Broken (and "Fixed"): Hornady Auto Charge Pro Powder Measure - Won't Zero or Calibrate

Didn't plan on this video...and it was a result of turning on the new Hornady Auto Charge Pro for the first time and watching the digital output "dance" for me.
As soon as I turned on the unit, it would not zero (either by touching ZERO) or stop a negative drift (as you see in the video). Couldn't figure out why. Tried to calibrate it per the instructions (as it calibrates slightly differently than its predecessor). Nothing worked and I thought I was revisiting 2012 again (similar thing happened with the LnL Bench Scale as well). Tried everything to no avail.
Then decided I was not going to do an RMA to Hornady (based on what happened time wise in 2012 with the Bench Scale) and would just return it to Midway. Initiated my Midway return and printed the shipping label.
Decided to call Hornady anyway (as someone will ask why I didn't contact them) and talked to a nice, calm guy (I was a bit less calm), but still nice as he was the messenger, not the cause of my problems. He thought I was trying to calibrate it like the previous model, assured him I was doing it correctly as I read back the instructions to him I was following. That left him quiet with only being able to say "sounds like you need to send it in to us to look at". I thanked him for the option, but declined and said I'd be returning it to Midway.
On a side note, once I mentioned the "press fit" of the red top plate was nothing like the previous model that had a post, that caught his attention. He said it should not be a press fit and should be more loose. Thanked him for his help and went back to what I was going to do.
Decided to pinch the two halves of the underside of the red plate and BINGO. That did the trick. Now I can hold zero and I'm able to calibrate with both the 10g and 50g weights with a PASS. I'm sure others will have this issue so I hope they see this before returning the product like I was about to.
So much for that QC sticker on the bottom. No way this passed quality check unless they were using another red plate to test with. Oh well, back to goodness now.

[@joecookesr.7396]

I bought one of these more than a year ago and have rarely used it. But I do like it. It has made charging cases much quicker and I believe more accurate But just tonight after I had charged about 75 cases it began the same issues as yours and in addition to not calibrating, the target charge amount changed by it self with no input from me. I'm going to try your fix in a couple days when I have time to get back to my loading bench. Thanks for the vid. It's been most helpful. I'll get back to you with my results. Thanks 🙂

[@harleyhobie3115]

Just got one of these today unboxed let warm up 30 minutes. Was having almost exactly the same issues very upset. Went to bed disgusted searched for same issues on you tube watched your video saw fix got up immediately and tried it. Worked like charm holds zero now and was throwing a accurate charge 5 times in row. Thank you now I can sleep

[@ReLoadersBench]

Glad my video helped fix your issues. Nothing worse than a brand new (and rather expensive) item not working correctly out of the box. So much for QA/QC from our friends overseas.

[@kathleenschnelle]

I got this for my husband for Christmas. He had the same problem. He pinched the scale plate part that you mentioned. It made no difference. He then looked and noticed the load cell was not centered and touching the base on one side & was preloaded to one side. Once he pressed it away from the side, it passed calibration (without the scale pan, as the instructions stated). Thanks for the video. It helped us troubleshoot. We were also bagging it up to return. 🙄

[@ReLoadersBench]

Glad my video helped a bit. A shame where all this stuff is now made and the quality issues. I think QA just means attach QA sticker.

[@dslife1]

Hello, I am having a similar problem with mine. I pinched the scales on the bottom of the plate together but I also have the same issue as the ladies husband who commented above. The load cell is not centered. It is pushed to one side. I can push it towards the center but it will not stay there. I placed a folded piece of paper in the gap to hold it in that position. I’m going to leave it like that for a day or so and see if It works. Hopefully it does or I will have to send it back. You would have thought that they would have this figured out by now. This video is 3 years old!! Frustrated!

[@kathleenschnelle8530]

Yes, you would! 😢

[@kenyongleason5018]

Thanks for your post on this. Saved me a lot of hassle calling Hornady and/or sending it back to the place where I bought it. I did what you suggested, along with some cosmetic tweaks around the hole where the red tray fits in (it was touching the sides of the plastic molded platform) and it now works flawlessly.

[@ReLoadersBench]

Kenyon Gleason - glad my “fix” helped. Scale has been flawless for me ever since I did this.

[@alanc1490]

Glad I found your video, I was on a roller coaster ride on buying this model, read several bad reviews related to the zeroing issue, so now I'm going with Hornady. Thx!

[@ksu4life2003]

Thank you!! I was not having as many problems as you were experiencing but every once in a while it would start to drift. It would still calibrate, but continue to drift and read very sporadically. I watched your video and realized it was the plate. Mine was friction fitting as well. I squeezed it to the point where you could see the stress on the round plate but it fits in loosely now. I just measured out approximately 100 rounds and they were all perfect.

[@alangooch7802]

Hi I bought one of these here in Australia. Took it out of the box and set it up. I followed all the instruction as did you and the only result I got was something that looked like a tachometer on a formula one race car. The display was just all over the place. I thought that as this item had travelled a considerable distance to me and my wife telling me that the delivery drive literally threw it onto the front porch that is was now damaged Fucked. Then I happened across you video and did exactly what you did and now it is working fine. So my man thank you so much for posting. I have contacted the distributor and I am still going to get it replaced. Hornady need to make sure the QC in the factory is keeping up expectations. Cheers and thanks again

[@ReLoadersBench]

Glad my video helped. I haven't had a single issue with calibration or weighing since my "fix".

[@alangooch7802]

@@ReLoadersBench Cheers Thanks again.

[@rudolphferdinand3634]

I started with the PACT powder dispenser; I had it went wrong after ten years, stopped working. I boxed it up and mailed for repair, and it was but lasted for maybe ten months; now comes Hornady’s scale, but all I found was difficult to program, so I got the RCBS Chargemaster Lite, an excellent machine to program. Well, I liked it so much. I bought another this week, now two excellent machine. For a total number of three different dispensers with RCBS being the best machine followed by PACT machine number two, and Hornady’s a fifth.

[@rwdplz1]

Finally got mine, it worked great for about an hour (turned on, calibrated fine, didn't drift). THEN it started acting up, slowly counting backwards. I pinched the crap out of the baseplate fingers like you showed, didn't help, wouldn't calibrate. Then I pressed the bottom holder in, out, left, right, up down, and that fixed it. Working fine since, knock on wood. I re-measured the last 3 loads I had done before it freaked out, only the last one was overcharged. On the fence about returning it...

[@ReLoadersBench]

For what these things cost, there shouldn’t be these issues...then I remember where they are made...

[@Wheelchair-bear]

I agree, the color and texture looks cheap, but it is rated #1 in most class comparison videos.

[@paulrogers1051]

I just received one of these Hornady Auto Charge Pro units (Dec 25, 2020) and it had exactly the same problem. Tried your fix, and it still did not work. Let it sit for a couple days and took the round plate off of the pedestal and noticed that the pedestal the round plate sits on was rubbing against the side of the elongated hole it protrudes through. Decided to push the pedestal to the center of the hole and guess what? It now works perfectly! Zeros immediately and calibrates correctly. I think Hornady has an allignment problem. Hope this helps those of you with the same problem.

[@Tiganisau]

Bingo Had the same issue its not the plate its the load sensor pillar (elongated post) fouling on the frame. You can clearly see this in the video at the 21:00 mark. If you push it to the side so its centred its all good.

[@RaysGarage]

Thanks for this video, I wish Hornady knew about this QC Issue, I’m on auto charge pro #3 with the exact same issue you were able to resolve!

[@ReLoadersBench]

As the new M2 bench scale has a completely different design for shelf pan and supporting internals (much more robust), maybe they changed the design due to problems such as these.

[@ButtonLicker]

The design of the "pressure fit" red scale plate is the main issue here. There is pressure applied on the scale plate causes drift. Sorry to say that I don't have a quick fix, but I understand the simple design/engineering issue. I hope that Hornady will start hiring some US-based talent that understands engineering, statistics, QA and ballistics.

[@Jasonschmidtschannel]

Fixed this problem as mine did the same . The oval holder for the round plate on the unit needs to be pushed to the centre as it rubs against the side of the unit . Mine was touching the side and it was not working at all but i pushed it to the side thinking i was going to break it but it just moved across to the centre then everything worked perfect . I notice yours is close to the side aswell .

[@ReLoadersBench]

Good to know, thanks.

[@carphuntingod]

brand new one of these... did a test charge of #9 of 2gn to get the powder tube filled. it worked, so then i tried my 13 gn load. it didn't dispense...just made noise. tube wasn't spinning. emptied hopper and can see the powder tube walked forward and i think off of whatever drives it. ever had this issue? i can't find anything that says these tubes are removable like in some otehr units...so i don't know if there's a way to press or screw it back into the drive system.

[@CoachKalu]

Mine is on the way (from Midway), we'll see how it works.

[@davidcarroll2908]

I am done with hornaday electronics, mine cuts off in middle of trickle. RCBS lite is a great little unit and charges a lot faster than the hornaday.

[@ReLoadersBench]

All their electronics are made overseas and only have a 1 year warranty

[@2025944]

Mine likes to un zero and show a few .01 grains with nothing which is very annoying

[@nickjm37fordel1]

Hmmm, after all that I'm ready for some tea :-) Well, I hope it continues to go well. Will be waiting for part II. You don't need any more frustration.

[@Laidoffsick]

By pinching the post for a better fit, how long is it going to fit correctly before it starts acting up again? I don't think I would trust its accuracy, at least until you get some usage out of it to determine that.

[@ReLoadersBench]

I had similar thoughts. Was thinking of two routes: Request a new/replacement red plate from Hornady and use a heat gun on the plastic to "form" it permanently to be "pinched". I think the folks at Hornady will be having a larger issue on their hands as I'm betting I won't be the only one with this happening.

[@Laidoffsick]

@@ReLoadersBench well I see they sent ya a new one but from what I could see in video, it doesn't look like it really fit that much better. Maybe because I can't feel it or see it in person. How bout sanding it with some really fine grit paper on the outside of both "prongs" or whatever ya want to call them.

[@andrewhassett7639]

had the same issue with my unit, need to center the plunger where the load cell is, 2 screws at center of the base.

[@johnhurtt2758]

Thanks!!! You solved my same quandary!🙏

[@ReLoadersBench]

A scale at this price shouldn't arrive with the SAME issues I (and others) had 2 years ago. Terrible QA.

[@fergusonlandmanagementweld3696]

I like this video just for the calibration part!

[@wernerpieterse4295]

I have the same dispensers as the one in the middle and it gives me an error when i place the 10 g weight on the plate and push cal any help ?

[@ReLoadersBench]

Your comment states you place the 10g weight on the scale and THEN press CAL. According to the instructions (pasted below), the scale/pan empty should be empty first, then hit CAL and once it indicates 10g that's when you place the weight on the pan. Bench Scale Instructions: 1. For optimal performance, turn unit on and allow 5-15 minutes to warm up. 2. Press CAL button once and unit will display "0.00g". 3. Verify the red scale plate is empty. 4. Press CAL button and the unit will then calibrate while displaying " ==== ". 5. When "10.00g" is displayed, place the 10g weight on the center of the scale plate and press CAL. The unit will then continue calibrating while displaying " ==== ". 6. When "50.00g" is displayed, remove the 10g weight, and then place the50g weight on the center of the scale plate. 7. Press CAL. The unit will then finish calibrating while displaying " ==== ". 8. After calibrating, the unit will briefly display "PASS" before returning to normal operation.

[@robertolupio6607]

I have the same problem but when i look behind the red plate i saw it was toching the chassis ,i sandit a little bit for not touching the chassis and the problem solve

[@PracticallySquared1]

You should let all the units run for a good 15 minutes or so before. All these type of scales benefit from this. Dont know why, just know it works. My buddy had issues with his chargemaster 1500 and once he started letting it warm up the drifting issues went away. Increased accuracy. The issues you are having with that new hornady is weird though. Can't tell you anything about it.

[@spm9999]

Awesome.

[@danielmcbride1619]

Thank you , had the same freakin issue man except the part the plate sits in was tweaked and I had to bend it straight…… also had a QC sticker ( bullshit)

[@jasontrewin123]

I wonder a&d scale may be a better option. Very pricey but made in Japan versus China is win

[@yesthatsme657]

The dust cover is there for a reason.

[@ReLoadersBench]

Agreed...to keep dust out...not required/needed to calibrate/zero a scale.

[@jameswells7754]

Mine is still doing the crazy number even after I tried your method

[@ReLoadersBench]

Some of the comments from others may give you other ideas to remedy your scale shy of returning/exchanging it.

[@r1ght1left1]

lol @ corn-ady. Was looking at this versus the RCBS Matchmaster. Does the powder pan plus the plastic cap help reduce the drift?

[@ReLoadersBench]

Once I figured out the issue with the press fit plate that shouldn't be a press fit, held zero and no drift at all.

[@williamreynolds6929]

Wish i would of found this before i sent mine back to Hornady, so here i set waiting

[@ReLoadersBench]

Hope it's not a long wait...

[@pietvermaat5928]

I have an RCBS Chargemaster lite. Works fine. It has the same platen (the red thingy you had to pinch) ;). I guess all brands are made in the same factory. I am not sure if the design is from the USA

[@ReLoadersBench]

Interesting to know RCBS uses the same platen design (not sure if that's a good or bad thing, but assuming there is a reason Hornady changed the design, one would think it's an "improvement"). You a probably right, same plant making the scales just using a different color of resin and injection molds (and probably the same parts inside!)

[@mwm1960]

I had similar problems and ended up with RCBS.

[@DeanRazorsArmory]

I have same 3 Hornady scales and in the instructions for all 3 of them it says let warm.up for 5-10 minutes. I have never had any problems with any of the 3 scales.

[@ReLoadersBench]

and if you watch my “fix” video you’ll understand what was wrong and it had/has nothing to do with warming up for 5-10 minutes

[@DeanRazorsArmory]

@@ReLoadersBench I have the Auto charge pro and I have not had any problems with it, it is accurate and reliable. I ordered from Midway USA just like you did. Hornady takes care of there customers, I called them to order a spring or my Ammo plant they said warranty part and sent it to me for free. Had my Lock n load case prep station stop working they told me to send it in. The next week it was back they told me they replaced the plastic geara with metal gears. That was 3 years ago no problems. If it's there fault they will fix it.

[@supertroopercj5]

My new lyman dispenser that i got this week is having the same problem as yours. Im going to give your fix a try on the lyman and hopefully it works.

[@ReLoadersBench]

does the underside of the platen look like the Hornady? Curious.

[@supertroopercj5]

@@ReLoadersBench its similar, its shaped like an elongated D so it only fits one way. It also has very small nubs that i filled down and now its not a press fit. The scale now reads steady and doesn't drift anymore but the scale wont calibrate and the weight reading is off by a large margin. Ever since i started reloading i wanted to get an electronic powder dispenser but i think im going to stick with the manual powder measures from now on.

[@ReLoadersBench]

@@supertroopercj5 I'd send it back to Midway for either a replacement or a refund. You may also want to reach out to Lyman for their .02. I am personally a fan of digital scales. Like digital locks on safes, they have their pros and cons. Once I got my Auto Charge Pro "working", I'm happy with its speed and accuracy. I may double check charges with a separate scale for a bit to ensure my confidence level in the Auto Charge Pro is valid.

[@CVBigTex]

He no sleeping, he have woo-flu..... 😎🇺🇸

[@domm.277]

Would you recommend buying this scale now after all the issue you fixed? I can get it for 315, or is their a better scale you recommend with less technical glitches/issues? Just starting to get into handloading for PRS.

[@ReLoadersBench]

someone commented on one of my Auto Charge Pro videos they were able to find it online for $279, great price IMO. Yes, I’d buy this scale again. All this stuff is made in China and my pan shelf may have been a one off issue. Either way, Hornady made it right. I do like the scale/features and it’s proven to be quite accurate at dispensing.

[@domm.277]

@@ReLoadersBench thanks man. I will go back and see if someone has a name for the website for 279 besides google searching.

[@ReLoadersBench]

@@domm.277 I did some poking around and found this site...and at that price that's probably why it's out of stock at the moment... gunzonedeals.com/product/horn-050053-auto-charge-pro

[@domm.277]

@@ReLoadersBench thanks man! I'll check the website daily to see when its back instock. Just starting to get into hand loading and slowly buying supplies. Do you know if their is a setting to adjust the volume on the powder dispenser? I couldn't find anything on hornady's website. The beeping after each powder dispensing will get annoying after a while unless I wear earplugs or put tape over the speaker haha.

[@charltonlwalker]

Just ordered this dispenser. Good to know cause I am a magnet for defective products. I also should be part of a technical product’s R&D team…the stupid consumer lol

[@mvic61191]

Having the same issue. Goes crazy as far as drift when i turn it on and wont go past the 10 g calibration. Tried what you said, pinching the post, with no change. Guess mine has to go back?

[@ReLoadersBench]

someone suggested to me to try some fine grit sand paper on the bottom “prongs” so they will seat more freely.

[@mvic61191]

Re Loader Thanks I will try that tomorrow before I send it back. The objective is for it to go all the way in without any force? I definitely got it sliding in and out a little easier. Did you have an issue that it wouldn’t even let you go to the 50g weight? Mine seems to calibrate the 10g weight, I remove the 10g weight and the 50g never comes up ?

[@ReLoadersBench]

mvic61191 - once I pinched the bottom 2 pieces the pan shelf fit better (not a press fit as originally) and I was able to calibrate with both the 10 and 50 gram weights as well as zero.

[@mvic61191]

Re Loader thanks for your help. I’ll definitely try it tomorrow.

[@Mitchbandito]

Always double check with beam scale

[@antibiotik5618]

Спасибо за обзор. Так какой триклер лучше?

[@ReLoadersBench]

Мне больше нравится новый Pro лично

[@cory8791]

Did it come with a dust cover?

[@ReLoadersBench]

Negative...that would have made it more expensive! Having a custom one made as I type.

[@yesthatsme657]

Sorry, but at this level of precision, air currents matter. Breathing near the scale? That can provide tenths of a grain of pressure on the scale. Science matters.

[@ReLoadersBench]

None of my videos profess any level of expertise or recommendations. I share my hobbies and how I do them. That means you cover your scale to your scientific beliefs and I will weigh powder and reload to my beliefs. You can instruct how you believe things should be done in your own videos, that way no one gets butt hurt or offended.

[@ericgabriel9735]

Yeah dude thanks for the vid, but you gota chill on the rambling on and on and on and just get to the point.

[@ReLoadersBench]

I'm an old man and us old guys love to ramble on...and on...and on.

[@ericgabriel9735]

@ReLoadersBench lmao I got ya, it's all good. But yeah I tried that and it didn't work mine is drifting like crazy ten times faster than yours was. I already have it boxed up and sending it back to midway. Hope the next one is better.

[@ReLoadersBench]

@@ericgabriel9735 as a former president once said..."CHI-na"...

[@ericgabriel9735]

Well I got the second one sent from midway and well at least it held 0 and would calibrate, But ended up sending that one back for a refund. It dropped charges dead on according to its readings but tested them on my old school triple balance scale. It was up to 2 full grn off.

[@ReLoadersBench]

@@ericgabriel9735 - and I'm sure that unit had its "QC" sticker that means absolutely nothing, just a check box process during manufacturing. Sorry to hear about both your experiences. See what happens when we shop EVERYTHING out overseas? I just ABSOLUTELY love picking up old stuff (like my current 1950 Delta Unisaw restoration project) and seeing "Made in the U.S.A" or even older "Made in America" stampings.

[@D70340]

What did you expect when it didnt work right. Its a HORNADY, of course you have to fix it. Hornady quality control does not exist at all. It`s chinese made garbage.

[@beenstork]

Did you really need to have a 27 minute video explaining this??? I cant understand why people make such long videos and 95% of it is just them rambling, saying the same thing over and over again

[@ReLoadersBench]

Ah, another keyboard warrior critique who has ZERO content on his own channel to lead by example. How about you make a video, edit it and then publish it so we can then judge your video skills Ben?