Powder measure / scale for precision loading

[NH Phantom]

What are you precision shooters using to measure powder?

 

[Mudflap621]

Whats your budget? Do you want something automated or you ok with manual trickling?

Ive ran charge masters, Autotrickler v3-v4, and supertrickler. I have gone back to the Autotrickler V3 with Ingenuity Precision Trickler on a A&D FX120 Scale. It has been the most reliable and quickest precision setup ive used to date. Unfortunately you cannot buy the V3 setup anymore unless you find one on the used market. They've been fetching more than they were new though so it's a hard pill to swallow.

 

[NH Phantom]

Whats your budget? Do you want something automated or you ok with manual trickling?

Ive ran charge masters, Autotrickler v3-v4, and supertrickler. I have gone back to the Autotrickler V3 with Ingenuity Precision Trickler on a A&D FX120 Scale. It has been the most reliable and quickest precision setup ive used to date. Unfortunately you cannot buy the V3 setup anymore unless you find one on the used market. They've been fetching more than they were new though so it's a hard pill to swallow. View attachment 950048

Thanks. I thinking the chargemaster. I’ll look into the other ones you mentioned

 

[Mudflap621]

Chargemaster is pretty good for the price and they are pretty accurate. Before I got rid of my two I did some testing on the A&D scale and doing 10 charge tests they were within tenth of a grain total spread.

 

[peterk123]

Not sure I call myself Precision but I'm pretty anal about getting the charge right for rifle. I use a beam scale. And a manual trickle thingy. I do a charge about a half grain below my target then put it on the beam scale and trickle the last .5 grains. I actually really enjoy doing it.

 

[MC56]

I'm using an autotrickler v3 w/ fx120i. Highly recommend. I'd like to pickup the ingenuity trickler @Mudflap621 has at some point in the future as it basically eliminates overthrows. There's also the autotrickler v4, supertrickler, and if you're looking to spend $5k+ for a used unit, the prometheus.

Chargemaster or comparable from frankford arsenal, hornady, etc. plus a hand trickler and a lab scale will yield equal accuracy, but will be much slower. I started with a chargemaster, a hand trickler and a relatively inexpensive lab scale that went to .02 grain increments. It was accurate, just slow.

 

[Road_Clam]

FRANKFORD INTELLI-DROPPER ELECTRONIC POWDER MEASURE - Graf & Sons

Fast and repeatable precision. Love mine. It's uses a self calibration powder drop test to come up with the fastest and most consistent powder dispensing to match the type of powder (ie ball or stick) that you are using.

 

[Broc Tuah]

What are you precision shooters using to measure powder?

Match Master. Best you will find under $1K.

RCBS Powder Dispenser Amazon.com

I love it.

Once in a while it throws a charge that is off by 1 or 2 kernels. Once every 50-100 throws a charge that is over by .5 grains or so.

 

[MC56]

Match Master. Best you will find under $1K.

RCBS Powder Dispenser Amazon.com

I love it.

Once in a while it throws a charge that is off by 1 or 2 kernels. Once every 50-100 throws a charge that is over by .5 grains or so.

may as well cough up the extra 100 at that point and get an autotrickler and fx120i.

 

[Broc Tuah]

may as well cough up the extra 100 at that point and get an autotrickler and fx120i.

I agree.

When I bought it, the match master was around $700 or so, and the auto tricker set up I believe was more expensive, like $1,100 or $1,200.

I don't remember, it was over a year ago.

 

[BTSDOG]

I use chargemaster and drop a load .10 under target. It actually comes out at about .02-.04 under when weighed on my A&D fx-120i. Then i just dandy trickle in a few kernels and get it right on the money.

 

[Road_Clam]

Sorry guys but IME RCBS CM's are garbage. Mine purchased back in 2014 only lasted about 4 years of off and on light usage. The display took a dump and would not boot up upon power up . RCBS CS basically told me "we do not warranty any electronic parts on the CM's . I also had consistent frustrating under and over throws of powder. Not a major issue with 40+ gr charges but it was an issue with smaller charges like magnum pistol.

 

[Mudflap621]

those who want to dump money, will dump money.
note the purchase date, it still works flawlessly. 0.01 grain accurate, in reality more like 0.03gr steps, but it is more than good for a 0.1 grain accuracy i want.
and that is what my modified dillon measures drop, at 0.1gr accuracy.
as of scale - no drift, very stable and batteries last long time. $18.

View attachment 955663

Have you used anything to verify charges? Don't mind my skepticism but one can't even buy a sandwich for that prices these days.

 

[Broc Tuah]

Have you used anything to verify charges? Don't mind my skepticism but one can't even buy a sandwich for that prices these days.

I blew up a gun once.

I refuse to use those cheap scales. They are also a pain in the a** and I never trust them, leading me to double check every charge and waste time.

Match Master has been fine.

 

[Broc Tuah]

Sorry guys but IME RCBS CM's are garbage. Mine purchased back in 2014 only lasted about 4 years of off and on light usage. The display took a dump and would not boot up upon power up . RCBS CS basically told me "we do not warranty any electronic parts on the CM's . I also had consistent frustrating under and over throws of powder. Not a major issue with 40+ gr charges but it was an issue with smaller charges like magnum pistol.

Charge Master and Match Master are not the same.

Just dropping this becuase it can get confusing.

 

[Mudflap621]

I blew up a gun once.

I refuse to use those cheap scales. They are also a pain in the a** and I never trust them, leading me to double check every charge and waste time.

Match Master has been fine.

I agree, I would rather have a decent beam scale than a $18 amazon special that states it's good to a kernel.

 

[Warm_Garand]

FRANKFORD INTELLI-DROPPER ELECTRONIC POWDER MEASURE - Graf & Sons

Fast and repeatable precision. Love mine. It's uses a self calibration powder drop test to come up with the fastest and most consistent powder dispensing to match the type of powder (ie ball or stick) that you are using.

If you have a couple grand to spend on a powder trickler and an electronic scale go to it. If not, the Intellidropper is an excellent value.

$169 at Natchez. $5 shipping if you sign up for emails.

Link to Intellidropper: Natchez

Treat the plastic hopper and lid for static electricity. The materials they used in manufacturing are static nightmares. I gave mine a wash with Dawn dish soap. Seemed to help enormously.

Tape a ground wire to the lip of the hopper and sweep the inside of the hopper with it if/whenever you see kernels of powder clinging to the side of the hopper.

Evaluate your work area extremely well for the possibility of electronic interference and draft. This is important. Electronic interference + electronic reloading scales. Google it.

If you have a buddy with deep pockets and a precise $1K+ scale, have him check your (2) 50 gram check weights. They're low-bid Chinese, which means they're probably off a bit. Fix them. Sandpaper or a dab or nail polish. Wait until the solvent in the nail polish evaporates completely to weigh.

A deluxe set of RCBS check weights will help keep every scale you own honest (and help you know if your pan is 140.01 grains, or 140.09 grains for example).

They're pricey at $70 for what they are, but probably worth it for the certainty they help provide.

Link to RCBS Check Weights: Natchez

Get an exact read on the weight of all your powder pans to minimize tolerance stacking. Is your pan 140.01 grains, or 140.09 grains?

Always allow the unit to warm up to a stable temperature before using it. Turn it on fifteen or twenty minutes before you start dropping and weighing charges. Leave the powder measure on overnight and check the drift from hot to cold and see where it stabilizes. As long as it stabilizes, the only drift that matters is the drift that happens between scale tares/re-zeros.

If you are having a major problem getting repeatable results, check the platen and the post of the load cell for manufacturing swarf (the unit was made in china, you need to do your own QC).

This is the platen...

Gently remove the platen, pullin git straight up, remove any crud or swarf with an exacto knife, and gently re-seat it squarely on the post of the load cell. Don't press on it back on with your thumb. Seat it again using the (2) 50 gram check weights.

I had an electronic scale which suddenly began to rapidly drift 7/10ths of a grain. Thought it was f*cked. It was just an insect walking around on the load sensor. Blowing gently with compressed air is your pal.

Another source of inconcsistency is electronic noise coming from your house wiring. if that's the case in your shop/at your reloading bench you can buy/try a line conditioner.

The unit has to be as level as possible, and it should be isolated from vibration. A piece of tile or granite atop a rubber kneeling pad works a trick. Rubber washers would work too.

The Intellidropper probably (repeat: probably) doesn't have electronic components as good as the high-end RCBS units, and yes, it is obvious from the reviews that FA sometimes ships lemons. But a lot of people who write the loudest reviews are also clueless f*cken morons. So there is that. Test the unit good as soon as you get it, and send it back if it is defective. I always seem to get lucky for some reason.

The Intellidropper seriously speeds up precison rifle reloading. Basically it drops/weighs powder as quickly as I can seat a bullet on a single-stage press. It is very efficient. I can even double-check the powder drop on a manual RCBS scale as part of the process, I'm seating a bullet as the manual RCBS scale settles and the Intellidropper is dropping and weighting yet another powder charge.

Good luck.