Lee Loader

Here is 2 cents worth of my opinions.

First- Excellent lighting is required to inspect each case in Every process and stage of reloading.

Second- In particular you must be able to see powder in the case. For bottlenecked cases that may mean removing the case to inspect the powder level and using a marked measuring stick if the powder isn't filing the case for easy visual inspection. Each and Every case Every time.

The Trail Boss and powder measures I've used successfully are the Lee Auto Disk, Lyman 55 (with the large bottom cylinder closed) and good old fashioned dippers. I might be the only person who thinks dippers are GREAT powder measures and I collect PMs. I have 7 different PMs and have spent a LOT of time testing them with different powders.

I use the Perfect Powder Measure for my .30-30 loads. I fill an empty sample case with powder from the PPM, adjusted for my load, then put in on the scale, give or take as needed, then funnel it into a case, seat and crimp the bullet. Cannot over or under fill this way.

@daboone: You're not alone. I got two sets of dippers, and they are used regularly, nothing is better for load development. Incredibly fast to change to a new volume, and very versatile.

I've have the red & yellow dipper sets. I noted the cc of the red sets vs the ci that they are identified with.

More, Trail Boss. Doesn't work worth a hill of beans with the Auto Disk using the Micro Charge Bar. I wanted to use the powder in my 25 Auto for the raccoon wet work but there is absolutely no telling what you are going to get. It will be either nothing or something that is totally different from the last drop. That powder doesn't like those little holes in that disk.

A 25 Auto has a terrible crack that hurts after you have dispatched a number of raccoons. I was hoping the TB would allow me to avoid ear plugs on my trapline.

Ranch Dog wrote:Doesn't work worth a hill of beans with the Auto Disk using the Micro Charge Bar.

Well, you're absolutely right, the very light but huge flakes don't meter well in small cavities. Metering repeatability also is not the best. But the powder is advertised for Cowboy Actin Shooting, where the smallest caliber is .38spl, more often you'll find .45 Colt, and accuracy is not an issue. For that use the powder is great. Which other powder fills a .38spl just under the bullet with just above 4 grains?

Fyodor wrote:Well, you're absolutely right, the very light but huge flakes don't meter well in small cavities. Metering repeatability also is not the best. But the powder is advertised for Cowboy Actin Shooting, where the smallest caliber is .38spl, more often you'll find .45 Colt, and accuracy is not an issue. For that use the powder is great. Which other powder fills a .38spl just under the bullet with just above 4 grains?

You are right about the intended use of Trail Boss but I would bet the #1 demand here in the US is subsonic performance and/or suppression. A good example is the guy on the ranch to the east of me uses it in the 6.5 Grendel and 308 Win for suppressed night time hog hunting. I would like to suppress my Mini-30 and shoot a 200-grain cast bullet for the same purpose and the only powder I'm considering is TB.

For the 38 Spl, these powders typically provide the best case fill. They are considered US powders so I'm not sure what others might be out there on your side of the pond.

• Accurate 4100
• Hodgdon H110
• Hodgdon Lil'Gun
• IMR 4227
• Ramshot Enforcer
• Vihtavuori N105

I use the older Hodgdon H4227 in my Rossi 351. It is the only purpose I've ever found for this powder and It does a heck of a job filling the case.

Ranch Dog wrote:I'm not sure what others might be out there on your side of the pond.

Usually nothing... owning a suppressor still is illegal or virtually illegal (need of a "good cause" which is never recognized) in most EU countries, and subsonic loads don't reach the energy limits to be legal hunting rounds. So this is, unfortunately, an unknown problem to most Europeans.

Poppop wrote:I was at my local reloading store this evening and purchased an inexpensive Hornaday G2 electronic scale.
I know it's cheap but I don't care about accuracy, I will use it to check weight of finished rounds to be sure they all weigh pretty much the same. If I find a 3-5 gr. difference, I will check further. This will allow me to complete the turret process without stopping.

That will only work if you use the exact same brass. If mixed head stamp there weights will be different. Even with brass from the same manufacturer it's possible to have a variation in weight from case to case. Although the difference won't be as great as that of mixed head stamp