Automatic Powder Dispensers

[loaded round]

I've been reading up on the various Lyman, RCBS, and Hornady Auto Powder Dispensers , the ones with the built in balance that dispenses a set pre set amount of powder. Can anyone give me pro and cons on each model? What I'm asking is which one should I buy (and why?). My favorite rifle powder is Varget and doesn't dispense out of my three power measures worth a damn; so I want to buy an auto dispenser.

 

[WIL TERRY]

BOTH of my REDDING powder measures and both of my RCBS Uniflow measures Dispense Varget with excellent precision !!! EXCELLENT !!!
Mayby you should be looking elsewhere or developing better powder measuring skills, Sir.
And so it goes...

 

[grobin]

If you expect real precision from any powder dispenser you are barking up the wrong bush!

The auto dispensers will do better than the simple volume measuring ones even the ones with adjustable volume. You need to set up the powder measure then use it to throw charges weighing each charge until you get the powder measure to throw charges that weigh the same. For real precision you set the powder measure up to throw slightly low charges then use an auto tare scale and a powder trickler to get the final charge. If you need real precision you need to work on mg not grains.

 

[loaded round]

I want the auto powder measure that dispenses onto a balance pan preset to a known charge rate. Read the various units specs, their accuracy is +/- .5 gr. Much better than any powder measure that dispenses by volume and not weight. I don't think you understand what I'm looking to buy.

If you expect real precision from any powder dispenser you are barking up the wrong bush!

The auto dispensers will do better than the simple volume measuring ones even the ones with adjustable volume. You need to set up the powder measure then use it to throw charges weighing each charge until you get the powder measure to throw charges that weigh the same. For real precision you set the powder measure up to throw slightly low charges then use an auto tare scale and a powder trickler to get the final charge. If you need real precision you need to work on mg not grains.

 

[loaded round]

Wil:
I'm using both a Redding Bench Rest and a Redding Uniflow powder measure and have had dropped loads vary 2-3 grains on both. FYI, I spoke with Hodgdon Tech Service last week and they confirmed there is a problem with volume charges with Varget since it has a tendency to bridge in the narrow drop tubes of powder measures. My shooting buddy has experienced the same problem with his Hornady measure also. BTW, I've been reloading for over 45 years and I do think I know what I'm doing.


e

BOTH of my REDDING powder measures and both of my RCBS Uniflow measures Dispense Varget with excellent precision !!! EXCELLENT !!!
Mayby you should be looking elsewhere or developing better powder measuring skills, Sir.
And so it goes...

 

[grobin]

Try Amazon reviews. They are good. https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_s...prefix=Auto+powder,aps,568&crid=1F2QG4POPB81E
Also try the reviews at midway. All powder measurement techniques have problems with some powders; except, for weight on an accurate scale. The auto measurers all have different problems.

 

[WIL TERRY]

Wil:
I'm using both a Redding Bench Rest and a Redding Uniflow powder measure and have had dropped loads vary 2-3 grains on both. FYI, I spoke with Hodgdon Tech Service last week and they confirmed there is a problem with volume charges with Varget since it has a tendency to bridge in the narrow drop tubes of powder measures. My shooting buddy has experienced the same problem with his Hornady measure also. BTW, I've been reloading for over 45 years and I do think I know what I'm doing.


e

BOTH of my REDDING powder measures and both of my RCBS Uniflow measures Dispense Varget with excellent precision !!! EXCELLENT !!!
Mayby you should be looking elsewhere or developing better powder measuring skills, Sir.
And so it goes...

Do you have baffles in your powder measures, Sir ?
Also do you have the rifle powder throats in the measures? NO fooling , and no brag, I can hold 2-3 tenths with those measures.
They NEVER weigh charges in the bench rest matches.
And so it goes...

 

[loaded round]

Factory baffles are in both my measures.

Wil:
I'm using both a Redding Bench Rest and a Redding Uniflow powder measure and have had dropped loads vary 2-3 grains on both. FYI, I spoke with Hodgdon Tech Service last week and they confirmed there is a problem with volume charges with Varget since it has a tendency to bridge in the narrow drop tubes of powder measures. My shooting buddy has experienced the same problem with his Hornady measure also. BTW, I've been reloading for over 45 years and I do think I know what I'm doing.


e

BOTH of my REDDING powder measures and both of my RCBS Uniflow measures Dispense Varget with excellent precision !!! EXCELLENT !!!
Mayby you should be looking elsewhere or developing better powder measuring skills, Sir.
And so it goes...

Do you have baffles in your powder measures, Sir ?
Also do you have the rifle powder throats in the measures? NO fooling , and no brag, I can hold 2-3 tenths with those measures.
They NEVER weigh charges in the bench rest matches.
And so it goes...

 

[Twoboxer]

I've been reading up on the various Lyman, RCBS, and Hornady Auto Powder Dispensers , the ones with the built in balance that dispenses a set pre set amount of powder. Can anyone give me pro and cons on each model? What I'm asking is which one should I buy (and why?). My favorite rifle powder is Varget and doesn't dispense out of my three power measures worth a damn; so I want to buy an auto dispenser.

The most popular dispenser-scale has been the RCBS Chargemaster, now virtually replaced by the Chargemaster Lite. I doubt many if any reloaders have actual experience with two or more of the Lyman, RCBS, and Hornady products.

I had a PACT dispenser-scale, was never happy with it, and when it broke I bought a Chargemaster. While the Chargemaster didn't break, it had many of the same flaws as the PACT. The most critical ones for my use were the quality and reliability of the scale.

Scales available for less than ~$500 use strain gauges which are highly susceptible to electrical anf RF noise. In short, anything that transmits or radiates can cause the scale to flutter and lose zero. Many of these scales have programming designed to ignore small changes in weight so that they hold zero better and flutter less. At best this makes them poor candidates for trickling; at worst it can build in a cumulative error. Finally, strain gauges and the associated circuitry often don't really have the number of divisions needed to provide 0.02gr resolution across the range of weight they accept.

Eventually I gave up on strain gauge digital scales, and my 7th scale and last scale is an A&D FX120i (~$500). Armed with that scale, I began to use the Chargemaster to throw 0.5gr lighter than my target, and used a manual trickler (later a Dandy powered trickler) to reach the target.

Having thrown more than a thousand charges that way, I can tell you that MY Chargemaster in MY reloading room was +/-0.06gr from target ~70% of the time and within +/-0.1gr ~85%. Whether the powder was H335 (flattened ball) or IMR4064/N140 (similar to Varget in shape, length, and width) didn't matter much if at all.

If that accuracy does not satisfy you, a reasonable alternative is a beam scale and a Dandy 2-speed powered trickler. Some folks have reported happiness with a GemPro 250 and a Dandy (or hand trickler), though that scale needs to be nudged to force it to re-weigh after dropping a single particle of powder. (Yes, I have a GemPro 250 as well.)

If precision and automation is important, and if your budget can take the hit, an A&D FX120i and an AutoTricker (separate attachment to the scale's serial port) will be +/- 0.02gr or 1 particle of powder, whichever weighs more . . . and set you back ~$750.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

I don't have any experience with auto-dispensers but that seems like a great way to dispense extruded powders like Varget. They measure weight, don't they? Give us a report if you get one.

For extruded powders I use the Lee Perfect (cough) Powder Measure that has a flexible wiper that doesn't cut the powder.

 

[contender]

I have a Lyman DPS III,, and it has been a very good for my purposes. I check weights etc,, and it has been a very consistent dispenser. I set it a hair light & let the trickle effect finish up. I also check it against another scale.

 

[grobin]

Twoboxer is exactly right! For accuracy you need a real lab scale like the Ohaus. Check out the auto scale reviews on Amazon and Midway-most are OK but none are great. A friend got a new SubZero commercial refrigerator (the kitchen is right above his bench) and his scale stoped working relabily! The club has a reloading area available to members. They installed a 4' Flo an the bench back. The auto scale doesn't work reliably with the light on.

 

[RoninPA]

I have an "old" Lyman 1200 DPS II and it meters/measures any of the powders I use (including Varget which I do like) and I constantly get accuracy in the +/- .1 - .2 grain which is fine by me for what I shoot.

I periodically cross check it with a series of weights that are calibrated using an analytical scale that is accurate to 0.1mg (0.0015 grains). I spent 26 years in the USAF as a metrologist specializing in physical metrology (weight, pressure, length, time) so I'm reasonably sure my Lyman or my other two (RCBS and Redding) beam scales are consistently accurate enough for me.

That said, if I'm within +/- .1 - .2 grains I'm happy. Myself, I can't tell by feel, hearing or sight, nor do I have all the scientific equipment to accurately tell the difference in a charge that is off by .1 grain.

 

[Big Old Boy]

I use the Rcbs chargemaster and it work s well for my purpose. Easy to set up and change loads and powder selection.

 

[hunter966]

I have the RCBS Chargemaster and it is spot on. I still have a RCBS 505 balance beam scale and check the weights the Chargemaster throws and it's spot on.

One tip I was told when I got the Chargemaster was that a drinking straw, McDonalds fits perfectly with a wrap of painters tape, cut it to length and slide it into the dispenser tube in the Chargemaster. I have used this for years and anything from ball to extruded powder meters great.

 

[kmoore]

I have the same 2 scales as the last post. Chargemaster for about 10 years. Used to use a Redding, a uniflow and little dandy for throwing a charge. Sold the manual powder throwers. I randomly check the chargemaster loads with the 505, so far they both show the same every time. I use flake, spherical, cylindrical powders. Never used any of the Varget brand.

 

[dickn52]

RCBS Chargemaster LITE. Sold my 1500 and went to this unit. Never gonna look back.

 

[Divernhunter]

I have 2 balance beam scales to check my electronic one.
I had a Lyman unit and after it broke the 2nd time and they wanted 1/2 the cost of a new one for replacement I got a Hornady unit like my buddy. It has been an excellent unit. I know the RCBS unit is really good but more money and has features I will never use. I see they have come out with a more simple/cheaper unit that lacks some of the bells-n-whistles that I do not use anyway.

I just wish I would have bought mine sooner. I really like them. I use mine mostly for rifle cartridges.

 

[grobin]

I've an Ohaus that's accurate to 0.001g (±1mg). I bought it for formulating coatings, it's rather expensive for reloading. I use calibration weights with NIST traceability and have a beam balance with similar accuracy. 1grain is 64.79891mg so this is overkill, (±0.01g) 0.15 grains would be fine. I throw my charge a little low then use a trickler to get it right on. You are lucky if your auto dispenser is consistently within ±1 grain. Still OK for hunting, plinking and casual target shooting. The lab balances I use are shealded against air currents and magnetic fields. If you have electrical/magnetic fields around your accuracy maybe more like 10 grains, this can make you over maximum charge. You should calibrate your scales/auto dispenser with calibration weights before every session, they are cheap as you don't need NIST traceability for legal or contractual purposes.

 

[nvbirdman]

I use the RCBS. Works for me, and when not in use I cover it with one of the plastic grocery bags from Walmart.