RCBS Chargemaster WOW!!

[Atakawow]

Just picked one up for an amazing price. All I can say is "WOW!!". How did I manage to go so long without one?? Charges are thrown as input with +/- 0.1, exactly as advertised (I cross-check every 3 or so charges on the beam scale).

Truly a must-have for rifle cartridges (too slow for pistol). I would have paid the full MSRP for one.:razz:

Pic of it on the bench:

https://s17.postimg.org/mm78oja1r/IMG_20171123_190522878.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Yep. I wouldnt trade mine for nothin'. I use the check weights and if everything is kosher I roll on. Youve probably already figured it out but you can have it automatically start throwing the next charge once you replace the pan and it zeros itself out. That way you dont have to hit the dispense button everytime.

[17nut]

I have the old (PACT) model and love it for loading 17 Hornady Hornet, where the difference between 10.0 grains and 10.2 grains is disaster. It is not fast but it is hugely convenient.

[Beagle333]

Didn't I read somewhere that you could program it to do pistol loads faster?

[MyFlatline]

I wouldn't trade mine for nuthin, as for speed, by the time I seat and crimp the next load is ready to pour.

edit to add:

You might see if you can move it to a different table other than the one the press is on. If there is any movement at all when pulling the press it can have ill effects on the weight..JMHO

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Good suggestion on putting it on a different table. That's exactly how I use mine and find it is super accurate.

[jmorris]

I have a couple, I would like them even more if RCBS would include information about the parameters, I would prefer the ability to shut the auto zero “feature” off.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmxBSOOL7Ks

[lightman]

Just picked one up for an amazing price. All I can say is "WOW!!". How did I manage to go so long without one?? Charges are thrown as input with +/- 0.1, exactly as advertised (I cross-check every 3 or so charges on the beam scale).

Truly a must-have for rifle cartridges (too slow for pistol). I would have paid the full MSRP for one.:razz:

Pic of it on the bench:

https://s17.postimg.org/mm78oja1r/IMG_20171123_190522878.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Thats a nice looking loading bench! And Yeah, the Chargemaster is a nice piece of equipment. I would hate to be without mine!

[Road_Clam]

Same here, used a drum dump for many years, then finally shelled out the big coin, and wished I did it from the beginning. The Chargemaster is not technically a direct "time saver" but it does allow you to push a button, dump a very accurate charge then walk away and perform secondary tasks. Very fast drop weight charge adjustments as well. A definite time saver when loading up new loads with varied charges. Keep in mind when the unit is not perfect if left for extended periods the weight will drift. In other words if you drop a 42 grain charge and walk away for an hour the reading will read something like 40.8 even though you do in fact have a perfect 42 gr drop of powder. I tried using my Chargemaster on BP and it seems to be extremely slow with FFG Goex. I've since gone back to using a drum for BP.

[jmorris]

A pair of CM’s has you loading pretty smoothly though but if I want the most repeat consistency I use my homade auto setup, it has a much higher resolution.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACd3yt0J3Bg

[dragon813gt]

Didn't I read somewhere that you could program it to do pistol loads faster?

Yes, you can speed up or slow down the dispensing speed. I wouldn't suggest it for light pistol loads. It will over throw the charges w/ regularity if you do this. Most people change when it goes from high to low and low to trickle. This allows for faster throws w/ large rifle charges. I played around w/ if but went back to the factory settings. The load is always ready when I need it w/ these settings.

[Atakawow]

A separate table is a good idea. I haven't had any issue from vibration while operating the press. Although I can see that it is needed while loading bigger cartridge.

I haven't messed with the charging speed, yet. If I remember my part, that is, dispense the next charge while seat/crimp the current round, there's almost no downtime by the time I need to charge the next round.

I found that for pistol cases, removing the brass from the LCT, funnel, dump, and add back to the press added quite a bit of time in the overall process. So for this, the Lee drum still serves a purpose.

The one negative feature I've found is the drain channel. My God, it is no fun when half a pound of ball powder is poured all over the bench (ask me how I know that :killingpc).

[Road_Clam]

Link to adjusting speeds:
http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2012/10/tech-tip-how-to-speed-up-your-rcbs-chargemaster-1500/

[OS OK]

To speed the dispensing, try this...use a Lee dipper to put 3/4's or so of the dispensed charge in the pan after pushing the dispense button.
I have the (?-1500) model separate dispenser and scales, it works with this old one.
Also, set the charge a few tenths light of target and trickle up to exact desired amount...if you are having trouble with it overthrowing/underthrowing the stick powders.


208371

[jmorris]

NOTE: there is no default to go back to the factory parameters if you start adjusting them, write them all down before hand, so you can return them to original.

If you are like me and tested the various “tunes” side by side with an unchanged unit to see what changes actually worked better or worse. Some are completely useless others work better with some powders and worse with others. Instead of changing parameters every time I changepowders, I just leave mine at their factory settings these days.

If you just want it to throw another charge when you return the pan, once you throw your first charge, press and hold “enter” until “auto” comes up on the display. Then it will throw a charge by just returning the pan, it’s in the manual.

[dragon813gt]

I found that for pistol cases, removing the brass from the LCT, funnel, dump, and add back to the press added quite a bit of time in the overall process. So for this, the Lee drum still serves a purpose.

The one negative feature I've found is the drain channel. My God, it is no fun when half a pound of ball powder is poured all over the bench (ask me how I know that :killingpc).

The Lee funnel fits into the top of their charging dies. There is no need to remove the brass from the press. If you're using another brand of dies in sure one of the funnels on the market will fit. There will always be a use for a press activated powder measure.

I hear the compliant about how the unit drains all the time. This isn't a design fault. It's a user fault. I haven't dumped powder all over the place because I always make sure it's closed before I dump powder into the hopper. No matter what type of drain system they used people would forget to close it and dump powder all over the place.

[BK7saum]

Maybe I'm the oddball here but I went back to a uniflow, trickler, and rcbs beam balance. My charge master with auto zero doesn't want to keep +/-0.2. Frankly I can get just as good accurate charges with just the uniflow. Even when zeroed, the auto zero feature seems to cause 0.2 grain fluctuations with the pan zero from charge to charge having about a 0.2 grain variance. I just don't trust it.

[OS OK]

Remember that a very slight air flow in the room and bench vibrations will play heck with these digital scales too.

[country gent]

My very early RCBS charge master ( it uses the separate setting and measure with infared pick up to the scales. HAs worked great since I bought it. Ive used it for long range ammo ( 1000 yds) and its performed great. I got in the habit on rifle loads (243 308 and 300 win mag) to set up a powder measure to drop just shy of where the high speed tube shuts off. I drop a charge and drop it in the pan hit the start button. The measure starts with the high speed tube running and finishes dead on before I have seated the bullet on the previous round and gently set it in the ammo box. Using the pre dropped charge with the heavier charges of coarser grained powder speeds things up a lot with mine. In reality with practice and paying attention I can do almost as good with my Harrels measure on a solid mount.

[6bg6ga]

A pair of CM’s has you loading pretty smoothly though but if I want the most repeat consistency I use my homade auto setup, it has a much higher resolution.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACd3yt0J3Bg

This little setup will beat those fancy store bought units at a fraction of the price. The money you save can be put towards another firearm purchase.

[tinsnips]

I just got done wrapping one up for my 2 sons it will make a great xmas present. I have had one for a few years one of the best things I have ever bought for reloading.

[Bullwolf]

I really like my RCBS Chargemaster 1500.

There was one thing I never really understood though, and I didn't pick up on it while going through the instructions either.

The clear plastic draft protector cover.

I never really understood how one would use this. When I have the clear cover snapped in place, I can't easily pick up the powder pan. So I pretty much only attached the draft cover while the unit was off. Using it as more of a dust cover than anything else.

Then I saw this picture on the web.

http://www.stu-offroad.com/firearms/reloading/rcbs/chargemaster/chargemaster-7.jpg

It never occurred to me to only attach one side of the draft cover, and use it like a swinging hinge. (like in the above image) Maybe I'm just dense, but it would have been nice if someone had put that picture in the instructions for people like me.

I still mostly use my Chargemaster without the wind/breeze/draft plastic cover on, as there's not much of a draft present in my loading room. I'd already learned long ago not to exhale heavily on any reloading scale.

Figured it was worth mentioning in case there's any other Luddites out there like me, that don't watch a lot of videos.




- Bullwolf

[OS OK]

Hey Bulls....hows the snow pack up there? Still fall down on this side of the mountain!

That hinge thing..."It's one of those..."NO DUH ! (slap yourself in the forehead things)"

Don't fret...the older you get...the more you do it! . . . :bigsmyl2:

[warpspeed]

I like mine. Another tool to do a specific job.

208466

[lucifers]

Wonderful scale/dispenser. The only way to load the big RL powders.

[Gofaaast]

I like the heck out of mine. It's a huge upgrade over the powdermaster I replaced that took years to calibrate and start dispensing compared the chargemaster.
It doesn't get along with some powders. I was throwing 76 grains of 4831sc today and got .2-.4 over several times. I will add a straw to the dispenser tube to reduce this someday. I won't be without one when loading most rifle rounds though.

[6bg6ga]

I'm kinda surprised as most of you guys would walk across town to save a nickle yet you will blow your money on simething like that you could DIY yourself and have a better piece of equipment.

The unit in post #10 can be easily made by anyone that can read and follow a simple wiring diagram and save you several hundred dollars in the process.

[jmorris]

You don’t even need to know how to read, I made a video of the wiring on one.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxPenA7c0hE

The “why” is the same reason people pay more dollars at a fast food drive through than they would if they bought a steak at the store and went home and cooked it to their liking, one is no work at all and does the job they want done.

[6bg6ga]

I'm a steak person. I'll buy a good steak for the same price someone else paid for french fries, burger, and a coke. In this case the cost of the materials and possibly one hour of their time was way less than the cost of a few items ordered off ebay.

Between the two of us we provide several different ways to wire it a cheap source of motors, power supplies, and sensors. I just don't understand how someone would consider a ready made product that really has some flaws and costs so much more.

[jmorris]

I understand there is “a butt for every seat” though. I own a couple of the CM’s and eat fast food from time to time too, even if I can’t find a flaw in your assessment.

[Bullwolf]

I'm kinda surprised as most of you guys would walk across town to save a nickle yet you will blow your money on something like that you could DIY yourself and have a better piece of equipment.

The unit in post #10 can be easily made by anyone that can read and follow a simple wiring diagram and save you several hundred dollars in the process.

I didn't buy the RCBS Chargemaster 1500. It was a Birthday gift from a shooting and reloading buddy.

He called it the most selfish gift ever, because he intended to get some use out of it as well when we load for rifles together... He said he was tired of watching me hand trickle out charges of poor metering stick rifle type powders, like IMR 4831. He liked using the one he got me so much, that he bought another one for his own use.

Previous to the Chargemaster, I got along just fine with a balance beam scale, and my hand operated powder trickle.

http://www.thegunmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/HL9-trickle-300x200.jpg

Except I used a RCBS 505 beam scale, and a RCBS older aluminum powder trickle.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=154669&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1449035136

When I first started reloading, I don't think the RCBS Chargemaster even existed. There was no internet yet, and I'd never seen anything like it in a magazine or reloading manaul, so I didn't think much about an automated electric powder trickle and scale combination.

Affordable reliable electronic scales weren't around, or were priced so high that they may just as well not have existed for me.

Eventually, I encountered one of the early Dillon D terminator electronic scales (at work of all places) that I was actually impressed with. It cost quite a bit when it first came out too. I didn't trust it at first, and still double checked and verified all my charges with a balance beam scale. It was many years before I purchased my first digital scale for my own use.


I seriously wanted to dislike the Chargemaster in the beginning. It used another electrical outlet, and it's somewhat largish foot print, took up precious room in my already small reloading area.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_187904efc51e484b72.jpg

I was extremely comfortable with the method I'd previously been using, even though it was a little slower than the Chargemaster, it had worked just fine for years.

Turns out I ended up loving the Chargemaster, despite the extra room it took up. No more crunching stick powders in my Uniflow measure, or having to throw light charges and trickle up the rest by hand.

Whenever I'm ready for a powder charge for my next case, the Chargemaster always seems to have a full perfectly trickled out powder pan waiting for me. The rare times that it's over, are when I bump the pan into the nozzle by hand myself.

Sure it's lazy, but I really enjoy it now. If it ever broke, I would not hesitate now to pony up the cash for another one.

If you had asked me if I really needed one before using it, I would have called it extravagant and an unnecessary addition. I'd have likely bought reloading components, or another gun instead of the Chargemaster.

Now I can hardly remember what it was like loading large charges of stick powder (or other difficult to meter powders) without it.

I like that the Chargemaster is all self contained too, because I still use my 505 scale to verify charge weights, and I occasionally still use my hand powder trickle as well. Both are mounted above my reloading press on a dedicated shelf. I just use them much less often now, but they sure are convenient with that last little bit of powder that's left in a can.

I'm personally not very good with electronics, but with some struggle, maybe I could eventually manage to build something similar with an electric motor and an optical sensor, like our resident wizard jmorris assembled for less. Assuming of course I could source all the parts online or something.

But since the Chargemaster cost me nothing, I figure I'm already ahead of the game.

I've spent more money on lots of things that turned out to be much less useful.



- Bullwolf

[David2011]

I bought one when my buddy took his away from my reloading room after about a year of getting very used to having it. Both matched my 5-0-5 scale every time. I agree that either a table isolated from the press bench or timing the bullet seating stroke is critical for good results. The time needed to throw the amount of powder I was using allowed me to seat the bullet while the CM was throwing the fast part of the next charge. I turn my air conditioner off while using it. The least little air current makes them unreliable.

[Beagle333]

I have a chargemaster. I got one NIB on here for $200 shipped from a member.

For me, the intimidating part of the DIY system isn't the wiring, but mounting all of the stuff. Where do I get a powder measure stand with that handy little ramp on it? And I don't even own a powder measure. What holds the little motor in line with the trickler, where do I get one, and how is it attached to the trickler tube? Where do I get one of those nifty clear reservoirs to put on top of my custom trickler? (and where do I find a trickler like that?) Where do I get one of those adjustable stands to hold the photo switch unit and how do I attach the unit to the stand? How do I store all of this awkward looking setup when I'm done?

Those questions make someone like me love the out-of-the-box neatness of the Chargemaster system. Take it out, play with it, put it away when you're done. :-D

[6bg6ga]

I have a chargemaster. I got one NIB on here for $200 shipped from a member.

For me, the intimidating part of the DIY system isn't the wiring, but mounting all of the stuff. Where do I get a powder measure stand with that handy little ramp on it? And I don't even own a powder measure. What holds the little motor in line with the trickler, where do I get one, and how is it attached to the trickler tube? Where do I get one of those nifty clear reservoirs to put on top of my custom trickler? (and where do I find a trickler like that?) Where do I get one of those adjustable stands to hold the photo switch unit and how do I attach the unit to the stand? How do I store all of this awkward looking setup when I'm done?

Those questions make someone like me love the out-of-the-box neatness of the Chargemaster system. Take it out, play with it, put it away when you're done. :-D

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?327543-automatic-powder-trickler

Check out the link and it may answer some of your questions.

The term DIY Do it Yourself means bluntly that some of the pieces you will make yourself. Both Jmorris and I put links to different parts to allow one to buy a power supply, buy the sensor and the trickler motor. Some of us aren't as lucky as jmorris to simply start up a mill and machine a part for example. Thus the DIY ...you get an idea and make it work using your own innovative ideas. Don't own a mill to make the powder chute..well a piece of plastic tubing heated and formed will work nicely. Making it fit on your RCBS powder trickler? Own a drimell tool/ a little grinding a slit here along with a clamp and it will work as well as the machined metal chute it just won't look as pretty. A trickler motor bracket? Got a piece of aluminum that you can drill several mounting holes in addition to a shaft hole? YYou can make your bracket. Got an extra piece of aluminum to mount the sensor to? I used some epoxy to mount my sensor to the piece of aluminum and then used a small c-clamp to attach the bracket to the scale for alignment so I could drill several mounting holes. Anything can be made..jmorris proves this to us every month or so as he keeps coming up with new ideas and ways of doing things. I suggest that you use your immagination and you can figure just about anything out.

The charge master is a good tool when properly used and used with caution. Any air movement can change the honesty of the unit. While nice to have and certainly a great gift I would have to think twice before buying one especially after DIYing the automatic powder trickler.The money that I saved went to purchasing several conversion kits for my 650 Dillon. While I spent about the same amount of money my mileage differed.

[jmorris]

That’s where I was going with my fast food analogy. We know it’s not going to be as good but good enough, the convenience and fact that we don’t have to do anything except chew to not be hungry anymore, is what drives sales.

[trebor44]

I have had mine for quite a few years. I use it to check the Dillon "throws" and do both rifle and pistol. Speed is not a concern but accuracy is for my reloads. If the charge is off a bit I just redo it. I do use loading blocks to hold all of the charged cases for a single stage press before seating bullets and don't worry about a slight delay between cases. The plastic Lyman funnel replaced the "metal pan and funnel" shortly after I got the CM. My CM has been very accurate from the get go, so if I had the space I would get another one.