Hornady Lock-N-Load Auto Charge Powder Manager Item #: HN050068

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  • rphicks46
    Unwashed
    • Dec 2017
    • 10

    Hornady Lock-N-Load Auto Charge Powder Manager Item #: HN050068

    Does anyone here use this? Does it work as advertised and worth a purchase?
  • StoneHendge
    Chieftain
    • May 2016
    • 2009

    #2
    Let's go Brandon!

    Comment

    • fdbyrne78
      Bloodstained
      • Aug 2017
      • 97

      #3
      I've never used that one. I bought the Lyman version because it was the cheapest. It broke twice and never really was very accurate.

      When it broke the second time I did a lot of research and went with the RCBS version. I can't remember why I went with that one over the Hornady because it's been a while but I had a reason at the time.

      Comment

      • Cornbread
        Warrior
        • Dec 2015
        • 288

        #4
        I have one. The rcbs chargemasyer is more but probably more reliable. I have to put mine on slow and adjust the settings or it over charges. It is within .05 of my balance beam. With large extruded powders it can get squirrely. For generic loads it's fine. For preciscion loads I drop it short and trickle on balance beam.

        Comment

        • RiverRider
          Warrior
          • Oct 2017
          • 104

          #5
          I bought an RCBS Chargemaster years ago when they were still a new item. It worked fine, but I began to think I had too much money tied up in it and sold it to buy components. At some point I thought about getting another, but bought the Hornady instead. The Hornady was a definite step down and I was disappointed, and sold it a few months later. Then I bought another RCBS and lived happily ever after.

          Comment

          • Sticks
            Chieftain
            • Dec 2016
            • 1922

            #6
            I went the simple route. This drops consistently within .1 of target if I am consistent, then a $11 trickier to get to target. The scale reads in .02 grains and the drift that I have noticed over 100 rounds is +/-.06. I have verified with two other scales I have that only go to .1 grain.

            https://www.amazon.com/Precision-900...powder+measure




            I have not used an automated powder dispensing system, so I don't known if it's faster. But it sure as heck is a lot cheaper.
            Sticks

            Catchy sig line here.

            Comment

            • Cornbread
              Warrior
              • Dec 2015
              • 288

              #7
              One thing I do not like about the Hornady is if your weight is within .2 grains it will indicate a correct charge( no over charge) and go back to reading your target weight not the actual weight on the scale. With ball or spherical it does ok but so does a good measure. All the electronic scales which use a strain gauge are going to drift. You have to rezero every few charges. I'm surprised that cheap electronic scale posted above works well. All the cheap ones I've used were crap. Like most things in life you get what you pay for. If I had to do it again I would get a rcbs.

              Comment

              • RiverRider
                Warrior
                • Oct 2017
                • 104

                #8
                Originally posted by Cornbread View Post
                One thing I do not like about the Hornady is if your weight is within .2 grains it will indicate a correct charge( no over charge) and go back to reading your target weight not the actual weight on the scale. With ball or spherical it does ok but so does a good measure. All the electronic scales which use a strain gauge are going to drift. You have to rezero every few charges. I'm surprised that cheap electronic scale posted above works well. All the cheap ones I've used were crap. Like most things in life you get what you pay for. If I had to do it again I would get a rcbs.
                I have noticed that the zero will indeed drift on the Chargemaster after a while. I re-zero after every fifth charge and I'm confident I am getting very consistent results as confirmed by my manual 5-10 balance beam. I use the inserts that reduce the diameter of the drop tube, and it seems to be very, very effective---but you DO give up just a bit of speed.

                Has anyone here seen and shared the Chargemaster programming hack?

                Comment

                • RiverRider
                  Warrior
                  • Oct 2017
                  • 104

                  #9
                  Sorry, I got a bit carried away. It seems I lost sight of the subject of this thread, which is the Hornady dispenser.

                  Oops.

                  Comment

                  • kmon
                    Chieftain
                    • Feb 2015
                    • 2095

                    #10
                    I had the Hornady auto powder dispenser and used it for several years. Worked fine for several years but like RR said it does drift, but so does the RCBS. I currently use an RCBS but will be adding an auto powder trickler for future loads.

                    Not sure which auto trickler/dispenser I will get but keep looking at the Omega https://www.midwayusa.com/product/83...owder-trickler

                    Comment

                    • NugginFutz
                      Chieftain
                      • Aug 2013
                      • 2622

                      #11
                      I started with the Hornady due to price. It lasted all of a month on my bench due to erratic throws with coarse powders such as 4166, even though it did ok with the spherical stuff. I might have stayed with it, had it not been that it was already on strike two. 1st unit was DOA from Midway USA. 2nd ran for a bit, but the backlight for the LCD went out after a few days, making it difficult to read. Went back to Midway (great CS) and was transformed into the RCBS Chargemaster for the difference.

                      My RCBS has not shown the drift some have mentioned, but I have kept it in a stable temperature environment, and have also put a ferrite suppressor on the DC supply cord. I did the parameter settings to speed it up, as well as the McD's soda straw trick. It's been very fast and accurate for me over the last several years.
                      Last edited by NugginFutz; 12-10-2017, 10:24 PM.
                      If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?

                      Comment

                      • NugginFutz
                        Chieftain
                        • Aug 2013
                        • 2622

                        #12
                        Originally posted by RiverRider View Post
                        I have noticed that the zero will indeed drift on the Chargemaster after a while. I re-zero after every fifth charge and I'm confident I am getting very consistent results as confirmed by my manual 5-10 balance beam. I use the inserts that reduce the diameter of the drop tube, and it seems to be very, very effective---but you DO give up just a bit of speed.

                        Has anyone here seen and shared the Chargemaster programming hack?

                        This is where I first saw it. Worked like a charm.

                        The RCBS ChargeMaster 1500 electronic powder scale and dispenser is the most popular product of its kind on the market. In our original Electronic Powder Dispenser Comparison Test, the ChargeMaster normally dispensed most kinds of powder faster than competitive units from Lyman and PACT.
                        If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?

                        Comment

                        • rphicks46
                          Unwashed
                          • Dec 2017
                          • 10

                          #13
                          Thanks for all the advise and info. I'm just testing the waters to speed up powder measuring. Since I can't afford a $260 unit right now, I guess I'll have to stick to the ploddingly slow methods I'm using. I'm kind of a perfectionist, so I measure on a beam scale and double check on a digital scale - or sometimes visa-versa, and I use a trickler to finalize if needed. It's just so slow doing it that way.

                          I have the Lee "Precision" 90058 Perfect Powder loader and hate it. I just never got any consistent accuracy with most powders I use. I haven't used it in years, but I may try it again. I just remember winding up doing the same double or triple checking when using it. I just never trusted it, and justifiably so.

                          Comment

                          • Cornbread
                            Warrior
                            • Dec 2015
                            • 288

                            #14
                            My typical regimen before I got the Hornady was throw a short charge with the Lyman powder measure and trickle on an Rcbs Ohaus scale. With an electronic measure,scale if it works properly you can be seating a bullet while it's dropping the next charge. I just don't trust the hornady enough with extruded powders. With ball or spherical like 8208 it's not bad. Dropped charges were consistent, about .05 lower checked on my beam. It normaly will not vary more than a .10. But the thing with the Hornady is I have to slow it WAY down by programing the settings or it will over charge. I wind up waiting on it so really it's not much faster than the old way. Maybe I just need to play with the settings more.

                            Comment

                            • Sticks
                              Chieftain
                              • Dec 2016
                              • 1922

                              #15
                              Nugginfutz pointed out the key points to using an electric scale.

                              Noise filter on the A/C line (a UPS works well).

                              Stable and constant temperature. Going out to your garage or shop in winter and firing up the heater the start loading is not gonna work. Another member here in another thread noted that you should either turn it on a few hours before you start loading, or just leave it on all the time. Electronics generate heat when running, so even though your reloading area may be a constant 68*, once you turn this scale on, it's normal operating temp is going to start to go up.

                              Others have mentioned keeping other electronic devices away from it while running. Cellphones, Tablets, computers, Bluetooth items, turn off WiFi, I'd be leery of florescent lighting closer than 4 feet. Keep air circulation (fans, heating or AC vents) away from them when in use..

                              Not an expert, just passing info that I have noticed over years of research and reading.

                              My cheap digital scales are kept temp constant, the tare weight is checked frequently, and they are cross checked against each other at random. If three different scales say the pan has 28.4 grains, I am confident I am good to go for a while.
                              Last edited by Sticks; 12-11-2017, 10:41 AM.
                              Sticks

                              Catchy sig line here.

                              Comment

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