Harrell Powder Measure

[Birddogjake]

Does anyone have a chart that converts Harrell clicks to grains with various powders.

 

[BoydAllen]

The weight of charges is very dependent on the technique with which measure is operated. If you have the powder, measure and a scale, why would you need one? If, on the other hand, you are trying to make sense out of loads that were given as clicks, that is a really bad idea for the reason given, plus not all measures throw the same weight at the same setting, even if they are made by the same manufacturer. It would be better to ask the person to weigh a charge.

 

[LHSmith]

I make my OWN reference charts for the powders I typically use......key word is REFERENCE. Not all powder measures are created equal, not even identical Harrells. Then you have that twilight zone effect where your drops weigh different at different times of the day due to changing conditions.....unless you use it in a constantly controlled atmosphere. This is why the Forum Boss has sticky #4 ....read "Mandatory"

 

[Birddogjake]

I understand when I shot BR 30 yearsa ago we had charts for point of ref only.. everyone used culvers

 

[Outrider27]

+1 on the Forum Boss comment. The Harrell measure is simply a modern take on the Culver measure, which Harrell states right up front with justifiable pride. When Homer Culver returned my Lyman 55 powder measure with the new micrometer drum that made it a Culver measure, he also gave me a Xerox sheet of grain weights and click settings for various common powders of the time. The first thing he told me was that the sheet was just to get users of his measure in the ballpark, that settings always needed to be verified against the lot of powder we were using (and our "style" of operation of the measure") to get the correct setting for the charge weight we wished to throw. Our experience has been that given a consistant operating style, the setting doesn't vary within a specific lot of powder once the setting is established, but you still have to check weigh on a reasonable schedule to verify that nothing has changed.

On the other hand, I have one firearm (an XP-100 in 7mmBR) that I operate as a functional memorial to Homer for everything he taught me. It has never seen a weighed charge, and it never will as long as I own it; when I throw check weight charges, I return them to the measure hopper and continue charging cartridges directly from the measure. Just a weird way of thanking Homer Culver for a great product and, by extension, Harrells for continuing the tradition.

 

[Birddogjake]

Yep I still have the old sheets & laminated them .

 

[DaveWhite]

Yep I still have the old sheets & laminated them .

This response reminds me of a story my Dad used to tell: when he was lost in London he asked a gentleman in bowler hat and umbrella if he knew where the closest tube station was. Without blinking an eye, the gent responded that indeed, he did, "and would you like to know...? he asked..."


That said, I also have made tables of approximate settings on my Harrell for various powders, but recommend that you use trial and error to set up your own with whatever powder you are working with. I set up that table about a decade ago and don't think I have ever gone back to it...

 

[amlevin]

Maybe it's just my early morning fog but why would anyone trust a chart converting "clicks" on a Harrell powder measure when that same person would look with scorn at anyone suggesting the Lee Chart for their Auto-Disk measure is accurate.

A scale with personal records seems to be far more useful and reliable than any "chart".