I hate hand-weighing powder for my .223 and 6mm BR cartridges; therefore, whenever possible I've been using my Hornady Lock-N-Load Case Activated Powder Drop with the Hornady progressive press. Careful testing has revealed that I can produce loads with maximum errors between 3/4% up to about 1.5% of the target weight, depending on the powder kernel size and shape. In other words, at worst it will produce loads with an error less than plus or minus two tenths of a grain and the best powders will give results better than plus or minus one tenth of a grain. That is good but not great and many shooters would agree that there is performance to be gained with a charge that is more precise, even if that gain might be small.
Unfortunately, the best dispensing powders are often not the most accurate. Now that I compete in F/TR shooting at 600 yards, hand weighing is something I am forced to confront.
The RCBS Charge Master has a good reputation, but the advertised accuracy of plus and minus a tenth of a grain isn't significantly better than what I enjoy with a strictly mechanical powder dump. That fact, coupled with a street price of around $360 has, up to now, prevented me from jumping on the high-tech band-wagon even though my wife has been encouraging me to treat myself to a Charge Master as a Christmas gift.
When Cabelas ran a special pre-Christmas sale on Charge Masters priced at $274 along with a free shipping offer, I couldn't resist. RCBS also has a $50 rebate offer if you spend $300, so with a few additions to my shopping cart, I placed my order.
Now that I have loaded more than 300 rounds, I can say I'm very glad I have the RCBS Charge Master. However, it's far from perfect. Today, for example, I loaded 50 rounds of .223 with 22.0 grains of IMR 8208 XBR for an upcoming accuracy test. I checked each and every load on my Gem Pro 250, a device not without its own problems, but using appropriate weighing techniques can make the scale quite functional and give better than 1/10 grain resolution without spending a fortune on a laboratory-grade scale.
Nearly half the Charge Master loads were exactly 22.00gr when checked on the Gem Pro, which has a resolution of .02gr. So I feel quite confident the loads don't vary more than that. Most of the other charges were over or under only by .02gr and some by .04gr; requiring me to add or subtract a couple of kernels with my large tweezers to hit the target of 22.00gr right on the nose
.
This procedure is quick, easy, and precise; quite unlike my previous routine involving a powder scoop followed by trying to trickle powder up to the target weight. Frequent over-shoots were frustrating and contributed to my intense dislike of hand weighing. As an alternative, I tried my Hornady dispenser set to just below my target weight, followed by trickling up to the desired weight, but the problems were the same. Trickling an additional tenth of a grain or more was just too fiddly, partially because of the way the Gem Pro works. Subtracting more than a tenth was worse. Now, with the Charge Master, I can come so close to the target that only minor corrections are required for all but a very few cartridges.
The problem with the Gem Pro is that is not very tolerant to fiddling around with the amount of powder in the funnel/pan. If I trickle too much or for too long a time, the scale loses accuracy. In other words, if it requires a lot of trickling to reach the target and then I overshoot a bit and have to pick out a couple of kernels, I will discover that the displayed weight is out of whack. Pouring the powder into the case, zeroing the scale, and re-weighing that charge will frequently show that the results have changed. Putting an empty pan on the scale will sometimes show a tare weight other than zero or the scale takes quite a while to search for a indication of zero. So I have to empty the pan, zero the tare weight, flick out a few grains from the case, and weigh the charge again. If I can quickly trickle up to the target weight and if I gently touch the scale platform, I may find that I have hit the weight perfectly, but only if I don't fiddle around too much. Of course, a final pan dump and re-weigh is required to confirm my suspicions. Next thing I know, I'm weighing the powder in many cartridges three or even four times to make sure I'm getting it correct. Even then, I have a tendency to accept charge weights with errors of .02gr or more depending on how old and how crusty I'm feeling on that particular day.
But if I can hit the target weight to within two or four hundredths of a grain, I can get to the target weight with a few kernels added or subtracted with tweezers in one quick operation. A touch of the scale platform or momentarily lifting the dispensing pan/funnel off the scale and then returning it will put me right on target. I can have the powder into the case and get the pan/funnel back on the Gem Pro just about the time the Charge Master is finished with the next charge. My blood pressure goes down too.
After learning the quirks of the Gem Pro, I quickly gained confidence in the procedure and I've learned just how many kernels I must deal with to shift the weight by .02 grains. After some practice, I am able to correct a load quickly and accurately so that I can hit the target weight to the limits of the precision of my scale. I find that I am discarding a charge and starting over once in a while, but only occasionally; i.e. one or two out of a hundred. Starting over is quicker than fiddling around and re-confirming the charge weight as I used to do.
Out of 50 rounds loaded today, the Charge Master produced one which were overweight by a tenth of a grain without producing an overweight warning and one overweight charge which did give a warning. Yesterday, I made 90 rounds using three different powders without a single over-shoot and exactly half the rounds were within .02gr of the target weight. The other half required only minor corrections (many only .02gr) and I didn't notice any charge worse than .08gr from the desired weight.
As far as I'm concerned, that's good enough for most purposes except for competitive shooting in which case I would say you shouldn't trust the Charge Master without backing up the results with a second (more precise) scale.
In spite of not being able to totally trust the results without double-checking, I will have to say the RCBS Charge Master is worth every penny. Now I can enjoy the benefits of ultra precise powder charges so that when the bullets do not all go into the same hole, I can look elsewhere for the reason. Hand loading is still more tedious than mechanical dispensing, but with help from the Charge Master I find that making ultra precise loads is no longer absolute drudgery for me. I wouldn't say it is fun, but it is at least tolerable.
Alternatively, when I am loading rounds for my wife for fun in a non-competitive situation, I can make a decently precise product by accepting the charges right from the Charge Master without double-checking them on my Gem Pro 250.
Unfortunately, the best dispensing powders are often not the most accurate. Now that I compete in F/TR shooting at 600 yards, hand weighing is something I am forced to confront.
The RCBS Charge Master has a good reputation, but the advertised accuracy of plus and minus a tenth of a grain isn't significantly better than what I enjoy with a strictly mechanical powder dump. That fact, coupled with a street price of around $360 has, up to now, prevented me from jumping on the high-tech band-wagon even though my wife has been encouraging me to treat myself to a Charge Master as a Christmas gift.
When Cabelas ran a special pre-Christmas sale on Charge Masters priced at $274 along with a free shipping offer, I couldn't resist. RCBS also has a $50 rebate offer if you spend $300, so with a few additions to my shopping cart, I placed my order.
Now that I have loaded more than 300 rounds, I can say I'm very glad I have the RCBS Charge Master. However, it's far from perfect. Today, for example, I loaded 50 rounds of .223 with 22.0 grains of IMR 8208 XBR for an upcoming accuracy test. I checked each and every load on my Gem Pro 250, a device not without its own problems, but using appropriate weighing techniques can make the scale quite functional and give better than 1/10 grain resolution without spending a fortune on a laboratory-grade scale.
Nearly half the Charge Master loads were exactly 22.00gr when checked on the Gem Pro, which has a resolution of .02gr. So I feel quite confident the loads don't vary more than that. Most of the other charges were over or under only by .02gr and some by .04gr; requiring me to add or subtract a couple of kernels with my large tweezers to hit the target of 22.00gr right on the nose
.
This procedure is quick, easy, and precise; quite unlike my previous routine involving a powder scoop followed by trying to trickle powder up to the target weight. Frequent over-shoots were frustrating and contributed to my intense dislike of hand weighing. As an alternative, I tried my Hornady dispenser set to just below my target weight, followed by trickling up to the desired weight, but the problems were the same. Trickling an additional tenth of a grain or more was just too fiddly, partially because of the way the Gem Pro works. Subtracting more than a tenth was worse. Now, with the Charge Master, I can come so close to the target that only minor corrections are required for all but a very few cartridges.
The problem with the Gem Pro is that is not very tolerant to fiddling around with the amount of powder in the funnel/pan. If I trickle too much or for too long a time, the scale loses accuracy. In other words, if it requires a lot of trickling to reach the target and then I overshoot a bit and have to pick out a couple of kernels, I will discover that the displayed weight is out of whack. Pouring the powder into the case, zeroing the scale, and re-weighing that charge will frequently show that the results have changed. Putting an empty pan on the scale will sometimes show a tare weight other than zero or the scale takes quite a while to search for a indication of zero. So I have to empty the pan, zero the tare weight, flick out a few grains from the case, and weigh the charge again. If I can quickly trickle up to the target weight and if I gently touch the scale platform, I may find that I have hit the weight perfectly, but only if I don't fiddle around too much. Of course, a final pan dump and re-weigh is required to confirm my suspicions. Next thing I know, I'm weighing the powder in many cartridges three or even four times to make sure I'm getting it correct. Even then, I have a tendency to accept charge weights with errors of .02gr or more depending on how old and how crusty I'm feeling on that particular day.
But if I can hit the target weight to within two or four hundredths of a grain, I can get to the target weight with a few kernels added or subtracted with tweezers in one quick operation. A touch of the scale platform or momentarily lifting the dispensing pan/funnel off the scale and then returning it will put me right on target. I can have the powder into the case and get the pan/funnel back on the Gem Pro just about the time the Charge Master is finished with the next charge. My blood pressure goes down too.
After learning the quirks of the Gem Pro, I quickly gained confidence in the procedure and I've learned just how many kernels I must deal with to shift the weight by .02 grains. After some practice, I am able to correct a load quickly and accurately so that I can hit the target weight to the limits of the precision of my scale. I find that I am discarding a charge and starting over once in a while, but only occasionally; i.e. one or two out of a hundred. Starting over is quicker than fiddling around and re-confirming the charge weight as I used to do.
Out of 50 rounds loaded today, the Charge Master produced one which were overweight by a tenth of a grain without producing an overweight warning and one overweight charge which did give a warning. Yesterday, I made 90 rounds using three different powders without a single over-shoot and exactly half the rounds were within .02gr of the target weight. The other half required only minor corrections (many only .02gr) and I didn't notice any charge worse than .08gr from the desired weight.
As far as I'm concerned, that's good enough for most purposes except for competitive shooting in which case I would say you shouldn't trust the Charge Master without backing up the results with a second (more precise) scale.
In spite of not being able to totally trust the results without double-checking, I will have to say the RCBS Charge Master is worth every penny. Now I can enjoy the benefits of ultra precise powder charges so that when the bullets do not all go into the same hole, I can look elsewhere for the reason. Hand loading is still more tedious than mechanical dispensing, but with help from the Charge Master I find that making ultra precise loads is no longer absolute drudgery for me. I wouldn't say it is fun, but it is at least tolerable.
Alternatively, when I am loading rounds for my wife for fun in a non-competitive situation, I can make a decently precise product by accepting the charges right from the Charge Master without double-checking them on my Gem Pro 250.
