GOSH I'm proud of myself!

mndoug · May-16-12 18:05

OK, it really isn't much, but little things make me happy - and maybe someone else here can benefit from my idea. I bought a nice powder measure at a recent gun show, but it didn't have a stand to hold it.



   When I started looking for one (new, used, whatever) I discovered the "big name" stands were going to cost more than I paid for the measure! At least $30-$40. And I sure didn't want another cheap-o Lee piece of bent metal. O whatever to do?



   While at Home Depot the other day, I had a flash and picked up the parts to MAKE a stand... for a total of $13.00. Below is my handiwork. It's simple and strong... like ME!

cedarview kid · May-16-12 18:05

AWESOME!

Back before you could buy just about any gadget you wanted at a store, THIS is how it was done.

"Home manufacturing" has become a lost art.

bumbazine · May-16-12 19:05

Nicely done, sir!

bud · May-16-12 20:05

Looks good to me!

We used to call this ni6%#(&#@.

heyjoe · May-16-12 22:05

bud, now they call it juryrigged instead of the other rigged

22man · May-17-12 00:05

Got-R-done

   Necessity breeds invention

   Fun to tinker, build, modify

   Evade/Adapt/Improvise/Survive...

   I like Lee products very well,,,,,they don't seem "cheap-o" to me at all.

Uncle_Lee · May-17-12 09:05

I used Lee products for years and have no complaints.



   Except getting the progressive press set up.

   Once set up, it went on for years.

mndoug · May-17-12 13:05

LEE --> To me, ALL the progressive presses are "mysteries of the universe." I'm amazed that they work at all - somewhere, Rube Goldberg smiles every time the handle is pulled on one of those things!



   CHOPS --> You would like those almonds... sure, they taste a bit metallic, but man, they give you a bang at the end!



   You guys' use of the term "jury-rigged" made me think: I had always heard it as "jerry-rigged"... which got me wondering, were did THAT come from? (Inquiring minds want to know!) So I did a little research. The best explanation I could find was this:



   The phrase has been around since at least 1869, when it was defined in the Lonsdale Glossary: "Jerry-built, slightly, or unsubstantially built." By 1901, the term began to be used figuratively - a sure sign of acceptance into the general language.



    The derivation is unknown. What is certain is that the term has nothing to do with the UK slang term for German (Jerry/Gerry.) That phrase is of WWI origin. Some guesses, although none of them appear to have any substantiating evidence:



    - The cheap, flimsy constructs of Jerry Brothers - supposedly a Liverpool building firm at the time of the phrases' origin.

    - The walls of Jericho which, as everyone knows 'came tumbling down'.

    - The Romany word for excrement - 'gerry'.

    - A corruption of 'jury-rig' - although if that were the case we might expect to see some printed reference to 'jury-built' or 'jerry-rigged'. The former is unknown and citations of the latter all date from the 20th century.





   Weeeeelllll, that clears THAT up!

louiethelump · May-17-12 14:05

Here was my solution to not wanting to use Lee powder measure but liking the Lee powder through the die feature.

   The adapter was turned with a smooth inside and threads at the top to take the standard 7/8X14 die and powder measure thread, and the bottom outside thread to fit the inside of the die.



   Having used all kinds of presses from single stage to progressives, I have settled on the turret press as the best of both worlds. It can be used as a single stage if you want with the benefit of leaving the dies in the turret, or use it as a turret press and load 150-200 rounds an hour without having to really work at it. Not as fast as a progressive, but I spent a lot of my time with the progressive press setting it up and then fixing problems.



   I have settled on the RCBS Little Dandy powder measure as you don't need a scale. The openings in the rotors are machined in steel and will not change. It does not leak powder like the Lee powder measure does, and I picked up most of the rotors on E-bay at cheap prices, and in fact got both of my powder measures used on E-bay. Works for me.



   Louie

mndoug · May-17-12 15:05

Nice... I've never thought of the "in-between" design (the turret press.)

Is that adapter a drill chuck? :}

louiethelump · May-17-12 15:05

No. It is just a machined piece of round bar stock. A friend with a lathe made it for me. He knurled the outside. I have had it about 15 years or so. I originally used the big RCBS Uniflow measure with it that is very similar to the powder measure you show in your photo. The Little Dandy is handier and you don't have to fiddle with the adjustment and a scale to get it set. You just go to the chart, and pop in the rotor that drops what you want. It is mainly for pistol cartridges, which is all I load anymore.

The adapter will work with any powder measure that is threaded on the drop end. Most of them are. Another nice thing about the turret press is that the turret pops right out. So, when I am finished for the day, the whole turret comes out and I dump the remaining powder back into the can without having to take the powder measure off the die.

bud · May-17-12 22:05

The other term    n%*^&( rig is



   A term used to describe a temporary fix or quick fix for an object using any tools at hand. Derived from the ingenuity of early African-Americans who did not have the means to fix every day objects and had to come up with these temporary fixes.

   "My antenna broke on my TV so I n^$#%& rigged a coat hangar so I could watch my show."

GOSH I'm proud of myself!

22man