Best digital scale for trickling

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D.B. Cooper said:
When you say "extruded" powder, do you mean stick poweder, e.g. 4895?
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Yes. The longer the stick, the easier it is to control in a trickler.
Ball powder is awesome in volumetric measures, but I don't trickle it. I prefer a dipper for it.
 
D.B. Cooper said:
Measuring every load is showing me how inconsistent my Lee auto drum really is. I'll throw the same powder charge and get a different weight every single time. It runs anywhere from more than 5/10 grain under (beam pointer pegged at bottom, to 1/10 grain over (beam pointer 1tick mark over zero.) when weighed on my Redding beam scale.

I was hoping that, after I settle on a particular load, I could load a bunch of the same load faster, using the turret press, but I'm thinking now that that won't be possible because no two rounds will be alike. I saw this when I first started out, and it was driving me crazy. I was constantly adjusting the volume of the powder measure. ThenI finally gave up as I was loading pistol training ammo and didn't need the precision.
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I had the same problem with my standard RCBS Uniflow with the large drum. I was noticing .2 and .3 grain variations and for 5 grain throws that's not good. I fought it for awhile and decided that it was time to replace it. I like RCBS stuff so bought another RCBS measure. So far this new comp pistol model is working the way I want it to. I don't trickle although I have the tool. Never used it. I also moved away from a beam scale although they seem to work pretty well. I've already had one digital scale go south on me, a mechanical scale is more reliable but slower.

At some point I may start fine tuning my loads at the scale, not sure. I'm not after every bit of precision I can get out of a load. I've more or less stopped at 1 moa. I know some people can squeeze a lot more out of a particular rifle/load but so far I haven't explored those heights. I'm pretty sure my setup can do it but I'm not sure I can. Maybe someday I'll have an interest in it. I shoot a lot of pistol also and loading to .05 grains is a waste of time. None of my pistols can shoot 1 moa and even if they could somebody else would have to do it. Lets just say I got into the game pretty late.:D
 
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D.B. Cooper said:
I need a better solution, guys. This isn't working.
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D.B. Cooper said:
Agreed. At this point in my life, I've had enough character-building adversity in my life; these days, I'm looking for what is easy and just works.
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There is a better way. Dump the powder in, type in what you want, and let it do the work.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00AU6CIUO/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all

https://www.amazon.com/Hornady-050068-Lock-N-Load-Auto-Charge/dp/B003O20UOW

https://www.amazon.com/RCBS-98923-Chargemaster-Combo-Dispenser/dp/B00139UC6O

Works perfect with a turret press because in about the exact same time it takes you to seat a bullet and size and prime another case the next charge will be ready for you. If you put this powder funnel die in the turret before your seating die you don't even need to take the case out of the press, just dump it in through the top.

https://www.amazon.com/Hornady-095360-Lock-N-Load-Powder-Accessory/dp/B01N38ENKO
 
This is my routine.
First photo - use the Lee to get within a couple tenths of a grain.
Second photo - trickle up and sometimes use the tweezers to add or remove a couple grains.
The weighed cases move from right to left when they are properly charged. IMG_2759.JPG IMG_2760.JPG
 
D.B. Cooper said:
I know I've started a few other scale and measuring/weighing discussions in the past, and I've had a lot of difficulty in this area.

The Lyman 1500 MicroTouch scale I had bit the dust last week after about a year of use. It constantly flashes varying numbers on the screen, both positive and negative, anytime it is turned on. I have no idea why. I turned it on and it just started doing it. I tried relocating it away from anything electrical but not go.

So now I'm in need of a new scale. My plan is to load rifle cases using a powder trickler. So I will weigh the empty case on the scale, put the case on my press and load a charge that is 1-2 grains light using my Lee auto-drum powder measurer, and then return the case to the digital scale. From there, I will do some math and then trickle the last grain or so into the case with the case on the scale and the scale directly reading the weight.

Should I just go buy another Lyman or is there something else I should be considering? All of these different brands seem to have the same or similar specs and seem to vary only in total weight they can weigh and price.
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If you want a digital scale that you can trickle without playing the lift the pan game you want a Magnetic Force Restoration scale instead of a load cell type. Here is a very good YouTube comparison. As with most things in life good means the opposite of cheap. I spent $350 (IIRC) for my FX-120i. Not really that much more than auto dispensers. I gave away my Lyman 1200 dispenser (hated that POS) and sold my Hornady dispenser after getting my FX.

 
Well that didn't last long. Or work worth a darn.

It measured and dispensed about 20 loads perfectly, and then it all went south.

The keypad stopped functioning, so I unplugged it and let it sit a few minutes. Then I plugged it in, turned it on, and let it sit 15 minutes to stabilize. Then I ran it through the calibration sequence. It passed. Now, every. single. charge. is over by 0.3-0.5 grains, and I get the warning light and the "over" message. Every. single. charge. No matter what. I've got it set on slow, which was what I was using initially when t worked properly, but not it just won't do it.
 
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D.B. Cooper said:
Well that didn't last long. Or work worth a darn.

It measured and dispensed about 20 loads perfectly, and then it all went south.

The keypad stopped functioning, so I unplugged it and let it sit a few minutes. Then I plugged it in, turned it on, and let it sit 15 minutes to stabilize. Then I ran it through the calibration sequence. It passed. Now, every. single. charge. is over by 0.3-0.5 grains, and I get the warning light and the "over" message. Every. single. charge. No matter what. I've got it set on slow, which was what I was using initially when t worked properly, but not it just won't do it.
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Have you looked at the fortunecookie45lc videos on how he made his work? I’ve been thinking about getting one of these but have been leaning to the RCBS.
 
D.B. Cooper said:
Well that didn't last long. Or work worth a darn.

It measured and dispensed about 20 loads perfectly, and then it all went south.

The keypad stopped functioning, so I unplugged it and let it sit a few minutes. Then I plugged it in, turned it on, and let it sit 15 minutes to stabilize. Then I ran it through the calibration sequence. It passed. Now, every. single. charge. is over by 0.3-0.5 grains, and I get the warning light and the "over" message. Every. single. charge. No matter what. I've got it set on slow, which was what I was using initially when t worked properly, but not it just won't do it.
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It’s not rocket science to get what I posted in #7.



Even works with the cheaper 505. The charges are even closer than the digital scale I was confirming with for this video, because it only has resolution to the tenth.

 
I understand, I have a bunch of them too. I just know what’s more repeatable becuse I have both ;)
 
jmorris said:
It’s not rocket science to get what I posted in #7.
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I didn't mean to blow off your suggestion. And I have an electronics background, so I can clearly see what you've done. I just don't to "home brew" anything right now. Although, come summer, when my teenage son is up here, this would make a great project, if for no other reason than for him to learn circuit design. (I taught him how to solder and terminate wires/harnesses this past summer.)

In regards to the Hornady electronic dispenser, I found some videos on u-tube that show a way to use the menu to slow the motor down even more than the "slow" setting, and that seems to be the issue with ball powders. So I'll try that as soon as I can.
 
In regards to the Hornady electronic dispenser, I found some videos on u-tube that show a way to use the menu to slow the motor down even more than the "slow" setting, and that seems to be the issue with ball powders. So I'll try that as soon as I can.
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It would be nice if RCBS gave us information on their parameters.

Have you tested the Hornady similar to the way I did the charge masters in the 2nd video in #7? I’d be interested in the results.
 
jmorris said:
It would be nice if RCBS gave us information on their parameters.

Have you tested the Hornady similar to the way I did the charge masters in the 2nd video in #7? I’d be interested in the results.
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Well I only have one dispenser, so I couldn't compare it to another, identical, dispenser, plus, the Hornady automatically zeroes every time you put the pan back on it and before it weighs the next charge.
 
D.B. Cooper said:
I didn't mean to blow off your suggestion. And I have an electronics background, so I can clearly see what you've done. I just don't to "home brew" anything right now. Although, come summer, when my teenage son is up here, this would make a great project, if for no other reason than for him to learn circuit design. (I taught him how to solder and terminate wires/harnesses this past summer.)

In regards to the Hornady electronic dispenser, I found some videos on u-tube that show a way to use the menu to slow the motor down even more than the "slow" setting, and that seems to be the issue with ball powders. So I'll try that as soon as I can.
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DB did you watch any of fortunecookie45lc videos as he seemed to have his working really well? I don’t know anyone with a Hornady but do know a couple with RCBS ones and one Lyman. The Lyman is giving him issues after 6 months and one of the RCBS ones which is a liteone is not working that well either. He wishes he would have paid the extra dollars and gotten the 1500. The 1500 so far after a year has been good.
 
D.B. Cooper said:
the Hornady automatically zeroes every time you put the pan back on it and before it weighs the next charge.
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That’s what I was wondering. That would be a “feature” I would like to know how to turn off on the CM’s. I don’t like things changing without me knowing.
 
Well that's it; I'm done.

I've made every adjustment I can. I've slowed down everything, and I've set the trickle to start wayyyyyy before the target load weight. Absoluely nothing is working. This POS just keeps on pouring powder. Every charge is an over charge, and there is no way to stop it.

I have wasted so much time with this project, that if I had just stuck with the beam scale and the manual trickler, as tedious, as time consuming, as frustrating, as maddening as that was...I would at least be done by now.

The Hornady Auto dispensers is all cleaned up and all of it parts and pieces are back in the box with the receipt. It's going back to Sportsman's Warehouse when they open the doors tomorrow and I'm getting my money back.

What bothers me the most is that I feel like stuff just never works for me. (Here comes the woe is me BS). Other people use these things just fine, but I can't get it right. It's the same thing with the Lee auto drum. Works great for everyone here, but it's a POS for me. It's like the issue with my son's Ruger 10/22. 50 trillion (or whatever) units sold. The single most popular and well regarded semiauto rimfire on the the planet. Mine won't shoot more then 4 times in a row and no one can fix it. Whatever.

So this tanks my entire plan. I had a week off from work that I wanted to use to get this done. I needed to get a pretty close approximation of the right load for my rifle this week. I might steel an hour or so here and there to fine tune it, but I needed to have load development and experimentation done this week. When the next semester starts, I won't be able to get back to it. It will be the end of June, which is dipnetting season, so I won't be able to do it then, because I've got to get the fish in. I've got land to clear and a building to erect this summer before hunting season. School starts back up and I report back to work the day after hunting season starts, but I needed this done before season anyway. Really ticks me off.

Rant off. Thanks for listening.
 
Reeferman said:
Is it working ok for you now?
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No it's not. (read my post above, #74 - we crossed as we posted)

I do suspect that this is a result of using ball powder, but I'm not going to change my powder simply because the measure won't work right with it.
 
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