Ok, I'll first start by saying I don't like digitals for charge weights as it can be a pain to trickle with them for precise reloads. I do like them for case sorting and bullet sorting as well. That said, I must say I was skeptical about the performance of this new toy my wife bought me for Xmas.

Last night I finally got a chance to play with it so I grabbed a pound of H4831(Large Stick), a pound of AA2015BR(Small Stick), my 1010, and sat down at the kitchen table for a testing of the new toy.

It set up with ease, calibration was a snap, and the instructions were very user friendly.

I proceeded to throw several charges with first the 2015. I weighed every charge on the 1010 after the CM dispensed, all dead on the money. Then, I switched to 4831, same story dead on with all but one charge where it trickled a couple tiny sticks too much on one charge, but it tells you it went over. I just dumped a couple of kernels back in the hoper and laid it back down and she was dead on again.

This is not hardly a big drawn out test but after playing with this thing for an hour and throwing several charges, I must say it was dead on accurate for every charge with exception of the one I mentioned above.

I never thought I'd say this, but the 1010 and dillon are probably fixin' to start gathering dust

After all of my reading on the net, everything pointed torwards the CM as the best of the electronic dispensers on the market, so that's what I asked for. Natchez had them on sale.

I'll wait to form a more solid opinion until after a bit of time, but if it acts like it did last night, this very well could be one of the most valuable pieces of equipment sitting on my bench.

Ya'll have a good one,

Reloader

Good review. Guess I'll add my twwo cents worth.
About six months ago, I was doing the load work up for my ex-son-in-laws new .300 WSM. His powder of choice was IMR-4831. So setting up the podwer measure for load #1, then adjusting for load #2 and so on, roughly three hours laters I had all the loads made up. After setting the measure up, naturally each charge had to be hand weighed as the measure did not throw even charges of large stick powders. A royal PITA! WEll, the first batch of loads were OK, but we felt we could get something better, so off I went to Sportsman's Warehouse to pick up more powder and bullets. While there, I looked at the RCBS Chargemaster and said to my wife, "One of these days I have to get me one of these." She said, "Why not right now?" I don't have to be told twice. I got it and the needed componenets and when I got home, set the tool up and did the calibration. Then I set it up for the first trial load and double checked it on my RCBS digital scal and once more on a balance beam scale. All three readings agreed to one-tenth grain which is all the accuracy any of the three instruments are guaranteed to give anyway. To make a long boring story short, this batch of loads took exactly 45 minutes to do rather than the three hours of the first batch.
Do I recommend this tool to everyone? You betcha! it is especially handy when doing load work up. No messing with powder measures and weighing each new charge to insure the measure is right on, and a great time saver when working up loads with stick powders that resemble redwood logs.
The only place where you have to be a bit careful is whan working with ball powders. It doesn't take much of a jar when removing the pan to knock a few kernals of powder into the pan, thus increasing the amount of powder over the planned load. It usually won't amount to more than another one-tenth of a grain.
Paul B.

how does it react to being in the cold, then warming up? i see lymans wants a 24 hr warm up period, and my loading room is usually unheated until i turn the heat on

Butch,

I don't know anything about warming up. I can't exactly see how warming up a scale would make any difference either.

However in my case I've seen no difference in loads or accuracy thrown at 45 degrees or 110 degrees.

A grain is a grain - temperature doesn't affect the weight of a grain.

quote:

Originally posted by Reloader:
Ok, I'll first start by saying I don't like digitals for charge weights as it can be a pain to trickle with them for precise reloads. I do like them for case sorting and bullet sorting as well. That said, I must say I was skeptical about the performance of this new toy my wife bought me for Xmas.

Last night I finally got a chance to play with it so I grabbed a pound of H4831(Large Stick), a pound of AA2015BR(Small Stick), my 1010, and sat down at the kitchen table for a testing of the new toy.

It set up with ease, calibration was a snap, and the instructions were very user friendly.

I proceeded to throw several charges with first the 2015. I weighed every charge on the 1010 after the CM dispensed, all dead on the money. Then, I switched to 4831, same story dead on with all but one charge where it trickled a couple tiny sticks too much on one charge, but it tells you it went over. I just dumped a couple of kernels back in the hoper and laid it back down and she was dead on again.

This is not hardly a big drawn out test but after playing with this thing for an hour and throwing several charges, I must say it was dead on accurate for every charge with exception of the one I mentioned above.

I never thought I'd say this, but the 1010 and dillon are probably fixin' to start gathering dust

After all of my reading on the net, everything pointed torwards the CM as the best of the electronic dispensers on the market, so that's what I asked for. Natchez had them on sale.

I'll wait to form a more solid opinion until after a bit of time, but if it acts like it did last night, this very well could be one of the most valuable pieces of equipment sitting on my bench.

Ya'll have a good one,

Reloader

Everything in your review is true about the CM.

Don’t sell your balance beam scales or powder dispensers though.

The ChargeMaster is electronic.

Electronic equipment of this nature doesn’t last forever like mechanical equipment.

Your 1010 will be a useful piece of reloading equipment 50 years from now.

The ChargeMaster will be just another piece of junk in the landfill 50 years from now.

I wished the ChargeMaster could be a “forever†tool like the 1010 but it’ll crap out and be unrepairable within 5 years, just like the computer you are posting with now.

Enjoy it, it’s a fine tool. I love mine, even though it’s the second one, replaced under warranty.

PS

This is not a knock on RCBS. It applies to all scales and scale/dispenser combs. They are not forever tools but they are fun while they last.

I have been using my Pact Scale and dispenser since they first came out, without a hitch. Right now my dispenser is back ar the factory for speed up upgrade. BTW the Pact has a lifetime waranty, and is made in the good old USA. Where are the others made. China????

Lyle

quote:

Originally posted by YUMAN:
I have been using my Pact Scale and dispenser since they first came out, without a hitch. Right now my dispenser is back ar the factory for speed up upgrade. BTW the Pact has a lifetime waranty, and is made in the good old USA. Where are the others made. China????

Lyle

Lifetime warranty? Your lifetime? the lifetime of the unit? The limited lifetime of the technology? Please!!

I don't realy know about whose lifetine it is, but the others is only one year. Like I said I have been using mine for twelvew years Without a hitch. When I want advice on the use of it I just call their 800 number and get a real person to talk to. Same with my pact chrono.
I am sold on Pact.
Lyle

Jake Godfredson had a good article in Guns Magazine about the new RCBS Charge Master 1500 several months ago, with some good words about it. Also, Walt Berger, of Berger Bullets, uses one for his reloading which says a lot for it. I bought one for my son who shoots High Power competetively and he likes it, but he loads lots of ammo. I don't, so I still go the load light/trickle up route.

Don

Don

I have had mine for 3 years, love it.Warm up??? no problem just turn on and go, I do watch the air currents during the summer when the AC is running though.

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
how does it react to being in the cold, then warming up? i see lymans wants a 24 hr warm up period, and my loading room is usually unheated until i turn the heat on

The 24hr warm-up for the Lyman is only the very first time you start it up. After that it is 30 min.

Got mine ordered from Natchezz yesterday. Will be here on the 3rd for New Years load work with the fancy new bullets (TTSX, E-Tips, etc). Yeeeeeeeeeeeha just another "cost saving" reloading toy.

Love my RCBS Chargemaster....wouldn't be without it!

Like Yuman, I am a big Pact fan. I have one of their scale/dispensers as well, which has had the speed upgrade, but my RCBS is faster, by a good bit.

50 years???, if my scale lasts 50 years, the $5 a year that works out to is an AWESOME value!

quote:

A grain is a grain - temperature doesn't affect the weight of a grain.

That's absolutely correct. However, temperature will affect how electronic components work. Better to plug it in and let it sit turned on for a half hour than not.
Paul B.

quote:

Originally posted by Fish30114:
Like Yuman, I am a big Pact fan. I have one of their scale/dispensers as well, which has had the speed upgrade, but my RCBS is faster, by a good bit.

50 years???, if my scale lasts 50 years, the $5 a year that works out to is an AWESOME value!

If you get 50 years out of it, it will be one hell of an investment. But right now Pact is loosing market share because they are so much slower than the RCBS even with their speed upgrade. I don’t see them catching up with the Chargemaster without changing their design. Once they change design your current Pact machine will only be repairable with the parts left on hand. They won’t continue to make new parts for the old technology.

By the way, that lifetime warranty doesn’t cover the heart of the scales (the crush cell), that’s 1-year warranty only.

A company called Excell Procession makes the Chargermaster. Based in Taiwan with its factories in China. If you ever bought a pound of sliced meat from your local deli, it’s possible that it was weighed on one of their scales.

Because the Chargermaster is made in China,, don't let the kids Chew on it.

quote:

Originally posted by MickinColo:
Because the Chargermaster is made in China,, don't let the kids Chew on it.

Natchez has the RCBS combo on sale for $255 right now.

One thing to keep in mind, don't pick up the powder tray as soon as it beeps. Wait 'til after it beeps and displays round count for the 'final' weight. It will over-throw stick charges from time to time.

quote:

Originally posted by kelbro:
One thing to keep in mind, don't pick up the powder tray as soon as it beeps. Wait 'til after it beeps and displays round count for the 'final' weight. It will over-throw stick charges from time to time.

Exactly. That's why I program to dispense .3 grains less with stick powders, .2 less with short cuts and RL powders and .1 less with ball powders. Then just poke a few grains off the end of the dispense tube and land dead on.