Measuring one charge at a time and reloading is a very time-consuming and irritating task, and I’m guessing you want to increase time efficiency by hastening the procedure. If that’s the case, then I have got just the right material for you here, just read on to find the best case activated powder measure to hasten your precision reloading.
Do you know what is case activated powder measure?
It is a method to dispense accurate weight of gun power in grains by using a volumetric measuring procedure. Usually used on a turret or progressive reloading press, but can be used on a single stage reloading press as well.
Best Case Activated Powder Measure
This is the short version of the whole article here. I have used and tested LEE, RCBS & Hornady’s auto case activated powder measure. And in my Honest Opinion is that Lee Auto Drum Powder Measure has the best accuracy between powder weights, negligible standard deviation, easy to assemble, quite durable, and at a very reasonable price. I can confidently say, Lee Auto Drum Powder Measure is the Best Case Activated Powder Measure.
Lee Auto Drum Powder Measure can be used with almost any Reloading Press, as it uses the same 7/8 – 14 thread as the bushing of reloading presses.
Bases of Evaluation.
Charging cases takes time because we don’t want to over or under charge the cases. Overcharges risks or damaging the firearm and undercharging reduces accuracy and velocity. With that in mind, I have listed some factors here, that the powder measures are evaluated on.
- Accurate Powder Measure
- The difference in powder drops between successive powder drops – Standard deviation between charges.
- Leaking of powder.
- Easily adjustable powder measures.
- Available choice of powder.
- Durability
- Value for Money
To be an effective tool these automatic powder dispensers must at least comply with the first 3 points and the latter points are more subjective and can differ according to the reloader’s need.
One more thing, you will need a weight tool, I prefer an electronic powder measure over a balanced beam powder scale. Find out more about electronic powder measures here.
Lee Case Activated Powder Measure
Lee Precision manufactures 2 different types of Case Activated Powder measures.
Lee Auto Drum Powder Measure.
Lee Auto Disk Powder Measure.
Lee Auto Drum Powder Measure
Yes, we are discussing the best one first, Lee Auto Drum Powder Measure. This unit uses a drum for its accurate powder measure. When in rest position the drum fills up with powder from the hopper with the help of gravity. And to activate the automatic powder measure a case has to enter and push the whole setup up to rotate the drum about 180 degrees and drop powder.
Lee Auto Drum Powder Measure comes with 2 drums, a small drum with a capacity of 1-40 grains for pistol loads, and a large drum with a capacity of 35-100 grains for rifle loads. The powder charges can be adjusted with an accuracy of 0.1 grains of powder using the hex key.
Another feature that I love is the powder cut of the system, it is simple and effective, just by just rotating the hopper you can cut the supply of powder to the drum.
Setting up this automatic powder dispenser is simple:
- First, select the correct drum you need for the charges drops.
- Unscrew the knob to remove the current drum (careful not to lose the rubber O-ring).
- Insert the drum and screw the knob (hand tight) to set the drum in position.
- Then unscrew the knob a half turn for easy drum rotation, careful because a loose drum will spill powder.
- Screw the ‘Lee pistol powder through expanding die or rifle changing die’ (bought separately) at the base.
- Screw the powder measure in the reloading press.
- Finally, Place the hopper on the top in line with the groove in the metal cast.
- Rotate the hopper (while in the metal cast) counter-clockwise to enable powder flow (and clockwise to disable the flow).
To minimize cost Lee Precision does not include the reloading dies and hence it needs to be bought separately. If you reload multiple types of ammo, then buying a Quick-Change Drum set can make the process more efficient.
If you want to use the Powder measure on a turret or progressive press, you will need a Powder Measure Riser which needs to be bought separately.
Overall this is my favorite powder measure, that can use the traditional ball powder or other new types of powder. It has consistent powder drops for any powder type. This may not be the perfect unit but this is the next best thing.
Pros
- Very accurate powder drops.
- Powder charges can be changed as we see fit.
- Drums are changeable to keep preset settings.
- Hopper has a powder cut-off system.
- Large capacity of drums.
- Leaks very little even with fine powders.
- Can be used with many types of powder.
Cons
- Required pistol or rifle die to begin using.
- Requires extending die to set on the turret or progressive press.
- The disconnector is superfluous.
Lee Auto Disk Powder Measure
Lee auto disk powder measure is the second unit in this list. As the name suggests, it uses factory-built disks with cylindrical cavities for measuring the amount of powder discharged. You can not tweak the disk to slightly increase or decrease the grains but they come in almost all sizes you may need.
Upon buying, you will receive a Lee Auto Disk Powder Measure & 4 powder measuring disks with 6 cavities on each disk (total of 24 cavities). These disks do the powder measuring for you. Since they are factory-build they are usually dead accurate. The disks are measured in cubic centimeters (cc in short), and they cover measurements from 0.30cc to 1.57cc of grains.
With the Instruction Sheet provided by LEE, it is easier to find out which particular cavity you need for that specific powder you are going to use for your case. Find out the specific cylindrical cavities in the disks begin reloading. For Pistol Reloading this unit is one of the best because of the low capacity of the cavities.
The setup is simple but a bit tedious:
- Begin by choosing the correct disk and correct cavity for your case using the instruction sheet.
- To change the disk – unscrew the 2 screws on each side of the hopper and take off the hopper.
- Then place the selected cylindrical cavity facing inwards (right under the hopper base opening).
- Finally, screw in the 2 screws to place the hopper back on the setup.
- To change disk for different cases begin from step 1 again.
The minimum it can load is 2.1 grains and the maximum it can load with a single disk is 24 grains. But if you want to reload rifle cases then upgrading the setup with Double Disk Kits is advised but you will need to buy that separately.
Now if you reload multiple types of cases (like I do), then changing disks will soon become irritating. Hence LEE has come up with a solution, which is an Adjustable Charge Bar to reload anywhere from 2.8 grains to 16 grains only.
Pros
- Hopper has a powder cut-off system.
- The disk can be upgraded with an adjustable charge bar.
Cons
- Accuracy depends on the type of powder used.
- Small powder holding capacity.
- Requires double disk kit for rifle charges which needs to be bought separately.
- Non-removable hopper.
- Accuracy decreases with extruded powder or larger flake powder.
- Adjustable charge bar needs to be bought separately
- Changing disks is a hassle.
- Leakage with a very fine powder.
- Required pistol or rifle die which need to be bought separately.
- Requires extending die to set on the turret or progressive press also needs to be bought separately.
RCBS Uniflow Powder Measure Case Activated Linkage Kit
RCBS has a different approach to this problem. RCBS has come up with a linkage kit that can transform any RCBS Powder measure into a case activated powder measure. This RCBS Case Activated Linkage Kit Powder Measure does its job as expected. This linkage kit is more like RCBS’s One-Size-Fits-All powder measure solution.
But bear in mind this is just the linkage kit and you will need to buy an RCBS powder measure separately for the linkage kit to work. Because you will need to buy a powder measure and linkage kit the cost of this setup increases and looks more and more financially inefficient.
So in the kit, you will receive;
- A drop tube
- A pistol or rifle adapter,
- The case activation linkage
The setup instructions are easy to follow, which are provided within the kit. Either way, here are my instructions;
- Remove the lock ring from the powder measure and screw in the upper case activation linkage and tighten in firmly (This acts as the base of operation for case activated powder measure)
- Next, screw in the drop tube at the bottom of the powder measure.
- Choose the appropriate adapter and slide it in the bottom half of the case activation linkage.
- Using the thumbscrew on the bottom linkage, align it with the top linkage using the longer rod.
- Set the spring with the upper linkage and screw the setup on the press.
Now you are ready to drop charges, but how do you know if they are accurate? Measure and tweak the metering cylinder to get the right discharge.
Pros
- Very little leakage even with fine ball powder.
Cons
- Requires a powder measure.
- Expensive.
- Assembly requires a trial and error method with the case adapter.
Hornady Case Activated Linkage Kit
Hornady too just like RCBS has a case activating powder drop kit. And just like the RCBS kit, it has the same technology and features. But Hornady requires some extra procedures when it comes to changing from pistol to rifle rotor. That is you will need to open the whole linkage assembly to change the drums. Taking more time to assemble or change drums. The pros and cons are the same except the Hornady case activated linkage kit is much cheaper than the RCBS case activated linkage kit.
Which is the Best Case Activated Powder Measure?
By now you should be able to tell me which is the best case activated powder measure. But if you just scrolled down to the conclusion section then let me put it put bluntly. LEE Auto Drum Powder Measure is the best case activated powder measure.
Because it is very accurate, has a high grain capacity for rifle users along with low grain capacity for handgun reloaders, it is durable, easy to assemble, and is relatively cheaper than other options available in the market.
So if you are in the market for Best Case Activated Powder Measure, My suggestion by Lee Auto Drum Powder Measure.