Best Reloading Powder Dispenser (RCBS Chargemaster vs Hornady vs Lyman vs Frankford Arsenal)
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- čas přidán 4. 07. 2024
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Full blog post review of the best powder dispensers: backfire.tv/best-reloading-po...
00:00 Intro
00:08 Speed Test
02:03 Ainiro Sponsorship
03:09 Accuracy Test
07:00 Price
07:57 Frankford Arsenal Intellidropper Review
09:08 Lyman Gen6 Review
10:44 RCBS Chargemaster Supreme Review
12:03 Hornady Autocharge Pro Review
14:12 RCBS Chargemaster Lite Review
14:41 Conclusions
Please note that this description contains affiliate links to Amazon.com. Commissions earned. This video also contains paid promotion for Ainiro Gun Safes.
Hashtags: #gun #pistol #gunsafe #pistolsafe #ainiro - Sport
Thank you for the most concise, understandable, and useful review of powder dispensers. Great effort!
Easy, straight to the point conclusions. Thanks for saving me hours of research!
I've had very good success with Frankford arsenal for the price it was amazing.
I started with the Frankford Arsenal. Three of were returned due to QC issues with the touch screen failing. I am not surprised it failed for you in the same way. I replaced it with a RCBS Lite and very happy with it.
Great conclusive reviews of every digital powder measure. For those of us who use progressive presses or want a faster powder drop, would be nice to see a video of how those mechanical powder measures compare to each other for accuracy. Such as the Redding, Forster,Sinclair, Dillon, Arredondo, Rcbs, and Hornady.
I went with the Lyman Gen 6 five years ago. My reservoir based cracked the other day. I emailed Lyman. They responded same day. And sent out one at no charge. And I had it with in four days. I bought it based on its foot print. It had a tendency to throw ball powder all over the place. But I found a taller tray on a very popular auction site. It was 3D printed. And now that isn’t a problem.
I hope you see this comment, you are quickly becoming my favorite channel for hunting firearms, you and Ron spomer are some of the best caliber and rifle reviewers on the tube. Keep on being awesome
Thank you!
Thank you so much for this video - I have been doing research on these machines and really couldn't make up my mind. This video helped a lot!!!!!!
"No matter how cool your interface is, less of it would be better". Quote by Alan Cooper in his 1995 book on software user interface design titled "About Face".
It appears that reloader designers could benefit from his wisdom.
Hands down the best side by side review I've ever seen👌👏 I have been considering getting one of these but had no idea which one to get, this has just made it so easy for me, thanks for doing this 👏👍👍👍👍
I find this is very interesting. I weighed over 250 charges thrown with a charge master lite and found an extreme spread of only 0.08 gains, not counting over or under throws of course. I did the same thing with a lineman GEN 6 and found an extreme spread of 0.15 grains. I weighed these on a very accurate and precise “tuned” beam scale that’s able to register one kernel of varget . Most charges thrown with this particular charge master lite were within 0.03 grains. Also checking both of these with check rates frequently (hundreds of times) I have not found them to be off more than what the test I conducted. 0.08 for the charge master lite and 0.15 for the gen 6.
Weights not rates lol
Been waiting for a review such as this, great job.
Awesome video, i learned a lot and this is very relevant to me as I currently use digital scales and powder drops and im looking to upgrade. Thank you for making this video
I have been using the Frankford Arsenal intellidropper for about 18 months now and I absolutely love it. It makes reloading so much faster and is spot on
Dude killed it with the review! FA intellidropper is an amazing design. But I'm on my 2nd warranty claim with them. I also had to wait 3 months on my first warranty claim due to low stock.
I have two Intelidroppers and they work great. I did have the LCD issue you had on one and was replaced promptly. Great customer service. Remember you can use the Bluetooth phone app to instead of the screen.
Great video! I have been wanting one of these for a long time but couldn't decide which one. Now I have a good idea!
For quite some time I've been on the fence whether or not to invest in an auto powder measure. The price points are just going up and as you've pointed out, the build quality and long term reliability are going in the opposite direction. Spending $400 on the latest electronic measures isn't the problem, having it crapping out in a year or two is absolutely unacceptable.
Today I use a couple of digital scales and for higher volume loading I use my Redding BR-30 Match Powder measure. This measure is repeatable within .05 grains (powder dependent) and has been a solid performer for years.
One thing you missed about the Lyman is that I believe it's the only powder dispenser that allows you to take it apart and clean it, insuring you can get all of the previous powder out when you change powders. To me this is a huge safety factor.
Also, the reason I have a Lyman is because my Frankford Arsenal Intellidropper died on me as well.
I cant speak for the others but the RCBS Charge Master 1500 this is not a problem either. it empties thoroughly as easy.
My Intellidropper died after using it to throw H110. Nobody should use these things to throw fine powder like that. I was able to fix mine. The dispensing tube is driven by a small rubber band. The plastic pulley on the dispensing tube stripped out due to the added friction of H110 getting past the seals. I would not buy it again but I got the unit for ~$150 so it's not the end of the world if I can't keep it running. The scale itself is fairly accurate as long as you keep it away from electronics that create a lot of electrical interference. It isn't the easiest to clean out as you mentioned.
A vacuum cleaner is an easy way to remove all residual powder.
@@gone547 one day explode your vacuum cleaner. 😂
I got the Hornady one via a warranty exchange, so far its worked pretty well especially considering I got it as an upgrade for "free"
I do appreciate how it it feels more compact than the other style I had, takes up less space on the bench.
Had great success so far with my Frankford Arsenal intellidroper, which also has an app you can connect to with bluetooth.
I have seen less than 0.08 grains of extreme spread over 250 charges with my chatgemaster lite ( most where 0.03 or less)and 0.15 with my Lyman gen6. I double check all the charges with a “tuned” beam scale that will register 1 kernel of varget. Also checking the lite with check weights hundreds of times has shown 100% accuracy with in 0.1 read out. A CZcams channel called The 4GunGuy did a very good video testing the lite. He check it against a very expensive scale and Chronographed a bunch of ammo too. His results were very close to mine. 🙂👍
Thank you, thank you , thank you! I have the Lymann but found it charges with too much variance looking to replacement you answered all my questions.
I use the FA Intellidropper I reload .270 and a 7mm rem mag with 4831 SC, I love this unit. I made a little plastic lever on the discharging rubber plug and i can unload the hopper and I get the last grain out with ease and quickly. I also bought the unit during a sale, so mine was very well worth the cost. Dont know what I would do without it! Totally recommend it! One issue I found, the plate holding the the tray must be sitting correctly else you could have a few issues. Only happens if you take it off and clean.
YES!! PLUS ETSY HAS A FEW EXTRA THINBGS TO HELP IT, AND APP KICKS ASS!!
I have the intellidropper, went through 4 units with Amazon before I got one that works. But now that I have one that works......ITS AWESOME!!! You forgot to mention that the FA also has a Bluetooth app. Love the vid👍
PLEASE DO A "BEST OF" VIDEO ON BEAM SCALES! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
I’ve been waiting for some one to do this for so long
THANK YOU for making this video!
After 26 years my PACT "High Speed Digital Dispenser" (2 piece scale & dispenser) stopped communicating with the digital scale. Looking for a new machine it came down to the Frankford Arsenal and the Hornady Digital Pro. After watching this video it's a no brainer for me, Hornady Pro it is!
Nice review. You correctly tested "out of the box", "like on like" basis. Just to point out that on the RCBS Chargemaster you can change the dispensing algorithm in the software. This along with a McDonalds straw down the dispensing tube allows one improve accuracy to better than factory specifications. The mods are really easy; the straw is long enough to completely block the pick-up port in the existing tube and one then pulls this out to control the amount of powder that gets "picked up" in the tube for every rotation. The second function of the straw is that the smooth inside dispenses slower than the thread on the original which leads to a finer trickle and therefore improved accuracy. Then the dispensing speeds can also be altered specifically the speed (duration) while dispensing the bulk of the powder and then the speed (duration) when it trickles. Generally, one in perhaps 25 charges thrown for me are 0.1gr. out. The RCBS can be modified to produce results better than the Lyman set on slow. I am unaware if one is able to reprogram any of the other dispensers?
Thanks for the review! I'm def going to get the Hornady to replace my Gen 6.
Thanks for the great review!
I have used an RCBS Chargemaster since they came out, one died early, one year, and the other I have used since, more
than ten years.
The accuracy with extruded (stick) powders was at 10% overcharge. I purchased some thin wall brass tubing that fit the RCBS discharge inside, cut a 1 1/4 inch piece of tubing, inserted in in the RCBS discharge with 1/4 inch sticking out, I then secure it from movement with a piece of tape.
This lowered my overcharge failures to 1% or less because the powder does not stack at the end of the discharge tube.
Have the RCBS 1500 for quite a few years. Left it plugged in with unit off and the plug in transformer was melted but everything still works, just don't leave plugged in anymore. Was VERY frustrated with measuring small pistol loads as it just wouldn't do it. Almost put it away for good until I tried the straw trick. Now it works perfectly- use a straw for small loads and remove for rifle loads.
Thank you just what I needed!
Another quality video with great information.
Thanks for a Great review Jim.
I like my ACP. The only minor flaw is the beep at the end of a charge has the habit of vibrating the entire scale. With slippery powder like Varget the sound of the beep will drop a kernel or two. I took it apart and the speaker is soldered to the main board so I stuck a piece of foam over it to mute it a bit. They could have just had a setting mute ALL sound, not just the keypad. Ball powder leaks a bit between the case and drain port so each time I’ve opened it up I find powder in the base.
That was a great video, thanks!
I love my Chargemaster Lite, and it's super accurate. Haven't had any issues with it at all. 🤷🏼♂️
Same
Same with me, my Chargemaster lite has been great, no complaints and I do check every 6 or 7 th load for weight…. Just a habit
@@Rakkasan-vr8xt Same with me as well love the lite!
I actually swapped out my hornady which kept drifting and throwing weird chargers with a RCBS link which worked heaps better. I guess all these units are really just cheap plastic junk and you get what you get when it comes out of the box.
After seeing the ES for the Chargemaster LIte, I did a little test of my Link. Having not used it for some time, I forgot to let it warm up, and was surprised at the spread in the first three charges, which was still within spec. at .14 gr. Thinking about that for a minute, I remembered the instruction to let it warm up and decided to see how the next ten or so did. For the next 10 the ES was .08 gr.! I timed a couple of charges and for 30 gr. of 133 it was about 23 seconds. Given that I tend to have some time involved in slowly pouring the charge into a funnel with a drop tube and seating a bullet, I do not think that it will slow me down at all.
I've owned an RCBS 1500 Chargemaster since they came out. It's still going strong, even after 2 moves (NY to NH and NH to TX). This was a good review and now I have to figure out which to get next, the RCBS Supreme or Hornady Pro. Not a competitive shooter, just a hunter and plinker. Good luck and stay safe!! 😉
I’ve been using the Lyman for a few years and it’s very reliable and easy to use. One thing though is the plastic insert in the dispenser needs replacing to reduce overcharges. I had a custom aluminium one made which improves accuracy. The other thing to nite is it goes out of calibration sometimes and you won’t realise unless checking every few throws using a cheap pellet scale. Other than that, its great and betters the other cheaper models considerably. The charge master pro is needlessly over complicated. For me, the Hornady is the pick of the bunch at the one end and the lyman at the other. Both great machines.
Great with a comparing review 👍🏻 I would like to have seen a rating for how easy the emptying and swabbing powder type is. Else this review is really going to helt me select a dispenser
I’ve had a few instances where my Framkford arsenal scale would glitch, but other than that it’s been a great scale, especially for the price. I never use the Bluetooth, but that’s just me personally, still nice to have it though.
I had a Lyman gen 6 for about 6ish years and it worked excellent, I gave it to one of my reloading buddies in perfect working order and bought another gen 6. Im sure the others are great but I highly recommend the gen 6.
I have a friend who is in revolver competition shooting for over 20 years and he do his reloading with powder dippers (like small spoons) up to this days and never a problem, this helped me to understand is more important keep accuracy, some small error window is normal and acceptable even premium ammunition show different performance under tests, my advice is dont be a crazy nuts fanatic in panic for a 0.01 variation of gr between loads, personaly I use a RCBS competition powder thrower and I check the drops every 10 or 15 drops in a $65 Frankford Arsenal Platinum scale getting accurate and consistent reloads. If a good powder thrower is good for Jerry Miculek is good for you, for me, for him and for all of us.
Thank You for great content!!
Get a powder metering trip. Flip the lever with the same force every charge. Dump the charge into a pan and pop it into a mechanical beam scale. Trickle a couple of 10ths if necessary and dump in case. Repeat.
Way less expensive, aggravating, second guessing digits, wondering if it's actually what the readout says. Just as fast.
Oh man, couldn't click on this fast enough. As a reloader, I've Been looking for a video on this.
I have been useing the Frankfort Arsenal since it came out. I had what I thought was a keypad failure and sent it back, they replaced the unit within about 10 days. Second unit keypad acted weird also, turned out it was electrical interference from my press LED lights! Moved it about a foot and has worked perfectly since. Also get the powder under the buttons issue, easy to pop them out to clean.
I run two Chargemaster lites along side my dillon. I can confirm that my ES is generally around 20fps. Just fine for PRS style shooting but it's deffinatly a week link.
Enjoyed your video, thanks. I have a RCBS charge master 1500 and was measuring 4.9G of HP-38 for 9mm 115 g rn. It took me hours to reload 1 box of ammo. It would throw a light load then maybe 2 more God loads , heavy loads. Called RCBS, recalabrated more than 3 or 4 times and have always gotten prompt service, they ran me through some factory settings, I changed some as per their instruction. You get the idea. Solution: I changed powders
Great comparison, and a much needed one. I think the last measurement in the accuracy section was a bit overstated though. If you are using a ladder test and you pick a flat spot in a chart with charges on the x axis and velocity on the y axis then .26 of a grain will likely matter much less than .26 or a grain in a more volatile section of the chart.
Loved the review even though my reloadings scales are both RCBS 10-10 and 5-10
I’ve had great luck with my Intellidropper great price point too!!
Awesome work thanks
Useful content. Thanks.
I too had an RCBS that quit weighing properly and replaced it with the Frankford Arsenal. I have had a few quirks with the Frankford Arsenal but sometimes it was as easy as just unplugging the power supply and repegging it in like rebooting a computer. The sensors in all of them are very sensitive and I think on the RCBS it is possible that it was damaged accidentally just by handling it not so fragilely. There were other people that had problems with the touchpad and buttons. I have had too but I found that the reboot fixed that. BTW you did not mention the phone app. It works pretty well and may be a better thing to use than the buttons because you do have to press pretty hard on the start button on manual. It has a memory for loads as well. The only thing that would be better is an upgrade that you could put the newer cartridges in that are not on their list. BTW I got my Frankford Arsenal for only $180 before Bidenomics None 0 None kicked in. They are around $300 now.
Sweet video!!
Got my Intellidropper early 2019, moderate use since, still works like new.
Agree with @Jarom Hiett it's accurate & a good value. Relatively easy to clean when changing powders; tip it forward to empty the dispensing tube & blow out the base with compressed air to get ALL powder out B4 adding new.
TIP: A piece of clear tape across the top of the two buttons keeps powder granules from getting under them.
Eventual replacement would likely be the Hornady as at present it's the only one using a load cell instead of a strain gage. Better accuracy potential and more durable - if the rest of the electronics hold up.
I purchased mine earlier this year. It worked great until I put H110 in it. I didn't expect that fine powder to get by the seals so easily. I had to take the unit apart, clean out the H110, and fixed a stripped pulley that's attached to the dispensing tube. Keep the fine stuff out of it and it's a nice unit. Very responsive scale.
I’ve been dropping powder charges manually from a hopper and trickling up using a pocket electronic scale. I ordered a Hornady Auto Charge Pro based off this video and few other reviews. I actually enjoy brass prep but manually dropping powder charges has been boring to me so maybe an electronic dispenser will allow me to do some other stuff between charges.
Great video!
Great video, and particularly really appreciated the detail and stats on accuracy. Sure wish you had gone ahead and speed tested the Hornady on slow though. It was already the slowest in the test on medium, and other than the Link the others are a *lot* faster. On fast it's not any more accurate than others, and still on the slow side. I'm betting on slow it's up above 7 minutes, which would be 42 seconds per round. That is slow enough I wouldn't be willing to use it on that mode regularly. At that pace I can load faster measuring the powder manually, even including the time to seat each bullet and crimp (which would have to be sequential when manually measuring, but could be included in the 42sec if I had the machine). If I had, say, Frankford's 18 sec/rd speed, that's just about right for seating/crimping/inspection so I could really go full tilt.
By the numbers I feel like the Frankford is the best option if you care about speed. The accuracy is solid, and it's just way faster than everything else. Plus it's about 2/3 the price of the Hornady. Sadly, I would have discounted your unit failing as an n=1 thing, except for the several comments here from others who had them die. So I dunno. Do I go with the Hornady which supports something like 150 rd/hr on fast, gives me a slow mode for small-batch excellence, and I reasonably expect to be bulletproof? Or do I spend a lot less money and roll the dice on 200 rd/hr with acceptable accuracy (similar to Hornady on fast) but maybe the thing breaks? I find that one tough to answer. I do happen to live in Frankford Arsenal's city...actually used to work literally across the street from them. Not sure whether that would help if I need service but reckon it can't hurt.
Nice review - great comparison. You also now have a bunch of Christmas presents or fodder for some awesome Give Aways
Thanks dude.
Thanks!
I like my rcbs lite been using it for a couple years now. But I'll be upgrading at some point
I was thinking about the Lyman Gen 6, then came the Chargemaster Supreme out, which I bought by now.
So fwar im quite happy with it, except of the flying poweder kernels.
Used so far with Lovex 76.3 (ball), RS40, RS52 and N555 which are stick powders.
For the FA Intellidropper I use the app Frankfort has so I don’t have to mess with the screen. It’s pretty intuitive and would get you away from having to use the touchscreen.
Thanks for the objective comparison. It confirms unequivocally that using a RCBS uniflow, trickler and beam scale are quicker, more accurate and significantly cheaper. Additionally no power is needed and no electronics to fail or become faulty over time. E-droppers are a fools venture that create a time penalty at the bench with the lurking potential of inaccurate dispensing to an unknowing user. Dont get caught buying into gizmo electronics, they dont actually generate solution over proven methods.
My old lyman digital powder measure does great for me.
I’ve had both the Chargemaster lite and the link. They both work OK, and have not had crazy wandering zeros, crashes, or mechanical problems. Interesting to see the accuracy numbers though.
What's the difference between lite and link?
I'm thinking of buying one to go with my rcbs rock chucker.
New to auto loaders :)
@@oscarbear7498 link has Bluetooth, though I haven’t been able to get the Bluetooth function to work. The main reason I like the link better than the lite is, the power button and go buttons are switched, green on the right, better for someone who is right-handed. Also, on the link, the power button now requires a 3-second press to power down. Before I was always accidentally bumping the power button with my right hand and shutting it off in the middle of use.
I have the Lyman and love it
How do you feel about a 6.5 Grendel? Haven’t heard you say much about it. I enjoy coyote hunting with mine. But I wish I could find the 90 grain bullets. Mostly I find the Hornady Black 123 gr. How much difference is there in the Grendel and the Creedmore? Thanks
I got my FA Intellidropper for $115 and have no complaints besides ball powder getting under the big buttons but they are removable so i just pop them off every once in a while and clean them up!
I have the intellidropper and check charges periodically and it,s always spot on. The auto function is awesome
I have a RCBS Chargemaster that’s about 6 years old. One thing all these units lack is a red light to tell you if it’s over or under charged. This would make the process faster.
My lee perfect power measure is working great it only 19.99 can't beat it
I have been using the RCBS CM Lite for the past 3 years without issue ( I bought it for way under $200, when I moved, I lost one of the weights, RCBS sent me a new one for free. It never overcharges, but it will under charge by one tenth about 5% of the time. What happens is it beeps on the selected setting then goes the scale goes back a tenth. I just tap the nozzle with my finger lightly and a few pieces drop, the scale notates the change, and all is good. I get one hole with my Ruger American 6.5 CM, so it must be doing OK.
what i find funny is only a couple of yrs ago every dispenser maker said , ' do not use cellphones when using the dispenser as it will screw up the readings '. paraphrasing this . now it is , ' use your cellphone to make scale easier ! lol . i got one of the last of the original rcbs chargemaster suprimes . love mine no drift dispenses powder faster than i can charge a case ! lol i'm getting slower in my old age ! very seldom get a overcharge with it now . i did order some of the 3d printed nozzles and they work great and are cheap . work better than the ' straw mod ' .
Like my chargemaster lite. Bought it because it was the only only one with flutes at the time. Best thing I ever did. I did have a some digital read out speckles in the screen. RCBS replaced it with a little hassle. My buddy had one go out nd took it back. He bought the Hornady and likes it a lot better.
One thing that would be nice to see is a test of the scale accuracy. Not how much powder it drops, but the actual accuracy of the scale itself. I typically use the auto-trickle function to get within .2gr and then manually trickle the remaining powder until the scale just tips over to the desired charge.
@ Ex F1 Guy -- the person who texted you about more videos an something special is a SCAMER. Jim would not do that. Not kidding here.
@@jaychris9115 I already reported that guy (probably a bot). CZcams doesn't seem to care sadly.
Thanks for the heads up - it seems like a lot of people are unaware of this scam at the moment, so people like you are doing a great service by telling people. Thanks!
@@ExF1Guy welcome !
Another consideration is that being fast can also throw the powder out of the scale an onto the desk. I've seen it. I put down a sheet of paper under my thrower because when using ball powders it will toss it. But not with extruded powders.
great review
I use a Lyman gen 6 and it has been very consistent for the last 6 years
Could you do a how to load your own ammo. Go through the steps and why?? Thanks in advance!!
I have the Chargemaster Link and it’s a lot better than the Hornady Lock N Load Auto Charge. The Hornady would over throw powder almost all the time, even after making adjustments, and then it would quit in the middle of throwing a charge. The hopper broke on the Hornady and they replaced it no questions asked. Two months later when the powering off in a middle of a load started, I called Hornady back. I was told machine hasn’t been produced in 3 years, and therefore they would not warranty it anymore.
Hello buddy, how are you. Looking a buying a rifle. Which rifle you like, the browning Xbolt Hells Canyon or the bergara b14 Ridge. I was even looking at the C.A. MESA
Frankford Arsenal also has the phone app with blue tooth connectivity. Also if you get powder under the buttons the come off for cleanup. I spilled powder sll over mine and learned from FA that the buttons are made to remove easily.
Good stuff!
So how do these compare to the higher end units? Head and shoulders or ish?
Did you let the machines all warm up equally? Im in the market and its looking like the Frankford. in love with the x-10 so maybe Frankford gets my product loyalty.
I have the original Hornady LNL auto charge, have had it for several years now and it's OK but the consistency is a real problem. I have tweaked the settings as much as possible and I STILL get overcharges, sometimes as many as 3 or 4 in a row.
I've had the Chargemaster Lite for some time now. It's ok, but I HATE the loud BEEEEEP when it's ready each time. The touch pad is also junk. It takes a few tries to get the correct number. I've never tested it for accuracy though, which makes me wonder if it has any good points at all.
Hate the beep as well...when the warranty expires mine is going to get surgery...
Were all of these units used prior to testing? Seems interesting to knock the FA Intelladropper down to a potential 3rd place because of a year and a half of heavy use and yet it still achieved 10 points which tied for first. Just thinking out loud.
My intellidropper died after 1.5yrs. It’s too bad because the design is fantastic but unfortunately the build quality is not there and they are not durable. Lots of people online are reporting theirs dying shortly after the 1 year warranty period. I ordered an RCBS chargemaster supreme to replace it.
Good review.
What would have been nice to see is you mention capacity and resolution of each scale.
Knowing how many graduations the scale is pushing usually has a direct influence on how stable it is or appears to be (plus some filtering).
The A&D is a solid scale but can be very finicky.
Also calibrating with a more accurate weight (class 3 or even a class1) should help scales accuracy.
I have the old hornady. It’s very accurate, but it’s also very manual. You have to adjust your feed and everything for extruded powders. But no drum style measure can even come close to what it throws, and rifle rounds are a slower process anyways so having to jog the dispenser once or twice to get the right number or scoop .1 grains of powder is no big deal. It’s dead accurate with everything else and always ready to dump when I’m running pistol rounds on my lee classic turret. If drum dispensers were more accurate I’d have never even bothered but there it is
Damnit! Etch-a-sketch? I can't unsee that now!
Great video... except for that part. Now every time I see the logo, I have to laugh.
Cool video👍💪