Thread: I am in a state of utter befuddlement

Being tired of "scooping and weighing" powder for every load, I did some Googling and decided that the "Lee De Luxe Perfect Powder Measure" was a suitable progression for my AR2208 and black powder loads. HOWEVER, when it arrived, like a good little lad I read the instructions and was bamboozled to find this at the very beginning of the blurb.

"Do not use black powder in this powder measure,as it can explode in bulk"

As the "bulk" in my case could never be more than the 500 grm / 1 kg tin / plastic containers in which it is ALREADY packed, delivered, sold to me and taken home, all without any apparent BOOMS, (which I'm sure I would have noticed) it is my intention, unless you good chaps advise otherwise to ignore the prohibition and carry on with my plan.

How say you?

Interesting...

Is black powder specifically susceptible to explosion from either compression or static electricity ? More so than smokeless ?

The Lee sometimes cuts or squashes kernels when using smokeless.

The boom risk comes from static electricity with the plastic hopper. Black powder is shipped in tins.

There is some stuff Lee makes that is really good and some that is crap.

The Lee Perfect Powder Measure trends towards crap. It's a great example of you get what you pay for. I bought one when I first started out on the cheap with a Lee Hand Press to see if I actually liked reloading ammo. To me it's OK if you don't have a lot of money, you are reloading in small amounts, maybe the odd box of plinking ammo here and there. Myself I found it very staticky with static electricity a constant problem and also that may or may not have contributed to constant inconsistent powder charges. I can't remember if it broke or I broke it to put it out of it's misery but it was not long before I moved on to a proper powder measure.

There is no way in heck I would be putting black powder in that thing.

Originally Posted by ebf

Interesting...

Is black powder specifically susceptible to explosion from either compression or static electricity ? More so than smokeless ?

The Lee sometimes cuts or squashes kernels when using smokeless.

As far as I know, it is both susceptible to compression and static electricity plus temperature variations and especially gets temperamental when it degrades over time. Smokeless is relatively stable, which is why it was quickly adopted around the world by armies and for civilian use.

2208 meters through those things like a complete and utter flea ridden mangy dog with distemper, rabies, and chronic diahorrea.

Originally Posted by wanneroo

There is some stuff Lee makes that is really good and some that is crap.

The Lee Perfect Powder Measure trends towards crap. It's a great example of you get what you pay for. I bought one when I first started out on the cheap with a Lee Hand Press to see if I actually liked reloading ammo. To me it's OK if you don't have a lot of money, you are reloading in small amounts, maybe the odd box of plinking ammo here and there. Myself I found it very staticky with static electricity a constant problem and also that may or may not have contributed to constant inconsistent powder charges. I can't remember if it broke or I broke it to put it out of it's misery but it was not long before I moved on to a proper powder measure.

There is no way in heck I would be putting black powder in that thing.

Ive found the opposite ive fot a lee perfect powder measure then thought i was progressing getting a lyman auto dispensor as an upgrade what a piece of shit that turned out to be gone back to the perfect measure as its way better im no benchrest reloader tho

Originally Posted by ebf

Interesting...

Is black powder specifically susceptible to explosion from either compression or static electricity ? More so than smokeless ?

The Lee sometimes cuts or squashes kernels when using smokeless.

Yes. BP is formulated to ignite from just a flint/steel spark. And burns much faster unconfined than smokeless powder does. Plastic means static electricity, but metal is no see through, and potential pipe bomb like confinement of any ignition...

I note Lee Hand Primer has a warning against using with Federal primers. These primers use a slightly different compound than others, making them likely to blow in the lee (plastic holder) tool. But they also ignite hotter than other primers.

Little useful warning things we must read to not go big blinding kaboomboom...eh? O-:>

Originally Posted by northdude

Ive found the opposite ive fot a lee perfect powder measure then thought i was progressing getting a lyman auto dispensor as an upgrade what a piece of shit that turned out to be gone back to the perfect measure as its way better im no benchrest reloader tho

Not familiar with the Lyman measure. I have a few Lyman tools I use and they work fine.

I have both RCBS and Hornady powder measures that I use now. The RCBS runs like a train. The Hornady I found the clear plastic powder container was totally worthless. I think I had some Power Pistol or Titegroup in it overnight and it discolored and melted. So I found some guy that makes custom Hornady clear powder containers out of the same glass they use in chemistry labs. Screws right into the Hornady LnL powder measure and also I have minimal issues with static cling.

Some people are happy with the Lee. Some powders it likes, some it does not. For me I found in the end I was wasting my time with it for the reasons I listed above. I also did what Lee recommended with using graphite spray to coat the inside of the measure to mitigate static buildup, I found that helped a little but not much.

One place I work we used to use one pound charges of black powder for kabooms. Having seen what that looks like and how loud it is, I would say even having a smaller quantity go off in the Lee Perfect Powder measure would not be a good day for someone. If Lee says not to do it and with the measure's issues known, why take the chance?

If it goes Kaboom, your warranty goes with it! Just thinking of your family paying for the funeral! My BP handling equip is all copper and I decant from the original packet into a much smaller container to scoop from.

BP is actually quite dangerous compared to modern powders.

Originally Posted by Max Headroom

2208 meters through those things like a complete and utter flea ridden mangy dog with distemper, rabies, and chronic diahorrea.

I haven't used my measure much, but have only ever used with 2208 and its been great, I trust it way more than digital scales.

Originally Posted by Wingman

The boom risk comes from static electricity with the plastic hopper. Black powder is shipped in tins.

Almost right...........My Goex ( just about exhausted) is in a tin but my replacement purchase "Holy Smoke" is in what looks like plastic. It sure ain't any form of metal.

Some "glazed" black powders like Goex have a protective coating on it that works as a static insulation, protects against moisture and helps with temperature stability.

Originally Posted by Tommy

BP is actually quite dangerous compared to modern powders.

Agreed, but compared to loading "smokeless" in Martini Henrys. Sniders, Damascus barrel shotguns and 3 band P1853's, it ain't so bad.

Hopefully some BP users may wander in