Powder dispensers?

[TobyH]

I currently use a lee powder dispenser and to be honest, its pants. I seem to get sometimes large variations in powder load even when the adjuster hasn't been touched. I reckon on normal loads its +/- .3 grains on every load, and occasionally it'll go up by +/- .6.

For me this just isn't good enough, not only that but the whole unit is very flimsy and made of cheap material.

So, I'm looking to get a different dispenser. I would love to get an RCBS Chargemaster Combo, but not at over £300!!! So will have to be something like the RCBS Uniflow or similar.

Anyone got any recommendations? I like RCBS stuff as its alot more solid than lee kit, but don't know what other kit is like...

[Ovenpaa]

Powder throwers are great for finer/faster powders, we use a Harrell for powders like SP9 and it is spot on, for coarser stuff like N540 you will have no chance.

The Chargemaster is great and as you say very expensive. Dangermouse on this forum has recently purchased an alternative to RCBS and really rates it however I cannot remember what it is (Doh!) Hopefully he will be along in a bit to add to this.

[TobyH]

Ah so its the 'powder' type that could be causing the problem? The Vectan Tubal 3000 is my other powder so isn't going to be any better then!

Any idea what type Hodgdon H4895 is? A chap on another forum recommended that...

[dromia]

For adjustable measures I have RCBS, Lyman, Hornady, Redding, Belding and Mull, Bonanza and CH on my benches. They all work very well the trick being consistency of operation and you need to use them with authority on big stick powders.

I have a soft spot for the Lyman not that its any better its just that with the Hornady, Redding and RCBS you need rifle and pistol micrometers to give small to large loadings whereas the Lyman goes from 1 grain upwards as purchased using sliders rather than adjustable tubes.

For fixed cavity measures I have 4 or 5 RCBS Little Dandys and a couple of Lyman Accumeasures and they all work well but their rotors don't have the capacity for large rifle loadings. I also have a Lee Pro disk measure as well and this is a fine piece of kit, I'm not a big Lee fan at all but this measure does work well being automatically operated by the case in the press it makes for consistent and accurate drops.

The Lee dippers are also good fixed cavity measures.

My electronic dispenser is a PACT had it for six years now and wouldn't be without it, I like the scale being separate from the dispenser so that it can be used on its own.

So you pays your money and you takes your choice.

[Sim G]

I'm a huge Lee fan, but the powder thrower really is appalling! One of the reasons that I was pushed to getting a Chargemaster. Really is well worth the money.

Strangely enough, one of the most accurate ways I found of dispensing powder was to use a set of Lee dippers, a good beam scale and an RCBS powder trickler! Time consuming, but spot on.

[TobyH]

Got a feeling the chargemaster type machine may be the route....

[Ovenpaa]

I have a feeling Dangermouse is using a Hornady Auto Charge, they should be available over here for just under GBP200.

We have used everything from Lyman electronic scales, RCBS Chargemaster, Harrell Premium and even a precision milligram beam scale. These days I never fill the cases, that is left to the wife and she just about exclusively uses the Chargemaster and tells me it is her best friend.

For fine powders I reckon the Harrell is perfect, and I use SP9 for 7,62X51 plinking so we can fill cases accurately very quickly. IMHO you will never use a powder thrower for coarse powders and I still cringe when I think of the sound you get when you chop a powder kernel

[TobyH]

Yes getting a bit caught in the rotating bit is not nice.

Will have a look around and see what I can find. I do like the idea of one I must admit. save alot of time as I'm quite picky about the powder load.

[lapua338]

When I first started reloading I was greatly worried and uneasy about making a mistake. I would spend what seemed like hours measuring out individual loads with a Lyman 1000 XP electronic scale, which claimed to be accurate to 1/10th of a grain and a powder trickler. Maybe I was trying too hard to strictly follow the Hornady Handbook. The electronic scale had so much lag it was a very tedious and time-consuming operation. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I've been using the Lee dipper kit too for some time now and for someone on a budget it has transformed the powder measuring from an activity I loathed to a very rapid exercise with little deviation. I recommend them for someone who loads in small quantities and doesn't want to spend huge sums on electronic powder dispensing systems. Maybe I will upgrade to something more fancy in the future but at the moment the Lee dippers are perfectly adequate for my needs.
I have a brand new #55 Lyman Powder Measure that came with the reloading kit and I've had no reason to use it. It's still in it's wrapping and I'm considering putting it up for sale on the forum.

[Jenks]

I have always used a beam type balance scale measuring each individual charge, max accuracy assured. But then again I don't Sqeeeeze the trigger as often as some of you chaps. So less time spent reloading.

Jenks