Thread: Auto powder dispensers

I'm using a Lee powder thrower and checking on redding scale, find too much variation with stick powders, does the 223 with bm2 reliably but the amount of trickling involved with the Lee does my head in ill have a more detailed look at the ones listed, v3 looks the business but is approaching eye watering territory

Originally Posted by R93

I just recently sold my Gen 6 on here. Had it for a while and was a great wee unit for me.
Always wanted a V3 auto trickler and will get one when next overseas and can spend some of my US currency I get in tips.
Just bought a frankford arsenal intellidropper to fill in the gap. Got it brand new and way cheaper than the Gen6 cost me new.

So far I like it. Its fast. Can calibrate for powder. Loads are bang on the money when testing against good beam scales and my gold scales.
Most of all being able to store your load data velocity and groups with pics if you want. I am always losing my paper data.
I only load 3 rifle cartridges for myself and have those loads in the old grey matter but do a lot of loading for other people and being able to store as many as you want makes it a quick reference.
You can even select the load and send it via Bluetooth and it will drop that charge providing you have the correct powder in the hopper.
Bit gimmicky and sensitive to static but overall happy with it.
Couple screen shots below showing how the data is stored.

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I saw the Lyman ypu sold but saw it too late, the Lyman and Frankford are essentially the same price, did you find noticeable difference between the 2? You seem to be saying you prefer the Frankford

Originally Posted by distant stalker

I saw the Lyman ypu sold but saw it too late, the Lyman and Frankford are essentially the same price, did you find noticeable difference between the 2? You seem to be saying you prefer the Frankford

Only got the Frankford because I got a good deal on it and it has a few extra features that I might find useful.

As long as you can load accurate for use ammo, I dont think it matters what system you get.
The Gen 6 just worked for me. Had no issues with it apart from fine powder getting under the load scale. Once that was fixed, I took more care with it.
Havent used the Frankford much yet but it has thrown every charge bang on so far.
I would get say, 1 in 10 that went .1 under or over with the Gen 6.
The frankford also has a trickle function that when tested, was pretty good where as the Gen 6 didnt.
Being able to level the frankford was another bonus.
So far I prefer the Frankford I spose, but its new and shiny to me.





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Originally Posted by R93

Only got the Frankford because I got a good deal on it and it has a few extra features that I might find useful.

As long as you can load accurate for use ammo, I dont think it matters what system you get.
The Gen 6 just worked for me. Had no issues with it apart from fine powder getting under the load scale. Once that was fixed, I took more care with it.
Havent used the Frankford much yet but it has thrown every charge bang on so far.
I would get say, 1 in 10 that went .1 under or over with the Gen 6.
The frankford also has a trickle function that when tested, was pretty good where as the Gen 6 didnt.
Being able to level the frankford was another bonus.
So far I prefer the Frankford I spose, but its new and shiny to me.





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You always seem to offer a very objective evaluation of things, much appreciated

I like my lyman gen 5, I do double check every Xth charge on the beam scale, and it's always within the 0.1gr. @physeptone had a great trickler product, automates a a stand trickler and beam scale

I have the Frankford Arsenal Intellidropper
as well.
Great features and great accuracy.
Being able to auto tune to each powder makes a big difference and storing the loads on the app is great.


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F Class John did a review of the Frankford. IIRC it was on accurateshooter.com. Maybe he he also did a youtube clip, I haven't checked.
He said tuning it to the powder he was using gave a dispense time of 22 seconds for his load. Leaving it unturned it took twice as long.
Smart machine....

Ive got two powder throwers and a simple set of spoons.....
I dont bother using thrower unless doing more than 20-30 rounds and spoons are quick....
using ball or fine stick powder the throwers are great....its ALL about the clunk clunk...of handle....if you get stick stuck and no clunk clunk...weight charge on scales...if you can do the clunk clunk the same each time...and keep pottle topped up,they throw very well. I still do visual check over entire tray of powder filled cases,peering down into cases with help of torch,anything lower or fuller than the others/norm...gets rechecked...but its not often you get any.

It looks as if chargemaster users aren't even bothering to respond here.
When they came out, they were the best thing since sliced bread. Still is for me.
I check every 5th load and most are the exact 0.1 gr I want. Occasionally (about 10% ) some are 0.2 gr over weight. I think a couple of granules stick together. I've found my point of impact at 100m doesn't change over a range of + / - 1.0 gr and neither does group size. No nodes for me. I leave a good grain weight between my standard load and the upper weight I've tested and found safe.
This occasional +0.2 gr won't affect my grouping or point of impact at ranges up to 500m. An F class or ELR shooter might prefer to weigh every load.
I load the powder into all cases first, then seat all the projectiles. Working the press while the chargemaster is dispensing gives lots of way out weights. Others say you shouldn't use fluorescent lights nearby.
There are a couple of tweaks: adjusting the dispense speed (google for Spanners instructions) and using the macdonalds 308 dia straw to get smooth dispensing.

Anyway, the Chargemaster may possibly not be the best any more but its pretty good and other devices can be compared as better or worse against it as as benchmark.

A lot more replies than anticipated, thanks for responses. When using the powder thrower I have been maintaining a pretty constant amount in the hopper and very uniform swing of the arm with a tap to make sure things settle evenly, check every load on scale and find some quite random weights at times with no apparent difference in throw in terms of cutting kernels etc, have wondered if static could be causing cling and causing variation. Have been loading for higher volume matches (160 round etc) and just find the manual solutions too slow, young family means time is a precious commodity. Have been doing a lot of reading about the suggested options and think have enough info to make a decision now. Thanks again to the contributors

try the clunk clunk,solid knock at each end of stroke...it seems to work best for me....a visual check will show up anything major in difference in smaller .223 case...maybe not so much in 08 but it possibly wont matter as much either....

I did a fair bit of research on internet years ago and found some that had compared all the manual throwers, wasn't that great. I've seen people use the manual throwers like RCBS then weigh on a Gemtech each throw, then add or take off, which was pretty much each time. Seemed reasonably fast system though.

I tried a Lyman GEN6 and mine was no good, local distributer said was fine, it wasn't it, was rooted! Threw in bin as didn't want anyone else to get hold of the piece of shit mine was. Must have been just unlucky.

Bought a RCBS Chargemaster Lite next, it's been real good. Seems to have loaded some really accurate ammo to me. Seating projectiles on a Dillon 550, toolhead also has F/L sizer. Easiest way to double check calibration is just pop on the 50gr weight every now and again and should read 771.6gr.

The thing is these auto-powder throwers actually are quite cheap electronics, just expensive when get here like many other things,

After a LOT of checking reviews etc on the interweb I got my RCBS Chargemaster Lite, 3 days ago. Got straight into checking out the new toy, as you do... I did this 70 times, then got bored. Throw charge; weigh on Hornady GT1500 digital scale; weigh charge on Lee balance beam scale that came in the kit. Of the 70, I had 2 charges that were .2 of a grain light, had NO charges overweight. I know that was a limited trial, but it'll do me. I have trust issues, so I know I'll be checking every few loads, just to see.... It was bloody expensive , for a pensioner. Will it ever "pay for itself"? Not in what's left of my lifetime. Is it as accurate as using the old thrower and trickler? So far, yes. Especially on my shakier days. Is the value equal to the cost? For me, yes it is, although I do think the cost is far too high. I could hve ordered it from one of the big online stores for considerably less, perhaps, but CRBF, doing the whole working out NZD/USD thing and the covid panic crap...you know, when will the next lockdown be, will the couriers still be working? And when they deliver it to the neighbor up the road like my last parcel, will I ever actually get to get it? It has plusses that far outweigh (did you see that?) the minuses. AND it's a new toy. No buyer's remorse, so far. I LIKE it.

I have a RCBS Chargemaster which I’ve had for the past few years but I find which has served me very well.

I find that you need to warm it up first before using to get accurate consistent powder dumps by turning it on and leaving it for 20 minutes before using.

If mine ever blows out I’ll get another electronic powder measure but I did bump into a guy a few years back who would load hundreds at a time... he used a Harrell’s powder thrower which are meant to be the best of manual powder throwers and the accuracy in his rifles were testimony to that!

I recently acquired a Chargemaster Lite. I do like it compared to my Uniflow as I can seat a bullet concurrently, which dramatically reduces my loading time. I have one charge dispensing, whilst another charge is settling on my Dillon beam scale (as a check) and I’m seating the projectile for a freshly checked charge. When finished seating I check the beam scale, pour if correct, pour the freshly dispensed charge into the beam scale pan, move my funnel and pick up the full case, press go and then seat the bullet. Personally I’m not a fan of the auto function as I find when things go wrong or I have a spill or anything it just makes it a bigger mess (forgetting that it’s on auto).

I have found the accuracy to be good, but not amazing. My experience is solely with stick powder (2209).I would breakdown my experience into these three approximate outcomes:
- ~80% of charges fall exactly on the money (as per the beam scale).
- ~15% or so will show the correct weight on the Chargemaster but end up being a fraction over (maybe 0.05gr) and I remove 2-3 kernels whilst on the beam scale to rectify that.
- ~5% or so that dispense 0.1-0.2gr above or under and display as such on the scale, which I just dump and re-dispense. The time taken to add or remove the correct amount and check on beam scale is not worth it to me.

Overall it’s cut my loading time down dramatically, but I do still check every charge on a beam scale (concurrently) as I don’t trust it enough for the accuracy I desire. I would also definitely let it warm up for 20mins or so to help with ‘walking.’