Initial thoughts on the Hornady Lock-N-Load powder dispenser:

[Predmilitia]

I was a little nervous about getting this because a few people expressed concerns with the accuracy of this unit. Granted, I only have a couple of hours running mine, but will say, I haven't seen that issue.

Setting it up was a snap after watching the supplied DVD. I loaded with 8208XBR and Varget. I found that on the "normal" speed both powders would throw an overcharge every 6th or 7th load. Usually by .2 grains. When I put it on "slow" it was perfect everytime. I found that on this speed I can finish the loading process on the filled case and the next charge is finishing. So I will just run it on slow.

One thing I did NOT like is that you can't save your settings. So everytime I turn the machine on I will need to change the settings to "slow". Not a biggie, but would be a nice feature to have the ability to "customize" your settings

[NugginFutz]

I've had both the Hornady and the RCBS Chargemaster. Like you, Joker, my bench is a United Nations of reloading gear, with dies from RCBS, Hornady and Crimpers from Lee. I also have both the RockChucker Single stage and the Hornady LNL Progressive. My bench has no brand loyalty. It is, instead, a place where each piece of gear is given the chance to prove itself and, if successful, stay there.

The Hornady dispenser didn't make the cut for these simple reasons: The first one was a DOA. Strike one. Its replacement (Hornady's CS is great, btw) arrived and functioned properly, but was not throwing consistent charges. Yes, know the RCBS can have similar issues, but this was on the order of 2 out of every 5. Strike two. Lastly, the small diameter of the dispenser tube on the Hornady was giving it trouble with some of the extruded powders (IMR 4064, etc.) I just couldn't make it happy with those chunky little grains. Strike three.

The Chargemaster was a bit more expensive, but has proven itself in the long run. I also like the illuminated scale. (Did I mention the 2nd Hornady's went out? Strike 4, I guess.)

No, I'm not a Hornady Hater. I love my Progressive and have loaded scads of pistol ammo, as well as hundreds and hundreds of .223. I'm just not happy with the quality and function of the dispensers I received (~ 2 years ago).

Now, if you find a way to get that .17 to shoot in a 6.5 Sabot, please let me know. That would be soooo fun!

From a year old thread, on the subject of "Which is the best automatic Yada yada..."

While I don't regret getting the Chargemaster, which is still running trouble free, I don't believe I'd hesitate giving Hornady another shot. I acknowledge I may have had a string of bad luck.

As far as accuracy goes, the one that did run for me was accurate to within a tenth of indicated, as checked against two other scales. It was just a little to prone to over/under charges for my taste.

Yes, I suppose I could have run it at slow speed to get more consistent throws but, with the RCBS unit, I don't need to. (I did mod the settings to have it switch to low speed and trickle at later points.)

YMMV.