Hello. Does anyone have experience with the Hornady autocharge with cfe224 and varget?  there are mixed reviews on both ends of the spectrum with more of the good ones.  It's pricey ($169), but cheap compared to other options (e.g., rcbs chargemaster).  I will primarily be reloading 223 and 308 now.  other calibers in the future, but not anytine soon.

Mostly interested in precision charges and problems with expected life.  Also, if there are better options you would recommend, im all ears.  Thanks in advance!

I use the Lee powder loader and haven't had any problems with those two powders which are stick type. Sometimes the sticks get caught in the loader but that appears to also happen with the metalic loaders. I have had problems with small ball powders like A1680 so I have been thinking of upgrading but haven't decided yet, possibly the Hornady or Lyman loaders.

Hello. Does anyone have experience with the Hornady autocharge with cfe224 and varget?  there are mixed reviews on both ends of the spectrum with more of the good ones.  It's pricey ($169), but cheap compared to other options (e.g., rcbs chargemaster).  I will primarily be reloading 223 and 308 now.  other calibers in the future, but not anytine soon.

Mostly interested in precision charges and problems with expected life.  Also, if there are better options you would recommend, im all ears.  Thanks in advance!

I don't have experience with the Hornady but I do with the ChargeMaster. And there is a straw trick I have to do with it because I choose to use Varget. Here is a similar trick for the Hornady:

A couple of thoughts about the ChargeMaster because I have experience with it.

I have had mine for about 6 years now and I have had no problems. I have a minor complaint since I move it around a lot on my bench the little feet used for leveling can come unscrewed and change the level when I pick it up and move it.

Amazon has the ChargeMaster for $245 and free shipping. You can get a $10 rebate. Or RCBS offers a $50 rebate on total RCBS purchases over $300.

I am not saying that the RCBS product is better than the Hornady as I don't have experience with the Hornady. Hopefully someone here can give you their experience with the Hornady.

I have the Hornady Auto Charge and it's been working great with no problems. About 3 years ago, I came into a good quantity of 800-X powder and found that it wouldn't meter through my Dillon 550's powder dispenser.
The 800-X is a very large flake powder and the only way to get accurate loads was to weigh each charge, hence the purchase of the Hornady.
The "straw trick" really does help smooth out the dispensing but you have to have it centered perfectly, otherwise it wobbles while spinning and makes it worse!
Hornady recommends turning on the unit and letting it warm up for 15 minutes before using it which I do, and I always calibrate it before each use.

I'm laughing at the last two posts because they mention they've had no problems then start describing the problem they've been having. Sorry, just being facetious...

i have the hornady and it is great.  i use it to load 8208 XBR, which is a stick powder.  I've also used it to load IMR 4198 (for 300 blackout sub loads) and it works very well with that too.

if you're loading on a single stage press, it takes roughly the same amount of time to seat a bullet as the time for the autocharge to dispense each load.  with the auto dispensing mode, the hornady will not slow you down too much (if at all).

This is what I use for reloading for precision reloads, its uses a A/D FX-120i scale with a automatic trickler. The person in the video made the auto-trickler.

This is what I use for reloading for precision reloads, its uses a A/D FX-120i scale with a automatic trickler. The person in the video made the auto-trickler.

Very cool never saw a auto trickler. Do you have any experience with Gempro scales? I can't afford a A&D 

I've used the Lyman Gen 1, 2 and am currently using the Gen 6. Very accurate with all powders so far. No prob with Varget.....

Very cool never saw a auto trickler. Do you have any experience with Gempro scales? I can't afford a A&D 

I used a gempro scale with a Dandy electric powder trickler, to get close to my powder weight as my first reloading powder setup, you just have to watch for the gempro because it will drift on you. I would load 50 rounds and recalibrate the scale.

awesome responses!  thank you for taking the time to help me out!   

I keep getting deeper and deeper down this rabbit hole ^_^  still not sure what id buy though... may end up trying the rcbs... i assume it has the same problem with stick powders though... anyone actually try the straw thing?

awesome responses!  thank you for taking the time to help me out!   

I keep getting deeper and deeper down this rabbit hole ^_^  still not sure what id buy though... may end up trying the rcbs... i assume it has the same problem with stick powders though... anyone actually try the straw thing?

The straw works pretty good on my ChargeMaster. I choose to use Varget and other stick powders and the straw works well.

I used a gempro scale with a Dandy electric powder trickler, to get close to my powder weight as my first reloading powder setup, you just have to watch for the gempro because it will drift on you. I would load 50 rounds and recalibrate the scale.

Thanks for the info


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I'm noticing that after 8 months of heavy use, my Lee Loader isn't as accurate and consistent as it was before.

I'm noticing that after 8 months of heavy use, my Lee Loader isn't as accurate and consistent as it was before.

Accuracy/precision is relative, everyone's definition to the terms differ. If you are looking for sub MOA and better especially out to distances, you need to weigh every charge seperately.

I'm not comparing my accuracy/precision with anyone else. I agree that weighing each charge is more accurate, so I only use the powder loader when loading large quantities because otherwise, it can be time consuming. I just ordered a Lyman loader from Cabela's.

Accuracy/precision is relative, everyone's definition to the terms differ. If you are looking for sub MOA and better especially out to distances, you need to weigh every charge seperately.