clean powder drop when changing powders?

[beetle]

hi there.

newbie reloader here. I just finished using up a pound of W231. I like it, but would like to try something else to compare.

question: do I need to clean my powder drop before putting in a different powder brand? The old powder is pretty much gone, but there is residue and dust in the powder drop.

Thanks for your help.

[mls204]

Im new too so dont trust what I say.

I have 2 powders (231 and universal) and what I do when I switch between them is move the powder measure metering insert up and down until there isnt any more of the old powder coming out. This is, of course, after dumping as much as I can out of the hopper. Then when i pour the new powder in I cycle through a few loads (like 5-10) before i start dialing it in.

Hope that helps, but correct me if im wrong.

[Low-Pressure]

YES!

[chim-chim7]

Yep just get out as much as you can, a few dusty granules wont change anything after you cycle your powder, adjusting for your next drop setpoint.

[ronas]

I stick the hose of my shop vac in the uniflow to get anything out that's let in there. Same on Dillons. You can put vacuum hose where powder drops to and cycle it.

[ireload]

Just flip your powder dispenser upside down, shake and slap it a couple of times. You'll be good to go. You may have some powder flakes in there that's stuck (if you have a powder baffle) but it'll be fine. The fine coating you may see at times I believe comes from the graphite that's used to coat the powder flakes. No need to remove the graphite. It acts as a lubricant anyway.

One lesson I did learn a while back is to empty out the dispenser after I have done my loading. I wind up mixing up one type of powder with another since I did not empty it out. Fortunately for me I caught it right away and not loaded it. I wasted a quarter pound of powder that day.

[NotEnufGarage]

My procedure is only one powder on the bech at a time. When done reloading, close and cycle powder drop a few time to get remnants out, empty into hopper, empty powder drop hopper into bottle, put bottle away. Then sweep up and spillage and bring out the next powder.

[Bill Steele]

Don't worry about the residue

hi there.

newbie reloader here. I just finished using up a pound of W231. I like it, but would like to try something else to compare.

question: do I need to clean my powder drop before putting in a different powder brand? The old powder is pretty much gone, but there is residue and dust in the powder drop.

Thanks for your help.

W231 is pretty easy to see, so if you don't have any flakes clinging to sides of the hopper or any in the drop, you are likely good to go.

When you load the new powder, you are going to have to get the measurement adjusted by weighing, when you cycle the first few drops, take a look at the powder dropped, you will see the shiney flattened ball powder that is the W231 if it is there. If any is in the first few drops, just chuck those loads in your garden. After a few cycles you will get clean drops, probably even before you have your weight dialed in.

Have fun.

[Chief-7700]

Another trick is to write the powder type and charge weight on a piece of blue painters tape. Stick it on the powder measure.
Example:
231
4.9 grains

[BigBronco]

I blow my powder measure out with one of those canned air blowers when I switch powders. After emptying it of course.

[meaty-btz]

I am weird then. I clean up the drop entirely.. as in wash it clean. Maybe its just me but I like everything clean clean clean.

[NRAhighpowershooter]

I haven't cleaned my powder drops in 25years..... but I also don't have a problem with any static electricity and sticking granuals...

[WDE91]

I first get all the powder out then I blow it out with compressed air

[SixPointEight]

I first get all the powder out then I blow it out with compressed air

This is what I do. I don't scrub or anything. The residue won't cause issues, even a granule or two would be fine. A couple grains of powder left in the drop tube will cause problems. Dump everything out, cycle it. Then VISUALLY check it's empty. Then refill etc.

[JagerDog]

Cycle in a "rough manner" with the drop over a white sheet of paper until nothing collects on the paper. If you have compressed air, it sure won't hurt.