Tell me about electric powder measures

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Use the RCBS power trickler linked to the RCBS electronic scale. If you have an older scale they will install a port for communication to the meter. Mine is relatively fast, takes about 5-10 seconds to drop 50 grains of 4895. Usually throws +/-1gr. Forget any of the old balance beam types.
 
I use the Lyman 1200 DPS. You start off by calibrating the scale with a provided weight, punch in the load you want in grains, and push a button to automatically feed the powder through a rotating tube into the scale pan, quickly at first, then ever slower as the target weight is neared. The charge weight is shown on a digital read-out. When the load is ready, the machine beeps. For successive charges you simply push the feed button again. It works as fast as I can dump the charge into a rifle case and seat the bullet. VERY nice! :D You can program favorite loads into the tool's memory, and recall them as needed. Weighing bullets to the nearest 0.1 grain is instantaneous. But, for greatest accuracy, it does take a half-hour for the tool to warm up before calibrating, and it needs to be leveled and on a separate table from your loading bench to avoid shock. :rolleyes:

Frankly, it's no faster than a good manual drum powder measure, such as a Pacific or Hornady (once the measure is set up!), though the electronic scale may be slightly more accurate. To set the drum measure accurately, you need to calibrate a good leveled beam balance with a known weight in the neighborhood of the weight you are going to throw, then set the drum measure by trial and error, checking charges on the beam scale. (Note: calibrating the beam measure to zero and then setting the charge by scale markings will not give you the accuracy of calibrating with known weights!) :scrutiny:
 
Oooh, I forgot, I'm going to be throwing some small charges .223, .308, but mostly about 100gr charges (.338 Lapua Mag) and would like it if it could throw .50bmg charges (~240gr) but this is not essential. Of course I want high speed and the best accuracy, and I want it yesterday :D)

The RCBS combo and the Lyman 1200 DPS are the units I am looking at right now.
 
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Rcbs/pact

IIRC these are one and the same both actually made by PACT.My PACT scale/dispenser has worked very well for me and will have no trouble with the charges you have listed.Mine is the older unit with the slower trickle(my only complaint).I have just sent it off for the modification to speed up the dispensing that Pact offers.The new units come with this modification already installed and supposed to be faster.
 
I bought the RCBS combo, and I've got to say that it is a sweet setup. It is fast and accurate. I use it for developing loads and man, that thing has yet to miss a setpoint yet. I've payes with it and seen if I can upset it to no avail. It just does a great job.

The guys over at the 6mm forum did a comparo. I bought the RCBS based on their results and my lukewarm reception of Pact based on their poor support of their XP chronograph that I purchased. I'm very happy with my decision, especially considering the horror stories people have published about emptying the Lyman measure... Link....

http://www.6mmbr.com/powderdispensers01.html

The Pact was stomped pretty bad in the tests for spees and ease of use...
 
I can't see how there can be any difference between the PACT and the RCBS scale/dispenser combo, since both are made by PACT, the RCBS version simply being in green livery with their brand. I have the RCBS units, and it says right on the outside of the boxes that they need to be sent to PACT for repair. I have never had any trouble with this equipment. They work exactly as they are supposed to, and I'm a big fan of the system.
I haven't sent the dispenser back in for modification yet- to speed things up, I just keep my RCBS Uniflow sitting there set a few tenths low, throw the charge, then set the pan under the trickler and hit the button. Speeds things up by about a third.
 
I was loading up 308 rounds over the weekend. I have the old style RCBS electric dispensor. Powder pro I think it is called. Anyway. It takes 40 seconds to drop 40.1 grns of IMR 4895 and 36 seconds to drop 41.0 grns of IMR 4064. Don't know why but thats the numbers. After loading 500 rounds, it is a bit slow.

How fast is the new version again? I saw 5 to 10 seconds? How can that be?
 
When charging large amounts of powder (say over 25 gr.) consider using a powder measure to throw an amount about 1 - 2 grains less than the wanted charge, then use the scale and dispenser to trickle the last few grains into the pan. This will increase your speed tremendously.
 
I can't see how there can be any difference between the PACT and the RCBS scale/dispenser combo
Click to expand...

The new chargemaster combo is not made by Pact, you are thinking of the old combo.

Here is the new one.
http://www.rcbs.com/default.asp?menu=1&s1=3

The measure starts out slowly and then speeds up nicely for the bulk of the charge, and trickles the last bit. If you look through the 6mm page I linked, you will see that it throws charges far faster than the Pact or Lyman.

42.2grains of 4064 in 12.3s v. 22s for the other two.

I clocked it with Blue Dot at 36s for 100 grains and ~10s for 20 grains. It is impressive to say the least!
 
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