School me on auto trickle systems

[SKWERLZ]

No.

I was throwing 28.5gr of Varget. I measured each RCBS throw on a A&D 120i. With a tolerance of 28.3 to 28.7 it took 58 throws to load 30 rounds.

Some were as low as 27.9 and as high as 29.2

The Hornandy unit was similar when measured on the 120

 

[Hengehold]

No.

I was throwing 28.5gr of Varget. I measured each RCBS throw on a A&D 120i. With a tolerance of 28.3 to 28.7 it took 58 throws to load 30 rounds.

Some were as low as 27.9 and as high as 29.2

you used a Matchmaster and the scale was reading 28.5gr?

Then you weighed that same powder charge on a 120i to verify and it was averaging 1.0gr difference from what the Matchmaster was telling you?

 

[SteveOak]

you used a Matchmaster and the scale was reading 28.5gr?

Then you weighed that same powder charge on a 120i to verify and it was averaging 1.0gr difference from what the Matchmaster was telling you?

Yes, Matchmaster to throw
Yes, A&D120i, to verify

- .6gr to + .7gr

58 - 30 = 28 throws that were more than +/- .2gr

Opened my eyes

Bought an Autotrickler but have not set it up yet.

 

[Hengehold]

Yes, Matchmaster to throw
Yes, A&D120i, to verify

- .6gr to + .7gr

58 - 30 = 28 throws that were more than +/- .2gr

Opened my eyes

Bought an Autotrickler but have not set it up yet.

Holy crap, that is a huge variation!
For the 1K disciplines that I participate in I can live with 0.1 gr accuracy but not 1.0+ gr accuracy.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[SteveOak]

The display on the Matchmaster said 28.5 every time.

 

[Krogen]

The display on the Matchmaster said 28.5 every time.

I had similar results with my RCBS Chargemaster. My load of 24.5 gr Varget varied widely. The worst part is it lies. Set to 24.5 gr, it trickles up, slows down and stops when the display shows 24.5 gr. The display shows a perfect throw, but verified on a Creedmoor scale it could be spot on, or as much as 1 gr over. A full grain! The errors are asymmetrical. Undercharges were within 0.1 gr of the setpoint. The inconsistencies bother me, but lying and proclaiming perfection is unacceptable. How many folks trust the thing without question? I have heard some people don't have this issue with their Chargemasters. MIne is an early one, so perhaps RCBS fixed the firmware along the line. Regardless mine isn't worth the powder to blow it up.

 

[RegionRat]

Ugh, sorry to hear all that.

I can't over emphasize enough, the use of physical check weights during the use of any scale.
You can even make them up yourself to match the exact range of the loads you like to work with and drop them on as you work to know if something is drifting around.

I still have and use two old Chargemasters and mine don't have the magnitude of the problems you guys are seeing. I have the most troubles when I take them outside to load at the range. The challenges with winds and the temp swings move the null and gain around such that I have to watch them close as the day goes on.

 

[Hengehold]

I had similar results with my RCBS Chargemaster. My load of 24.5 gr Varget varied widely. The worst part is it lies. Set to 24.5 gr, it trickles up, slows down and stops when the display shows 24.5 gr. The display shows a perfect throw, but verified on a Creedmoor scale it could be spot on, or as much as 1 gr over. A full grain! The errors are asymmetrical. Undercharges were within 0.1 gr of the setpoint. The inconsistencies bother me, but lying and proclaiming perfection is unacceptable. How many folks trust the thing without question? I have heard some people don't have this issue with their Chargemasters. MIne is an early one, so perhaps RCBS fixed the firmware along the line. Regardless mine isn't worth the powder to blow it up.

The +1.0gr is an obvious concern if one is using a load that is already at the upper end of the pressure curve.
I will have to start verifying my chargemaster with another scale to see where it is at.

I put some aftermarket magnets on the power chord that are designed to dampen any variations in power going into the scale. I also plug it in for about 30+ min before I use it and don’t change environments the same day that I am using it. For example, I won’t take it from my cool house to the hot garage and immediately weighing powder.

 

[LRPV]

The original Chargemaster scale was only good to + or - .1 grain. Meaning that best case scenario you were going to get a .3 grain spread even though the scale read your target weight exactly. Factor in any outside interference like temp changes or wind which it takes a lot more to move it than say a FX120i and the sky is the limit. If you have nothing more accurate than a Chargemaster to check your throws then you simply don’t know what you’re getting.

I’ve told my friends who hunt a lot and have very accurate rifles that .3 grains isn’t going to be that big of a deal if you’re in the middle of where you need to be. So we work up loads with my scale and they load with theirs. If you’re trying to work up a load with a scale that has .3 grain error built in from the get go, your pissing in the wind from the start.