Auto powder dispensers

[bushog]

The Redding micrometer manual measures throw Unique better than my Harrell. For rifle I use a Chargemaster.

[markwell]

For handgun ammo we've been loading 90% of it on Dillon 550s and 650s for years. The Dillon powder measure works just fine with the few handgun powders we use a LOT of; mainly W231, AA#9, and Clays. For most rifle cartridges we use a Chargemaster or the old drum type measures by RCBS or Redding. We adapted a Hornady drum measure to one of our 550s that loads nothing but .223/5.56 with W748.

Quite frankly, I don't know how any serious handgunner could get along without a progressive press; but then I'm the guy who hates to reload, so I just want to get'r done.

[contender]

I'm a little late here,, but I use the Lyman auto dispenser & scale. I use it for my serious rifle ammo, and it's been just fine. (Lyman DPS III.) For handgun powders,, and I do use a lot of Unique,, I just use my manual RCBS Powder Measure. The trick to getting consistent loads is to develop a consistent pattern of how you operate it. Over the decades,, I tried a few experiments with this,, and finally settled upon a pattern that worked for me.

[alinct]

I use the Lyman Gen 6. It's a good one- 3 minute warm up time, easy to clean, reliable.

[fm027]

I've had a couple rcbs's over the last 25 years, and currently am loading with an rcbs matchmaster. I load (lots) of long range rifle besides pistol, and the manual throwers I've had experience with don't even come close to cutting it for the precision necessary to load LR rifle.

The matchmaster I have now (since my original chargemaster died) is a very repeatable consistent unit, it throws charges well under 1/10 a grain difference which is terrific, BUT it sucks bad for cleanout when done for the day and it's an undertaking to figure out electronically. My old chargemaster was excellent for cleanout and far more user friendly to set. They should've stuck with that design, even if it was getting dated. Those were terrific units.

[parallaxbill]

Aug 24, 2023 11:11:30 GMT -5 alinct said:

I use the Lyman Gen 6. It's a good one- 3 minute warm up time, easy to clean, reliable.

Same here, and it uses up very little bench space.

[marcruger]

I have experience with the Hornady AutoCharge PRO. It has proven to be a reliable charging unit. It holds right to what you input. As in, 4.5 grains is thrown at 4.5 grains. The slower it is run, the fewer variations. I have never seen it to under-charge. If it overcharges by .1 grain it tells you. If run slowly, it does not overcharge.

The only caveat here is that I watch the "zero". Sometimes it will wander by .1, and I simply re-zero. It is easily seen and easily corrected.

Hornady advises warming up for 5-15 minutes before use. I have found it to be much easier to work with if warmed up for an hour and then calibrated. I also sit it on a 1" thick piece of granite, which makes for a steady zero.

The chronograph says the unit works well in regards to bullet velocity variations on the range.

The only "negative" is that I would have liked a more detailed instruction manual or video. For younger folks to fiddle with and experiment with cell phones and computers it will be no problem. I can share settings if anyone needs them.

Best wishes, Marc

[marcruger]

Oh yes, my friend has a $2k scale that can read grains to three digits right of the decimal place. He uses Dillon 550 units for loading. The mechanical powder charger in the Dillon throws amazingly well. He showed me by throwing charges on the Dillon, and weighing them on the expensive scale. Crazy accurate. He would throw 7 grains for example, and it would weigh like 7.002 or 6.985. I would have bet good money that the Dillon was not that accurate. I am an OCD single-stage engineer, so I don't use the Dillon. It is very impressive though. Best wishes, Marc

[bigbore5]

I've got a scientific scale. With ball powder, even the econo Lee powder thrower is pretty accurate. With a smooth rhythm it will throw within 0.05 of a grain.

If it's extruded powder, the Lee isn't so accurate, varying by up to .2 grains. It's pretty much a tie between the Hornady and the Dillon at +/- .087 to .098 averages. They're all good enough for anything but competitive matches.

[crobloc]

A Lyman Gen 6 here too. Really like it. It's been a good thing so far.

[lobo]

I'm using an ancient PACT powder dispenser/scale. Still does great. Just let it warm up for an hour before use.

[cas]

Sept 16, 2023 14:21:10 GMT -5 lobo said:

I'm using an ancient PACT powder dispenser/scale. Still does great. Just let it warm up for an hour before use.

As am I. One day last winter I used it to weight match maybe 1k rifle bullets, and found some some odd things. I'd run into bullets that fell well outside of any of my weight groups, either high or low. I'd set them aside. When I was done with however many hundred, I'd go back through them again and find they did in fact fall in with the others the seance time around. That started giving me doubts.

Over the years I'd also noticed quite often if I picked the pan up and set it back down, it didn't read the same as when I picked it up.

So some time later I swallowed hard and bought an FX-120i, figuring the speed and accuracy would be worth it for bullet matching. And I could use it loading stuff I REALLY cared about. When I started using it to check weights the PACT was dribbling, I found that it was often right, even when the scale said it wasn't.
Say if I set it for 40.7 grs, and it trickled and stopped at 40.4 grs. It was closer to 40.7 at that point than if I trickled it to where the scale said 40.7 (at which point it would be over 40.7) That doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but that's what I was seeing.

Of course my PACT scale has been banged around for 25 or many more years, plus has spent the last 15 or more in my damp basement. I know every once in a while my digital calipers won't work right, but if I take them upstairs for a few days they function properly again. So no telling what it's done to my scale. And with that, I WILL NOT leave that expensive 120i down there. I keep it upstairs in a kock off Pelican case with desiccant in it. Which means it's inconveniant and I almost never use it. lol


Although right now it's on my kitchen counter because I was weighing arrows. My two shooting related tech purchase of the year, that scale and a bore scope. And I've ended up using them FAR more on arrows than firearms. Go fig'r.

[kings6]

I have been using a ChargeMaster for years and have been very satisfied with the results. The only change I made was to disconnect the audible “beep” years ago when I had it set up in a spare room. It was driving my wife and daughter crazy.

[lobo]

Sept 16, 2023 17:31:14 GMT -5 cas said:

Sept 16, 2023 14:21:10 GMT -5 lobo said:

I'm using an ancient PACT powder dispenser/scale. Still does great. Just let it warm up for an hour before use.

As am I. One day last winter I used it to weight match maybe 1k rifle bullets, and found some some odd things. I'd run into bullets that fell well outside of any of my weight groups, either high or low. I'd set them aside. When I was done with however many hundred, I'd go back through them again and find they did in fact fall in with the others the seance time around. That started giving me doubts.

Over the years I'd also noticed quite often if I picked the pan up and set it back down, it didn't read the same as when I picked it up.

So some time later I swallowed hard and bought an FX-120i, figuring the speed and accuracy would be worth it for bullet matching. And I could use it loading stuff I REALLY cared about. When I started using it to check weights the PACT was dribbling, I found that it was often right, even when the scale said it wasn't.
Say if I set it for 40.7 grs, and it trickled and stopped at 40.4 grs. It was closer to 40.7 at that point than if I trickled it to where the scale said 40.7 (at which point it would be over 40.7) That doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but that's what I was seeing.

Of course my PACT scale has been banged around for 25 or many more years, plus has spent the last 15 or more in my damp basement. I know every once in a while my digital calipers won't work right, but if I take them upstairs for a few days they function properly again. So no telling what it's done to my scale. And with that, I WILL NOT leave that expensive 120i down there. I keep it upstairs in a kock off Pelican case with desiccant in it. Which means it's inconveniant and I almost never use it. lol


Although right now it's on my kitchen counter because I was weighing arrows. My two shooting related tech purchase of the year, that scale and a bore scope. And I've ended up using them FAR more on arrows than firearms. Go fig'r.

I think I sent mine back a few years into ownership to be "looked at". I can't even remember what the reason, as it has been so long ago.

I bought a new RCBS scale last year to "check" the accuracy of my old PACT unit. The old PACT is still good to go!! As long as she warms up for at least an hour before use,
no worries

[cas]

I have a second one that's unused. Sadly for a reason. A friend bought one and was having issues with the scale. I think he had other things going on in life at the time so he packed it away. Moves and other things happened and he never messed with it. I ended up with it, but sadly the scale seems worse all these years later. Can't zero it, won't settle down, even if you leave it on for a week, which I have. PACT, who used to make them for everyone else, is out of the game parts for that scale have been exhausted ages ago. So I have a brand new scale that doesn't work. And an even newer powder dispenser if the other one ever dies.

I wish there was a way to hook it up to the FX-120i. There probably is, but that stuff's way over my head.