Culver Lyman measurer

[spook1]

My uncle gave me a culver converted Lyman powder measurer a while back. He always swore it was the most accurate measurer he ever used. It is marked hl culver on the side insert. I am wondering if this is a rifle made measurer as I have read he also made a small capacity measurer for pistols etc. I have been playing with this and will say it is extremely accurate and repeatable with what I have tried. Any idea of where one could find one of the small powder measures? I shoot more small caliber loads then anything else. Any other info someone can give me on this measurer.

 

[Outrider27]

To the best of my knowledge Homer didn't make a lot of the smaller capacity inserts for using the Lyman 55 for pistol calibers. Like a dummy, when he started making them, I didn't get another Lyman 55 and have him make me a second Culver conversion Lyman 55. It is the most convenient of the measures I have and the only one I use for rifle work, even when I have to create a new setting table for a powder that didn't exist back when I got mine (about 1975). I was able to create tables for a couple of powders that Homer hadn't tried (new at that time) yet, and he was very happy to add them to his collection of guideline settings tables.

Homer never claimed that the throw to throw variation would be any less with his conversion, the beauty of it was that once you had established the correct setting for a specific load with a specific powder, you could always get that same charge with that setting and powder as long as you were using the same lot #. He always advised that the tables were a guide to get you close on your first try for that charge, and might vary a click or 2 either way with a different lot of powder than the table for that powder was developed with. My own experience was that, weighing 10 charges in succession, the throw to throw charge variation was less than Lyman claimed for the 55 using their plug.

My only advice for getting a Lyman 55 with the small charge insert for pistols is to place a "wanted to buy" add in the classifieds and cross your fingers - most of us that have either version aren't inclined to part with them, but you never know. A friend of mine, the guy that introduced me to Homer, died a few years ago, and his didn't go on the market - his son, who had been using it for years anyway, knew exactly what it was and how to use it and claimed it immediately.

Good luck if you choose to search.

Later addition: Homer did not make the insert cylinders for sale separately, for those of you that aren't familiar with them. You purchased a Lyman 55 and gave it to Homer, and he made each charging insert as a custom fit for that particular Lyman 55 and returned the completed conversion to you, along with the original Lyman insert.

 

[ta6ppc]

I used to have one, powder got left in it after a BR match and corroded it up really bad I tried my best to save it but it was a total loss. I cried like a toddler, even today it still makes me mad do something stupid and loose a perfect piece of tooling.

mine was very accurate, worked excellent basically they were the precursor to the Harrel’s line.

 

[spook1]

Would you have

To the best of my knowledge Homer didn't make a lot of the smaller capacity inserts for using the Lyman 55 for pistol calibers. Like a dummy, when he started making them, I didn't get another Lyman 55 and have him make me a second Culver conversion Lyman 55. It is the most convenient of the measures I have and the only one I use for rifle work, even when I have to create a new setting table for a powder that didn't exist back when I got mine (about 1975). I was able to create tables for a couple of powders that Homer hadn't tried (new at that time) yet, and he was very happy to add them to his collection of guideline settings tables.

Homer never claimed that the throw to throw variation would be any less with his conversion, the beauty of it was that once you had established the correct setting for a specific load with a specific powder, you could always get that same charge with that setting and powder as long as you were using the same lot #. He always advised that the tables were a guide to get you close on your first try for that charge, and might vary a click or 2 either way with a different lot of powder than the table for that powder was developed with. My own experience was that, weighing 10 charges in succession, the throw to throw charge variation was less than Lyman claimed for the 55 using their plug.

My only advice for getting a Lyman 55 with the small charge insert for pistols is to place a "wanted to buy" add in the classifieds and cross your fingers - most of us that have either version aren't inclined to part with them, but you never know. A friend of mine, the guy that introduced me to Homer, died a few years ago, and his didn't go on the market - his son, who had been using it for years anyway, knew exactly what it was and how to use it and claimed it immediately.

Good luck if you choose to search.

Later addition: Homer did not make the insert cylinders for sale separately, for those of you that aren't familiar with them. You purchased a Lyman 55 and gave it to Homer, and he made each charging insert as a custom fit for that particular Lyman 55 and returned the completed conversion to you, along with the original Lyman insert.

would you have a copy of the table homer provided? I am amazed at the accuracy of this thing. I figured if the smaller one was as accurate and had smaller variations then it would be the only one I ever needed. I would like to see the table because it would help you get pretty close

 

[Outrider27]

I will prowl through my old records and see if I can find a set of Homer's old tables (the collection ran to several pages, covering a bunch of powders). This is going to take awhile, so don't hold your breath, but if I can find them, I'll get back to you.

 

[243Lapua]

I got a Lyman 55 Culver conversion. I use it to throw charges for 6ppc. It's been very consistent with LT 32.