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To each their own but consider this. Ohaus/RCBS beam scales use an agate pivot bearing system just like laboratory scales and Lyman/Hornady/Redding use similar sophisticated systems. The Lee scale uses a razor blade sitting in a V slot cut into the soft aluminium casting. Every time the scale is bumped microscopic grooves are cut into the casting. The arrow on the phenolic beam points to a V shape marker where the paint has been ground off the same casting. RCBS 10-10 scale has a nice micrometer adjusted poise, the Lee has a dinky plastic vernier which requires some guesswork to get right. Operating the poise lock without moving the adjustments is a matter of luck. Unless you are using lab grade calibration weights (which you should on any scale) you really don't know what the scale is actually measuring especially when you change settings. Repeatability is an issue. The fact that you get accurate loads (whatever that means) simply lends credence to what I stated in my earlier post, namely that minor variations in charge weight make little to no difference in accuracy except in the most demanding disciplines. Factory match ammo is made by volume drops of powder, not by weighing individual xharges. I am reliably informed that allowable weight variation for 308 size cases is 0.3 grain. Yes, the Lee scale can be made to work but just about anything out there is a better alternative. Now don't get me wrong, I am not a Lee basher. I own dozens of their products and most perform at least as well as their competitors but every company produces an inferior product now and then.

My reloading rooms are stacked high with reloading tools and gadgets but the one thing I haven't bothered with is an automated powder dispenser. On the one hand it is not more accurate than a good beam scale nor as fast as a powder measure though it probably meets the sweet spot between the two. I started with a laboratory scale (accurate but slooww) and graduated to an Ohaus 10-10 later rebranded by RCBS. That tells you how old I am. I still have that scale and it still works perfectly. I've accumulated a Lyman since and it is not as robust. The Lee beam scale is total rubbish. Electronic scales are OK but do have quirks (which are also found in automated dispensers). Beam scales shine when dropping a slightly reduced load from a powder measure and then trickle charging up to your desired load. With practice this is as fast as most auto powder dispensers. Electronic scales shine when weighing multiple items such as sorting cases or projectiles by weight. From your previous post it seems you are reloading only for 243. Unless you have a precision custom rifle, powder charge variations of a few 10ths of a grain aren't going to make a difference in accuracy. There are more important factors at play first. May I humbly suggest that you consider a good powder measure (Hornady/RCBS/Redding are all good) and a couple of electronic scales from eBay. They are listing on UK eBay for under 10 pounds. I suggest 2 so you can check one against the other. Also get a set of calibration weights. Things to look for in a cheap scale; Uses AAA or AA batteries and don't time out under 2 minutes. Maximum weight doesn't need to be more than i00 gram. I no longer weigh individual charges (other than to do random checks) except for my most accurate custom rifles and even then its probably only OCD rather than performance based. Hope that helps and is not too long winded.

The cleaning solution is discarded after each use. There are commercial solutions available but making your own is easy and much cheaper. A google search is your friend but basically any detergent and a bit of added citric acid initially then a rinse in ArmorAll car wash (helps to prevent tarnishing later). I use a generic shower cleaner that contains citric acid and surfactant, about 50 ml per load and run for 2 -3 hours depending on how dirty the cases are. After a final rinse and separating cases from pins the wet cases go into a big flannel pillow case which dries the outside of the cases preventing water spotting and depending on the weather the pillow case then sits over a heating duct overnight or on the dash of the car in the sun. If you place a strong magnet in the pillow case it will pick up any errant pins.

Depends what you mean by clean. A dry vibratory cleaner polishes the outside of the case, does very little to the primer pockets and inside the case. Also loads the media (walnut or corn) with lead and spreads it through the air. The media also tends to plug the flash hole. A Lyman I had burnt out the motor after a couple of years. So did my RCBS but they sent me a new motor. My Cabelas unit has lasted the longest so far. Then there is ultrasonic cleaning. Cleans OK but doesn't "polish". Those dental units on eBay work well enough. And then there is wet rotary tumbling with stainless steel media. This is my preferred option even though it is a little more tedious. This cleans and polishes inside and out and keeps the lead residues suspended in the liquid not blowing all around your garage or shed. The cheap eBay versions work OK for small quantities. The timer electronics burnt out after only a couple of uses but was easy enough to rewire. What I use almost exclusively now is the large **** (Frankfort Arsenal Rotary Tumbler). Has worked flawlessly for years now and I reload a LOT. The ss pins that come with the **** are a bit on the small side and will get stuck in flash holes ocassionally. I bought a slightly larger size (Gun Nutz ??) and that problem went away.

re; Bushes, No they don't but you can buy adapters that allow you to use MEC bushes in Pacific/Hornady/Bair/Ponsness

Same situation DownUnder. Here is an attempt at an explanation from the ADI website. I take this with many grains of salt because the same cost disparity exists on many manufactured goods that don't have these stringent compliance costs. I've heard many of the Hodgdon powders are actually ADI powders. If so why are they cheaper to purchase in the US? One of the first things to note is that powder is typically sold in one-pound jars in the US, and that one pound is 453.6 grams. Australian reloaders buying 500 gram jars are therefore getting 10% more powder per jar than in the US. Further, ADI Powders does not control the retail price of our powders in Australia. The retail price of powder is determined by the market, and gunshops are free to set the price of powder according to their costs and profit requirements. This brings us neatly to the final factor determining the retail price of powder – the relatively high cost associated with moving powder around Australia in compliance with transport regulations as set by each state. In the US, powder can often be shipped as ordinary freight, while in Australia it has to be moved by a licensed carrier of dangerous goods. The cost of compliance with these requirements is probably the largest single factor determining the retail price of our powder in Australia.

Not so. Marketed by Hodgdon but not made by them. All of the original Extreme range of extruded powders were made by ADI/Thales in Australia but that changed a few years ago and some are now made by North American factories. Most but not all of the IMR range (Trail Boss is ADI) is North American.

Thanks. Seems to confirm that the coloured specks degrade to yellow over time. I have now calculated the VMD of these powders and they are different powders despite the same colour code.

Sorry for resurrecting this thread again but I was searching for a comparison between the 60 and 80's series when this came up. My recollection back in the day when Nobel was the go to powder was that the colour code on the charts above referred to those little granules in the powder. I was just given a couple of tins of Nobel 80 and 84. Both have been opened but the powder smells good. However the colour granules in both tins are both a pale yellow colour. Does anyone have experience with these decades old powders? Has the colour just degraded or is it more likely these are actually Nobel 82. Thanks