Frustrated with Hornady LNL Auto Charge

[svxwilson]

I have been using a Hornady Lock n Load auto dispensing powder machine. At first I was very happy with it just loading pistol and bulk rifle rounds not going for precision but simply trigger happy times.

I have now moved on to precision loading and am wanting to up my game.

Recently I have been noticing that after I remove the powder tray after dispensing the negate number representing the zeroed weight of the tray deviates from what it should be which is 152.1gr. It will often be 152.4-152.9. Especially if it took a long time for it to drop the final charge.

If I walk away or just wait a few minutes after it completes it's drop the unit will display a diminishing number. Often 3-4 whole grains off.

It doesn't matter if I calibrate it or just simply zero it. It continues to do this. Sometimes worse than others. Is this my unit or is this a common problem. With this style auto dropper?

These problems seem to present themselves the most when I am working with a very fine powder like cfe223 or Longshot. The longer the unit takes to complete the drop the worse the deviation. I am also using straw methods to slow the powder on its descent thought the machine. Without the straws it would over charge EVERY time with these fine powders.

I am interested in a better powder dropper if it will alleviate These problems I have been having. I know of the RCBS it's my understanding that it is very similar to the Hornady..... I have also herd of a prometheus? How much do they cost and would they work with a variety of different powders like varget through fine shit like cfe223?

Also going to get a annealing process going as my second addition to bettering my loading process.

 

[svxwilson]

As I sat in my loading room and typed that out I had a drop of 30.2gr cfe223 sitting on the machine. In the 5 min it took to type that out it is now at 29. The pic is of the unit after I removed the referenced drop. It should have read -152.1.

Thank you for your time and knowledge.

 

[Assault116]

Want to get really frustrated, take two charge throws off it and compare them on a good balance scale and see what you get, you won't be happy. Mine's been nothing but a flaky POS since day one.

 

[wrhunter]

I have an Autocharge and while there are things about It I dislike I haven't experienced the scale drift you have going on.

Any chance the drift is caused by your lighting, wind or other electronics in the area?

 

[svxwilson]

I doubt it has anything to do with the lighting or electronics. I have experienced identical results In 2 different households as I have recently moved. I have 2 60 watt bulbs in my overhead light. And the only other electronic close are my Lyman case prep center and my thumbler's tumbler. My TV and all other electronics are 20-30 ft away. I will give Hornady a call Monday.

 

[Twoboxer]

While I doubt it's the cause of such a wide variation, electrical noise doesn't just come from physical proximity. It can come from other devices on the same circuit - motors, audio/video, eyc. - so that might give you places to check.

But I'd still call Hornady.

 

[sentry1]

My Chargemaster 1500 combo has been very stable. I have the two big 50g calibration weights that came with it, and I also bought an extra set of small check weights that I use occasionally to verify the scale readings.

Mine also sits on a grounded anti-static mat (you can buy those pretty cheap off Amazon), so consider trying that and seeing if it has any effect on your scale.

 

[dabibbee]

I have checked my Hornady's LNL Auto charge against my RCBS electronic scale. The first time with 10 drops which 80% were on or +.1 grain, 15% were .2 grains and one was .3 grain difference.
I called Hornady's Tech people and they indicated +\- .2 was acceptable. Even though their marketing info say's it will hold to .1 grain. I then did another test of 20 drops. 70% were right on, 20% were .1 over, and 10 % were .2 grains over. In these 2 tests none were under. If the drop acts funny I redo the drop. I only use the slow speed and with extruded powder I will add the extra slow from the "mode" key, often to an additional 1.2 grains. The only environmental influences to mine has been a big bass sound from the radio and a breeze from the fan.

 

[captcoop]

I use the LNL scale without the dispenser . The floating occurs without the pan on the unit also. My scale should read -133.3 with the pan removed . It will move a few tenths up and down. I don't worry too much about the weight of the pan removed. Just simply, that it shows zero without powder. I sometime load 10 cases, and double check those 10 cases, just to double check. Sometimes 1 out of 10 will be off by a tenth.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Powermac]

A cheap scale with bad software, or electronic noise are the likely contributors.

I use two Chargemasters, with straw mods and reprogramming set to underthrow a half grain.
And a Omega powder trickler and a Sartorius Quintrix to bring the charges to the correct weight.
It is not as fast as only a dispenser, but it does give me kernel accuracy with ease.
Using just a CM is good for plinking ammo.

The CM is kind of the gold standard for these and i would not buy any of the others.
Pact, Lyman, Hornady and Smartreloader are the other options available to my knowledge.

As for the Prometheus it is a machine i have no personal experience with.
Cost somewhere north of 3000$ to rent it for 25 years.
And it is quite accurate, although a good electronic balance will give you better accuracy.
But certainly the best automatic powder dispenser available.

A&D FX120i- 525$
Omega trickler - 69 $
Chargemaster 280$

Prometheus 3000+$

The prometheus will be faster though so depends what your time is worth, and how accurate you want to be with your charges.

 

[patrol120]

I have the Hornady Measure, and have had very good luck. When checked against my RCBS 750, and 5-0-5, it is very consistent. Once I finally got the discharge speeds and increments dialed in, I get very few overthrows, far less than 10%. I did find that it works better if it is set on a slight rearward incline. I use it for everything from Benchmark to Varget, and am quite satisfied.

That being said, I bought it on sale, and went into the purchase with the understanding that the odds of getting bad one were somewhat likely, based on online reviews. I guess I got lucky. If I didnt want to fiddle with it, I would have bought a Chargemaster.

 

[leadbullet]

Couple buddies shot their Hornady LNL auto charge and bought the RCBS chargemaster.
Cheers

 

[Mad_Charlie]

Couple buddies shot their Hornady LNL auto charge and bought the RCBS chargemaster.
Cheers

Did it work better after it was shot?

 

[leadbullet]

Did it work better after it was shot?

nope, they were pretty busted but we couldn't tell the difference.
cheers

 

[Das Capitolin]

I have the same model 550068 Hornady Lock N Load Auto Charge Powder Manager as you do, and you've just described my same frustrations for the past year. It wanders: sometimes a little, and sometimes a whole lot. It tends to re-zero itself before dispensing each load, which helps, but if you let it sit for too long the displayed reading begins to wander. I've got it set up on an enclosed workbench area clear of electrical outlets and at least twenty feet away from lighting. It can be consistent, so long as you stay right on top of it.

 

[Mad_Charlie]

nope, they were pretty busted but we couldn't tell the difference.
Cheers

roflmao!