Thoughts on RCBS Chargemaster and similar dispensers?

[Jacks Grampa]

I'm thinking of making the move from Uniflow and trickle up to electronic dispenser. Thanks group, James

 

[RustyInBend]

I get excellent results from my RCBS Chargemaster 1500, and have for several years.

 

[SeabeeKen]

I shelved all my electronic gear. Went back to a beam scale and thrower.

 

[C.E.Smith043]

I'm thinking of making the move from Uniflow and trickle up to electronic dispenser. Thanks group, James

What's your main purpose when making loads? Plinking, comp, hunting?

 

[epoletna]

I like my Chargemaster, but I no longer trust the accuracy of the weight it ends up with. So now I am using it to quickly throw a light charge, then tickle the charge up to what I'm planning to use.

 

[Krogen]

I'm with epoletna in the previous post. I don't trust my Chargemaster. It nearly always stops at the exact setting. It has to be way over to alert me. Checking a series of dispensed weights on an independent scale showed it was flat out lying to me. With Varget, a setpoint of 25.0 gr yielded anywhere between 24.8 gr and 25.2 gr. Yet the Chargemaster read 25.0 gr when it stopped; always. Yes, it's worse with stick powders than ball powders, but it's not confidence inspiring.

Now I just use it alongside a Creedmoor scale. The Chargemaster dispenses the bulk of the powder charge and I move the pan to the scale to top off the charge with a dribbler. Honestly, I can do the same by dropping the bulk charge with my manual powder measure. It is actually faster than waiting for the Chargemaster.

Maybe the Matchmaster would be better. It should be for the $$. But, rather than that I'd just go one step up and buy one of the higher end tricklers.

 

[Big Mc]

I'm thinking of making the move from Uniflow and trickle up to electronic dispenser. Thanks group, James

Have a 1500 No Problems for many many years. Tommy Mc

 

[jpx2rk]

I have a 1500 LITE, use it for bulk loading (varmint shoots), and check every "nth" charge thrown on a RCBS 505 for accuracy/consistency. No complaints about it for my use.

 

[Doom]

I recently threw 28 charges with a Chargemaster 1500 and checked the weight throwing 25.4 grains of 8208 with my Gem20. Here are the results:



The issue with the Chargemaster is not the scale but is the single drop tube design. When trickling it is not uniform in the number of powder kernels dropped so as it works to its target it am drop 3 or more kernels when only one or two are required. In my case this Chargemaster has had programming changes.

 

[Homerange]

The issue with the Chargemaster is not the scale but is the single drop tube design. When trickling it is not uniform in the number of powder kernels dropped so as it works to its target it am drop 3 or more kernels when only one or two are required. In my case this Chargemaster has had programming changes.

This ^
While it has a reverse thread to attempt to control powder drop, the larger stick powders will clump and ruin powder control in trickle mode.

I knew this before getting mine and the drinking straw remedy and the drop tube insert remedy which as I have a lathe, the insert was my preferred solution and it works well but does slow dispense time some.

Although I also have the programming instructions to change/slow the 4 modes I've never felt the need to have to change them from factory.
I'd certainly buy another if needed.

 

[6Creed73]

I got an FA Intellidropper recently for plinking rounds for my gas guns. It's very consistent, but consistently a tiny bit under. So if I set it to throw 23.5 grains, it will weigh 23.425ish on my analytical balance. Which is fine with me for those rounds. I know that if I want 23.5, I set the dropper to throw 23.6.

I don't use it for my precision rounds, I trickle those.

 

[wkdickinson]

AutoTrickler V4 is the only way to go! I used a CM 1500 for many years. Like many of you I never had any confidence that it was "rounding" correctly and after checking it against a "really" good digital scale, it wasn't - not bad, but not good either. With the A&D 120i you know it's right or at least within .01gr (not maybe within +/- .1gr). Expensive yes, but like I've said many times - this sport is not for the financially timid.

 

[bozo699]

I have several 1500’s, there ok I use them for my grandkids plinking rounds and short range hunting rounds but for my competition round I throw light with the chargemaster and trickle up on my GD 503
Now they have the 120’s with auto tricklers, if my GD 503 ever dies I’ll upgrade
Wayne

 

[jwink]

Mine is the Hornady version of the chargemaster, personally, I'm pleased with it, normally I set it a tenth or 2 light, then I trickle the last in.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Mine is the Hornady version of the chargemaster, personally, I'm pleased with it, normally I set it a tenth or 2 light, then I trickle the last in.

I have come so close to buying that one the last couple of weeks. Then my mind tells me to just save for the FX120I and keep using my uniflow with it.

 

[Phillip Crowe]

I thought I was making good 1000yd ammo using the chargemaster 1500 until I got the fx120 with Adam's autotrickler. As mentioned above, the chargemaster scale will show the correct amount of powder but check it with the fx120 and you'll see most charges are close. Some are 1 or 2 tenths (or more) high, some are 1 or 2 (or more) tenths low. Plinking or short range ammo yes, precision long range ammo no. Just my opinion.

 

[Riesel]

I felt compelled to comment, I have the RCBS Chargemaster and FA Intellidropper and both of them drop powder to a tenth of a grain, not a hundredth or 1/1000. Owner manuals states + or- a tenth. Not good enough for competition loading so trickle up. I tried doing out to a thousand using a Bald Eagle scale and just plain lost my religion. Bottom line, both of mine do as they were designed to do.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

I tried doing out to a thousand using a Bald Eagle scale and just plain lost my religion.

You just gave me a good belly laugh!
This is my current situation.

 

[Schippergreg]

It all depends on what you looking for accuracy wise. I personally can’t speak for any long range load work but I’d have to guess that there were more chargemasters at the super shoot this past year than any other powder thrower.

 

[DiRTY DOG]

Every time the topic of "RCBS Chargemaster" comes up, the discussion revolves around the old 1500 model. Several models have been released since then, but once again, nobody mentions them or their accuracy. It's always dogging on the old 1500.

The ChargeMaster Supreme is better and faster than the 1500. I owned both and sold the 1500. Is a $500 dispenser ever going to be as precise as a $1500 system? Unlikely of course.

A few reviews of the ChargeMaster Supreme and the ChargeMaster Link.