Two years running flawless and all at once checking on 5-0-5 and a Frankford digital 3 grains over. 3 grains less. Calibration passed ok. Getting ready to toss and thought about the LED Florescent light my husband put over our presses. Didn’t think the LED would interfere. Moved the Hornady 8 feet away to another bench and matches the 505 and 2 other digital flawless again. . Sat down to charge about 50 cases last night and checked first few rounds and 6-8 grain differences. Getting gun out of the safe to shoot it full of holes and just happened to see my cell phone a few feet away from it on a shelf. Put the cell phone in another room and back to perfect again. Can’t say perfect because all 3 scales will vary a 1/10 with stick powder occasionally. Just a FYI of things to check before you think of target practice on yours. I’m curious if the RCBS charge master is as finicky. Hornady says 30 minute warm up. I never turn mine off. Every time you delete charge weight and re enter another one you have to re calibrate but that’s quick enough. I was happy with a dipper and a trickier at one time but when it works it’s a life saver for time. A McDonald’s straw in the front tube has never let me over charge but slows down last few grains a little.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Hornady Auto powder charger
- Thread starter Wendyj
- Start date
Induced alternating currents can easily become DC offset values in modern electronics making sensitive measurements. Ideally, you want a scale with Faraday shielding of some kind built-in. Unfortunately, you are usually getting up past the $500 point before you find one. You can make and an external one, but it means an opening for your hands and other bother. The best things are to use a good line filter on a unit with a wall wart and stick to good old fashioned incandescent lighting for the loading bench, even with a battery-operated scale.
I’m curious if the RCBS charge master is as finicky
I have only had my Chargemaster Lite since Christmas with only five hundred or so charges dropped but it has been great with external interference. This doesn’t mean much since your Hornady seems to have been flawless until now....time will tell I guess.
Targa, I’m thinking you’ll be ok. I hadn’t used mine sine my husband put up the lights over my bench. That appears to be the issue for now anyway. I was already aware of the cell phone from when I first got it. If another one will give me as many rounds as this one has I’ll be happy.
Mine is about 8 years old and works pretty well yet. I discovered early on that my cell phone messed with it. I take my phone off my belt and put it on the other side of the room and it works fine.
I had a $1500 laser level at work do the same thing. I couldn't wear my cell phone when using it or the receiver on the stick would have no repeatability.
All in all I'm happy with my Auto Charge as long as I remember to put my cell phone somewhere else when using it.
I had a $1500 laser level at work do the same thing. I couldn't wear my cell phone when using it or the receiver on the stick would have no repeatability.
All in all I'm happy with my Auto Charge as long as I remember to put my cell phone somewhere else when using it.
I think the vast majority won't see any accuracy issues with charge weights having a 2/10ths grain spread. What's the difference in bullet drop at target range caused by muzzle velocity spread?
Sierra's metered such charges into unprepped cases and got 2/10th MOA ten-shot test group averages with best quality match bullets.
Sierra's metered such charges into unprepped cases and got 2/10th MOA ten-shot test group averages with best quality match bullets.
Last edited:
The Federal GM308M I've pulled down in the past had a 0.4-grain span in charge weight, while someone else who did the same thing got a 0.5-grain span. The thing to bear in mind, as I pointed out in another post today, is that even though charge weight isn't an exact match, they were all thrown at the same volume. Stick powders have some propensity to self-compensate under those circumstances. That is, the charge weight may be higher in some throws than in others, but they have to be more densely packed for that to happen because that greater weight was crammed into the same volume. When you pack the powder more densely, the ignition flame front has a harder time getting through the powder mass, so it lights a little more slowly, effectively reducing the relative burn rate a little. When the powder choice is a good balance with the bullet, that slowing in burn rate just compensates for the increase in overall charge weight, getting the bullet out of the barrel in the same time and at the same velocity as a lighter charge of the same volume does.
I’m in the same thinking mode. At least I got a few years and several thousand rounds out of it. Think I’m going with the charge master lite next time.
I have one and its the best scale so far. No muss no fuss and its pretty well spot on each charger.
Chargemaster may be fancier but the light does the job as well from what I can tell (reviews and a brother who owns one)
I see a 1/10 overshoot, usually ignore that unless I am splitting loads and I don't load groups of cases closer than 3/10 of each other (no difference until at least 3/10 and maybe more like 4/10 in my opinion)
Hornady does well, but it won't keep the settings so you have to push and hold the delay button each time you change. I use it for bulk.
I had a Lyaman equal, two failures, one under warranty so not another one of those. It worked ok but the input needed a wand, annoying.
reynolds357
New member
I have a Hornaday as well. I call it expensive Red junk.Two years running flawless and all at once checking on 5-0-5 and a Frankford digital 3 grains over. 3 grains less. Calibration passed ok. Getting ready to toss and thought about the LED Florescent light my husband put over our presses. Didn’t think the LED would interfere. Moved the Hornady 8 feet away to another bench and matches the 505 and 2 other digital flawless again. . Sat down to charge about 50 cases last night and checked first few rounds and 6-8 grain differences. Getting gun out of the safe to shoot it full of holes and just happened to see my cell phone a few feet away from it on a shelf. Put the cell phone in another room and back to perfect again. Can’t say perfect because all 3 scales will vary a 1/10 with stick powder occasionally. Just a FYI of things to check before you think of target practice on yours. I’m curious if the RCBS charge master is as finicky. Hornady says 30 minute warm up. I never turn mine off. Every time you delete charge weight and re enter another one you have to re calibrate but that’s quick enough. I was happy with a dipper and a trickier at one time but when it works it’s a life saver for time. A McDonald’s straw in the front tube has never let me over charge but slows down last few grains a little.
Carriertxv
New member
I have the Hornady electronic LNL bench scale which is the same one that is used in the auto charge. Have had it for 3 years and it has never given an issue. I have LED lights above and beside it and have no problems from the lights. I guess I must be lucky and got a good one.
I have the Hornady electronic LNL bench scale which is the same one that is used in the auto charge. Have had it for 3 years and it has never given an issue. I have LED lights above and beside it and have no problems from the lights. I guess I must be lucky and got a good one.
Yea, I must have been to. I never had to put a straw in my Auto Charge to get it to charge accurately.
Oh well, if someone has their heart set on a RCBS then buy one, they are the ones that will be using it and it's their money.
They both work, they both have disadvantages and advantages, so pick what suits you fancy and your budget.
reynolds357
New member
I went back to my old powder thrower and beam scale. 3x as fast as the Hornaday even when its working right.Yea, I must have been to. I never had to put a straw in my Auto Charge to get it to charge accurately.
Oh well, if someone has their heart set on a RCBS then buy one, they are the ones that will be using it and it's their money.
They both work, they both have disadvantages and advantages, so pick what suits you fancy and your budget.
One thing to keep in mind is that lights aren't necessarily impacting a scale directly. It can also happen because they share the same circuit breaker and the noise is coming in via the power line. In those circumstances, a line filter helps. If you have an old computer UPS whose battery died, they will often handle the filtering chore, even if you don't use them to back up the power to your scale.
If the noise is by direct broadcast emissions from the lamp, you can put it into an aluminum shade fixture and put a piece of copper or aluminum door screen over it and ground the housing and the screen (not always necessary; try with and without to see). You can also buy an aluminum or brass container to drop your cell phone into when you are working with the scale. Phones are designed to send out a signal while lamps are generally designed to minimize that, but nothing is 100%.
If the noise is by direct broadcast emissions from the lamp, you can put it into an aluminum shade fixture and put a piece of copper or aluminum door screen over it and ground the housing and the screen (not always necessary; try with and without to see). You can also buy an aluminum or brass container to drop your cell phone into when you are working with the scale. Phones are designed to send out a signal while lamps are generally designed to minimize that, but nothing is 100%.
reynolds357
New member
A lot of the led tubes interfere with everything. I put up a 8 tube high bay in my shop. Its 40 ft in the air. You cant pick up a fm radio signal within 75 ft of it.One thing to keep in mind is that lights aren't necessarily impacting a scale directly. It can also happen because they share the same circuit breaker and the noise is coming in via the power line. In those circumstances, a line filter helps. If you have an old computer UPS whose battery died, they will often handle the filtering chore, even if you don't use them to back up the power to your scale.
If the noise is by direct broadcast emissions from the lamp, you can put it into an aluminum shade fixture and put a piece of copper or aluminum door screen over it and ground the housing and the screen (not always necessary; try with and without to see). You can also buy an aluminum or brass container to drop your cell phone into when you are working with the scale. Phones are designed to send out a signal while lamps are generally designed to minimize that, but nothing is 100%.
Just turn cell phone on airplane mode, turn it off, or leave it in another room.
I've not looked at the tube format LEDs. If they are as bad as you say, I'm a little surprised they pass muster with FCC regs.
The metal box trick is one I used because it is quick if I forget to leave the phone behind. Faster than entering my PIN, much less powering up and down. The problem with it is the phone starts spending more energy searching for signals, so whether it pays off in time savings or not just depends on the phone and its OS and what you have enabled.
The metal box trick is one I used because it is quick if I forget to leave the phone behind. Faster than entering my PIN, much less powering up and down. The problem with it is the phone starts spending more energy searching for signals, so whether it pays off in time savings or not just depends on the phone and its OS and what you have enabled.