need new scale

[shadrac]

should i go with rcbs chargemaster or lyman

 

[Mozella]

should i go with rcbs chargemaster or lyman

Neither are very good scales.

Unfortunately the thing you need is the A&D FX-120i scale. It's just expensive enough to make you choke, $500. Plus the Autotrickler, which is REALLY REALLY nice for reloading, costs another $225.

That, to me at least, is a LOT of money, but it's the best investment I've made lately. I wish I had NOT wasted money on my Chargemaster. If you think measuring powder precisely is important, especially if you value your time and sanity, save up and get the FX-120i. Buy the Autotrickler for your wife and ask her if you can borrow it from time to time.

 

[PatMiles]

A&D FX120i and Adams auto trickler! Being the dope that I am, I giggle every time I drop a load... of powder that is. Expensive, yes? Well worth every penny!

 

[retired]

it depends on the distance you shoot and your version of accuracy.
benchrest shooters find the plus/minus 0.1 of the chargemaster ok.
people who shoot long distance tend to like the fx120I.
hunters are fine with a beam scale

 

[shadrac]

thanks for the replys

 

[dickn52]

I do NOT shoot 1,000 yards and my Lyman M5 works just fine for my 300 yard targets...so far. Electronic wise, I have the chargemaster lite for workhorse times. Checked with the M5 and 750 RCBS. Two checks and I feel confident.

 

[Shynloco]

Neither are very good scales.

Unfortunately the thing you need is the A&D FX-120i scale.,,,,,,,,

That, to me at least, is a LOT of money, but it's the best investment I've made lately. I wish I had NOT wasted money on my Chargemaster.

Without question the best advice and scale to buy. Save up the money and do it right the First time. The other scales just don't cut it in comparison.

Alex

 

[BP1]

I to have the 120 and Adams setup,but I also have the charge master with the dandy auto trickler that works just fine.I would say if $$$ isn’t a issue fx120 and don’t look back.

 

[ppaul]

Well I look at it this way, I have a chargemaster and a gem pro. Seems to me I was about half way to the 120 and adam's set-up. Should have done it! Now I have to pawn this stuff on someone else to make room for the 120.

My .02, Paul.

 

[Twoboxer]

Seven scales here, including Pact and RCBS dispenser/scales, before I found the FX120i . . . and then Adam's Trickler.

Before I added the AutoTrickler, I used the Chargemaster to throw low and trickle up on the A&D. In the course of throwing more than 1,000 charges that way, I can tell you that MY Chargemaster provided many throws well outside those limits.

In more limited (ie, 50 throw) tests, the Chargemaster did not perform significantly better with most powders I use than a good powder measure used properly.

For many folks the Chargemaster works fine compared to their standards; for others a beam scale works fine in the same way. The A&D + AutoTrickler will satisfy anyone, except for its price lol.

 

[T-shooter]

Hated to spend the money so tried cheaper routes. I ended up with the FX scale anyway and never looked back. The Hornady Autocharge is not accurate even to +/- 1/10 but I still have it and the little red MTM scale just for quick checks. I thought the Hornady beam scale was accurate but found out that it could vary 3/10 either way just from the position of the pivot and you would never know.

 

[dcali]

Don’t jump to the fx120i unless you know why. The chargemaster is capable of loading very good, low es ammo that will suit almost any application.

 

[Mozella]

Don’t jump to the fx120i unless you know why. The chargemaster is capable of loading very good, low es ammo that will suit almost any application.

Sorry, but even with all the mods, tweaks, and tuning, the Chargemaster will NOT produce charges accurate enough most any application.

It certainly won't make charges good enough to win F-class matches, even low-key matches at the local level. It will serve for a very good starting point for fine tuning with a Gem Pro 250, but learning the quirks of the Gem Pro is much like learning to play the piano. Plus, you'll invest a lot of time fiddling around with the combination of a Chargemaster and Gem Pro if the goal is to make accurate charges. You can do it, but it's kind of like rubbing two sticks together to start your BBQ grill. There are better solutions.

 

[rockable]

Buy a good used 505, M5, etc and a set of cheap check weights before buying a cheap digital. These will be far more accurate, especially if you trickle up. Ask me how i know.

 

[T-shooter]

Here is a short test I did with the Hornady Autoloader and checked with my FX. Common loads for a .223 and .308. For the .223 load, from .10 under to .14 over while showing the exact same weight of 25.2 grains. Not good enough for precision reloads.

 

[Ringostar]

should i go with rcbs chargemaster or lyman

You say that you need a new scale. First can you say what you have been using, and what type of shooting that you will use the new scale for? That makes a difference on what is really needed. I had an RCBS 750, then sold it to my son when I bought a Gempro 250. The Gempro was terrible and I switched to an Ohaus 1010 balance beam. An older quality beam can be very accurate, but slow. If you want an electronic scale for competition loads, I wouldn't recommend a strain gauge scale.

 

[dcali]

Sorry, but even with all the mods, tweaks, and tuning, the Chargemaster will NOT produce charges accurate enough most any application.

It certainly won't make charges good enough to win F-class matches, even low-key matches at the local level. It will serve for a very good starting point for fine tuning with a Gem Pro 250, but learning the quirks of the Gem Pro is much like learning to play the piano. Plus, you'll invest a lot of time fiddling around with the combination of a Chargemaster and Gem Pro if the goal is to make accurate charges. You can do it, but it's kind of like rubbing two sticks together to start your BBQ grill. There are better solutions.

I have won local f class matches and placed in two state matches with ammo made with a chargemaster. They are fine for almost everyone.

 

[Milo 2.0]

Neither are very good scales.

Unfortunately the thing you need is the A&D FX-120i scale. It's just expensive enough to make you choke, $500. Plus the Autotrickler, which is REALLY REALLY nice for reloading, costs another $225.

That, to me at least, is a LOT of money, but it's the best investment I've made lately. I wish I had NOT wasted money on my Chargemaster. If you think measuring powder precisely is important, especially if you value your time and sanity, save up and get the FX-120i. Buy the Autotrickler for your wife and ask her if you can borrow it from time to time.

Today you may as well buy the whole package, his dispenser and auto trickler, no use fight feeding the scale.
https://ce-products.myshopify.com/products/a-d-fx-120i-scale-autotrickler-v2-autothrow-combo

 

[MSS]

Here is a short test I did with the Hornady Autoloader and checked with my FX. Common loads for a .223 and .308. For the .223 load, from .10 under to .14 over while showing the exact same weight of 25.2 grains. Not good enough for precision reloads.
View attachment 1030774

Interesting. This is generally within the +/- .1 accuracy limit of the scale. +/- .1 either side. Does it produce low ES/SD results? I have an older Pact scale with the IR powder dispenser. It is also. +/- .1 scale but it is capable of getting me some pretty good results.

 

[Howland]

I just picked up a Hornady Lock-n-Load Auto Charge Powder Dispenser yesterday. I haven't run the powder dispenser yet, but the scale appears to be accurate. I ran the calibration procedure according to the manual using the 10 & 50 gram calibration weights supplied.

Then I weighed two identical weights of a set I have that I calibrated when my job involved - calibration. These had been compared to calibration standards of known mass on an analytical scale accurate to a microgram.

I am satisfied that the scale is accurate to the tenth of a grain. We'll see how consistent the powder dispenser is.