Looking to upgrade my reloading setup

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GcG166

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like the title says i'm looking to upgrade my reloading setup. currently reloading for .223, 6.5 creed and 30-06. the .223 and 6.5 are used for target shooting while the 30-06 is my hunting rifle.

Id like to have a more efficient and accurate reloading setup and looking for advice from more experienced reloaders to see where id bet the most for my money.

the current setup:
lee single stage press
lee 4 die sets (only use seating, neck sizing and fl sizing when needed)
lee balance beam scale
lee powder measure
hornady powder trickler
lee deluxe quick trim
lyman primer pocket uniformer

90% of my shooting is target shooting with the 6.5 and .223 (mostly .223) nothing competitive just shooting groups and seeing how far i can stretch out with the rifles so accuracy is the real goal but speeding up the reloading process is something id also like to do.

i was thinking of upgrading my scale to maybe a chargemaster or gempro, just looking for thoughts.
 
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I assume you are not talking large volumes of 223?

I load 223 by the thousand, so use a Dillon.

I just loaded some 38 S&W and some 30-06. For small quantities of ammo, I use a single stage.

A Chargemaster would be handy for you. It also gives you an electronic scale, so you have both.

It takes about 40 seconds for it to weigh a charge. In that time you can take the previous powder charge, dump it in a case and then seat the bullet while it is still dispensing. This makes for efficient use of time. You are working, not waiting.

A Chargemaster is used for loading match grade ammo. For plinker grade, the powder thrower is just fine.
 
Charge master is a good start. What isn’t efficient for you other than dispensing powder? Maybe some headspace and bullet comparator gauges?

I run an rcbs rockchucker for single stage, and Dillon 550b and square deal b for volume loading. This setup serves my needs
 
right now i throw a charge in the powder measure to be just low of what i want then weigh and trickle up to what i need. the chargemaster seems to faster but i dont want to loos accuracy in weighing the powder. so thats why i thought a gempro might work to give more accuracy and not have to wait for a balance eam to settle. i don't load any large numbers of bullets
 
For my 2 cents worth, an RCBS beam scale with magnetic dampening settles in about 2 seconds. I use the cheap Lee powder scoops to get a slightly light charge, then dump that in a scale pan and trickle up to the desired weight.
Accuracy-wise you'll be within 1/10 of a grain and have the repeatability and simplicity of a mechanical scale. I've heard the Lee Safety Scale takes a while to settle, it's probably the reason others have some sort of dampening feature.
I'm not a fan of electronic scales, I have a very much old school attitude for a relatively new reloader. I don't like second-guessing whether or not the (probably Chinese) electronics in a scale are behaving themselves. I don't like things such as battery condition, warm-up times, or even fluorescent lights affecting the accuracy of my powder charges.
When a single kernel of powder is enough to cause the scale I'm using (second- or third-hand RCBS 505) to move when it drops in the pan, that's good enough for me, and I'm OCD about accuracy. Not OCD enough to cut a kernel of powder in half though, that way lies madness.

Okay, that's about 4 cents worth of rant, I got more carried away than usual..

Good luck!
 
got my charge master this week. best purchase ive made for my reloading. also bought a used gempro on a whim off the EE and i have to say having it to double check what comes from the chargemaster makes me feel a good bit better about having a machine dispense the powder.

a charge from the chargemaster double checked on the gempro is much faster than trickling into lee lee balance beam
 
loaded up 2 ladder tests for the .223

with the chargemaster and double checking with the gempro and did it in less time than it would have normally taken me to do one ladder test loading. the chargemaster was quite accurate according to the gempro. maybe 3-5 kernals of powder off. cant see it having much effect for my accuracy but i may do some testing on that
 
I throw with a Chargemaster and reweigh every charge trickle to the kernel on an Acculab VIC123. 3-5 kernals may not sound like much in a bigger case but you will see a difference in a small case like the .223.
 
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