Electronic dispenser and scale question

[callturner]

I have an older pact dispenser and scale for powder and I was wondering if the newer ones wood meter find ball powder like H110 or 296? The older scales tend to pack the powder around the tubes and jam them up. Does anybody use any of the newer scales and dispensers like from RCBS or Lyman or Hornady? Do you have any luck dispensing those powders

[Karl Blanchard]

Not familiar with the Pact but can a piece of plastic straw fit in the dispenser tube? The McDonald's straw trick worked wonders in my rcbs dispensers.

[callturner]

Pact made all RCBS until they started having them made in China. Tell me more about the McDonald's straw trick. The pacts are identical to the RCBS

[b23]

The problem I've had with flake or the small fine powders and some of the electronic digital scales or electronic dispensers like the Chargemaster is that powder is so light many of those scales can't measure the tiny changes as it's trickling the last little bit in and will go along adding adding adding registering no change on the scale then all of a sudden register it but then it's to late and you're over your target weight and typically that type of powder is used in small cases where a 1/10th or two over is a pretty significant difference.  I had this problem trying to use my Chargemasters for loading 17 Hornet ammo.  I have a A&D FX120 scale that is quite a bit higher quality then any of my other dig. electronic scales or dispensers and it will consistently pick up even the very slightest change in weight with that tiny flake or ball powder.  Unfortunately, they cost quite a bit more but they are a much higher quality scale.

[Karl Blanchard]

Pact made all RCBS until they started having them made in China. Tell me more about the McDonald's straw trick. The pacts are identical to the RCBS

skip to 6:25 min. Essentially just a straw in your dispenser tube which keeps powder from stacking up behind the threading inside the tube.

[b23]

The McD's straw is about the perfect diameter to fit in the dispensing tube of the Chargemaster.  I'd have to look but I think I cut mine around two inches long and stuck it in the dispensing tube so it still drops in the center of the pan.  The smooth straw seems to keep powder kernels from bunching/stacking up as it's dispensing and with stick powder helps substantially from it pilling up and dropping clumps of powder which will give you a big overcharge.  For some of the big stick powders like Retumbo the straw trick is a must have or you'll end up throwing the thing against the wall fighting it but with the small flake or ball powders I'm not sure it's as big a help.

[Farmer72]

The problem I've had with flake or the small fine powders and some of the electronic digital scales or electronic dispensers like the Chargemaster is that powder is so light many of those scales can't measure the tiny changes as it's trickling the last little bit in and will go along adding adding adding registering no change on the scale then all of a sudden register it but then it's to late and you're over your target weight and typically that type of powder is used in small cases where a 1/10th or two over is a pretty significant difference.  I had this problem trying to use my Chargemasters for loading 17 Hornet ammo.  I have a A&D FX120 scale that is quite a bit higher quality then any of my other dig. electronic scales or dispensers and it will consistently pick up even the very slightest change in weight with that tiny flake or ball powder.  Unfortunately, they cost quite a bit more but they are a much higher quality scale.

My Lyman is pretty consistently .1 grain over with ball so I just set it for .1 gr under what I want. sometimes it is right on and sometimes it is .1 light and i just tap the tube to get another cornel or 2 to drop to get it where I want.

[addicted]

I have the newer hornady with the K&M machine nozzle on it. I did about 50 peices of 300BLK w/ 296 and about 500 pieces of 308 w/ TAC and stabal match.

It definitely stays within the failsafe parameters of the hornady.  I haven't verified them on the scale for consistency but after seeing how consistent the hornady was on some youtube tests i'm pretty confident it does a better job than I could.

I went from manually trickling 20 rounds in and hour to pumping out about 1 round a minute. If it does cost me a little consistency in my pressures I'll surely make up for it in my ability to shoot more. Though my speed/consistency has been extremely consistent over they last 300 rounds.