Digital Powder dispensers vs powder measure... ooor what?

Manwithoutastar

Manwithoutastar

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New to reloading, hoping for some input from all the pro reloading members! My question would be..if you had to start all over what would be your go to set up and what could you live without? For reloading accurate hunting loads, not a production scale set up. For example, are the electronic dispensers any quicker than throwing powder from a measure and trickling by hand?...I have a friend showing me his methods who uses a dipper kit, trickler, scale. Sooo I’m sure there are lots of different preferences out there, I just want to know what your (basic) set up is and why.
Thanks!
 
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I’m no pro, but I wouldn’t ever want to go back to not using my electronic powder measure. The time and convenience is just far too good for me to ever see a desire to not have one.
 
I like the electronic dispenser, but, I still use the beam scale to double check it, they do have their quirks. Powder measures don't like long stick powders, they are at their best with ball powders. Short stick and flake powders can be used, flake powders have to be paid attention to.
Under 25 rounds or so, I'll just use the beam scale and scoops. For lots of about up to 100, I like using the electronic dispenser. For stuff like gopher rounds where I'll do 1-200 at a crack, I'll use ball powders or a very short stick or flake, and set up a thrower. I have no use for a trickler, too slow and a pain to use in my book. I use the smallest Lee scoop to trickle, can make one out of a pistol round case also.
They all have a place, but, the beam scale is the base unit to both the dispenser and the thrower.
 
You said your interest would be accurate hunting rounds, not a production scale set up so I would say a quality balance scale hands down. As stated above, I too use it to check the accuracy of my digital scale, what does that tell you? Digital scales have there place and I love mine but if I am only going to have one, it will be old school.
 
I’ve been using a powder thrower/dispenser for years. Even turned out hundreds of competition loads at a couple of sittings back in the day. Surprisingly those loads won several gold medals in Service Rifle for me and that’s all good. I even bought a second powder measure/dispenser / thrower for my 223 match loads while the other was used for 308/243/260/30-06/303/30-30 loads.

Then things got a bit more serious in the Precision Rifle world....I finally broke down and bought a RCBS Chargemaster, now I can get things down to a tenth of a grain and work to achieve a tight grouping / node booolit exit. Darn, I’m getting old and becoming more ADD or ADHD....I already am hyperactive! :cool:

So today I’ve got both approaches. All depends what works for you and your game! :eek:

Cheers, Barney
 
I use a thrower for ball powder and a metering digital scale for extruded. I use Lee scoops to put powder in the pan when just a few rounds are being loaded, or when loading flake powder. I use a scale check weight set to zero the scale, thus the scale is zeroed to the actual weight that I'm weighing, and to check the scale at various intervals to ensure its reading true.
 
Manwithoutastar said:
New to reloading, hoping for some input from all the pro reloading members! My question would be..if you had to start all over what would be your go to set up and what could you live without? For reloading accurate hunting loads, not a production scale set up. For example, are the electronic dispensers any quicker than throwing powder from a measure and trickling by hand?...I have a friend showing me his methods who uses a dipper kit, trickler, scale. Sooo I’m sure there are lots of different preferences out there, I just want to know what your (basic) set up is and why.
Thanks!
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Personally, if I was a hunter/casual plinker, I do think the RCBS chargemaster light would be the best bet for the money at this moment, as it does bring an element of speed to the reload process compared to a beam scale.
With an RCBS 5-0-5 beam scale beside it and check weights to make sure everything is going well.

I am currently trying to do sub 1/3 moa 10 shot groups at 300M (almost got it but didn't yet!),
For this I am using an FX120 scale with what they call Autotrickler.com trickler and powder throw.
If ever you get a varmint rifle and try to squeeze the best loads possible, I think this would be a good start.
As that scale has shrunk my vertical group very noticeably compared to RCBS chargemaster.
 
I love my Lyman Gen 6 powder despensor and my Dillon 550 for production rounds. I also have an RCBS and Lee powder throws. For hunting loads you won’t need much. A balance beam makes sense unless you’re time is limited / valuable. Powder throws can make decent ammo for hunting. You won’t get 1/2MOA but if you use ball powders they can throw charges quite consistiently. If you have the money a digital powder dispenser is really nice and they work best with extruded powders which are some of the best for rifle loading.

it all comes down to your time vs money and target accuracy really.
 
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I use cheap digital scale from amazon that reads to 0.02 gain, lee powder scoop, and a stick powder (varget) for my precision load (hunting and long range). I can get within 0.05 grain charge variation (a couple of varget powder kernel) and result is very repeatable.

Powder measure with a fine ball powder (H335) is reserved for my 223 plinking load. Charge variation is within 0.3 grain. But it's very fast.

I used to have an auto charger powder thrower, but I found it lacks in accuracy. The scale on the thrower only reads to 0.1 grain. Together with quirks of electronic scale, the charge variation can be as high as 0.3 grain, which IMO is not acceptable if I try to achieve snallest group possible.

I also have multiple beam scales, I only use them to confirm weight with other scale. For reloading I found them too slow and are only accurate to about 0.1 grain.

Trickler, IMO, is only good for beam scale. Biggest problem with electronic scale is floating zero, algorithm in these scales tries to average out the variation in environment and stablize the reading. i.e. you trickle one more kernel into the pan, the weight is small enough that scale won't update it's reading, but tries to stablize the reading by changing zero point. This will eventually results in a cumulative zero shift large enough to affect charge weight accuracy. Trickler will only speed up this issue.

My dream setup would be a fx120 and a precision trickler like the omega 2. Fx120 is a true 0.02 grain (milligram) scale, unlike the cheap $40 amazon milligram scales that tries to interpolate the weight to 0.02 grain. I think (hope?) Fx120 should address the floating zero issue that pleagued cheaper electronic scales.

But back to the topic, for hunting precision need, which is about 1.5moa by my standard, +-0.1 grain charge weight is perfectly acceptable and will achieve that accuracy on a good rifle. A $40 amazon milligram scale backed by a quality beam scale should do the trick for you.
 
rick357 said:
Small number of loads = decent beam scale, manual dippers to get basic charge and a manual trickler or very small scoop to top it up to desired weight.
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This is what I do also. RCBS 505 beam scale, $15 set of Lee powder scoops, and a $20 Hornady trickler. A motley crew from various suppliers.. the 505 came used in a batch of reloading supplies. The Hornady trickler isn't exactly the Cadillac of tricklers, I added a base to make it slightly higher and more stable. I'd suggest you get a better one for $10 more, maybe RCBS?

To put things in perspective, I enjoy reloading. It's another shooting-related activity I can spend a few hours at a couple times a week in the evenings rather than sit in front of a TV.

I reload mostly with stick powders, such as H4350 for a 6.5 Creedmoor. Usually 30 or so rounds at a time. A single kernel of stick powder is enough to move the beam on a 505 scale from "0" to "not 0", so unless you decide to cut kernels of powder in two I really don't see the need for a "more accurate" scale.

I read about the difficulties people have with digital scales, such as sensitivity to fluorescent lights, battery levels, zero's that wander, etc. Then others complain about this electronic dispenser or that being finicky, often buying another "because the first one was junk".

Really? If I have a draft free spot to work in (I do) my scale works pretty reliably. From start to finish my powder weighing process takes less than 30 seconds per cartridge.
Scoop powder out of a small glass bowl, dump in scale pan, slide trickler spout over the pan, a few turns to top up the charge, position funnel over case mouth and dump it in.

For low volumes, the system your friend uses works quite well for many of us.

To start out, I'd suggest you try that way first. The dippers and a trickler won't cost you much, and you'll probably want a good beam scale anyway. If you find it doesn't suit you, then move to another method.
 
If I'm using Varget or a stick powder, I use my Lee dispenser and weigh every charge. The odd time, I'll have to add a few kernels of powder. For ball powders, or for plinking, I just use the dispenser and check every tenth load or so. I have hardly ever had any variation of charge weight, but then, I'm not a competition shooter.

The limiting factor in my case is just behind the trigger, not equipment. If I ever got to the point where things were different, I might change to a digital setup.
 
tbhupe said:
Funny how many people check the accuracy of their digital scale with their mechanical balance scale. Is there a lesson in there somewhere?
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I have used RCBS Uniflow and Lyman DPS. Too many times I have found errors occurring mid batch. "Trust, but verify". Gravity always works, so there has always been a beam scale (Old Lyman hand-me-down first, now a Hornady) on the bench as I load. Since forever, every tenth load gets checked on the beam scale. When error discovered, last ten get dumped and re-do. If I am trying to get super fussy, then Lyman DPS or Lee scoop, slightly light, onto beam scale, then trickle up to "0". I trust a beam scale, so long as it is clean and gravity is on-line - I use, rely on, but do not completely trust the others. Not nearly so big an issue if you have found an OCW load.
 
As to the thrower. I use a Redding BR30 with the "microadjust' thimbles, comes with one for pistol one for rifle. I have thrown 20,000+ rounds with it with AA9 for my 32-40, around 10,000 with it for the 32-30, all in the 12-14.0 gr range, maybe another 5000 or so for a 22-250 I had, with 760 at 38gr. That thing only ever varied .1, usually on the heavy side, if there was a variable because of that down range at 200yds with cast bullets at 1450fps, I couldn't tell, wind and rifle hold made way more difference.. It got thrown in a crate, travelled all over the place and set up at the range on the bench to load with at the bench. I knew and wrote down all the settings for it, it throws what it is supposed to. No issues using it with AA5744 either, only did around 150 of those, 48gr at a shot. Powder throwers are all about technique, get that down, with proper powders, they work.
 
Chilly807 said:
This is what I do also. RCBS 505 beam scale, $15 set of Lee powder scoops, and a $20 Hornady trickler. A motley crew from various suppliers.. the 505 came used in a batch of reloading supplies. The Hornady trickler isn't exactly the Cadillac of tricklers, I added a base to make it slightly higher and more stable. I'd suggest you get a better one for $10 more, maybe RCBS?

To put things in perspective, I enjoy reloading. It's another shooting-related activity I can spend a few hours at a couple times a week in the evenings rather than sit in front of a TV.

I reload mostly with stick powders, such as H4350 for a 6.5 Creedmoor. Usually 30 or so rounds at a time. A single kernel of stick powder is enough to move the beam on a 505 scale from "0" to "not 0", so unless you decide to cut kernels of powder in two I really don't see the need for a "more accurate" scale.

I read about the difficulties people have with digital scales, such as sensitivity to fluorescent lights, battery levels, zero's that wander, etc. Then others complain about this electronic dispenser or that being finicky, often buying another "because the first one was junk".

Really? If I have a draft free spot to work in (I do) my scale works pretty reliably. From start to finish my powder weighing process takes less than 30 seconds per cartridge.
Scoop powder out of a small glass bowl, dump in scale pan, slide trickler spout over the pan, a few turns to top up the charge, position funnel over case mouth and dump it in.

For low volumes, the system your friend uses works quite well for many of us.

To start out, I'd suggest you try that way first. The dippers and a trickler won't cost you much, and you'll probably want a good beam scale anyway. If you find it doesn't suit you, then move to another method.
Click to expand...


This post was very helpful and is speaking in my terms of use that I anticipate (making 100-300 hunting loads a year for fun).. Thank you very much. I’m a keep it simple kind of person..
 
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