The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

Lyman gen 6 superb

Targetmaster and a good set of beam scales.

As much as I would love to own a Targetmaster we use a Chargemaster for speed of throwing above anything else.

We have the RCBS Chargemaster. While I grant you it's not the cheapest piece of kit it does the job brilliantly.

Have enjoyed using both the Lyman Gen6 and the new RCBS Chargemaster Lite.

The Lyman Gen6 dispenses light loads (<20.0gr) fairly quickly and charges of ~50gr take around 50 seconds to dispense.

The RCBS Chargemaster dispenses all charges between 30 and 40 seconds. I asked it to throw 5gr of Vihtavuori Tin Star which takes just as long as throwing a 38gr charge of Vihtavuori N150. I don't mind these speeds because by the team you pour the charge into the case, seat the bullet, check overall length and place in ammo box the next charge is good to go.

I'd keep ball powders (Ramshot Tac/Big Game, Accurate No 2) away from these devices as its a bugger to clean all remnants out of the system, even though I've wiped it down with an anti static wipe! Typical powder hoppers & beam scales are great for these powders

For anyone not familiar with how the Targetmaster works, here a short video I posted last week. Looks like it's topping up a 50 grain charge in about 10 seconds. The bit with the Targetmaster starts at about 7 minutes in.

Got to declare an interest here - I make the machine, but thought you might find it interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz2SWCjj5e4

WelshShooter wrote: The Lyman Gen6 ... charges of ~50gr take around 50 seconds to dispense.

I believe the PACT is also about 50 seconds - according to a friend who was cursing it while loading last Friday, the night before a match.

Mine is similar - just take off a zero. 5 seconds is just long enough to prime, charge, seat and box a round, by which time the next charge is ready to go :)

Of course, speed is about the lowest priority for a powder dispenser.

That's a really neat set-up Rox - Arduino controlling an Omega?

rox wrote:

WelshShooter wrote: The Lyman Gen6 ... charges of ~50gr take around 50 seconds to dispense.

I believe the PACT is also about 50 seconds - according to a friend who was cursing it while loading last Friday, the night before a match.

Mine is similar - just take off a zero. 5 seconds is just long enough to prime, charge, seat and box a round, by which time the next charge is ready to go :)

Of course, speed is about the lowest priority for a powder dispenser.

Thanks for the video! It's one thing to read a description of your setup but it's really helpful to see the video. Obviously, you're a much smarter guy with more space than I!! I'd like to have a setup with you (and to have the press and powder dispensers on dedicated benches so that seating a bullet doesn't vibrate the scales) so I will have to wait until I get a bigger loading room.

In the defence of the auto dispensers I have used, they have been fairly consistent. When I first used the Lyman for the first few weeks I double checked the charges against my RCBS 5-0-5 scales just to give myself confidence that they were accurate. I think it's fair to say that these electronic dispensers are accurate to +/- 0.1gr which is more than precise for my usage. It was also an affordable, space saving, accurate method for throwing extruded powder charges in place of a hopper which binds up. This was before I knew of the target master too!

WelshShooter wrote:In the defence of the auto dispensers I have used, they have been fairly consistent...

No need to defend them! I used a Chargemaster for a few years and it was great.

WelshShooter wrote:have the press and powder dispensers on dedicated benches so that seating a bullet doesn't vibrate the scales

My dispenser shelf is supported on super-strong wall brackets (designed for supporting bus shelter benches), combined with anti-vibration mounts. Someday I may replace the glass shelf with granite, but stability is already great so it will be overkill.