New "Brass" PPM

[larryw]

Greetings, anyone have any experience with the Lee, brass PPM with micrometer adjustment ?
Any info greatly appreciated..

[GasGuzzler]

I think one of the new members calls it DPPM (Deluxe PPM) and has one.

[Royce]

Lee Deluxe Perfect Powder measure

Looks like that is what Lee calls it too.

[GasGuzzler]

Found several topics here by searching "DPPM".

[Fyodor]

No experience yet, but ordered one.

[thebige58]

I have a DPPM that was purchased in 2016. It has the red dispenser with a lid just like the old PPM had. The newer PPM & DPPM have clear bottle type dispensers.
The DPPM is like the PPM in that it does need to be"broke in" so as to dispense consistent accurate measurements. By following the Lee instructions, run a pound of powder like Bullseye or similar through the measure in order to smooth the edges of the internal parts.
After that is completed, it will throw consistent amounts and not be leaking powder on the bench.

[Fyodor]

I have a standard plastic PPM and the new deluxe brass PPM arrived recently, too.

The construction is well made. But it has a few disadvantages:

- It is much larger overall than the plastic version.
- While the whole constructino is very well made, and it feels much more solid, the lever feels sloppy. It is not positively locked to the drum. It is keyed, and these keys have quite some play in them. All interlocking parts there are made from metal, so it is sturdy, just feels sloppy.
- The new style powder hopper with the blow formed plastic bottle does not allow to top up mid session or to throw back the first or last few throws.
- There is a plastic locking tab to arrest the adjusting nut. LEE put one spare of that in the box. Usually that is a sign the part will break regularly.

I do not intend to adjust the measure back and forth too much anyways, so for me that is probably not a big of a problem. I think I can get used to the sloppy lever quickly.

But the new style hopper is a real nuisance. I already ordered an old style hopper and the new design valve to replace it. I prefer to throw back the first three throws, to give the powder the opportunity to settle before actually charging. Also I don't do many reloading sessions, but when I do, I make a lot. So I need to refill the hopper mid session regularly. Also when finishing, I close the valve, and lever the remaining powder out, put it back into the hopper, and then put everything back into the original bottle.

Neither of this is easily or at all possible with the new design.

Adjusting is quick and easy, self explanatory. But that little plastic tab, you have to bend out of the way to turn the adjustment nut... I don't know how long that will hold. It feels flimsy, and as if it would break off any moment. The fact that LEE gives a spare with the measure, doesn't add any confidence either.

The drum needs some grinding in. When comparing plastic and brass drums, I think they are similar in "non-fittyness" (great thing in German is, you can quickly make up new words :p )

By the way, what grit of valve grinding paste did you use on your PPMs, plastic or brass? I want to do that on both measures, too, but am unsure about what to use.

[horseman]

I've used a 320 grit paste for "smoothing" out the drums. Same Clover brand I have used for fire lapping gun barrels. Works quite well.

[GasGuzzler]

Looking at the pic on Lee's sight I can tell from here that thing has no use to me. I don't need a bench mounted measure (I have a Uniflow with an adapter to fit on powder-through dies) and I sure don't need the upside down baby bottle hopper.