I've been using my Hornady Trickler for some time now and decided to look into an auto trickler. Man, those things were $150 and up for something so simple. So, I got online and looked at several different DIY and other builds and came up with my own. All the credit goes to the ideas that I gathered from others. To my surprise, it was very easy and also very cheap compared to a store bought one. My total build cost was $37.20. I wanted to share this because too many times I've seen things like this only to be sold for way too much money and "scalp" the general public. I'm all for helping out the other guy. So here is my list of items used.
Material list: (everything bought off amazon)
- 1.5" screw tap pvc cap (2 pack) - $4.84
- PWM switch (has an offsetting and then works like a rheostat switch) - $6.99
- AA battery holder (2 pack) - $4.99
- 15pc cell phone coin style vibrating motors - $12.99
- Waterproof box (only used the top for easy access to change batteries) - $7.39
- 1/4" rubber hose (already had)
- 6 small screws (already had)
- 1/4" metal tube 3" long (already had)
- JB plastic weld (already had)
I decided to raise it up some so that I could get it to work with my Lyman M5 beam scale. So I raised the PVC up enough and also added some rubber hose to the feet as well. That way it doesn't dampen the PVC cap when vibrating. I ended up using 3 of the coin vibrating motors because I can always turn it down. Unlike the other models that I say, you had 2 buttons. A fast and a slow trickle. This way, I have as slow as I want or wide open fast trickle. I usually use my Lee scoops to get it real close then trickle away. As soon as I see the beam slightly move, I dial it way back. Then when I get real close, I can drop 1 kernel of Varget at a time to fine tune. When done, simply dump the remaining powder back into my containers.
Material list: (everything bought off amazon)
- 1.5" screw tap pvc cap (2 pack) - $4.84
- PWM switch (has an offsetting and then works like a rheostat switch) - $6.99
- AA battery holder (2 pack) - $4.99
- 15pc cell phone coin style vibrating motors - $12.99
- Waterproof box (only used the top for easy access to change batteries) - $7.39
- 1/4" rubber hose (already had)
- 6 small screws (already had)
- 1/4" metal tube 3" long (already had)
- JB plastic weld (already had)
I decided to raise it up some so that I could get it to work with my Lyman M5 beam scale. So I raised the PVC up enough and also added some rubber hose to the feet as well. That way it doesn't dampen the PVC cap when vibrating. I ended up using 3 of the coin vibrating motors because I can always turn it down. Unlike the other models that I say, you had 2 buttons. A fast and a slow trickle. This way, I have as slow as I want or wide open fast trickle. I usually use my Lee scoops to get it real close then trickle away. As soon as I see the beam slightly move, I dial it way back. Then when I get real close, I can drop 1 kernel of Varget at a time to fine tune. When done, simply dump the remaining powder back into my containers.