RCBS powder measure question

Turtlehead, I can not help you, I have three presses that came with the Uniflow and all three came with both drums. The first thing I did was apply the case head protrusion measuring technique to the Uniflow measures. By applying this method/technique I converted all of my Uniflow measures to measures that can be adjusted to thousandths.

Quick change: I never get into mortal combat with reloading. If I did not have a Uniflow I would have to consider the difference in price between the Quick Change and Uniflow.

F. Guffey
 
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The powder adjustment mechanism, just from looking at the photo, seems unclear for the Quick Change. What are you loading, rifle or handgun or both? The Uniflow with small drum will accommodate 50 grains of powder or maybe slightly more. The large drum of course more. I would favor the Uniflow but get the micrometer adjustment screw along with it. Whatever you decide, get the stand also. Note that the Uniflow with the micrometer adjustment is very similar to the Competition model, the latter just having a slightly more finer powder adjustment screw.
 
The Uniflow is more expensive when ordered with the small drum. And I want the smaller drum for pistol and 223.

The Quick Change can do both large and small out of the box. But there doesn't seem to be much talk about it that I can find.
 
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To clarify, I'm just looking for a powder measure for the bench to dispense charges which then can be trickled up to perfect weight.
 
The powder adjustment mechanism can make a great difference. You might try making a call to RCBS and get an explanation on the Quick Change mechanism, if it might be similar to the micrometer adjustment stem. If not, you would be more satisfied with the Uniflow and the micrometer adjustment. Strange that the small drum is more expensive than the large. The small of course will serve well for both handgun and .223. But for trickling the final granules of powder, the Quick Change adjustment, whatever it is, will of course do the job OK for rifle loading. When it comes to getting the micrometer adjustment screw and the stand, the cost does add up.
 
OK. Today on Amazon the prices for the large or small Uniflow drums are about the same. Last night the small was about $20 more.
 
I also have the Little Dandy Power measure; it is an investment in powder dumps. There is a perpetual add that shows up on reloading forums on a regular bases; I have not seen in a while but it is about time. Someone sells adjustable rotors for the Little Dandy.

And I have the Visual powder measure and two Ohaus powder measures; and I have tricklers. I also have black, yellow and red Lee dippers and scales, I have lots of scales. I can dump and measure by volume or I can weight. I have volume adjustable measures that are dippers; one is 100+ years old.

F. Guffey
 
F. Guffey said:
The first thing I did was apply the case head protrusion measuring technique to the Uniflow measures. By applying this method/technique I converted all of my Uniflow measures to measures that can be adjusted to thousandths.
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I realize Guffey's responses are completely unrelated to the OP's question, but I have to ask. Thousandths of what?
 
Is there any downside to buying the quick change model as opposed to the uniflow?
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I was explaining to a reader in another forum the difference between the two products.....I'll quote myself and maybe it will help you understand the difference between the RCBS p.m. products and answer your own question:

The regular Uniflow: comes with either the small or large cavity cylinders. (mic and baffle is extra)

The competition Uniflow: same casting but comes with both cylinders a micrometer metering stem and an aluminum baffle. (Comes with the Pro 2000 Press)

The quick change Uniflow: Same casting with a quick change cylinder and a bigger 1# powder hopper. (Also comes with the Pro Chucker 5 Press)

The high capacity quick change Uniflow: Same casting with a quick change cylinder and an even bigger 2# hopper. (also comes with the Pro Chucker 7 Press)

The regular and competition Uniflows use a metering screw (regular or mic) to adjust the depth of the powder cavity. The mic is most useful because powder loads are repeatable (except for minor adjustments for powder lots and humidity.) IOW's you can record settings for a load in your reloading log, and return to it later (with minor adjusting).

The Quick Change system is different because it only has one cylinder for which you can buy $12 metering screws large and small, for as many loads as you want.....and adjust them once and put them away with a set of dies. So the next time you reload that particular round you can just snap in the metering die and go. That's the Quick Change part. (keep in mind that powder lots, humidity and maybe even atmospheric pressure can make minor adjusting advisable here too.
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Okay, my take on upside/downside of the new quick change.

Upside: You only have to buy one cylinder that fits all measuring screws and you don't have to buy the mic. measuring screw......because once set you leave it alone. (except very minor adjustments mentioned above.)

Downside: The $12 measuring screws are meant to be bought for each load you use, so you set measuring screws only once. That's great if you settle on one load per caliber....not so great if you have 3 loads for 3 bullets you shoot in one gun.

Upside: Lots of folks aren't going to have a problem with that (who tend to make pet loads for each caliber (for which they will set up each pet load with it's own measuring screw).....it sure is fast to snap a preset-screw in and out. It helps that those snap-in measuring screws aren't much more than a hamburger meal at McDonalds.:)

I do like my mics tho, and being able to record mic settings in my load book......on the other hand, recording what metering screw #3 is set for is, for instance, just as valuable........you can keep your metering screw in the die box with a note describing what it's set for.

Still hard to choose, but consider this.....if you mainly load 2 or three things over and over........you can't beat the speed of just dumping/filling powder, and snapping in a preset screw.....period.:cool:

I would keep my mic'd Uniflows for other things I don't load so often.
 
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Explanation of Quick Change appreciated. Had I known that earlier, I would have definitely supported the Uniflow with more emphasis. A cylinder is required for each powder charge you want to use and maintain that setting, or adjust one cylinder for any charge you want??OK if you have only one or two guns and one or two loadings with no expectations to expand. Well I would still get the stand with it.
 
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I agree, probably some confusion on my part. Even after looking at the explanation from the link, I may not yet have the big picture. But if you are satisfied with the system, so am I.
 
Just one cylinder but two metering screws. One large and one small. So you don't have to buy anything else for it if you don't want to.

It's built on the same frame as the Uniflow. RCBS says you can "upgrade" the Uniflow with the Quick Change parts.

We'll see how it works. It seems interesting and is cheaper than the other options.
 
Just mho check out the Hornady powder measure. One came with my LNL AP press and I found it to be more accurate than my RCBS as far as drift. If I load say 25 grains of powder it never varies over 1/10 th of a grain.
 
rebs said:
Just mho check out the Hornady powder measure. One came with my LNL AP press and I found it to be more accurate than my RCBS as far as drift. If I load say 25 grains of powder it never varies over 1/10 th of a grain.
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It may be the luck of the draw or the type of powder being measured, but I have had the same results with my Unifow that rebs has with his Hornady measure. Always less than +/- 0.1 grain deviation with 4-6gr of W231 and 25-40gr of IMR 8208XBR. I have both the micrometer that came with it and the QC conversion, but I only use the mic, as explained below.

With the QC conversion kit, if I tighten the QC locking pin down, the barrel of the small capacity metering screw sticks out of the cylinder just enough to rub the main housing of the measure and bind it up. If I back off the locking pin, it doesn't rub but it drifts inside the cylinder and sometimes rubs, sometimes doesn't. I need to get a round tuit and call RCBS about that.
 
I realize Guffey's responses are completely unrelated to the OP's question, but I have to ask. Thousandths of what?
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FRIENDLY ALERT! higgite, that is so grade school and then there is the other problem; two standards, I have a RCBS green assortment box with basically nothing but powder measures parts in it. If the OP needed a rotor for his Uniflow I could fix him up. But as sure as I made an attempt someone would have a reason for it not fitting.

I type as slow as possible to avoid missing anyone but no matter how slow I type when I hit the send button it all gets posted at the same speed. In the big inning there were powder measures that did not have threads; did that slow me down? NO. Did I complain? NO. The powder measure was a Herter with a rotor. The piston was held in place with a collate. So when in Rome and I do not have threads I use a depth micrometer. I know; threads drive the reloader to the curb and I have known some to simply lock up, not me. I apply the case head protrusion measuring technique because the case does not have threads.

Many tools use by the reloader have threads, it is not my job to convince them they can use the index or they can measure the protrusion of the adjuster. I measure the protrusion in thousandths of an inch.
Back to the old Herter powder measure with the rotor and no threads; all I had to do was measure before and again after, I never found it necessary to start over as thought I forgot everything I learned the day before.

And then there are threads on dies, 360 degree, 14 threads per inch and ¼ turn etc.; same thing, I go straight to the height gage or the lowly feeler gage, I measure in thousandths; I could convert degree to thousandths, I could convert fractions to thousandths and I would if I could understand why. From the first day I converted all if my powder measures to MICRO ADJUST.

I do have powder measures with the more expensive Micro adjuster, one is a big Hollywood and another came with a Pro 200 RCBS press and the Pro 2000 came with two drums; the small and the large.

F. Guffey
 
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I have another assortment box with nothing but bullet seating stems/plugs and another one that has nothing but case gages and case sizing dies without threads. I do not use the sizing die without threads but I have them JIC (just in case).

F. Guffey
 
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