As we already know, the correct powder charge for precision rifle ammunition is the most important aspect of load development, and loading the same powder charge consistently, is the most important factor together with neck tension, to shooting small groups and consistent accuracy. After finding the correct powder charge and cartridge length that your rifle likes and shoots well with the brass cases, bullets and primers you want to use, through load development, then loading that charge consistently is the key to accuracy.
Although a scale is your first and probably most important piece of your reloading kit, you may soon discover when reloading and shooting a lot, that it can become very tiresome or cumbersome to have to manually dispense each charge, weight it on your scale, then trickle more powder in until it reaches the correct charge. Now if you start shooting precision rifle matches, when you quickly shoot 200 to 300 shots per weekend, then you will quickly see how the hours spent every week loading, can pile up.
For this very reason, seasoned shooters and reloaders quickly start turning to electronic powder dispensers to cut down not only on their reloading time, but also on the effort required to reloading ammunition for precision rifle shooting. The biggest question then remains, which is the best electronic powder dispenser in 2023, and which is the most accurate electronic powder dispenser available currently? Luckily we created this list of our top electronic powder dispensers for 2023 showing what is currently available and which we recommend based on actual use.
1. Best Electronic Powder Dispensers
If you do not want to read through the entire write up, we can tell you now that the RCBS MatchMaster Powder Dispenser is best electronic powder dispenser for 2023 of all the models we compared, with the RCBS Chargemaster Lite being the best budget electronic powder dispenser for the price and for the accuracy it offers to reloaders and rifle shooters.
1.1 RCBS MatchMaster Powder Dispenser
This all-new RCBS MatchMaster powder dispenser can dispense a powder charge in as little as twenty seconds and in Match Mode it can attain accuracy down to 0.04 grains, that’s almost three times as accurate as most common off-the-shelf powder dispensers and our best powder thrower of all tested here.
It features a dual tube design, which works a lot like the other normal rotating tube powder dispensers, but there’s a large one to get a bulk powder charge onto the pan and then there’s also a small one to trickle it up to the exact powder charge
With the included Bluetooth companion app, you can use your phone to control the device which is a great feature, it even allows you to store your powder settings for various powders and cartridges.
If you are looking for the best powder measure for reloading that is automatic and commercially available and affordable (relatively), then this is it. We award it with the title of the best electronic powder dispenser 2023, which makes it the best for three years running.
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1.2 RCBS Chargemaster 1500 Combo
Once you get yourself a Chargemaster 1500 Combo Powder dispenser, you will quickly realize that you should have long ago, the convenience is just incredible.
With more than enough accuracy for hunters and normal shooters, and even good enough accuracy for long range, precision and benchrest shooters with a few modifications and programming, getting yourself one is a no-brainer.
Don’t forget to do the tube modification to the RCBS Chargemaster, this involves either the straw method or the cut case method.
For the straw method, take a McDonalds or other thick milkshake straw, cut a half inch piece off and put it into the tube where the powder exits. This will reduce the number of overthrows dramatically because it will cause an extruded powder to cluster less.
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1.3 Hornady Lock-n-Load Auto Charge
Although not the newest model on the market, it is still available for good reason. The Hornady Lock-n-load auto charge achieves 0.1 grain accuracy, and does so consistently if set up correctly.
Just like most other electronic powder dispensers, the Hornady Auto Charge should be left for at least 30 minutes after turning on before using for warm-up, but this should not be a hassle if known and planned for.
Because the powder container is plastic, it may struggle with ball powders clinging to the sides of it when the environment is static when trying to clean it up, but it is much easier to clean than some of the other models tested.
Also, do not forget the straw mod as mentioned above on this one, just to help with consistency and prevent over-throws.
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1.4 Hornady Auto Charge Pro
Quieter and faster than the older model, this newer Hornady Auto Charge Pro will serve you well in your reloading arsenal.
Smaller than most units tested, this electronic powder dispenser does not take up much of your space on your reloading bench.
With customizable trickle speeds for different powders, it does not over-throw often even with ball powders, and thanks to the large knob and removable powder tube it is even easier to clean up than the previous model.
When you use the link above to shop for one of the products, we receive a small commission from the sale, at no extra cost to you. This helps us keep this site going, and does not affect the price you would pay usually in any way whatsoever.
1.5 RCBS Chargemaster Lite
RCBS basically refining the previous model with a smaller, slightly better laid out one-piece unit, that works well and fits the reloading bench better. It features and improved touch screen backlit display and easy to setup and navigate.
The redesigned dispensing tube prevents over-throwing more than older design tubes, meaning it does not need the straw mod as much.
For the money, this Chargemaster Lite should be easy to consider to upgrade your reloading setup to an electronic powder dispenser, even used by some precision rifle shooters.
When you use the link above to shop for one of the products, we receive a small commission from the sale, at no extra cost to you. This helps us keep this site going, and does not affect the price you would pay usually in any way whatsoever.
1.6 Lyman Gen 6 Digital Powder Measure
The latest model from Lyman, the Gen 6 is smaller and faster than the previous Gen 5 model. It’s small footprint means it fits easily on most reloading benches, and will not take up too much space.
Once set up correctly and given the normal 30 minute warmup time, our unit threw consistent charges to within the 0.1 grain accuracy advertised.
Depending on the powder you use, cleanup can be easy, or slightly more labor intensive with fine powders. All in all, for the price, you cannot go wrong with the Lyman Gen 6.
When you use the link above to shop for one of the products, we receive a small commission from the sale, at no extra cost to you. This helps us keep this site going, and does not affect the price you would pay usually in any way whatsoever.
1.7 Frankford Arsenal Intellidropper Electronic Powder Measure
As Frankford Arsenal’s first effort into the electronic powder dispenser market, we say they have hit the mark well. With a large powder capacity and everything needed to use the unit neatly on it, it does not take up any more space on your reloading bench than it needs to.
It has superb memory retention, and the free app provides your with a database of load data for various brands of reloading components.
We found the Intellidropper to be very accurate one set up correctly and given enough time to warm-up. The set up is important though as we had to make sure the unit is perfectly level and we had to give it an hour of warm-up time. One problem we had is that we found the unit’s zero to drift with the low quality included power supply, but after powering it through a filtered power conditioner, it was perfect with zero drift.
When you use the link above to shop for one of the products, we receive a small commission from the sale, at no extra cost to you. This helps us keep this site going, and does not affect the price you would pay usually in any way whatsoever.
2. Electronic Powder Dispenser Buying Guide
2.1 Electronic Powder Dispenser or manual powder dispenser with reloading scale?
Yes you will find that a seasoned reloader will be able to possibly come close to or beat the time it takes an electronic powder dispenser to dispense and trickle one charge, with their manual reloading powder dispenser and balance beam scale or electronic reloading scale. However, achieving that, takes constant intense concentration, and you will have to make sure your eye to balance beam scale line alignment stays constant, you also have to physically move the powder pan from the dispenser to the scale and then trickle with the manual powder trickler yourself.
Now do this for 100 or 200 rounds, every week for many precision rifle shooters, and you quickly see how much more effortless and less fatiguing an electronic powder dispenser is for reloading in comparison.
2.2 Importance of Decimal Accuracy in Reloading Powder Dispensers
Many campfire bragging reloaders like to claim 0.00001 grain accuracy of their expensive electronic powder dispensers. Well, to quickly calculate how much the 1/ 10th of a grain variance has an affect to a cartridge when shot, given that most of the electronic powder dispensers on this list only go to 0.1grain accuracy, you will quickly see that it is not important as you would think or as bad.
Take for example a cartridge using 25.0 grains of powder to push the bullet to 3,200 FPS muzzle velocity, meaning 25.0 grains = 3,200 FPS. Theoretically meaning each one (1) grain should equate to 128 FPS velocity, thereby meaning a variation of 1/10th grain should be 12.8 FPS. It is not often that even seasoned precision rifle reloaders even get an extreme spread (ES) of 12.8 fps when firing a string of shots. So those shooters with the more expensive electronic powder dispenser better be getting lower ES than that in order to make the extra expense worth, it, and then even with a lower than 12.8 fps extreme spread, this still does not mean that they are shooting small groups consistently as there are many other variable in the accuracy and consistency reloading chain.
3. FAQs About Reloading Powder Measures and Electronic Powder Dispensers
3.1 Best powder measure for reloading
That award goes to the RCBS MatchMaster Powder Dispenser which offers 0.04g accuracy in Match Mode.
3.2 Best electronic powder measure for the money
Depending on your goal, we would choose either the RCBS Chargemaster Lite as the best electronic powder measure for the money, as it is the lowest priced of all of them, yet still maintains more than adequate accuracy for most precision rifle shooting disciplines.
3.3 The most accurate powder dispenser
The award would go to the RCBS MatchMaster Powder Dispenser above.
3.4 How do I ensure consistent charges being dispensed?
- Keep the powder pan centered on the pad as possible.
- Prevent static electricity in your reloading room or on your reloading bench.
- Wait 5 seconds after the charge has been dispensed for it to settle.
- Do the straw mod on your electronic powder dispenser.
- Make sure you give your electronic powder dispenser adequate time needed to warm up before use.
Conclusion
I spent many years weighing powder charges with a manual beam scale, after they were dispensed from a manual powder measure. I would then trickle in the powder kernels up to the exact charge I wanted. It was very accurate and effective, but it was slow and time consuming, it also made me procrastinate and leave my reloading to the last minute. I can’t imagine weighing out 200 charges of powder every week like that before a precision rifle shoot anymore. However, some ball powders flows accurately enough from the manual measure to directly charge cases. For this reason, you should still keep the old manual powder dispenser on standby.
For weight sorting of brass and bullet, the electronic scales are also still handy. The only thing I regret from moving to electronic scales and dispensers is that I didn’t get one sooner.
We hope you enjoyed our reloading best electronic powder dispenser reviews, and you find the best electronic powder dispenser for your reloading needs from it. Whether you are looking for a manual powder measure or an electronic powder measure or powder dispenser is up to you, but if electronic is what you are after, this list will help you find the best powder measure for reloading.
Where did you find a new power supply for the Intellidropper? Thank you
so what exactly did you do about the cheap power supply on the intellidropper. i have their case prep machine and like it, so am inclined to stay with them. thanks for the reviews and for a reply.
I liked my Intellidropper but after less than 2 years the motor went short circuit and the whole thing died.
Not impressed….
Same thing happened to mine. I called there customer service up and they asked for a couple of pics and sent me a label to return it at their expense. They will be replacing it free of charge however the kicker is they don’t have any until at least january.