Hornady Auto Powder dispenser vs. RCBS chargemaster
- Thread starter dperger
- Start date
The Chargemaster wins hands down, spend the extra coin and sleep at night.
Of all my reading, the only ones bragging about the Hornady are sponsored people, or guys that can't admit making a mistake. And we all know these guys, they're the ones getting 26mpg with their F250 with a 460 engine while city driving!
Of all my reading, the only ones bragging about the Hornady are sponsored people, or guys that can't admit making a mistake. And we all know these guys, they're the ones getting 26mpg with their F250 with a 460 engine while city driving!
Here's a review from a non sponsored shooter. My Hornady powder dispenser works fine. All depends on the setup & what powder you're using. You just need to make adjustments. If I'm making precision loads I don't let it run all the way out. I set it short & trickle & I sleep very well at night. My shooting buddy has the RCBS(he paid for the name) & likes it. Only difference is the RCBS stores charges so you can call them back. Hornady doesn't. As for my truck, well let's just say I get fair mileage with my 5.7 HEMI.
BW
BW
The Chargemaster was a no brainer for me with the rebates they are offering. Buy the thing, send in the rebate for 500 bullets, sell the bullets, have a chargemaster for less than a 100 dollars. I think even with all of the transactions that happened I ended up getting mine for 75 or 80 dollars and it works great.
ETA: I think I had to buy a RCBS pocket cleaner or something also to bring the total up to 300.00 before shipping to get the rebate. It was 289.00 from Natchez at the time I ordered.
ETA: I think I had to buy a RCBS pocket cleaner or something also to bring the total up to 300.00 before shipping to get the rebate. It was 289.00 from Natchez at the time I ordered.
Hornady works fine for me.
Mine seems to be insensitive to EMF interference.
I use the McDonald's straw trick for ball or flake powders (1/2" section of straw stuck part way into the dispenser tube). Extruded trickles fine.
Occasional serious overthrow (>0.2Gr) but the system warns you and locks further throws out until you clear it.
No under throws, occasional 0.1Gr over throw which is nothing.
Checked against my other digital scale, right on the money.
Really your choice.
Good Luck,
RMD
Mine seems to be insensitive to EMF interference.
I use the McDonald's straw trick for ball or flake powders (1/2" section of straw stuck part way into the dispenser tube). Extruded trickles fine.
Occasional serious overthrow (>0.2Gr) but the system warns you and locks further throws out until you clear it.
No under throws, occasional 0.1Gr over throw which is nothing.
Checked against my other digital scale, right on the money.
Really your choice.
Good Luck,
RMD
Good.... keep believing that China only makes and sells crap...... truth is that buying directly from China, Phillippines, Singapore is less and less risky every day as I have learned.......but it is not good for North America's competitiveness on the international stage.
I wanted to see how far off my Hornady Autocharger is compared to my A&D FX-300i scale. It's plugged into the Tripplite line conditioner along with the other scale. The Hornady was on for 3 hours to warm up. then I calibrated both with the same 50 gram weight. I used a test weight every 2 weighings to make sure the FX didn't drift, which it never did, hitting the exact same reading every time. With the 25.2 load, the Autocharger went .14 grain over without setting off the alarm buzzer. And it set it off with the weight reading perfect once. A total variance of .24 grain. With the heavier load, it went over .1 grain with no warning and a total variance of .22 grain. I can't trust it for any kind of accuracy but it is good to get the powder charge a tenth under and then trickle up on the FX scale. Better than the Lee powder spoons which I've used for years.
Anyone using the new RCBS Chargemaster Lite:
http://rcbs.com/Products/Powder-Mea...r-Measures/Electronic/ChargeMaster™-Lite.aspx
http://rcbs.com/Products/Powder-Mea...r-Measures/Electronic/ChargeMaster™-Lite.aspx
After throwing easily 1k+ loads from my Chargemaster and trickling up on an A&D FX120i, the inaccuracy of the Chargemaster (and likely any other dispenser/scale in that price range) became clear. I ran the four tests shown below and concluded that:
1) Chargemaster accuracy was improved by changing parameter S_S from 128 to 255. This allows the scale 255ms to settle down before the microprocessor considers the scale's weight final.
2) The Chargemaster was no more accurate with fine powders than my Hornady powder measure. The chargemaster is better with stick powders, and of course easier to change target weights.
3) The tests below can't possibly be definitive. But the results felt the same as a thousand throws done earlier while using the the Chargemaster as a Lee Dipper and trickling up. The Chargemaster just wasn't accurate enough for my purposes. YMMV.
Chargemaster with H335: 48 loads, 45gr
Loads within +/- 0.06gr of target = 33 or 68.8%
Loads within +/- 0.1gr of target = 41 or 85.4%
Loads not within +/- 0.1gr of target = 7 or 14.6%
When missing the target load, by more than +/- 0.1gr, how far off were they?
+0.5gr, +0.12gr, -0.12gr, -0.14gr, -0.16gr, -0.32gr, -1.04gr
Chargemaster with H335: 50 loads, 40gr (after changing Parameter S_S from 128 to 255)
Loads within +/- 0.06gr of target = 43 or 86% (33 or 68.8%)
Loads within +/- 0.1gr of target = 49 or 98% (41 or 85.4%)
Loads not within +/- 0.1gr of target = 1 or 2% (7 or 14.6%)
When missing the target load, by more than +/- 0.1gr, how far off were they?
+0.16
Hornady PM with H335: 50 loads, 40gr
Loads within +/- 0.06gr of target = 44/88%
Loads within +/- 0.1gr of target = 48/96%
Loads not within +/- 0.1gr of target = 2/4%
When missing the target load, by more than +/- 0.1gr, how far off was the Hornady?
-0.12gr, -0.12gr
Chargemaster with IMR4350: 50 loads, 50gr
Exact: 8, 16%
Low: 24, 48%
High: 18, 36%
+/-0.02gr: 19, 38%
+/-0.06gr: 41, 82%
+/-0.1gr: 43, 86%
>+/-0.1gr: 7, 14%
The charges >+/-0.1gr were all high: 5x0.12gr, 0.18gr, 0.20gr
CaptainMal
Silver $$ Contributor
My Hornady was great for years. Think it might be like 10 years of usage and then the readout started to flicker or flash. Hornady does not do repair so essentially, you throw it away. Still flickers and works but I bought a Lyman Gen 6. It is not so great but for me, works best because it's fast and ...
Always throw a few tenths of a grain short and dump into a Lyman M5 to trickle up.
Always throw a few tenths of a grain short and dump into a Lyman M5 to trickle up.
I've tried ball and stick powders in it. Not much if any difference. Since I got this as a gift, I have to keep it. I set it 1/10 under the target weight and transfer the powder to my FX-300i and trickle up with an Omega/Dandy trickler. By the time that's put in a case, the Hornady has another charge ready. With stick powders, I have to set it on slow or it goes over almost every time. I've done the soda straw trick too which does help.
fwiw,
I've run my old Chargemaster a lot and checked charges with my Sartorius. I will only say I either had a great unit or RCBS knows/knew how to spec their unit to the Chinese. I did find the scale WAS more accurate than the dispenser and the scale together. What that gets you in the real world with a single digit behind the decimal I dunno... imho.
I have NEVER had any luck with Hornady realoading equipment. They make good ammunition and have come up with some good ideas. Reloading equipment is NOT their strong point imho... I am looking a Magnum Lock-n-Load Sonic Cleaner I bought sometime back from Brownells/Sinclair. I was really impressed with the heating and cleaning. I was not so impressed that it worked TWICE before going tits up. I now have 4 jugs of Hornady Sonic Cleaner(1 firearm and 3 brass) with no unit to use them in... This one is being boxed up and sent back. Going to look for a better/best Chinese made unit, or God forbid, something made in the states... It is just not $1000 important to me.
Regards, Matt.
Btw, That being said Lou Murdica gave the Hornady Match Dies the thumbs up ahead of everyone except Whidden if memory serves. He is one that I tend to listen to when he RARELY posts... I very well may try a set despite a bad gut feeling...lol.
I've run my old Chargemaster a lot and checked charges with my Sartorius. I will only say I either had a great unit or RCBS knows/knew how to spec their unit to the Chinese. I did find the scale WAS more accurate than the dispenser and the scale together. What that gets you in the real world with a single digit behind the decimal I dunno... imho.
I have NEVER had any luck with Hornady realoading equipment. They make good ammunition and have come up with some good ideas. Reloading equipment is NOT their strong point imho... I am looking a Magnum Lock-n-Load Sonic Cleaner I bought sometime back from Brownells/Sinclair. I was really impressed with the heating and cleaning. I was not so impressed that it worked TWICE before going tits up. I now have 4 jugs of Hornady Sonic Cleaner(1 firearm and 3 brass) with no unit to use them in... This one is being boxed up and sent back. Going to look for a better/best Chinese made unit, or God forbid, something made in the states... It is just not $1000 important to me.
Regards, Matt.
Btw, That being said Lou Murdica gave the Hornady Match Dies the thumbs up ahead of everyone except Whidden if memory serves. He is one that I tend to listen to when he RARELY posts... I very well may try a set despite a bad gut feeling...lol.
Yes, started using one this week, replacing a Lyman Gen 5. For what it is, I really like the Chargemaster Lite. Ultimately though it's merely going to serve as a tool to get me close to my load as I will drop the hammer on a A&D FZ300i and Autotrickler setup later this week.
Before i got my autotrickler i was using a chargemaster and 2 gempros and the.little.dandy trickler.
I found.it.was.faster and more accurate to use lee scoops and trickle with the little dandy than to even bother with the chargemaster
Now that i have Adam's autotrickler there is no going back.
I found.it.was.faster and more accurate to use lee scoops and trickle with the little dandy than to even bother with the chargemaster
Now that i have Adam's autotrickler there is no going back.
The FX-120i is just as good, the same scale except less capacity which isn't needed in reloading. The reason I ended up with an FX-300i was because the other wasn't available at the time plus they dropped the price to match the FX-120i.
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