Who is using one? Who's using what? Opinions please. Looking to speed the process a little.
Gonna pick one up in the next week or two.
Gonna pick one up in the next week or two.
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Electronic powder dispenser
- Thread starter neal007
- Start date
There has been much discussion on this issue. Let me summarize the arguments:
1. Chargemasters are the way to go. Plenty of accuracy for anything but bench rest.
2. Chargemasters are the work of the devil and have no place on a reloading bench.
3. I don't trust anything that runs on electricity. I still need to be able to load my ammo to .01 of a grain when the SHTF, all power is lost and I'm fighting off zombies.
4. No electronic scale that costs less than $2000 is worth considering.
5. I've had my beam scale for ______years and I see no reason to change.
Now, you can wait for the multiple pages of posts that will say essentially the same things.
1. Chargemasters are the way to go. Plenty of accuracy for anything but bench rest.
2. Chargemasters are the work of the devil and have no place on a reloading bench.
3. I don't trust anything that runs on electricity. I still need to be able to load my ammo to .01 of a grain when the SHTF, all power is lost and I'm fighting off zombies.
4. No electronic scale that costs less than $2000 is worth considering.
5. I've had my beam scale for ______years and I see no reason to change.
Now, you can wait for the multiple pages of posts that will say essentially the same things.
Want a serious answer? Would assume so.
Don't throw away your balance beam scale....you need it to initially check the drop the
electronic scale is giving. Then you should spot check drops as you are progressing your
loads.
I've had a Chargemaster for a couple years and so far, it is within that 10th of a grain.
Every so often, someone on the 'net has them on sale. I just waited for awhile until
finding a bargain. Hope this helps.
Don't throw away your balance beam scale....you need it to initially check the drop the
electronic scale is giving. Then you should spot check drops as you are progressing your
loads.
I've had a Chargemaster for a couple years and so far, it is within that 10th of a grain.
Every so often, someone on the 'net has them on sale. I just waited for awhile until
finding a bargain. Hope this helps.
You'll find there is a solid consensus that amongst electronic dispensers, the Prometheus is *the* best.
The RCBS CM1500 is second best, and all the others aren't worth mentioning.
The Prometheus is lots and lots and lots of money, and has a several year wait time, as it is a bespoke device.
The RCBS CM1500 is second best, and all the others aren't worth mentioning.
The Prometheus is lots and lots and lots of money, and has a several year wait time, as it is a bespoke device.
Thanks DannoBoone. I had heard good things about the CM. Is there only one model? Im seeing them for $200.00 here and there.
I have had a Lyman DPS 3 for about 10 yrs. It is a very well build machine, not nearly as sensitive to florescent lighting as others would lead you to believe, but it is sensitive to vibration , wind currents and static electricity. My dispenser has over 20,000 charges and is currently in a shop with 3 other individuals who reload and use it relentlessly, still going strong and still just as fast and accurate as the day I pulled it out of the box. On auto it has never been over .1 grains on a charge. It is definitely worth a look if you are considering an electric dispenser.
There is indeed only one model, but you can purchase it three ways: Scale only, dispenser only, or the "combo" that comes with scale and dispenser.
A good price on the combo is ~$300 delivered.
Please let us know if you find it for $200! I'll take 2.
Prometheus II..way to go..and depending how sick U really are, add to it an AJ- 320 scale to verify accuracy...really it is a needless repetitive redundancy
THIS!-Cry once and you'll see why it's the best.
LG
HodgdonExtreme, I've found dispenser only for $180.00.... You telling me to jump?!! I have an electronic and beam scale for verification.
As for the Prometheus... Im sure they are top notch guys....but.... I am not at that level.... Maybe if I did "this" for a living! Plus gotta save for a g$&!ad trimmer!! Told you I was speedin my process up!! Thank you ALL!!
As for the Prometheus... Im sure they are top notch guys....but.... I am not at that level.... Maybe if I did "this" for a living! Plus gotta save for a g$&!ad trimmer!! Told you I was speedin my process up!! Thank you ALL!!
People down the Lyman and i had trouble with my first model. Lyman corrected the problem at no cost to me and i have been very satisfied since. I have a very controlled room for reloading and that also is a big help for electronics. Have a chargemaster also and both units work fine for me.
What folks dont mention is that to "speed things up" they are running 2-5 chargemasters at a time.
I invested in one, and I can thow and trickle as fast as I could charge with the chargemaster so I sold it to a team mate that wanted another.
I load in blocks of 50, so I charge them all then seat them all. I do not like seating a bullet then filling the next case-if you do then you need to isolate your charging setup on a different bench or shelf than youre running the press on.
I invested in one, and I can thow and trickle as fast as I could charge with the chargemaster so I sold it to a team mate that wanted another.
I load in blocks of 50, so I charge them all then seat them all. I do not like seating a bullet then filling the next case-if you do then you need to isolate your charging setup on a different bench or shelf than youre running the press on.
I have the Hornady, and mine works great. That being said, I am not sure I would recommend one, as I have seen far too many negative reviews. I bought it with this knowledge, and didnt mind tinkering with it. So far, I have been happy, but a sample of one is hardly relevant.
As for speeding things up, no not really. I can make ammo much faster with a Uniflow. For me, its just another way to do things. I like the consistency, and it really doesnt slow me down when making small batches. There is some time gained in setup, but even that is fairly negligible. For large batches of plinking ammo, I still use the Uniflow.
As for speeding things up, no not really. I can make ammo much faster with a Uniflow. For me, its just another way to do things. I like the consistency, and it really doesnt slow me down when making small batches. There is some time gained in setup, but even that is fairly negligible. For large batches of plinking ammo, I still use the Uniflow.
I have both the Hornady Autocharge and the RCBS Chargemaster. I definitely like the RCBS more. With stock settings, the Hornady drifted quite a bit, had more overcharges, and was slower to dispense extruded powders. Also it's somewhat easy to spill powder with the Hornady if you're not paying attention. It continues to dispense powder until it settles and beeps that the charge is done. If you pull the pan before it beeps it'll keep throwing powder right onto the scale. If you pull a charge early with the RCBS nothing happens except the counter goes up by 1. And the RCBS doesn't beep if you think that might bother you after a while. If you get a RCBS, reprogramming it and doing the straw trick helps so much. I used to use the two in tandem for my .223 loads but after reprogramming the RCBS, I don't even bother since it's so much faster. It has an occasional overthrow but it's worth it to me considering how much faster it dispenses. With .308 and 6mm Creedmoor I generally only have to wait a few seconds for a new charge after I finish dumping the powder into a case and seating a bullet.
I have the Hornady LNL Auto Charge. It does ok for me but I don't think I would bother to buy another if I was doing it over. I switch between Red Dot, Blue Dot, IMR 4064, Bullseye and TiteGroup. Changing the powder is a small hassle to make sure it is clear. I recently bought a Lee Perfect Powder measure and may just get one for each powder type I use. I won't store the powder in the scales but I won't have to clean them as well if it's the same powder going back in. I do like the scale on the Autocharge and you can get it by itself without the powder dispenser but there are probably better units out there.
Mum-O-Killowe
Mum-O-Killowe
I have been using the Pact dispenser and scale for about 11 yrs. now. Lost a bushing on the high speed tube today and stopped working. A call to Pact and they said send the dispenser and a check for 19.95 for return postage and they'll fix for free.
I just bought a CM combo from NatchezSS for $285. It was $300 shipped and I'll have it tomorrow.
I have the Hornady and its fine with a modification of the straw modification.
You makes your choices and pays your money and takes your chances.
Only you can decide what will work best for you.
Consider your skill level and whether or not you can out shoot a 0.1 Gr difference in charge.
I can't.
You makes your choices and pays your money and takes your chances.
Only you can decide what will work best for you.
Consider your skill level and whether or not you can out shoot a 0.1 Gr difference in charge.
I can't.
I'm ordering the Chargemaster combo to use in conjunction with my LNL AP press.
Simply going to remove the plastic tower that normally holds the powder in the case-activated powder drop.
A simple "dump-in" of every weighed charge into the base section / meter (I'm going to set the meter MOL "wide open", as it's setting is irrelevant used this way), run the case up as usual, the weighed charge drops in it's entirety into the case. Meter is completely emptied, ready for the next dump-in.
Can't think of any reason this shouldn't work cleanly and easily. As close to automation as I can come up with for a precision weighed vs. metered charge.
As a reloading noob, I have to ask... how does one reprogram a powder dispenser/scale, and what is the "straw trick"?
Here's a thread that has both the reprogramming and the straw trick:
Primal Rights ? View topic - Reprogramming the RCBS Chargemaster 1500
I did the straw mod a bit differently. I just cut off a piece from a straw and did a sawtooth pattern around the edge of one side. I then put some tape on the straw to wedge/fit it in the dispensing tube. It seemed like the sawtooth pattern helped vs not having it but ymmv.
I bought the Lyman GEN 5 Digital Powder System and have no regrets at all. haven't had any problems since day 1 and it weighs loads just as quick and precise as the RCBS CM. the only problem I have is I can't hear the beeper but that would be true for all models of electronic powder dispensing scales out there because of my ability to hear certain high pitched tones(including crickets). the beeper does work and I have verified that with several friends that have no problem hearing that beeeep when it reaches full charge and double checks the load. all in all I would purchase another of these scales should I need one.
Bruce
Bruce
I got mine today and got it all set up. I installed some iron ferrite filter collars on the power cable to help with interference.
I've read not to leave the power cable coiled up because it can create a magnetic field. Any truth to that?
Anyone invest in a line conditioner to deal with voltage fluctuations? Seems like a good idea for use with digital scales.
I've read not to leave the power cable coiled up because it can create a magnetic field. Any truth to that?
Anyone invest in a line conditioner to deal with voltage fluctuations? Seems like a good idea for use with digital scales.
I thought the intended purpose is to get accurate readings... I know some folks have issues with fluctuating readings on their scales. I'm just trying to employ whatever I can help keep things consistent.
My Chargemaster seems to be quite consistent without any additional measures. I know it isn't an analytical balance. It isn't intended to be. There are very few shooters out there that could ever shoot the difference between using a stock Chargemaster and an analytical balance, anyway. I'm certainly not one of them, at least not yet. Going through extra steps like power conditioning isn't going to make a $300 scale into a $2000 one, no matter how much we would like it to.
I have a Dillon that works really good. But if you want speed up your loading going electric is just going to slow you down. Pretty hard to beat a good beam scale.
Cheers,
George
Cheers,
George
I think there is a "powder funnel die" availiable to go in the toolhead instead of the powder measure, for dumping weighed charges, but I don't know where to get one, maybe someone can tell us...
I'm using the Chargemaster and it's been smooth so far! I check its accuracy every so often and it's always right on.
Satern makes them, can buy them through Sinclair. I thought about that as well, but the funnels seem to be caliber-specific, while the LNL has two inserts (one up to 6.5 mm, the second for larger cases- and a third for pistol) so it seems it might be simpler. Won't know till I try it.
But still wondering about the "good luck, lol" comment...just smartass, or am I missing something....
