powder consistancy

[Charly]

I am working on a good reload to work in my last aquisition, the SVI Infinity pistol.

I finnaly got it to cycle perfectly without malfunctions with factory amo (had the local dealer working on it for a couple of weeks because 9mm is very tricky to get working perfectly due to the small amount of energy it has compare to the 38super or 40mm usualy utilized in these race-guns).

Anyway, so the factory amo works great now and I want to find the proper load for reloading amo.
I tried my standard recepy (4,7 grns VV340 under a 124 grn FMJRN bullet) but that doesn't make it ! The slide will not cycle 8 time out of ten.

So I decided yesterday evening to make a small batch of trial amo, building up from minimum charge to just under maximum charge with an increasment of 2 grs.

Using my XL-650 with the plastic Arredendo powder bar .

I got a little bit frustrated because the powder measure would not be consistance from one drop to the other. I always had some small differences while loading but never so important. Usualy I check the first ten rounds, then every 100 or so and the last few ones. And now I checked every round because I want this test to be accurate in its results.

I was working in the 5 grs range (+/- 2 grs) and had some exact drops, some +2 grs drops and some minus 2 drops on batches of 25 rounds per weight.

What is going on with my powder drops ? or should I look at the electronic scale (Dillon D-Terminator) ?

[cohutt]

Electronic scale is the way to go.

I recalibrate ahead of any load workup session and am sure to let it warm up before using.

Any chance the plastic powder bar has static issues? If your powder hopper shows static signs maybe this is the issue.

[Charly]

I was also thinking maybe a static electricity issue ! Is there anything I can do to prevent it ?

I also "zero"-in my scale before starting a reload session and letting it warm-up.
I even re-"zero"-ed several time during the session when I have this type of problem

[cohutt]

I was also thinking maybe a static electricity issue ! Is there anything I can do to prevent it ?

I also "zero"-in my scale before starting a reload session and letting it warm-up.
I even re-"zero"-ed several time during the session when I have this type of problem


static guard on a cloth wiped on hopper and bar would help. Dryer sheets like "Bounce" work too, the ones you can add to your tumbler media to "clean".

Scale: Are you calibrating or zeroing?

Recalibrating is where you get out the check weights and go through the process with those per your manual.

On my scale zeroing is just hitting the zero button to accommodate the little powder dish or whatever.

If it isn't calibrated correctly you can do all the zeroing you want and it won't make it accurate.

[Charly]

I know perfectly that zeroing is only to take up for the small receipien used to pour the powder in.

I do not recalibrate so often (with the 50gr weight as written in the manual) 'cause I don't have the patient to do it .

but not recalibrating can affect the accuracy of the scale in general but should not affect the consistancy of it. If it is not correct, it should show all the time the same 'not correct' value. That would not make it not consistance, or would it ?

About the statics, so I should wipe a dryer sheet over the bar and that would eventualy reduce the static issue you think ?

I will certainly try that next time, thanks !

[4eyes]

Charly, most race guns are very tight when new and take up to 2500 rounds to loosen. Try a lighter recoil spring to shoot the standard velocity 9mm ammo.

Might try pouring the powder out of the hopper and check for clumps.

[colorado4wheel]

Never heard that people have issues with your chosen powder. I can (and do) get my charges with Solo 1000 to be much more accuarte then you describe. I would wonder a couple things.

Is that charge bar causing issues?
Is static a issue?
Is your constant starting and stopping on the progressive press causing a issue?
Is you powder settled in the hopper before you start?

[mark l miller]

Ok, this may sound silly but take a look at the "failsafe" rod or whatever it is called that pulls the charge bar back to refill. If it goes in at the top from the left to the right, it is installed correctly, if it goes in from the right to the left, it is wrong & will give inconsistent drops. It is exactly counterintuitive but it needs to go in from the left side & out the right, not the other way around.
It costs you nothing to check this & try for yourself. I found it affected drops about the amount you are experiencing & then when I was in Florida reloading with my brother, he had put his in from right to left & was having inconsistent drops, also. Once I changed it for him, things went back to +- less than .1 grain.
MLM

[Charly]

thanks for your input guys,

-I believe the issue can probably be either the powder bar or static
-after every session I empty the powder measure and fill it up again fresh when starting a new session
-the failsafe rod is insert correctly from left to right.

it is strange to have that big a difference between drops because I didn't have that in the past. once my powder drop set is satisfactory (I usualy check it to start and when I get the proper weight, I drop 5 measures that I empty back just to be sure the cycling is fluent) then it keeps good for hundreds of rounds.

and now it varies from one to the next one.

[4eyes]

Is the failsafe spring tightened sufficiently to pull the charge bar to fully retracted when seating the primer?

[Charly]

Is the failsafe spring tightened sufficiently to pull the charge bar to fully retracted when seating the primer?

I would believe it is but I sure will check it again next time, you have a point there.