RCBS light or Hornady Lock-N-Load powder dispenser

[Matt234]

Hi
I'm going to buy one of the above mentioned for my reloading bench any one have any recommendations the Hornady Lock-N-Load or the RCBS any one using them mainly using vit150 & 165 powders?

Cheers Matt

 

[ChesterP]

Hi
I'm going to buy one of the above mentioned for my reloading bench any one have any recommendations the Hornady Lock-N-Load or the RCBS any one using them mainly using vit150 & 165 powders?

Cheers Matt

Matt

the trouble with some extruded powders like N150, and Swiss Reload's RS62 is that the long, tough extruded grains (very uneven too in RS62) don't meter that well in this type of dispenser (ditto from most powder throwers) and have a tendency to clump. Of the two you mention, the RCBS (in this case the Chargemaster) is the only one that I've seen BR shooters using but there's another one, which after a lot of de-bugging, is as good metering wise as any for half the cost and that's the Lyman Gen 6.

The Lyman uses a reducer plug to try and eradicate "clumping" of larger sized extruded powders, and the old trick with the RCBS was to use a section of a straw inserted near the end of the dispenser tube. Even with the Gen 6's reducer in place, clumping still occurs as the restrictor needs to be fractionally smaller (a thin slip of paper inserted around the inner circumference of the reducer solves the issue but extends trickling time).

The Lyman Gen 6 or RCBS would both be my choices, or the Gen 5 from Lyman which several outlets are selling heavily discounted now (Dauntsey have a few in at rock bottom prices). Bottom line though is that most need some modification IME to prevent clumping and this usually extends dispensing time from say 25 to 35 seconds for a 6.5 or .308 to closer to 45 seconds, For cals like 223 using something like N133, no such problems exist and I can dispense an accurate charge (to within 0.1gr every time) within 20 seconds. You can do the same though if using N133 in one second using a BR3 thrower to the same accuracy!

 

[phaedra]

Matt, I've been using a Hornady for about 3 years now, no problems at all. There are options in the set up to slow the final slow trickle cut in point which help with very fluid ball powders etc.

Dave at the Shooting Shed makes a "thingy" which fits into the dispensing tube to reduce its diameter to help with the extruded stick powders.

SHED Hornady Lock N Load Auto Charge Adapter Tube Thingy, Shooting SHED

Those photos are of my dispenser trialing the first one made

Mine (throwing N140 or 150) will throw about 98% of charges to -0.0 + 0.1gr with just the odd + 0.2gr charge being thrown.

If you know anyone going to the USA they're cheap as chips, around $200 (£148), in fact I may pick another one up when we go over in June!.

 

[ChesterP]

Matt, I've been using a Hornady for about 3 years now, no problems at all. There are options in the set up to slow the final slow trickle cut in point which help with very fluid ball powders etc.

Dave at the Shooting Shed makes a "thingy" which fits into the dispensing tube to reduce its diameter to help with the extruded stick powders.

SHED Hornady Lock N Load Auto Charge Adapter Tube Thingy, Shooting SHED

Those photos are of my dispenser trialing the first one made

Mine (throwing N140 or 150) will throw about 98% of charges to -0.0 + 0.1gr with just the odd + 0.2gr charge being thrown.

If you know anyone going to the USA they're cheap as chips, around $200 (£148), in fact I may pick another one up when we go over in June!.

Yes, we pay a lot more for them over here. I like Dave's adaptor tube "thingy". I may ask him if he'll make one up for my Lyman as the factory supplied one doesn't play ball with RS62.

 

[Matt234]

Thanks for the information I've found the Hornady new delivered for £206 and possibly the RCBS light for £260 but the RCBS is on back order at moment so I'm going to have a look again tomorrow looking at the reviews the RCBS light had better feed back! Anyway thanks everyone I'll let you know how I get on.

Cheers Matt