well I have had the Johnson quick throw for a couple of days now, and thrown about 200 test loads I tried IMR4350, Varget, CFE223, TAC, and Unique.
the good
- it's well made
- it does not cut stick powder
- it is fast, raise the tube count to three, release and it is done. It is smooth as butter in the operation with anything from TAC to 4350
- settings are very repeatable, I just use my calipers and measure the distance between the rings on the tubes or the distance from the top ring to the bolt head. You can get back to the tenth of a grain easily and quickly in seconds using nothing more exotic than the calipers you have on the bench
-these are made in a small shop in the USA by a guy who shoots and understands reloading, if you have a question you can talk with the guy who made it not some CS person at a major company
- it's small and easy to empty when you are finished. It comes with a tight fitting cap so for range loading it is the perfect take along throw
- price is ok for it's quality. You can buy a lower end Harrels for about this price but it will still have a problem with extruded. Or pay bit more for a auto throw that is not as portable
the so -so
- accuracy is about the same as any other volume measure. Measuring ten throws CFE .223 threw with a .05 gn accuracy, Varget within .15, and Unique was horrible and could vary as much as .4 gns
This was operating just as it came from the box. No baffles, no weights, no tapping or any other tricks to get the powder to settle
the bad
-no instruction on assembly or use, the Youtube video is pretty sparse also. It is pretty simple but the non mechanically inclined might need to call Washington state and ask some questions
- I have a measuring tube that did not want to stay inserted. I considered calling Mr Johnson to return it then thought what the heck and used a O ring from my O ring box as a retainer. A common rubber band would work as just as well but I did not have one handy
- they supply rubber orings to help the adjustment setscrews in place. Next trip to the hardware store I will take a setscrew along and buy some nuts to lock them. I ordered my tubes ala carte and at least two of each one I wanted. The plan is to set one of each size for "pet loads" and the other for testing. Tubes are 8 - 10 dollars so you can afford to have several dedicated to a certain charge if you want.
All in all I like it and it has replaced my Horandy drum style measure on my bench. However if you use extruded(stick) powder a lot and trickle to exact weight, really appreciate good craftsmenship and need a good repeatable throw that is easily portable this one is hard to beat. A Lee Perfect would still be the best throw dollar for dollar but they tend to leak with fine ball powders and are a pure t b**** to set
For the shooter that uses 4350, Varget, 4831 and trickles to weight as I do it is a great purchase