chargemaster vs. Harrell powder measures

[bsumoba]

What do you guys use?

I have a chargemaster right now, but am thinking since I weigh my charges anyways, that a chargemaster from an efficiency standpoint is not as beneficial because the charge takes so long to dump. yes, i get two measurements, but the chargemaster is +/- 0.1gr, which for what I want to do, is not accurate enough for me.

im thinking of switching to a harrel powder measure, then weighing onto a gempro250 or something like that. maybe dump into a pan with a gempro250, then possibly later on, getting a more precise scale and dump into this for validation.

thoughts?

 

[OldManTA]

Buy a Lee powder measure and a Dandy electronic dribbler. Break the Lee in according to package directions. Adjust the Dandy to dribble single kernels on the low setting into the electronic scale. Spend the money you saved on components or??? If you routinely load for more than one cartridges buy some more Lee measures and have dedicated measures for each load.
Tom Alves

 

[GSPV]

You,are throwing a couple of tenths short with the ChargeMaster, then trickling up to final weight on a balance or something like a GemPro, right?

If so, you should be using two different pans. One for the CM and one for the other scale. Dump the powder in the CM pan into the more accurate scale's pan and put the CM's pan back on it so it starts throwing the next charge.

By the time that you do the final trickle On the first charge, the CM should have the next, light charge, ready to go.

I do it exactly that way. Works for me.

 

[jonbearman]

Lee just came out with a cast iron body and the rest is similar including the wiping thing.I wonder if it is as accurate as the plastic one?

 

[bsumoba]

yes, i do charge low, and trickle with a basic trickler. I also have two separate pans as well; one for the CM and one for the gempro250.

Im just wondering if its still faster to use a harrell's...1/2 second to drop the charge, then put on the gempro, then trickle.

only reason i am wondering about this is because i was using my lee perfect powder measure to drop some varget for my LR-308 and putting it on the gempro as well and i felt that it was faster. I didn't actually time myself, but it sure felt faster, especially when the CM slows down and starts trickling and I'm thinking to myself, i do this part, but on a more precise scale....why the trickle on CM? and yes, i did change the speed settings to drop faster in the beginning.

 

[michaelnel]

Trickling on a GemPro is an exercise in frustration. It's too slow, drifts like crazy and it has an internal auto-zero function that causes it to ignore small changes. Small changes are what you are doing when you are trickling.

I have two of the blasted things and have them packed up in reserve for when no other scale I own is working and I have to weigh something.

Trickling is much easier with either my old Scott Parkerized Ohaus 10-0-5 or what I am using now, an A&D FX-120i, which uses magnetic force restoration technology instead of the load cell technology in the DriftMaster 250.

 

[bblackwell]

+1 on Michaelnel comments. The fastest and most accurate way to go is throw a charge and trickle up with a FX 120i or any high end magnetic force restoration scale.

 

[Tim Singleton]

You,are throwing a couple of tenths short with the ChargeMaster, then trickling up to final weight on a balance or something like a GemPro, right?

If so, you should be using two different pans. One for the CM and one for the other scale. Dump the powder in the CM pan into the more accurate scale's pan and put the CM's pan back on it so it starts throwing the next charge.

By the time that you do the final trickle On the first charge, the CM should have the next, light charge, ready to go.

I do it exactly that way. Works for me.

I like this

 

[kjcpoint]

The Harrell's works great with ball powder (h380 and 414). Fast.
Depends on your application?

Kyle

 

[artbosco]

What do you guys use?

I have a chargemaster right now, but am thinking since I weigh my charges anyways, that a chargemaster from an efficiency standpoint is not as beneficial because the charge takes so long to dump. yes, i get two measurements, but the chargemaster is +/- 0.1gr, which for what I want to do, is not accurate enough for me.

im thinking of switching to a harrel powder measure, then weighing onto a gempro250 or something like that. maybe dump into a pan with a gempro250, then possibly later on, getting a more precise scale and dump into this for validation.

thoughts?

Make the process as hard and as complex as you want.

However, I know top NBRSA national competitors and winners that have gone in the opposite direction, moving to the RCBS ChargeMaster.

Call Don Legg Jr. at RCBS and ask him how to speed up the 1500. He's its programming guru. Only takes a few minutes with his assistance.

 

[CatShooter]

The Harrell's works great with ball powder (h380 and 414). Fast.
Depends on your application?

Kyle

They ALL work great with ball powder.

 

[GSPV]

yes, i do charge low, and trickle with a basic trickler. I also have two separate pans as well; one for the CM and one for the gempro250.

Im just wondering if its still faster to use a harrell's...1/2 second to drop the charge, then put on the gempro, then trickle.

only reason i am wondering about this is because i was using my lee perfect powder measure to drop some varget for my LR-308 and putting it on the gempro as well and i felt that it was faster. I didn't actually time myself, but it sure felt faster, especially when the CM slows down and starts trickling and I'm thinking to myself, i do this part, but on a more precise scale....why the trickle on CM? and yes, i did change the speed settings to drop faster in the beginning.

If one pan on the CM isn't fast enough, you can fiddle with a second pan for it till the two,are close enough in weight to suit you. I did this weighing them on a high end analytical balance. They are as close as I need.

You then put the second on the CM as soon as you take the first off.

I got into this when I am loading for short range and have to dead slow trickle down a long funnel to get the powder in. That way, a charge is always waiting on me.

 

[fdshuster]

Same experience with the GemPro250 (two of them) as Michaelnel: drifting that was taking twice as long to weigh powder as I can do with my RCBS 10-10 (Made in the USA).

Bought them both from WillKnott, first one was returned for exchange, and the replacement was worse than the first one. Returned the second for a refund, and never looked back.

They will work fine for weighing items like diamonds, bullets and brass for weight, but when trying to trickle kernals into the pan, they do not work. That's not what they were designed for.

Tried a Harrell's measure, and found it to be no better than my RCBS Uniflow with stick powders. As mentioned, rotating drum measures will not throw repeatable charges of extruded powders. Fine with ball powders.

 

[fredhorace77]

yes, i do charge low, and trickle with a basic trickler. I also have two separate pans as well; one for the CM and one for the gempro250.

Im just wondering if its still faster to use a harrell's...1/2 second to drop the charge, then put on the gempro, then trickle.

only reason i am wondering about this is because i was using my lee perfect powder measure to drop some varget for my LR-308 and putting it on the gempro as well and i felt that it was faster. I didn't actually time myself, but it sure felt faster, especially when the CM slows down and starts trickling and I'm thinking to myself, i do this part, but on a more precise scale....why the trickle on CM? and yes, i did change the speed settings to drop faster in the beginning.

I wouldnt loose sleep over it. You probably waste more time sitting on the toilet.

 

[Ram]

How reliable and accurate is the scale on the Charge Master? With all the negatives I've read on the high end scales, can the scale included with the Charge Master be any better?

 

[GSPV]

No one is advocating the CM scale for long range. Just using it to "pre throe" before going on to a better scale for final trickling and weighing

For short range, it's fine.

 

[bsumoba]

Based on the feedback and further research, I decided to upgrade (eventually) to the FX120I. at $625, this is probably the best value one out there.

Will have to stick with the gempro250 for this season...although if I feel like its affecting my reloading, I will switch earlier.

I have noticed the drifting, but I also noticed that after an hour or so, it settled in a little and zero was maintained a little better.