Do you visual powder check?

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Prof Young

New member
So I'm rolling on the new turret press. Should have got one a long time ago. However; on 380, 9mm, 45 acp as I place the bullet I can see the powder in there. But on 44 mag, 38 spl, 223 and 357 mag I can't see the powder unless I pull the case and hold it under the light. I'm having a hard time getting passed that visual inspection stage. Was loading 357 yesterday and started looking at every third or fourth case to make sure the powder drop had not stopped working. I guessing on a progressive press there would be no point if you tried to visually inspect the charge on each case.

Thoughts and comments?

Life is good.
Prof Young
 
Yes, I visually check the powder in each case.

With my Dillon 550s, the powder drop is in the front left station, right in front of your face. And I look every time.
 
I keep a little flashlight on my bench and after I finish charging a batch I'll look up and down and across all the rows and columns shining the flashlight into them. Makes it fairly obvious if one is messed up. But I don't have a progressive press.
 
I use a single stage press so this isn't apples to apples. But, like above, I keep a flashlight and take my loading block(s), tilt them up a bit and look into EVERY single case. But they're right in front of me so it's easy. But I do it AND recommend it!
 
It’s a lot more of a hassle on a turret or a progressive when you’re not using a loading block.

You must mount the press a little lower than you might like so you’re looking down on it. Also, Hornady makes a little led light strip with sticky on the back that you can stick on the bottom of the frame of the press. I stuck one on my 550, and it makes the visual check a lot faster than having to hold a flashlight.

IMHO not visually checking your throw (or even if you double weigh each charge) is not a good practice at all.
 
Yes, I always visually check. But for me it's not that difficult. I reload .45 APC only single stage on a Dillon 55B.
 
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My LNL AP is lit up with Inline Fabrication's light strips and center light. I look into each case as I seat a bullet.

If That don't work and I have never seen it not, I have a powder check die.

I am anal about a no throw cycle and I see no way I can throw a double charge with the AP press unless I try to on purpose.
 
Prof Young wrote:
Thoughts and comments?
Click to expand...

I load on a single stage press.

I also throw my charges light and trickle them up to the desired weight.

As each case is charged, it is placed in a loading block. When I think every case has been charged, I place the loading block at about a 30 degree angle, give it a brisk shake and then inspect the cases visually using an automotive trouble light. I pay particular attention not only to the presence of powder, but the length of the shadow of the case mouth cast across the surface of the powder because if the shadow is not consistent, the charge is either too light or too heavy.

Once I am sure there is powder in each case, I seat the bullets.

Prior to packing the loaded rounds, they are 100% check-weighed against against the standard weight of the components. 25 ACP is excepted for obvious reasons. Any round that is materially heavier or lighter than the standard is disassembled and inspected. Any time a round has not passed the check-weigh, something has been found to be wrong when it was disassembled, so although widely regarded as a waste of time, as a quality control step it has yet to fail me.
 
Yes when throwing from a powder measure into rifle cases in blocks, but I consider it mostly a waste of time since you can observe the powder as it flows through the RCBS drop funnel.

No when using the Dillon 550 powder drop but with some calibers the powder level can be observed when close to the case mouth.
 
On the 550B I have a small LED flashlight with 3 AAA rechargeable batteries. It sits in the center of the toolhead shinning light through the hole. There is more than enough light to confirm powder in the case with each pull.
 
I single stage load my bullets. Can't say I ever seen a missed charge or a double charge.

Beam scale every charge. I don't like mechanical powder droppers.
 
IMG_1620.jpg
I use a micro video camera and monitor on my Pro 2000 progressive.
I did a short test video below when I first installed it... my first peek....I placed a new .357, a dirty .223, a clean .308, followed by two dirty .45s all on a shellplate together just to see how it might work. Obviously the cleaner the better....wet tumbling with stainless pins make even the .223 visible to the bottom.
(of course you need light too....I used LEDs mounted to the press casting.
https://youtu.be/HGuiFoxmNeM
I found the micro camera and monitor on the internet. Very inexpensive, solution. Here's a $20 camera similar to mine: https://www.amazon.com/Camera-Wireless-Hidden-Digital-Video/dp/B074M8FWWZ/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1510115189&sr=1-5&keywords=micro+cameras
 
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On my Lee Turret I mounted a small flexible USB powered light down into the cases... ok for 9mm but hard to see with 357’s and lighter, fast powders. (<5gr)... anything above that I can see the powder levels just fine.
 
I use both a turret and a progressive and I do look into every case before placing the bullet. I am also fighting an old learned habit of weighing every charge as I did long ago when I first started in 1979 with a single stage press. This is almost as hard as quitting smoking!
 
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