Based on the recommendation of other folks here on the Beartooth forum, I recently picked up a lb of Bullseye try in light to medium 38/357, 45 ACP, and 45 Colt loads.  It has performed just fine in the 45 Colt loads I have worked up so far.  But, when working up 38 and 357 Mag loads I began to experience large metering inconsistencies.  Specifically, when I try to drop charges of 4.0 grs. or less, they jump all over the place.  I have dropped small (down to 2.7 gr.) charges of both Titegroup and HP-38 in the past with no problem.  

I don't know if maybe I have a static electricity problem or maybe its just the nature of Bullseye and the fact that it is a flake powder.  But, I can droped as low as 3.2 grs. of Universal Clays (also a flake powder) with no problem.

Any ideas?  Has anyone else had this problem?

God Bless,
Mark in GA

STATIC!!! BETTER BREAK OUT THE CLING FREE!!!! I BELIEVE ITS DUE TO THE FASTER POWDERS NOT HAVING THE AMOUNT OF DETERENT OR GRAPHITE COATINGS THAT THE SLOWER POWDERS HAVE, A FEW LOADS HERE AND THERE AND IT NEVER SHOWS UP. BUT WHEN YOU START LOADING LARGER QTYS THE GRAPHITE THAT HAS BUILT UP FROM OTHERS BEGINS TO DISAPPEAR.  JIM.

I've not had the problem. I've run Bullseye through an old Lyman measure and a couple of Dillion measures, without this happening. I wonder what would happen if the measure was grounded, copper wire to a pipe or some such. The old Lyman has a brass chamber, could that make a difference?
All of my presses are bolted to 3/4 in plywood, so they would be well insulated from any sort of ground, maybe your measure is similar. I may try running a ground to the pipes and see what happens.
Anybody have some feed back or warnings.
Jim

Before using many of those flake type powders that you gentlemen have spoken of, I take my empty powder measure, fill it perhaps 1/4" full of powdered graphite and run it through the measure, just like you would smokeless powder, dropping it into the powder pan from my loading scale, and recycling it through the measure a few times, then emptying out the measure entirely before adding my Bullseye, Red Dot, 800X, what ever flake powder I'm going to use. *

This gives the measure a mega-dose of graphite, and seems to keep the static electricity to a minimum and the powders freely meter, at least for a full hopper of powder, then I repeat the operation before refilling the powder hopper on the measure. *Sounds like a hassle, but it surely does make for much more uniform powder charges from the measure! *Works for me!

Source for Graphite: *

• Dixon/Southwestern Graphite Inc.
  405 Old Main Street
  PO Box 144
  Asbury, NJ 08802-0144
  908-537-2155
  
  
• McMaster-Carr Supply Company
  PO Box 7690
  Chicago, IL 60680-7690
  562-692-5911
  562-695-2323 (FAX)
  www.mcmaster.com

Part Number for McMaster-Carr is: 1285K11 this is 1 pound of powdered graphite for &#367.18! *It doesn't get much cheaper than that! *You'll find other uses for it as well! *

Try 2 heaping tablespoons full in the next pound of either Elephand or Goex black powder you use, mix it well and the fouling in your gun won't be nearly as tenacious when loading subsequent rounds! It works! *(A tip from our very own James Gates!)

Hope this helps your problem!

God Bless,

Marshall

With the small metering drum I have thrown charges as light as 1.5-2.0 grains for lapping loads with Bullseye.

If you're using the large drum, it might work OK with ball powders with light charges, but definitely not with flake.

Hope this helps.

What do you mean by large and small drums?  My Uniflow only came with one.  Does RCBS have two sizes?

You've really peaked my interest.

God Bless,
Mark in GA

The small drum only goes up to about 60-65 grains of rifle powder (say H4831).  Don't know what the capacity of the large drum is - haven't used it since I got the small drum several years ago.

My guess is that the default is the large drum.  You might try Midway, Lock Stock & Barrel, etc., or any gunshop that has a good selection of reloading equipment.

Also I really like the micrometer dial that you can put on in place of the standard adjusting screw & nut.  It's an accessory too.