I discovered something about my Chargemaster 1500 and Varget

[Turbulent Turtle]

Yesterday evening, I retreated to my loading cave to start catching up on my ammo supply for the numerous upcoming matches.

I have been using my CM 1500 for 5 years now and I hev never had any issues with it, just the over charge once every 20-30 load. My usual session is 100 cartridges and for that I load Varget powder about halfway up the powder reservoir on the device. Last night, I emptied the remnants of my 8 pound keg into the reservoir and filled it up pretty full. I was not going to be emptying it because I have several hundred rounds to load over the next little while.

So I started the process and lo and behold I was getting overcharge after overcharge and the dispensing was faster than usual. After about 5 or 6 loads, it dawned on me that the weight of all that powder in the cylinder was pushing the powder into bigger and more frequent clumps. I continued for a while and it kept doing the same thing, overcharge after overcharge and sometimes undercharges. My theory on an undercharge is that a big clump drops on the pan and the initial contact causes the scale to register .1 to .2 grains over the real charge and that gets registered before the pan stabilizes and the real weight is detected. An overcharge is just a big clump falling into the pan when only a kew kernels were needed to reach the target threshold.

I removed some of the powder from the reservoir, to make sure it was only about half full and resumed my loading. Problem solved.

For me the takeaway is to make sure I never fill it more than halfway up.

 

[fredhorace77]

thats why most manual powder droppers come with a metal seperator

 

[amlevin]

You can make your own baffles from scratch for just about any round powder reservoir.

There is a PDF of the templates posted here

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=uncle%20nicks%20powder%20measure%20baffles&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CFIQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.shootersforum.com%2Fattachments%2Fhandloading-equipment%2F10528d1320785845-powder-measures-powder_baffle_instructions_and_templates.pdf&ei=-v0zUP_YKtHciQLik4EQ&usg=AFQjCNFcp2R_pnPyeF6MmC1a_SCIsDs_6Q

Uncle Nick's Powder Measure Baffles.

Download the PDF, choose your size, print page with printer set for 100% size, then glue to suitable material. I made mine out of a galvanized "shingle" (all the local hardware store had) and it fits perfectly.

On the Chargemaster, it sometimes helps (at least for me) to NOT have it level fore/aft. Mine is tilted back ever so slightly by putting a 1/8" shim under the front feet. Seems to slow the movement of powder, especially Varget. I rarely get an overcharge now.

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

As I mentioned some time in the past, my chargemaster sits on a large board on a table and I place a couple of quarters under the front on the board so the whole unit is tilted back ever so slightly. I rarely got over/undercharges. But last night was the first time that I could remember loading up the reservoir to capacity.

 

[necchi]

[quote author=amlevin link]
You can make your own baffles from scratch for just about any round powder reservoir.
[/quote]
Gadd's, Thank You amlevin!
That's a great link.
A guy can make his own out of a plastic milk jug instead of coughing up $10-11 for a punched out piece of tin!!

 

[in2deep]

Try this King's Crown mod (just a further mod of the original soda straw mod) I came up with for curing the clumping problem when using Varget in a Chargemaster. It will probably help more than a baffle since it's a clumping problem at the end of the tube and maybe not so much a problem with weight like happens in a traditional thrower:

http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/tag/rcbs-chargemaster/

 

[DennisH]

I will try anything once ???

I cut a McDonalds drink straw as shown in the above link, and put two quarters under the front legs.

I rarely have a problem now. I don't ever fill the tube over 1/2 with powder. If you put more powder in the tube, it will definetly throw the powder out faster until it gets to about the half way point.

 

[memilanuk]

With the Mickey Dee straw mod and some basic adjustment of the motor speed set points (freely available on various internet forums) I never had any significant amount of over throws, regardless of how full the hopper was on my CM 1500...

 

[amlevin]

[quote author=amlevin link]
You can make your own baffles from scratch for just about any round powder reservoir.

Gadd's, Thank You amlevin!
That's a great link.
A guy can make his own out of a plastic milk jug instead of coughing up $10-11 for a punched out piece of tin!!
[/quote]

You can also cut one out of the side of an 8# Varget Jug (or any other large power jug. The plastic in these containers doesn't seem to suffer from "static cling".

 

[louielouie]

I was comparing the difference of the opening in the powder tube of my Redding powder trickler to my Hornady and covered up about 75% in my LnL which seemed to help also.

 

[louielouie]

OK, I just made a baffle for my Hornady thrower from a square of roof flashing and it definitely seems to work (only tested with RL-17 so far) in reducing the over-throws. I am now current with all the mods I've read about or dreamed up! ;D

 

[Sully2]

Yesterday evening, I retreated to my loading cave to start catching up on my ammo supply for the numerous upcoming matches.

I have been using my CM 1500 for 5 years now and I hev never had any issues with it, just the over charge once every 20-30 load. My usual session is 100 cartridges and for that I load Varget powder about halfway up the powder reservoir on the device. Last night, I emptied the remnants of my 8 pound keg into the reservoir and filled it up pretty full. I was not going to be emptying it because I have several hundred rounds to load over the next little while.

So I started the process and lo and behold I was getting overcharge after overcharge and the dispensing was faster than usual. After about 5 or 6 loads, it dawned on me that the weight of all that powder in the cylinder was pushing the powder into bigger and more frequent clumps. I continued for a while and it kept doing the same thing, overcharge after overcharge and sometimes undercharges. My theory on an undercharge is that a big clump drops on the pan and the initial contact causes the scale to register .1 to .2 grains over the real charge and that gets registered before the pan stabilizes and the real weight is detected. An overcharge is just a big clump falling into the pan when only a kew kernels were needed to reach the target threshold.

I removed some of the powder from the reservoir, to make sure it was only about half full and resumed my loading. Problem solved.

For me the takeaway is to make sure I never fill it more than halfway up.

Personally.....I'd be looking at something else! Filling the reservoir to its max capacity would definately cause the 1500 to dump FASTER ( after all...its got more powder on top of it) but it SHOULD NOT create over charge after overcharge. Thats what you buy an electronic measuring device for.

Give RCBS a ring and see what they say....I sure cant believe it because Ive run my 1500 with almost empty to almost totally full before.....no variance. My main powder is Varget

 

[clowdis]

I haven't really had too many problems with the over/under charging on my 1500 but I recently discovered that the tare is drifting. Even though the scale says that I am getting the correct weight it can vary by .2 grains or more. So I've started double checking and trickling on an Ohaus beam scale. Seems like it kills the purpose of having the 1500. Anyone have any ideas on the drifting tare? Not meaning to hijack a thread here so moderators can move if you'd like to

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

Well, I've been on a loading binge for the last little while and the scale has been performing quite nicely. Last night I loaded 200 rounds and only had a half dozen overages of .1 and two of .2.

 

[amlevin]

I haven't really had too many problems with the over/under charging on my 1500 but I recently discovered that the tare is drifting. Even though the scale says that I am getting the correct weight it can vary by .2 grains or more. So I've started double checking and trickling on an Ohaus beam scale. Seems like it kills the purpose of having the 1500. Anyone have any ideas on the drifting tare? Not meaning to hijack a thread here so moderators can move if you'd like to

When this happens I just hit the "zero" button immediately after replacing the pan and before the auto dispense cycle begins.

 

[kelbro]

I haven't really had too many problems with the over/under charging on my 1500 but I recently discovered that the tare is drifting. Even though the scale says that I am getting the correct weight it can vary by .2 grains or more. So I've started double checking and trickling on an Ohaus beam scale. Seems like it kills the purpose of having the 1500. Anyone have any ideas on the drifting tare? Not meaning to hijack a thread here so moderators can move if you'd like to

Wipe the platen, the pan and the nozzle down with a used dryer sheet. Should take care of it.