What's a good/fast trickler?

VinnyQC said:
Which semi are you loading for? Seems to me like +/-0.06grn in a semi is plenty good, unless that semi is some out-of-this-world good for a semi. If you paid 5000$ for the greatest semi ever, then yeah, maybe a kernel or 2 might make a difference, but on an average 700-2000$ AR, the ammo will be more accurate than the gun anyway. And if you paid 5000$ for a gun, then maybe the fx120+autotrickler should be considered.
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Wellll, you hit the nail ,on the head :)
$5000 it was.
I got two really good groups, with Varget and Hornady 53 Vmax.
.742 and .914.

I have another couple of hundred more to test.

Once I find the correct load,I plan on doing a few hundred, at a time.
It's slow enough, doing load testing,with the manual trickler, let alone a few hundred,at a sitting.

I usually do two different bullets, using three different powders.
So at 5 x 5 rnd tests per , 150 at a time ,it gets monotonous.
 
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MartyK2500 said:
Yep i hear you
I had switched for FX120/autotrickler for better precision.
when i had both scales at once here, RCBS loads where varying +/- 0.06gr when tested loads on fx120
Which means for my load of 43gr varget, it could throw 3 kernels more or less and display 43gr
So let’s say it would be between 42.94gr and 43.06gr
Don’t know if it’s the type of precision you are looking for
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I have an FX120. I use a manual trickler. What is this auto trickler you mention. Sounds like a good idea.
OMG! Google is my friend. LOL Very cool. I haven't seen the price yet.
 
Brianma65 said:
Wellll, you hit the nail ,on the head :)
$5000 it was.
I got two really good groups, with Varget and Hornady 53 Vmax.
.742 and .914.

I have another couple of hundred more to test.

Once I find the correct load,I plan on doing a few hundred, at a time.
It's slow enough, doing load testing,with the manual trickler, let alone a few hundred,at a sitting.

I usually do two different bullets, using three different powders.
So at 5 x 5 rnd tests per , 150 at a time ,it gets monotonous.
Click to expand...

I'm definitely not a good reference for long range precision shooting, so take my word with a grain of salt, but I believe over 1/2 MOA, you're best group is limited by the rifle, not the ammo.

Anyway, since you've already plunked 5k$ on the rifle, plus probably another grand or 2 in reloading equipment and components, maybe an fxi+autotrickler would be a good idea for you. It's expensive, but given the amount of money you've already put into it, it's not so crazy. It's fast and accurate, just not cheap, but it's not like the ammos will be shot through a 600$ el-cheapo. And then you can use it again if you need it for your next rifle, whatever it might be.

And once you've found your best load, a volumetric measure might be right for you. The best loads are less sensitive to small powder charge variations.
 
MartyK2500 said:
Yep i hear you
I had switched for FX120/autotrickler for better precision.
when i had both scales at once here, RCBS loads where varying +/- 0.06gr when tested loads on fx120
Which means for my load of 43gr varget, it could throw 3 kernels more or less and display 43gr
So let’s say it would be between 42.94gr and 43.06gr
Don’t know if it’s the type of precision you are looking for
Click to expand...

Just looked this up too. Nice setup! Now I'm feeling some buyer's remorse over my brand new Dandy 2 speed powder trickler. Have you compared the FX120 to a gempro? My gempro helped me catch a 0.5 gn zero shift in my chargemaster during a reloading session. I no longer trust the chargemaster.
 
- Tuned RCBS 505 made by O-haus (sensitive to one kernel of powder) $130.
- Lee powder scoop (to throw just under) $15 for the set.
- Dandy auto trickler (with light beam shutoff) $220.

I load for precision so I can only fill 25 shells in 30 min on average, but to the kernel.

It's not the fastest rig out there, but it is not going to get any more accurate (not unless I start cutting kernels in half with a razor blade).
 
Chargerguy said:
Just looked this up too. Nice setup! Now I'm feeling some buyer's remorse over my brand new Dandy 2 speed powder trickler. Have you compared the FX120 to a gempro? My gempro helped me catch a 0.5 gn zero shift in my chargemaster during a reloading session. I no longer trust the chargemaster.
Click to expand...

I have not personally used the gempro 250 unfortunately.
Myself was trusting my chargemaster, as i knew it had an average ou +/- 0.06gr off, sometimes 0.08gr off but not often.

I had done a test though. As when i was using chargemaster, it was always plugged in a PC battery pack which you can tune electricity frequency sensitivity, never had a cell phone close, and closed fluorescent lighting.
In a test i had done, plugged the RCBS directly in the wall, sat my cell phone next to it, and turned on fluorescent lighting.
The shifts in precision we're higher, i could be as much as 0.12/0.14gr off, when used carefully i would be back to my standards.

Since i have nothing to test FX120, i do take all precautions for it to be accurate.
So far so good, my 5-0-5 powder scoop i use in it, always weighs 143.02gr at the start of each reload session, so from one session to another i know consistency is there.
Rarely it will display 143.04gr after many reload sessions, i wipe it off with an alcohol swap and comes back to 143.02gr
 
very happy with with the auto tricker and fx120. also have the automated powder throw but have not tried it yet. last time i put rounds accross the chrony es was around 6 or 7 fps.
 
MartyK2500 said:
I have not personally used the gempro 250 unfortunately.
Myself was trusting my chargemaster, as i knew it had an average ou +/- 0.06gr off, sometimes 0.08gr off but not often.

I had done a test though. As when i was using chargemaster, it was always plugged in a PC battery pack which you can tune electricity frequency sensitivity, never had a cell phone close, and closed fluorescent lighting.
In a test i had done, plugged the RCBS directly in the wall, sat my cell phone next to it, and turned on fluorescent lighting.
The shifts in precision we're higher, i could be as much as 0.12/0.14gr off, when used carefully i would be back to my standards.

Since i have nothing to test FX120, i do take all precautions for it to be accurate.
So far so good, my 5-0-5 powder scoop i use in it, always weighs 143.02gr at the start of each reload session, so from one session to another i know consistency is there.
Rarely it will display 143.04gr after many reload sessions, i wipe it off with an alcohol swap and comes back to 143.02gr
Click to expand...

I also plug my scales into a UPS system, shut off the dehumidifier in the room, no flourescent lights either. My chargemaster drifting I think was a result of not letting the electronics warm up long enough. I usually turn the unit on the day before, but didn't this time.
 
Yes another point
RCBS needs to be turned on to heat up cells
I would usually plan my reloading in afvance and turn on a few good hours before, big difference in scale responsiveness

Fx120, only by being plugged (don’t need to turn it on), keeps it in standby mode
Always ready to be fired up and read a charge asap
 
VinnyQC said:
I'm definitely not a good reference for long range precision shooting, so take my word with a grain of salt, but I believe over 1/2 MOA, you're best group is limited by the rifle, not the ammo.......
Click to expand...

It doesn't work like that. The rifle and the ammo have to be equally up to high standards to get 1/2MOA or smaller groups. A good rifle won't deliver what the gun can do if it's hamstrung with less then matching quality ammo.

Brian, if you change powder to a ball powder that works for you then you'd likely get good results from the volume measures. Or what about working up a ball powder load that is a close match to the weight measured Varget loads? Use the progressively loaded ball powder ammo for most of your shooting and keep the hand weighed single stage pampered ammo for special days.
 
I just ordered a Dandy 2 Trickler. Tired of staying up up to 2-3:00 AM twisting a dead little knob round and round with a sore arthritic wrist.
Can't justify the expense of the completely auto chargers.
 
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I used the Lyman 1200 DPS 3 for many years, I found it was usually accurate to 0.04 to 0.06 +/- grains depending on the powder type, you can improve accuracy at the cost of speed by restricting the nozzle... It is possible to dump an initial charge and leave trickling to the dispenser as well.

Recenty switched to FX120/autotrickler, accurate to the individual kernel. It is set up so I dump an initial load with a manual powder measure, trickler takes care of the rest.

I have Lyman 1200 DPS 3 up for sale in EE, it is close to your asking price, just fyi...
 
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