
Flake powder, being essentially flattened ball powder, can be more challenging to meter accurately. The most common issues encountered when metering flake powder include:
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Bridging: Flake powder can bridge or form arches in the powder measure, preventing the powder from flowing smoothly and consistently.
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Clumping: Flake powder can clump together, causing inconsistent metering and potentially leading to over- or under-charged cartridges.
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Nesting: Flake powder can nest or stack together in the powder measure, leading to inaccurate metering and potential issues with cartridge performance.
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Static Electricity: Flake powder can generate static electricity, causing the powder to cling to the sides of the powder measure or other equipment, leading to inconsistent metering.
To mitigate these issues, it’s essential to use a powder measure designed for flake powders, keep the powder measure and surrounding area clean and dry, and use techniques such as tapping or vibrating the powder measure to help the powder flow smoothly.
HUMIDITY
Low humidity can indeed cause static electricity issues, leading to powder clinging to surfaces, accumulating in unwanted areas, or even causing inconsistent metering. However, as you mentioned, the static electricity generated is usually not enough to ignite the powder.
On the other hand, high humidity can cause powder to absorb moisture, leading to clumping, caking, or even becoming sticky. This not only affects the powder’s flow characteristics and metering accuracy but also increases its weight due to the absorbed moisture.
The same volume of powder can weigh significantly more at high humidity levels compared to low humidity levels. This is essential to consider when measuring powders by volume, as the weight of the powder can vary substantially depending on the humidity conditions.