Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Cabelas has a deal on RCBS Chargemaster.

A couple nights ago, I got tired of throwing charges of H4831, and then adjusting them on the RCBS 10-10. So about midnight I started searching for an electronic powder measure.

I had some Cabelas credit, and eventually ended up looking there. As I completed the order, the discount code bar auto completed with a $60 discount on a $400 purchase of RCBS Chargemaster Supreme. (discount good through April)

They also shipped 2'nd day at no cost.

After opening the box, I usedd it to load a hundred each 6 mm Rem and 257 Roberts with +/- 50 gr of H4831. The old antique stuff in the square paper cans.

Damn, I should have bought one of these many years ago.

Good to know

That's a good deal. I love my chargemaster

This.

A longtime friend's daughter gave me virtually all his reloading equipment and supplies after he passed away, and wouldn't let me pay her for any of it. A nearly new Chargemaster was included. Thanks, Mark! I remember you every time I use that stuff!

I think your last sentence is probably the same thought that everybody has when they buy an electric powder scale.
I have an RCBS Lite- it's worth its weight in gold.

I bought one and used it once and went back to my 10-10. It's still sitting on the bench so maybe I should try it again. It just seemed too slow. I can move a lot faster using one of my powder measures and a trickler.

Bb

Good products. I got extremely frustrated with a cheap Hornady electronic dispenser constantly overthrowing charges no matter how much I slowed it down, it was unbearable. Out of pure frustration I bought the fanciest newfangled one (at the time) RCBS MatchMaster. Buy once, cry once. Worth every penny.

I used a Chargemaster exclusively... when I bulk reloaded 5-10 years ago...

I had it set up so I could seat a primer (on another case) as well as seat a bullet (previously charged two before)... in the time it took the Chargemaster to throw 43.5 grains for the third round...

The only caveat was to not touch the table for the final two grains.

Very fast for me.

This x 1000

Personally, speed of loading is not a consideration. I just do NOT trust electronics. I use a single stage press, RCBS Rockchucker. Had it since the 70's. I have a uniflow powder charger. I set it to throw less than the amount I need and trickle every single charge into my scale. It is just me and I don't load the volume of many here.

I have one, works well! It’s nice to be out of the dark ages. I had it for a couple of years before I dug it out, started using it. I’m a Dumass!!! I use the little piece of McDonald’s straw, helps it work even better.

I didn’t either, but it really works well!

I have the old one.

It was a piece of crap until RiverRider taught me how to desolder and then solder up connections in the unit.


They were soldered poorly at the factory.


Unless the new ones are twice as fast....I wouldn't spend the money again.


About the only thing they are handy for is load development.

If I am loading more than say 20 rounds....I will throw the charges.

With a baffle and consistency, a powder measure is twice as fast and just as accurate.

What is the straw trick?

That is much dependent upon powder of choice. With ball powders, absolutely.

I will continue to use the Uniflow measure for most of my pistol work.

But, with this old H 4831, the Chargemaster is a huge step up from the Uniflow measure. I am sure it will also be so for all of my other extruded "cordwood" powders.

Same question. I have seen this mentioned before, but have no clue.

I just use one of these.



I gauge it to dispense about what I want, then charge the cases directly. No additional weighing. Of course, I'm not working up precision loads. Just range ammo.

I guess this is what they are talking about.
https://forum.accurateshooter.com/threads/rcbs-chargemaster-mcdonalds-straw-s.3932464/

I have only used my unit the one day. But I do not see the need.

Set at 50 gr, It feeds very rapidly up to 40 gr plus. Then it slows significantly and feeds up to 48.5-49 gr. The last gr or so trickles at one to two kernels at a time, up to 50 gr.

In 200 rounds, I did not see a single over weight drop. And obviously, any under weight were trickled up to target.

I did not check weigh the charges against my balance beam scale, but my calibration weights were dead on for the chargemaster.

And, as I was loading right to the base of the neck of the case, visual inspection showed good uniformity.

I dropped a weighed charge into a case, set the empty pan back on the scale, and then seated a bullet into the case and put the cartridge into a storage box.

I sometimes had to wait, possibly one second for the scale to finish trickling up before I could pull the next charge off. Far faster than adjusting weight on a thrown charge from my Uniflow. (With this powder)

As Jim said above, this thing is the cat's meow for load development. I set up charges for a couple ladder tests lickety split.

Again, The Uniflow, or Redding BR-3, or Lyman 55, or Lee Perfect, or my "Midway Powder Measure" or whatever powder measure you prefer, is not capable of throwing an accurate charge of large kernel extruded powder.

My Uniflow will vary over 1.0 gr per throw with this H4831. If the rotor hangs on a throw as it cuts through a kernel of powder, that throw will be nearly two gr heavy.

That is why most people throw a grain under weight and trickle up on a scale.

If I am loading with H414, or Mag Pro, or Magnum, or another ball powder, which covers most of my pistol powders, the powder measure throws very adequate charges.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of my rifle loads are done with large stick powders.

This is true.

Gave my UNI away after I used the Chargemaster Lite a while.

I measured some throws with H-380 38.5 grains / 22-250 one was 1.3gr. light, that was the last straw. Cheap plastic Lee measure did about the same.
Only commies use powder measures......

Besides long hard to throw granules these machines are great for stuff like 800X. If you’ve ever tried to throw this weightless powder in a measure, it is exasperating.

Picture putting styrofoam packing peanuts into a shrinking machine until it is nearly microscopic.

But magic for top velocity in the 10mm.

I do the same thing, I've also used or shaved off some of the lee spoons to get me close and then trickle. I do check it against an rcbs range master but I mostly use that for weighing brass.

Sweet. Hope you continue to like it.


We ran hundreds of pounds of imr 4350 through a Uniflow back in the day.


It was annoying...but it was always accurate.



I make all my hunting rounds with my chargemaster. Only make them in batches of 25.

A lee dipper or a half teaspoon can still beat it for speed.

I got a Chargemaster 1500 shortly after they came out because I was working up a load for my son in law. He insisted I use a load recommended by a friend nd I said no, I will do a proper work up with his stated components. Cartridge was the .300 WSM, 165 gr. Ballistic Tip Winchester brass and primer. Powder was IMR4831. I never could get decent throws with4831 from my old Pacific or Uniflow measure so early on went with ball type powders. Well his one pound can of powder wasn't quite enough for the project so my late wife and I hit the Sportsman's Warehouse, me to pick up more powder, bullets and primers and her to look at clothes. I was looking at the Chargemaster and told her I'm gonna get me one of those someday to which she said, "Why not today?" She's been gone five years now and I still miss her. Since I got that Chargemaster I've even gone back to using stick type powders again. Never thought that would ever happen I still use the Uniflow though when loading handgun ammo. Then every tenth charge gets checked on the beam scale.
PJ

Anyone who has a Chargemaster they don't want, pm me. I'll try to buy it.

Let me preface this by saying that I'm not falling on either side here. I look at things as a system. What parts of a system require absolute precision, or if some parts allow variance, how much variance is acceptable while still meeting whatever specification or goal you have set?

To that end, I just got out my RCBS Uniflow powder measure purchased in 1976 to run some stick IMR4831 (i.e. not the newer short cut variety) through it to see how much charge weights vary. I did this same test many years ago to see how much technique mattered but that data was lost somewhere.

The measure isn't mounted on a stand, it's mounted on my press using that flat bar they supply with it held in place with whatever die is handy. Also no baffle, it's filled to about an inch from the top and the cap replaced.

Two techniques were tried, one good bump at the top and one at the bottom of the stroke and a double bump at the top of the stroke - mine fills at the top stroke. It was set with an RCBS 505 scale to a "close enough" nominal weight but for this trial I was more interested in the total variance than any absolute. Normally I'd set the measure by throwing three charges and getting the total weight, i.e. for a 40 grain weight I'd set the measure when it threw an exact 120 grains.

The formula (total variance / nominal charge weight) * 100 was used to get total variance as a percent of the nominal charge weight.

Mathman can chastise me on my experimental parameters if he wants, I didn't measure moisture content of the powder or anything like that. Just wanted to see what would happen throwing charges in a "normal" manner.

First try, nominal 40 grains of powder, one bump at top and bottom of stroke:
39.5, 39.5, 39.4, 39.6, 39.6, 39.6 - 0.2 grains total variance, 0.5% of nominal weight

40 grains of powder, double bump at top of stroke:
39.9, 39.9, 39.8, 40.0, 39.8, 40.0 - 0.2 grains total variance, 0.5% of nominal weight

Then I set it to a 60 grain charge to see if a bigger charge weight produces a bigger variance. In this case it seems to have done so. I only used a single bump at top and bottom for this trial.
60.2, 60.4, 60.0, 60.1, 60.4, 60.0 - 0.4 grain total variance, 0.67% of nominal weight



Again, not falling on either side of the argument, it's a hobby, do whatever you like to do. Is .5% variance in powder charge going to have a significant or insignificant effect on grouping? If absolute precision is the goal then one can get 0.0 grain variance by throwing a light charge and trickling up. The only intent here is to give some empirical data on variance of a worst case powder just by throwing from a measure.

Btw, if someone wants to repeat this experiment with a measure mounted more solidly and/or using a baffle, please, have at it.

I’ve had one since it came out, it’s a love hate relationship.

That was very informative. Thanks.

I've never had any trouble making extremely accurate loads with my CM, love the thing. Obviously they can be programmed to speed up the process, which I did, and I use an insert that helps the process as well to negate overthrows. It's very accurate, I'm never in a huge hurry reloading so it's plenty fast enough for me. I'd get another in a heartbeat.

I need to give mine another try and see if I can adjust it to speed up. I'm going to be loading a bunch of h1000, h4831sc, and h4350 along with a bit of retumbo. I use a lot of 8208xbr too but it meters really well from a uniflow almost like ball powder.

I'll give the 1500 a chance again with the courser extruded stuff but anything ball or small extruded I'll use a powder dump. I have 2 uniflows, a Hornady, and a lee. Anything as coarse as varget or courser I weigh each charge. Most of my handgun stuff I load on a progressive anyways.

Bb

I've heard of people using two at a time.

I have had this question for quite some time and no definitive answer. Is the charge precision in the weight? Or the volume? I use a Harrels bench rest measure and lean toward powders that measure smoothly. I weigh each charge with 4350’s and 4831’s. Benchrest competitors use powder measures almost exclusively. Solo where is the precision? In the weight? Or in the volume?
Rick

I have a Chargemaster Light that I love but it has not made my Uniflow obsolete. I still use both, though I use the electronic dispenser much more just because of how I typically load. I agree with Jim, if you’re loading much more than about 25 rounds or so it’s much faster to throw them unless you’re throwing one of the large, extruded powders. It’s probably still faster, it’s just frustrating for me to constantly be cutting through kernels of powder. On the flipside, my Chargemaster has difficulties with super fine ball powders like Hunter and Big Game. It often throws over-charges of those. There’s probably a way to slow it down. I just haven’t gotten that far into it yet.

Where the electronic dispensers really shine for me, is when I’m working up a load. Then every sixth round or so I just dial in a new charge weight and go. Don’t have to futz around with changing the powder measure. Much faster. I also typically am loading up rounds in 20 round increments because of time constraints. For me it’s been faster to just use the electronic dispenser for that but when I’m loading up a large batch, like the 50 rounds of .243 I did the other day, then it’s faster to use the Uniflow.

YMMV

I own a Charge Master, bought it years ago when they were reasonably priced. The scale stopped working within the first year. RCBS replaced it with a refurbished unit. It worked great for almost 2 years when the dispenser stopped working. It was well out of warranty by that time, so I packed it up in the box it came in and put it on the top shelf out of the way and got out the old balance beam and uniflow.

So what was the promo code? It's not showing up on my end.

24CLUB75

#ballers