In the Market for an Auto Powder Dispenser

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Winchester 70

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I have it Narrowed down to three:

Lyman Gen 5
RCBS 1500 Chargemaster
Hornady LnL Auto Charge

Which one would you choose and why?

Am I missing any that I should be considering?

Thanks for the help!
 
I've been using my Lyman dps 1200 for quite awhile and getting along fine. All of them have their fans and critics, so best bet is go with the brand you trust the most.
 
Rcbs 1500

I have an RCBS 1500 charge master and it works great when it works. I have had to send it back twice. It was replaced both times at no cost. Currently will not auto dispense which can be a pain if your loading a lot of rounds. It's a good product but at the price it could be better.
 
I believe Ive seen some YouTube reviews on some of the models you listed. I'd love to have one, they sure are neat. I think the review I saw talked about how the Lyman one was harder to clean up/empty. I should probably check my resources before I go blabbing about a companies product though.
 
I went through the same selection process a couple of years ago. I decided to purchase the Hornady LnL - primarily because of cost (I also got a rebate for free bullets)... anyway..... I've been pretty happy with it for the most part. Its really susceptible to bench movement as it will almost always result in an incorrect charge. The RCBS and Lyman may be the same, but it is something that you will want to consider when planning your reloading layout. I have mine on the same bench as my press and I can't seat a bullet at the same time a charge is being dispensed so I don't use the auto function.

Blessings,

Paul
 
I've had the RCBS Chargemaster for almost 4 years and haven't had any issues yet. I'm very pleased with it and recommend it without hesitation.
 
I made my own with a lee perfect powder measure and an RCBS scale. Granted it's not totally automatic but...

Pull lever dropping powder into pan on scale, verify numbers, adjust if needed, pour into case. Can be accomplished before an RCBS charge master can finish dispensing. All for the low low price of so me dremmel work on my scale housing and a 20 dollar powder measure.
 
I have an older Pact auto dispenser. I find it great for working up loads but too slow for general loading once a charge weight has been established.
 
Sorry for not following the rules, but I wouldn't pick either. I would pick the recently updated PACT. You can get the combo for $229 direct from them and the charge times have been significantly reduced. PACT makes the RCBS units (or at least they used to) anyway.
 
I bought a chargemaster a few years back but thought I'd like to have 2 so I got a Lyman. Took it back right quick and got the Hornady. I'm a Hornady fan on everything but the dispenser. It's really not bad, just not as good as the RCBS. Hornady now sits on the bench waiting for RCBS to quit so it can take over.
 
My buddy has one of those all in one super-duper units (can't remember the brand though - I think it's red if that helps) so I'm thinking it's the hornady.

measures, trickles, and weighs each powder charge. I find it a bit slow for making up target pistol loads- but it sure is a sweet piece of work for rifle loads.

I think it's a spendy unit though, think he told me it was near $300. But I guess it's not that far off the mark. a good balance scale will run you $100-150 and a powder measure will be at least another $90.
 
Where is the best pricing on the RCBS? I have found it for $309.00 can I do any better than that? And for those of you that have it is it really worth $100.00 more than the Hornady?
 
I'm on my second Chargemaster, the first was replaced under warranty at no charge. It is somewhat slow, but can be reprogrammed if you load a lot of one load. I don't think it's any slower than throwing light and trickling up. RCBS customer service is as good as any. JMHO
 
Years ago I would have liked one but couldn't really afford it. I was loading Blue Dot in 357 and could never get really accurate throws with my Uniflow with that coarse flake powder and always just threw low and trickled up the rest, weighing everything on a balance beam scale. To say the least this was tedious.

When I got a Pact Professional chronograph I decided to see how much consistency I would lose by throwing all charges instead of weighing them. If the consistency loss was acceptable I would start throwing charges instead of weighing every one. I loaded up 25 rounds of thrown and 25 of weighed with everything else being equal and shot both groups over the chrony and checked the ES and SD against each other. Both groups were within 5fps for average velocity but the thrown charges were more consistent. Like half the ES and SD.

I've done the same experiment since then with different powders and different cartridges and the thrown charges have always been more consistent than weighed charges. I gave up on dreams of an electric powder dispenser, kept on using the Uniflow and spend my money on components instead. I did upgrade to the micrometer adjustment screw and it's a real time saver but I see the electric dispenser as a time and money waster.
 
7mmb said:
Years ago I would have liked one but couldn't really afford it. I was loading Blue Dot in 357 and could never get really accurate throws with my Uniflow with that coarse flake powder and always just threw low and trickled up the rest, weighing everything on a balance beam scale. To say the least this was tedious.

When I got a Pact Professional chronograph I decided to see how much consistency I would lose by throwing all charges instead of weighing them. If the consistency loss was acceptable I would start throwing charges instead of weighing every one. I loaded up 25 rounds of thrown and 25 of weighed with everything else being equal and shot both groups over the chrony and checked the ES and SD against each other. Both groups were within 5fps for average velocity but the thrown charges were more consistent. Like half the ES and SD.

I've done the same experiment since then with different powders and different cartridges and the thrown charges have always been more consistent than weighed charges. I gave up on dreams of an electric powder dispenser, kept on using the Uniflow and spend my money on components instead. I did upgrade to the micrometer adjustment screw and it's a real time saver but I see the electric dispenser as a time and money waster.
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You sure you didnt get your ammo mixed up? That doesnt make sense to me. If thats the case then different weights of bullets would be better than all bullets weighing the same.
 
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