This is my first post here on Sniper's Hide and yes I have searched for this question so here it goes. Currently most of my shooting is under 200 yards but am going to be trying to get to 1000 yards with a 308. I have been looking to purchase an electronic scale and dispenser and have read most of the good and bad. My local shop has the Hornady on sale for 179 this month, but I have been looking at all of them including the Smartreloader. Anyway to get to my question, has anybody tried more than one of these and which one seems to be the most accurate and reliable? I am also wondering how accurate the 505 scale compared to a digital scale? I plan on using the electronic scale for load development mainly. I don't expect this to be able to make me shoot +/- 1 fps with loads, but I do expect it to throw accurate charges that'll allow me to hit steel at 1000 yards as long as I do my part.
Powder Charge and Dispense
- Thread starter layback04
- Start date
Re: Powder Charge and Dispense
What seems to work for me is to use a Harrell's ball bearing measure to dump the charge into a Lyman pan with the integral funnel. I set the RCBS Chargemaster to zero using the Lyman pan, then weigh the thrown charge from the Harrell's measure, and trickle up as needed. With extruded powder, you have to set the Harrell's about .3 grain low, but for Ball powders you can set it exact to desired weight. With practice, this method is much faster than using the Chargemaster by itself. I imagine the Hornady would function much the same, but have experience only with the Lyman DPS 1200 (ugh) and four Chargemasters.
What seems to work for me is to use a Harrell's ball bearing measure to dump the charge into a Lyman pan with the integral funnel. I set the RCBS Chargemaster to zero using the Lyman pan, then weigh the thrown charge from the Harrell's measure, and trickle up as needed. With extruded powder, you have to set the Harrell's about .3 grain low, but for Ball powders you can set it exact to desired weight. With practice, this method is much faster than using the Chargemaster by itself. I imagine the Hornady would function much the same, but have experience only with the Lyman DPS 1200 (ugh) and four Chargemasters.
Re: Powder Charge and Dispense
I use the PACT Scale Dispenser Combo. My 505 and PACT scale seem to weigh the same. I only sampled 10 charges. The PACT is said to have a range that puts a xx.0 charge between -.06 grains and +.05. Out to 600 yards I see no problems with loads from it. I am going to run another comparrison of the two in a couple of weeks before I start working up 1000 yard Service Rifle loads.
http://www.pact.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14&Itemid=126
Good luck with whichever one you choose.
I use the PACT Scale Dispenser Combo. My 505 and PACT scale seem to weigh the same. I only sampled 10 charges. The PACT is said to have a range that puts a xx.0 charge between -.06 grains and +.05. Out to 600 yards I see no problems with loads from it. I am going to run another comparrison of the two in a couple of weeks before I start working up 1000 yard Service Rifle loads.
http://www.pact.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14&Itemid=126
Good luck with whichever one you choose.
Re: Powder Charge and Dispense
Used a 505 for decades and decided to try a digital a few years ago to see what all the hoopla was about. Found that temp, humidity, and ANY amount of vibration caused the digital to do weird things. When it worked "right" it was slow to give a reading on that last tenth or two I dribbled in. Often as a result the charge ended up being over weight. Spent a lot of time going backwards, which was not the case with a beam scale.
Sold the damn thing and bought a 10-10. I drop a rough charge out of my RCBS measure into the scale pan, then dribble a couple tenths to finish it off. Much quicker, and I'm in better control. When I'm just loading, and not developing a load, I have check weights that I make to the exact weight of the charge I'm using. Every tenth round or so I put the check weight on the pan to make sure the scale is still reading true. Quicker and more precise than setting the scale back to zero every 10th round, which is counter productive IMO.
If precise powder charges are the goal the beam scale offers the peace of mind knowing YOU made it weigh correctly and not a chip board. Speed of process isn't a concern of mine with precision loads so I've no interest in trying a load master type unit. My system is plenty fast enough, and precise.
Used a 505 for decades and decided to try a digital a few years ago to see what all the hoopla was about. Found that temp, humidity, and ANY amount of vibration caused the digital to do weird things. When it worked "right" it was slow to give a reading on that last tenth or two I dribbled in. Often as a result the charge ended up being over weight. Spent a lot of time going backwards, which was not the case with a beam scale.
Sold the damn thing and bought a 10-10. I drop a rough charge out of my RCBS measure into the scale pan, then dribble a couple tenths to finish it off. Much quicker, and I'm in better control. When I'm just loading, and not developing a load, I have check weights that I make to the exact weight of the charge I'm using. Every tenth round or so I put the check weight on the pan to make sure the scale is still reading true. Quicker and more precise than setting the scale back to zero every 10th round, which is counter productive IMO.
If precise powder charges are the goal the beam scale offers the peace of mind knowing YOU made it weigh correctly and not a chip board. Speed of process isn't a concern of mine with precision loads so I've no interest in trying a load master type unit. My system is plenty fast enough, and precise.
Re: Powder Charge and Dispense
I got an elctronic powder dump thinking I'd rather shoot than reload. I found it iffy with extruded powders and did as many mentioned, stopped short and hand trickled the last little bit. It was sensitive to having other electric devices on the same circuit.
It went TU and I went back to my Lee Reloading Kit dump and final trickle onto the beam scale and am just as happy.
The electronic dump was faster, but not worth the price to replace.
I got an elctronic powder dump thinking I'd rather shoot than reload. I found it iffy with extruded powders and did as many mentioned, stopped short and hand trickled the last little bit. It was sensitive to having other electric devices on the same circuit.
It went TU and I went back to my Lee Reloading Kit dump and final trickle onto the beam scale and am just as happy.
The electronic dump was faster, but not worth the price to replace.
Re: Powder Charge and Dispense
Here's my .02
If I were only throwing and not weighing for long distance loads, I'd own a Harrells.
Why own a Harrells if you weigh. Lee Perfect Powder measure works fine for throwing under charge and trickling up to desired weight.
For digitals...I think they all suck and the only serious ones I'd consider are Acculab and Denver Precision. Those are on my long list behind the Gracey Power trimmer and Neck turner.
I'd get one of those scales mentioned above that measure in 1/1000 of a GRAM. That comes out to (I have the math somewhere in a notebook) to 1/50th of a grain.
As an aside, benchresters throw all their charges(with a harrells of course) and hardly ever weigh and I've seen guys at my club touch holes at 600 yards.
Here's my .02
If I were only throwing and not weighing for long distance loads, I'd own a Harrells.
Why own a Harrells if you weigh. Lee Perfect Powder measure works fine for throwing under charge and trickling up to desired weight.
For digitals...I think they all suck and the only serious ones I'd consider are Acculab and Denver Precision. Those are on my long list behind the Gracey Power trimmer and Neck turner.
I'd get one of those scales mentioned above that measure in 1/1000 of a GRAM. That comes out to (I have the math somewhere in a notebook) to 1/50th of a grain.
As an aside, benchresters throw all their charges(with a harrells of course) and hardly ever weigh and I've seen guys at my club touch holes at 600 yards.
