I’m getting into reloading and I’m wanting to get a digital scale and dispenser. I’ve used one before and it seemed to work pretty well. While reading reviews online it seems like common issues are they start having issues after about a year and also being inaccurate. So, for you guys that have one or used one, I would like your opinions and which brands you prefer. Thanks
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Digital Powder Scales and Dispensers
- Thread starter Django11
- Start date
I had a Lyman dispenser (6000 I think) . Two failures, one was replaced.
No more Lyman (and generally I like Lyman stuff)
Now I have a Hornady dispenser and the entry RCBS Chrargmenaster Lite. Both work, the RCBS very well and no failures so far.
The Hornady while reasonably accurate and consistent is slow. You also have to set data into parameters to get speed and accuracy. That is both a pain and s it does nto hold settings when you cancel a charge to change it (several parameters you can play with to get speed and accurate dispensing). I will keep it but not my go to.
The RCBS is both fast and has none of those adjustments and generally its both faster and accurate without the messing around. Quick and easy to use and set.
The only thing I do not like is the the right power button. Its raised and its easy to brush and then it just turns it off. Annoying. A short delay like a computer and the Hornady before shutdown would correct that. I may build a cover. As it is I put it on the right side (Lyamn 2000 and the case tray in the middle) and that keeps motion further away from the button.
So, I vote for the RCBS Chargemaster Lite. I got both on good sales. I like having two in case one dies (ergo twice with the Lyman). The Lyman 2000 has a trickle built on so that is my last gasp backup.
I also have a Lyman 2000 scale I use as a cross check.
Ok, a bit of a rant on scales. It sounds complex but once you do the following its not.
Scales drift. The RCBS and Hornady have auto correct but it can be a bit behind. I have had them drift off 2-4/10 of a grain.
While I go with the original zero, after than you just weigh you powder dispensing pan and write down its weight on the pan (several places you do wear it off)
When you go to reload, you zero that. When you take it off (powder or no powder) what is left should be the pan weight in a negative number.
If it drifts 1/10 up or down that is ok, I cross weight it with the Lyman 2000 and its still spot on.
If it goes 2/10, then its iffy and 3/10 for sure. I just re-zero any time its off even a tenth.
That is you cross check, each time you lift the pan off, check the negative weight showing.
I also use the Lyamn 2000 for weighing cases, bullets I am not sure of and various other odds and ends, very useful too. Unlike a beam you don't have to screw with the slider stuff.
For instance, Barnes is supposed to be RP brass. While it may be, it does not weigh the same as RP lable 30-06 brass. So I set it aside to use in the throw away cases (mil surplus guns and the hunting guns I don't shoot as much)
I admire those who still use a beam scale, I don't have the patience
If I am reloading 50 cases (usually) then I run both dispensers with their own pans as well as the Lyman 2000 with its own pan.
I check the Lyman 2000 the same, lift the pan and check its negative weight is what the pan has on it.
Randomly from either dispenser I dump a charge on the Lyman 2000 to see if it agrees with the dispenser.
If I am in super accuracy mode I double check all charges.
No more Lyman (and generally I like Lyman stuff)
Now I have a Hornady dispenser and the entry RCBS Chrargmenaster Lite. Both work, the RCBS very well and no failures so far.
The Hornady while reasonably accurate and consistent is slow. You also have to set data into parameters to get speed and accuracy. That is both a pain and s it does nto hold settings when you cancel a charge to change it (several parameters you can play with to get speed and accurate dispensing). I will keep it but not my go to.
The RCBS is both fast and has none of those adjustments and generally its both faster and accurate without the messing around. Quick and easy to use and set.
The only thing I do not like is the the right power button. Its raised and its easy to brush and then it just turns it off. Annoying. A short delay like a computer and the Hornady before shutdown would correct that. I may build a cover. As it is I put it on the right side (Lyamn 2000 and the case tray in the middle) and that keeps motion further away from the button.
So, I vote for the RCBS Chargemaster Lite. I got both on good sales. I like having two in case one dies (ergo twice with the Lyman). The Lyman 2000 has a trickle built on so that is my last gasp backup.
I also have a Lyman 2000 scale I use as a cross check.
Ok, a bit of a rant on scales. It sounds complex but once you do the following its not.
Scales drift. The RCBS and Hornady have auto correct but it can be a bit behind. I have had them drift off 2-4/10 of a grain.
While I go with the original zero, after than you just weigh you powder dispensing pan and write down its weight on the pan (several places you do wear it off)
When you go to reload, you zero that. When you take it off (powder or no powder) what is left should be the pan weight in a negative number.
If it drifts 1/10 up or down that is ok, I cross weight it with the Lyman 2000 and its still spot on.
If it goes 2/10, then its iffy and 3/10 for sure. I just re-zero any time its off even a tenth.
That is you cross check, each time you lift the pan off, check the negative weight showing.
I also use the Lyamn 2000 for weighing cases, bullets I am not sure of and various other odds and ends, very useful too. Unlike a beam you don't have to screw with the slider stuff.
For instance, Barnes is supposed to be RP brass. While it may be, it does not weigh the same as RP lable 30-06 brass. So I set it aside to use in the throw away cases (mil surplus guns and the hunting guns I don't shoot as much)
I admire those who still use a beam scale, I don't have the patience
If I am reloading 50 cases (usually) then I run both dispensers with their own pans as well as the Lyman 2000 with its own pan.
I check the Lyman 2000 the same, lift the pan and check its negative weight is what the pan has on it.
Randomly from either dispenser I dump a charge on the Lyman 2000 to see if it agrees with the dispenser.
If I am in super accuracy mode I double check all charges.
I had the RCBS CM1500 combo for about 5 years. The electronics recently took a dump and i'm kinda aggravated, payed good money for it, really don't feel I got my money's worth out of it . There is a 3rd party repair shop but it's a flat $145 charge + round trip shipping. RCBS will not warranty the electronics portion of the 1500. It had it's goods and bads. Not sure if i'm going to buy another auto dispenser. I am looking at the Frankford Arsenal Intellidropper .
https://www.frankfordarsenal.com/re...lectronic-powder-measure/1082250.html#start=1
https://www.frankfordarsenal.com/re...lectronic-powder-measure/1082250.html#start=1
littlebikerider
New member
I have the RCBS chargemaster lite, and an inexpensive Gemini scale.
https://www.amazon.com/American-Wei...ds=gemini+digital+scale&qid=1605574498&sr=8-2
Which one I use depends on the loading task at hand.
About the only thing with the RCBS that frustrates me is that the powder dispense gate on the side is super, super easy to bump out of place, easily creating a mess. After a couple of frustrating events you quickly learn to check it before putting powder in the hopper.
https://www.amazon.com/American-Wei...ds=gemini+digital+scale&qid=1605574498&sr=8-2
Which one I use depends on the loading task at hand.
About the only thing with the RCBS that frustrates me is that the powder dispense gate on the side is super, super easy to bump out of place, easily creating a mess. After a couple of frustrating events you quickly learn to check it before putting powder in the hopper.
not much info to go on but how much do you want to spend ? For a little less than $1000 you can get the auto trickler and a A&D FXi combo. For $20 you there is a very accurate battery powered digital scale available. In the middle there are a crap load of various options with various levels of quality and accuracy
I use a RCBS 1500 Chargemaster that is still working after 10 years. I double check the charges on a A&D 120 FXi but 90% of the time it throws within .05 gns and about 50% of the throws are within .02 gns. When it dies I will upgrade to the autothrow/auto trickler but it just refuses to die and I am too big of a tightwad to upgrade until it does
I use a RCBS 1500 Chargemaster that is still working after 10 years. I double check the charges on a A&D 120 FXi but 90% of the time it throws within .05 gns and about 50% of the throws are within .02 gns. When it dies I will upgrade to the autothrow/auto trickler but it just refuses to die and I am too big of a tightwad to upgrade until it does
What I was looking for is scale and dispenser in one like the above mentioned FA Intelladropper or the RCBS Chargemaster. Budget isn’t necessarily an issue. I’m also open to other options but I was thinking this would be the best option for speed and accuracy.
https://www.autotrickler.com/autotrickler.html
603Country
New member
I did exactly what Geauxtide did, moving from a very good Lyman 1200DPS (which finally died) to an RCBS Chargemaster 1500. The Chargemaster is an improvement over that generation of Lyman.
And I also have an RCBS 1010 beam scale and Lyman 55 powder thrower which are gathering dust.
And I also have an RCBS 1010 beam scale and Lyman 55 powder thrower which are gathering dust.
Django11,
If you have no budget constraints, look at the autotrickler. It uses a powder measure to drop most of the powder then trickles up the rest. The main improvement it has over the usually reloading industry names is it uses a scale that has a hybrid load cell design that behaves more like a magnetic restoration scale than a strain gauge scale. These scales settle much faster and don't drift nearly as much as the strain gauges. I think that may be because they have no glue film hysteresis.
If you have no budget constraints, look at the autotrickler. It uses a powder measure to drop most of the powder then trickles up the rest. The main improvement it has over the usually reloading industry names is it uses a scale that has a hybrid load cell design that behaves more like a magnetic restoration scale than a strain gauge scale. These scales settle much faster and don't drift nearly as much as the strain gauges. I think that may be because they have no glue film hysteresis.
loaded 50 rounds on my RCBS Chargemaster this morning. I have done a couple of mods on it, the straw in the dispenser tube and the changed 2 settings as shown in this video,RCBS Chargemaster Accuracy, but for the money that sucker is darn accurate. I checked every charge against my A&D and most were within .05 grains. Quite a few were dead on or within .02. There were a couple of massive overthrows but they were indicated as such on the CM but most were very acceptable charges straight off the CM. By the time after I seated a bullet and put the round in the box I would turn around and usually the next charge was ready for me to double check and drop in the case.
If budget is not a factor by all means go for the autothrow, but if you want to stay under $500 the CM 1500 is a great deal
If budget is not a factor by all means go for the autothrow, but if you want to stay under $500 the CM 1500 is a great deal
I want to add into the Chargemaster Lite a bit.
With no muss or fuss its the most accurate one I have. Mostly spot on, occasionally a tenth above or below. Its also the fastest
If the Hornady craps out, I would buy another CL (I like having two around for speed and backup).
No settings, no straws, I paid like $150 for it.
I have had it for two years.
While its a bit painful to replace this (cost wise) I love the speed and no muss vs a beam (sometimes change is good!)
Flip to that, I sure would not pay $1000 for something that had no return (a tenth of a gr is not close enough?) in this case, my return is ease of use and no messing around.
Of course, I like to shoot, so reloading is a means to an end not something that gives me wah and harmony doing it (I don't mind, but its work to let me shoot as much as I do)
As for drift, its no an issue. Check the negative weight, zero if needed.
The CL drifts little to none (so its best of the 3 I know about so far).
With no muss or fuss its the most accurate one I have. Mostly spot on, occasionally a tenth above or below. Its also the fastest
If the Hornady craps out, I would buy another CL (I like having two around for speed and backup).
No settings, no straws, I paid like $150 for it.
I have had it for two years.
While its a bit painful to replace this (cost wise) I love the speed and no muss vs a beam (sometimes change is good!)
Flip to that, I sure would not pay $1000 for something that had no return (a tenth of a gr is not close enough?) in this case, my return is ease of use and no messing around.
Of course, I like to shoot, so reloading is a means to an end not something that gives me wah and harmony doing it (I don't mind, but its work to let me shoot as much as I do)
As for drift, its no an issue. Check the negative weight, zero if needed.
The CL drifts little to none (so its best of the 3 I know about so far).