GETTING STARTED
Any reloading requires charging your case! For ultimate efficiency, speed and accuracy you’ll need a powder dispenser or measure. Before diving in, it’s important to choose the type of powder dispenser that suits your needs. RCBS offers both mechanical and electronic powder dispenser options, each with its own pros and cons. Below, we’ll explore how to use power measures, from set up and usage tips to an in-depth comparison of common types of dispensers.
Mechanical Powder Dispensers or Measures
Mechanical Measure Setup Tips
- A scale (mechanical or electronic) is required. You’ll need to check and verify the charge weights your dispenser is throwing.
- For +/- 0.1 grain accuracy, a Powder Trickler is recommended. Your dispenser will “dump” most of your desired charge weight, but you’ll aim to be below/have a smaller charge weight than you desire. Next, you’ll use a powder trickler to slowly increase your charge to the desired weight.
- New dispenser? Disassemble and clean thoroughly to remove manufacturing oils and debris. RCBS Weapons Cleaning Solution #87059 (mixed 40:1 with hot water) works well, especially in ultrasonic cleaners. Do not rinse—just allow to dry. Scrub the casting interior with a bore brush or weapons toothbrush and finally reassemble without applying oil to any parts.
- New dispenser? For best results, condition your dispenser before use, see below:
Conditioning the Measurer
- Extend the metering cylinder fully and cycle ½–1 lb of powder to coat internal surfaces with graphite, improving flow.
- For the Little Dandy (no micrometer adjustment), run 10–20 cycles to condition the rotor.
- Weigh initial, middle, and final charges to observe consistency improvements.
Powder Measure Operating Tips
- Consistency in handle rotation is crucial. Try different methods and weigh each charge to find what works best.
- Two common methods:
- Rotate slowly and smoothly; tap the drop tube lightly with finger, to release any residual powder.
- After dispensing, raise and drop the handle slightly to tap, then return to fill position.
Mechanical vs Electronic Measures: Performance Compared
- Speed: Mechanical measures are faster than electronic dispensers when charging directly into cartridge cases. Electronic measures typically dispense powder onto a pan on a scale, meaning unlike mechanical measures, electronic powder measures weigh every charge.
- Accuracy: Mechanical powder measure’s accuracy depends on powder type:
- Ball: ±0.1–0.2 grains
- Flake: ±0.1–0.2 grains
- Extruded: ±0.3–0.5 grains
- If looking for +/- 0.1 grains of accuracy; dispense from a Mechanical Powder Measure into a scale pan, place the pan onto a scale, then use a Powder Trickler to trickle in small amounts of powder to desired powder charge. Time consuming, but accurate!
Mechanical Powder Measures – When To Use
- Ideal for progressive presses using ball or flake powders.
- Great for charging big batches of ammo quickly.
- Faster than electronic dispensers.
- Ideal for charging ammo with a lower bar of accuracy or precision from reload to reload required. For example, loading bulk 9mm or 223 rem for plinking casually at the range.
- Can be used for precision loading with a scale and powder trickler. Unless you weigh every charge, doesn’t give same level of consistency as electronic dispensers with built-in scales.
What MECHANICAL Powder Measure Should I Get?
Uniflow Powder Measure 3:
RCBS’s most popular powder measure. Will throw powder charges consistently and accurately. Ambidextrous design. One metering cylinder and metering screw. Threaded hopper design. Metering screw lock screw allows for quick removal of metering screw and assembly of powder drain tube to quickly and easily empty powder from hopper. Two powder drop tubes, allowing for dispensing directly into your cartridge case as well as mount plate to allow for attaching your Powder Measure directly to your press.
- Throws 0.5–95 grain charges.
- Hopper holds 0.5 lb (extruded) or 0.33 lb (flake).
- Threaded hopper for easy removal and ease of cleaning.
- Includes two drop tubes and mounting plate.
- Budget friendly.
UPM – 3 Competition Powder Measure:
The new RCBS UPM-3 comp Offers the same benefits as the UPM-3 but with some additional features designed for even better accuracy and consistency. If you’re looking for precision in a Mechanical Powder Measure, look no further than the UPM -3 Competition.
- Micrometer screw for precision adjustments
- Dispenses 0.5–100 grains.
- Larger hopper (1 lb), powder baffle, and single screw assembly.
- Threaded hopper for easy removal and ease of cleaning.
- Includes two drop tubes and mounting plate.
Little Dandy Pistol Powder Measure:
If loading for pistol or revolvers, nothing beats the Little Dandy. 28 interchangeable powder rotors are engineered to give you the precise charge for the load you are looking for with the powder you’re loading with, no guess work required. The Lil Dandy accommodates over 400 different load combinations. Includes two powder drop tubes for calibers ranging from .22-.45 Caliber. With interchangeable fixed charge powder rotors there is no need for adjustment, simply load your cartridge reloading block with your cases, hold the Little Dandy in one hand and rest drop tube on case mouth, rotate the powder rotor with the other hand and dispense the powder charge. Extremely efficient and effective means for consistently and accurately dispensing Pistol powder charges.
- Designed for pistols.
- 28 rotors support 400+ load combinations.
- No adjustments needed—just rotate and dispense.
Powder Trickler-2:
When using any of the mechanical powder measures mentioned previously, it is best to compliment them with a Powder Trickler. For the reloader who desires +/- 0.1 grain accuracy for every metered powder charge, the powder trickler is a must. The Powder Trickler-2 has an adjustable base with an extension tube to accommodate a wide variety of both mechanical and electronic scales. The Powder Trickler-2 allows the reloader to place the undercharged scale pan onto their scale and trickle extremely small amounts of powder into scale pan until desired charge weight is obtained.
- Complements mechanical dispensers.
- Adjustable base and extension tube.
- Allows precise trickling to reach target charge.
Electronic Powder Dispensers
RCBS offers three models:
Mechanical Powder Dispensers require the use of a scale and potentially a Powder Trickler. Electronic Powder Dispensers combine all these separate operations into one complete package.
All three of the RCBS Electronic Powder Dispensers will dispense powder to within +/- 0.1 grain accuracy, and all can be operated either manually or by using the free RCBS app.
Electronic Dispensers are the most efficient, effective and accurate method in dispensing powder; however, with any electronic device, care must be taken to ensure reliable operation.
Electronic Powder Dispenser Setup Tips
- Avoid air currents from open windows and vents
- Use in area not subject movement or vibrations. Try to avoid placing dispenser on same workbench with press if charging and using press at the same time
- Place on a level, stable surface. Use leveling feet and bubble level to ensure dispenser is level
- Use a dedicated circuit to avoid power fluctuations.
- Operate in 50–90°F with <60% humidity.
- Warm up scale for 30 minutes before use.
- Use anti-static measures if needed.
- Calibrate before and during long sessions. Checking calibration during your reloading process is also a good idea.
- Clean thoroughly when changing powders.
- If powder is spilled onto scale, remove and try to avoid allowing any powder getting into the load cell area which is just below the platen where the scale pan sets.
- If changing powders, use included brush to remove all powder from reservoir and dispense tubes. Canned or compressed air can also be used to evacuate any residual powder. Remove dispense tube, then remove tube seals and clean periodically, especially when using Ball type powders. If this is not done periodically the powder can accumulate in and around seals and cause undue load on dispenser motors. If you hear or notice a change in tube operation, most likely due to the tube seals needing to be cleaned.
Electronic Powder Dispenser Performance
- Speed: When it comes to dispensing powder to within +/- 0.1 grain of accuracy, there is nothing better than one of the RCBS Electronic Powder Dispensers. With auto dispense features on all our dispensers, simply place the pan and when scale zero’s it automatically begins to dispense until reaching the desired powder charge, which depending on which dispenser using dispense charge can range from 10 – 30 seconds, leaving the reloader free to perform other tasks.
- Accuracy: ±0.1 grain (+/- 0.04 grain MatchMaster). Much better and more consistent than one will achieve with Mechanical powder measures.
Electronic Dispenser Use Cases
- Ideal for precision reloaders.
- Weighs every charge of powder.
- Increasingly popular due to ease of use, speed and consistency.
- Smart units available that can be programmed to improve accuracy, speed and store load information
RCBS Electronic Powder Dispenser Options
Chargemaster Link:
Most economical of the Electronic Dispenser lineup, but has exceptional accuracy and dispense speeds that parallel our other Electronic Dispensers. The Link offers Bluetooth technology allowing it to be controlled using the RCBS app. A nice compact package allowing user to dispense accurately to with +/-.01 grain within 20-30 seconds. The Auto dispense feature, standard in all our Electronic dispensers, allows the dispenser to immediately start dispensing as soon as the scale is stable after pan is placed onto scale platen. 0.1 – 2000 grain scale capacity, with over a 1 lb. powder capacity. Quick drain feature to allow for quick removal of powder after reloading session completed.
- Most affordable.
- Bluetooth-enabled via RCBS App.
- Dispenses ±0.1 grain in 20–30 seconds.
- 2000 grain capacity, 1 lb powder reservoir.
Chargemaster Supreme:
The descendant to the original Chargemaster Combo, the Electronic Powder Dispenser that set the standard for Electronic Dispensers.
The Charemaster Supreme took it to another level by the addition of the Powder Learn function and by combining the scale and dispenser into one integrated unit. The Supreme also kept the 50 memory slots the older CM Combo had. The Supreme, like the Link and Matchmaster, is also Bluetooth compatible and can be operated with the free RCBS APP. Supreme offeres +/- 0.1 grain accuracy with a 1500 grain load cell capacity. By offering two dispense modes, the reloader can run in Normal mode which is same as the older CM Combo or Learn, which greatly speeds up the dispense time. Using the Learn function the Supreme will run through a series of tests to determine the most efficient dispense speed for the powder being tested. If running in the Learn mode dispense times can be expected to be approximately 20 seconds.
- Successor to the original Chargemaster Combo.
- Adds Powder Learn function and 50 memory slots.
- Bluetooth-enabled.
- Dispenses ±0.1 grain with 1500 grain capacity.
MatchMaster:
The best of the best when it comes to Electronic Dispensers. Like the Link and Supreme the Matchmaster is also Bluetooth compatible and can be operated by using the free RCBS APP. For years reloaders asked for an electronic dispenser with a resolution of 0.02 grains and they also for a feature allowing the user the ability to configure their own dispense parameters. They asked we delivered! The Matchmaster has both these features. It comes with the best load cell on the market and offers two dispense modes of operation, Standard Mode, which offers the traditional +/- 0.1 grain accuracy, as well as Match Mode, which offers +/- 0.02 grain accuracy (This is powder dependent. With Ball Powder one can expect to achieve +/- 0.02 grain accuracy; however, with some Extruded powders the accuracy will more likely be +/- 0.04 grains, since one kernel of some extruded powders can weigh .04 grains). As with all our Electronic Dispensers the Matchmaster can also be run in either Manual or Auto mode. The performance of the Matchmaster is unparalleled by any other dispenser. The Matchmaster comes configured with four default powder dispense parameters, for those reloaders not concerned about fast dispense times or have the desire to set their own dispense parameters. The default parameters will run at a more conservative speed to prevent possibility of overcharge conditions. These default parameters cover Large Extruded, Small/Medium Extruded, Ball and Flake powders. For those who want to significantly reduce their dispense times, configuring your own custom powder configuration is a must and if using the free RCBS APP, it makes creating these parameters much easier. If done correctly it is possible to dispense a powder charge accurate to +/- 0.02 grains with 10-20 seconds. If running in Standard mode +/- 0.1 grains, dispense speeds can be even faster. If looking for the best Electronic Powder Dispenser on the market, look no further than the RCBS Matchmaster!
- Top-tier model.
- Offers ±0.02 grain accuracy (Ball & Flake), ±0.04 grain accuracy (Extruded) in Match Mode.
- Customizable dispense parameters via RCBS App.
- Dual modes: Standard and Match.
- Fast and precise—ideal for elite reloaders.
Final Thoughts
Every reloader has their own unique reloading process. There are those who prefer mechanical powder dispensers, mechanical scales and powder tricklers. Some prefer the mechanical powder dispensers, with electronic scales and powder tricklers. And there are others who prefer to run only Electronic Powder Dispensers. There is no right or wrong choice, everyone has their personal preference for what they are reloading for and what matters most is that whichever process is safe, consistent and works best for the reloader is the correct choice.
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