DramWorx Pyrex Hopper

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TexasJohnBoy
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DramWorx Pyrex Hopper

#1

Post by TexasJohnBoy »

So I ran across this the other day and I wanted to give it a shot. First, let me cover a few things that many here probably already know all to well...

1. Why in the world is the Horndady powder drop threaded on the inside, when they just shove a plastic tube in? This has always bothered me...
2. Why in the world do we use plastic hopper tubes that get extremely maddening amounts of static on them????

So, I've been brain storming for a while how I could replace the plastic thing with some kind of glass. I was trying to think up a way to get a glass tube, then use some type of matched threaded brass parts to secure it to my powder drop. Been thinking on and off for a long time, but never saw anything that was like "That's my solution right there." I've tried the dryer sheet trick (kind of workable, not a great solution) and other things, but never loved it. So, I ran across this the other day: https://dramworx.com/

Holy cow, this looks promising. At $45, the standard replacement hopper for the Hornady was a bit more than I wanted to throw down, but I figured what the heck. I've had the last two months of shooting matches get canceled or conflict, so I've got some extra cash. Well, it showed up today. I haven't used it yet, but hope to this weekend. Here's my unboxing...

First and foremost, I'm super surprised at the shipping package. Big for a hopper, so there's some care given to making sure it gets home without being broken.
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Continued good packaging...
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Once I got it all unwrapped, I was immediately taken by the heft of the unit. This guy does not use thin pyrex, it's hefty. The hopper is secured to the threaded collar with some type of glue. There's no play in it at all, but I didn't try to rip it out (I did buy it, after all, I don't want to break it)
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Close up of the threading (finally, the female threads will get used!)
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The lid on the top doesn't fit as snugly as the plastic cap over the original plastic hopper. The weight of the machined aluminum (I'm making a guess with the material) holds it down, while the o-ring keeps it from rattling around. I only leave the lid on when I'm not reloading and it's empty, so I'm not too concerned about it being super tight.
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Size comparisons -- the new hopper has a smaller internal diameter, but it's taller. It's advertised as being close to the original volume. I typically only load ~100-200 rounds at a time, so I don't need a 8lb reservoir...
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The baffle is snug -- as you can see, I scratched the inside of the mount when I removed it to clean it. It should do the trick, none the less.
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And here's a comparison of the original Hornady baffle (right) and the DramWorx baffle (left). You can see here the smaller inner diameter again. The original Hornady will not fit in the DramWorx hopper.
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Assembled
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Once I drop some CFE through it, I'll follow up.
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pushpullpete
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Re: DramWorx Pyrex Hopper

#2

Post by pushpullpete »

Looks like a great find if it works as hoped. Please let us know what you think as I will need a new one soon as well.
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ghostrider
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Re: DramWorx Pyrex Hopper

#3

Post by ghostrider »

very cool.

thanks for posting; I had heard of this company before.
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Beiruty
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Re: DramWorx Pyrex Hopper

#4

Post by Beiruty »

I have one on my AP, it is recommended.
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warnmar10
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Re: DramWorx Pyrex Hopper

#5

Post by warnmar10 »

Beiruty wrote:I have one on my AP, it is recommended.
Ditto.

flechero
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Re: DramWorx Pyrex Hopper

#6

Post by flechero »

Looks like a great idea- I don't typically store powder in my hopper but don't like the static and discoloration... I figure if the plastic is deteriorating it is likely adding something undesirable to my powder!

How is the baffle? It looks like a lesser fit than the stock one... or in my case I bought a UT Baffle for my Dillon... Which helped even out drops throughout the hopper fill life.

Looking forward to the review after some use.
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Re: DramWorx Pyrex Hopper

#7

Post by Beiruty »

Beiruty,
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flechero
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Re: DramWorx Pyrex Hopper

#8

Post by flechero »

Wow- titegroup ate it up!


Hey is that the Inline Fab rail system in your pics? What do you think of it?
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Re: DramWorx Pyrex Hopper

#9

Post by Beiruty »

flechero wrote:Wow- titegroup ate it up!


Hey is that the Inline Fab rail system in your pics? What do you think of it?
It works, it is up to you if you can justify the cost. You can fab holder from wood or get 3D printed ones.
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Re: DramWorx Pyrex Hopper

#10

Post by TexasJohnBoy »

flechero wrote:Looks like a great idea- I don't typically store powder in my hopper but don't like the static and discoloration... I figure if the plastic is deteriorating it is likely adding something undesirable to my powder!

How is the baffle? It looks like a lesser fit than the stock one... or in my case I bought a UT Baffle for my Dillon... Which helped even out drops throughout the hopper fill life.

Looking forward to the review after some use.
Oh I don't either. I got it specifically for the static problem, and because I just think pyrex is better than a plastic tube.
I used it some this weekend -- the baffle does baffle things. I didn't have any problems running CFE Pistol through it, throws were accurate and consistent.
I'll try to write something more in depth tonight when I get home from work....
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Re: DramWorx Pyrex Hopper

#11

Post by TexasJohnBoy »

Yours does screw down better than mine -- I have maybe a quarter of an inch space left when the threads seem to bottom out. I'll point this out in a picture when I get home as well...
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Re: DramWorx Pyrex Hopper

#12

Post by TexasJohnBoy »

Image

Look at how there is ***NOTHING*** sticking to the sides of the hopper! LOOK AT IT! That alone makes this thing worth the investment.

For the question regarding the baffle, as I said, it functions well. The drops are all smooth and vary .1gr or less. I loaded 100 rounds of 9mm using 5.3gr of CFE Pistol, and threw 5.3gr 95%+ of the time, but it drifted down to 5.2 once or twice. Also, I still use a cheap digital scale, so I think that could easily be drift on the scale and not the drop. It is smaller than the Hornady one, but again the hopper has a smaller internal circumference/diameter than the Hornady plastic hopper. It's also a very tight fit, and won't slide out when you dump the hopper like the Hornady does.

When I finished up and cleared it all out, there was powder that stuck to the baffle, I think mainly static on that piece because it all blew off. I also did clean the baffle with OneShot gun cleaner/lube, which I use on my dies, but I'll probably give it another good soaking/cleaning before running more through it.

As I mentioned in relation to TAM, mine doesn't screw down as far as his. It seems like the threading bottoms out with just a bit of space left, but I don't think this affects the functionality of the unit at all.

Highly recommended.

Next investment is an old school beam scale.
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Re: DramWorx Pyrex Hopper

#13

Post by Beiruty »

TexasJohnBoy wrote:Image

Look at how there is ***NOTHING*** sticking to the sides of the hopper! LOOK AT IT! That alone makes this thing worth the investment.

For the question regarding the baffle, as I said, it functions well. The drops are all smooth and vary .1gr or less. I loaded 100 rounds of 9mm using 5.3gr of CFE Pistol, and threw 5.3gr 95%+ of the time, but it drifted down to 5.2 once or twice. Also, I still use a cheap digital scale, so I think that could easily be drift on the scale and not the drop. It is smaller than the Hornady one, but again the hopper has a smaller internal circumference/diameter than the Hornady plastic hopper. It's also a very tight fit, and won't slide out when you dump the hopper like the Hornady does.

When I finished up and cleared it all out, there was powder that stuck to the baffle, I think mainly static on that piece because it all blew off. I also did clean the baffle with OneShot gun cleaner/lube, which I use on my dies, but I'll probably give it another good soaking/cleaning before running more through it.

As I mentioned in relation to TAM, mine doesn't screw down as far as his. It seems like the threading bottoms out with just a bit of space left, but I don't think this affects the functionality of the unit at all.

Highly recommended.

Next investment is an old school beam scale.
I have a perfectly like new Hornady M-Deluxe scale, still in the box. M for Magnetically stabilized scale.
Make an offer

https://photos.app.goo.gl/t2rpz9B06jLgHpGF2
https://photos.app.goo.gl/9PNnke40HstdtEJs1
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pushpullpete
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Re: DramWorx Pyrex Hopper

#14

Post by pushpullpete »

TexasJohnBoy, and all who responded, Thanks for the info. Powder doesn't stay in mine either, but, that
whole static thing is REALLY annoying with the plastic reservoir. Thank you all for the info & review.
Gotta get me one. :mrgreen:
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