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View Full Version : Thinking of an electronic scale/dispenser



jonk
02-09-2010, 12:16 PM
Midway has the Lyman unit on sale....

Would love to upgrade from my manual trickler.

Any experience with them?

Lead Fred
02-09-2010, 12:38 PM
From a RCBS 5-0-5 scale and finger trickler, everything is a down grade.

Where we live, the weather plays heck with electronic scales.

jonk
02-09-2010, 01:01 PM
Hmm. I had a manual beam scale and hated it. I like my RCBS electric scale but hate the hand trickler.

Never had an issue with weather and my scale.

runfiverun
02-09-2010, 01:08 PM
i use the lyman-II.
for rifle powders like rl-19 it can't be beat.
i use an old,inconsistent powder dump set to a couple of grains lower. throw a charge,set the pan on the scale and press the button.
i am seating the boolit while the lyman is finishing the weight charge.
when it's done i prime the next case and fill it, then dump and push again.
pretty quick and no mistakes this way.

Bert2368
02-09-2010, 01:13 PM
I have the 1st generation of the Lyman. Check which generation is on sale, there's been at least 3.

It takes a 1/2 hour to settle and calibrate when powered up, same if the power is interrupted.

It handles stick powders OK, it jams up with fine grain ball powder like W231.

It's a bit of a chore to change powders.

You must set it up on a separate table or bench from your press, it doesn't like vibration from working the press.

It's slower than dippering and trickling, the newer ones are supposed to be faster.

Think of it as a scale and trickler that you can just set the scale pan on and not have to otherwise look at or touch while it trickles up. Mine you have to hit a dispense button every time, newer ones will trip sequentially, every time you set the pan down they can start dispenseing another load. Mine, the writing has worn off the button...

I like it for loading rifle on my single stage press. But I kept my RCBS powder measure for pistol... There's an upgrade kit for it that's supposed to bring the dispenseing speed up to that of the 3rd generation unit. I'll get it when I've got the spare cash.

Rocky Raab
02-09-2010, 01:47 PM
Mine is the first generation RCBS (which was just a green-cased version of the first PACT). Love it. I'll replace it when it dies, but not until then.

The current RCBS is a bit faster and easier to use, and there's a pretty firm rumor that the third-generation RCBS is coming soon. The price was just lowered on the existing one.

The current PACT is different from the RCBS, but I haven't read much about it. Didn't see it at SHOT because I forgot to look them up.

The Lyman units have been upgraded, with upgrade kits available to do your own older unit. I've read mixed reviews, but haven't used one.

Hornady just introduced a simplified unit (which I may review in print). It looked good at SHOT. Moderately priced, too.

gray wolf
02-09-2010, 01:59 PM
I have the RCBS combo and I think it is great. Faster than the lyman and yes it is accurate to a 1/10 of a grain, easy to clean and easy to set up. Mine has stayed Cal. for day's.
Tite group and Bulls/E type powders are within 1/20 or half a tenth. Stick powder
like my H-4831, drop right on or within a tenth.
It will drop 60 grains of stick powder in 20 seconds. You can trickle with it and set it up to go automatic, so you put the pan on the scale and it drops the powder --you press or push nothing. The scales with these units are very accurate with no drift or bounce.
Very well made, powder does not stick in the hopper so cleaning is a snap.
The Lyman is slower without the upgrade kit. Spend a little more and get the rcbs.
If you are anal like me about charges, here is how I work.
I set my beam scale up for the charge I want, punch in my load for the C/M, 20 to 25 seconds the charge drops. I remove the pan put it on my beam scale confirm to exact charge and dump powder
and my next charge is all set to go. I use two scale pans so that when I have one on the beam scale the other one is on the C/M dropping powder.
My beam is a rcbs 505 , The pan for the C/M weighs a little more than the one for the 505
I ground a little off one of the handles for the C/M and made them weigh the exact amount. Took 5 Min. I love the unit.
One piece of H-4831 is a 1/10 of a grain.

giz189
02-09-2010, 02:08 PM
I have had an RCBS unit for 7 years or better, and I really like it, especially for the rifle cartridges. Usually can load pistol rounds as well with powder thrower. Would buy another one if this one dies.

lbaize3
02-09-2010, 02:24 PM
I bought the Lyman Digital Powder System (Lyman DPS) when it first came out. I liked it from the start, but felt it was a bit slow. I later installed an update kit and it runs well with pretty good speed. I never have to worry about powder bridging in the powder measure and know that all of my loads are going to be as consistent as possible. I have used it to load 223, 6.8, 7 TCU, 7-30 Waters, 30-30, 308, 30-06, 45-70 and the occasional pistol load that needs a precise amount of powder.

The only drawback I can think of is that it takes 30 minutes to warm up, but that is of little concern to me. It is great to sit there with the brass and bullets ready to go... you set the powder scale and punch the button and it dispenses the correct amount of powder. You put the powder in the case and punch the repeat button. While the next amount of powder is being dispensed you seat the bullet and you are ready to load the next one...

The Lyman also dispenses ball powder as well as stick powder. The stick powder was a problem in the earlier dispensers. I believe that Natchez Shooter's supply had the best prices on the Lyman for a while. Don't have any idea were the best deal is today.

DLCTEX
02-09-2010, 02:59 PM
My "electronic' measure is an RCBS beam scale and an electric trickler from Midway that uses one AA battery. Dump the charge just under and push the button until it balances.:bigsmyl2:

DLCTEX
02-09-2010, 03:04 PM
Ibaize3: is that mountain behind you in your avatar what was left by the hurricane? I don't recall it being there the last time I was at Mauriceville.[smilie=s:

ghh3rd
02-12-2010, 06:35 PM
I shouldn't scan through posts like this. That RCBS combo sure sounds good! Now, what do I have that I can get rid off so I can get one.....

jsizemore
02-12-2010, 07:58 PM
I shouldn't scan through posts like this. That RCBS combo sure sounds good! Now, what do I have that I can get rid off so I can get one.....

Money!!

jsizemore
02-12-2010, 08:09 PM
A friend of mine bought the RCBS setup about 2 years ago. I stuck my Denver Inst. MXX-123 up beside it and it did a fine job of throwing loads for a 223 using VVOy N-133 and Reloader 22 in a 7 mag. He had a problem with the scale about 4 months into using it (to be honest, there were 8 different people using it at all times of the day and night,so there is no telling what the cause of it's failure) it quit working. True to RCBS' reputation they replaced it free of charge. Good Luck

dromia
02-12-2010, 08:55 PM
I'd hold off making a decision 'till we see what the new Hornady is like.

48bpcr
02-13-2010, 10:12 AM
I bought the Lyman DPS3 and love it. It's fast and accurate. It sits on my bench beside my press and I've never had any problems with vibration upseting the scale.

It runs through all kinds of power well, from the long IMR stick powders to the ball powders. I've also ( in spite of the warnings ) used it with Black powder. I just use it out side or in the garage when using Black.

It makes loading on a single stage press almost as fast as using my 550B when loading rifle.