Powder Measure

[Marine24]

Looking for opinions on accurate Power Measures. I'll be using my progressive for the majority of my volume reloading, but will be a little more deliberate on my .257 Wby, .308 Win and 338-06 loads, particularly when working up loads.

I'll be using Varget, H1000, Win 748 and Reloader 15 as a start. Primarily interested in a powder measure that works well with stick powder

I've used the RCBS Uniflow in the past with a powder trickler on my single stage but that was with ball powder. I was pleased with the performance.

[Danimal]

I think that the RCBS is about as good as you are going to get for that price range. If you are willing to spend more I would go with this:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/772151/rcbs-chargemaster-1500-powder-scale-and-dispenser-combo-110-volt

My father has one and it is great. I call him lazy, but if you have the cash it is worth it.

[sellersm]

The Hornday Lock-n-Load Auto Powder Charge Powder Scale & Dispenser gets some really good reviews. There are threads all over the internet, and some videos on YouTube about it. But, it's not cheap...

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/818489/hornady-lock-n-load-auto-charge-powder-scale-and-dispenser-110-220-volt

[Marine24]

Thought about an automatic powder dispenser, but no experience with them. Weatherby load uses 70 grains of H1000 and not sure how fast the auto dispensers are. Might be a wash. Manual dispenser with the trickler isn't exactly fast either.

[sellersm]

They're pretty fast. There's a good 2-part review of the Hornady on YouTube. There are some guys on other forums that have the Hornady and really like it. I'm sure Hoser will be along and give his words of sage wisdom!!

Here's part 1 of the YouTube review:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=32cAE94ceJc

[Tim K]

Culver makes nice stuff if you want an actual powder throw.

http://www.sinclairintl.com/reloading-equipment/powder-handling/powder-measures-dispensers/harrell-premium-culver-measure-w-stand-prod45125.aspx

I use the RCBS Dispenser. It can be re-programmed to throw a charge much faster than the factory settings. I haven't done it yet since it's fast enough for me, but my max charge is 45g.

[Marine24]

Mark: Thanks for the link. I looked at the reviews on MidwayUSA and quite a few weren't very complimentary. Price is a plus compared to the RCBS Chargemaster.

Tim: Appreciate the link. I was looking at Culver's powder throw earlier today. Reminds me of the old fashion soda fountain. Came across this review of the RCBS Chargemaster:

http://www.longrangehunting.com/articles/rcbs-chargemaster-1500-review-1.php

[Zombie Steve]

I have a Lyman 1200 dps 3. It can go pretty fast, and it is accurate. By the time I'm done seating a bullet and looking it over, it has the next powder charge thrown (70-80 grains no problem). It doesn't get erratic or surprise me at all.


Down side(s) - the electronics froze up once and I had to send it back. It was a dps 2, and they upgraded it to the new board for free. Haven't had a problem since. There's a 30 minute warmup on the Lyman... some get worked up about it, but I just leave mine on most of the time. Emptying the thing is a pain in the butt compared to other dispensers.

If I could start over, I'd look at the RCBS.

[MarkCO]

I have the RCBS and I really like it. The review you posted above is consistent with my observations.

[Caithford]

I think that the RCBS is about as good as you are going to get for that price range. If you are willing to spend more I would go with this:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/772151/rcbs-chargemaster-1500-powder-scale-and-dispenser-combo-110-volt

My father has one and it is great. I call him lazy, but if you have the cash it is worth it.

I got one of these too, because I started out with a balance beam and it was too damn slow. Since I single stage, it works perfectly for me.

[Marine24]

I have the RCBS and I really like it. The review you posted above is consistent with my observations.


Appreciate the comment. Just watched a video review on the RCBS Chargemaster and looks as good as the Hornady, plus has the ability to save loads.

[MarkCO]

No worries. What platform is your .338-06 in? That is my favorite caliber for deer and elk in the Weatherby Ultra-Light.

[Marine24]

Auto dispenser does change the process I have used. I'll be using the progessive press in single stage mode, but instead of charging all the cases in one sitting, I'll just charge one, seat the bullet and should have the next charge already in the pan. I don't shoot a lot of these calibers (less than 60 per year each), which is a factor on whether I want to drop $300+ on something I'll use occasionally.

Mark: Have the 338-06 for exactly the same reason. I had it in a Weatherby Ultra-Light and loved it. Unfortunately sold it but ended up building one off of a Savage 110 action. I miss the Ultralight when I'm up in the mountains, but like the additional weight of the Savage when I'm on the bench.

[sabot_round]

I have a Lyman 1200 dps 3. It can go pretty fast, and it is accurate. By the time I'm done seating a bullet and looking it over, it has the next powder charge thrown (70-80 grains no problem). It doesn't get erratic or surprise me at all.


Down side(s) - the electronics froze up once and I had to send it back. It was a dps 2, and they upgraded it to the new board for free. Haven't had a problem since. There's a 30 minute warmup on the Lyman... some get worked up about it, but I just leave mine on most of the time. Emptying the thing is a pain in the butt compared to other dispensers.

If I could start over, I'd look at the RCBS.

I had the 1200 DPS for a loooong time and upgraded it with the III conversion kit a couple of years back. It's very fast and very accurate, and I never had an issue with it.

[Marine24]

Just purchased the Chargemaster so we'll see how things work out. After looking at a number of other reviews, think it is the right direction even though I won't use it much.

[Rhino0427]

Not to beat a dead horse, but now that several people have had a chance to try their new auto charge dispensers, do we have any consensus? The Hornady is only $229 at Sportsman's Warehouse and seems like a pretty good deal. Everyone seems to agree the RCBS ChargeMaster is the bomb, but I don't think I need the charge memory feature, so I'm not sure the extra $120 is worth it ($349 from SW). Thoughts?