So I got my new ChargeMaster over the weekend and got it set up and did some initial testing. First impression is simply WOW!! I only load for 9mm and .223 right now, 9mm I use the LEE auto disk system for charging cases on the press, .223 I used the RCBS 505 beam scale. Well as many know weighing out each charge on a beam scale just becomes too much at some point and you start looking for a better way. Enter the ChargeMaster!
I quickly got it set up and calibrated which was a very simple process. Once set up I dumped in some Varget and started dispensing and comparing to my 505 beam scale. Right away I noticed the ChargeMaster was coming in .1 grain below the 505, but very consistently. I re-zero'd the 505 a couple different times to make sure that was good, and it was. I'm not worried about it coming in .1 low because of how consistently it does so, and with all my loads coming from the ChargeMaster now it really doesn't matter.
Using Varget I was expecting a fair number of over throws due to it being a stick powder. Even using a trickler with my 505 overthrows are easy to do with Varget as a slight turn can cause several sticks to fall out at once. I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. I wasn't keeping track but I'd say maybe 2 out of 10 throws went over, and even then it was just about always only by .1 gr, which goes along with their +/- .1 claim. It is stored in my basement where I load so I didn't let it "warm up" like many people seem to do. It usually took about 5 throws to dial itself in, but once dialed it was an absolute joy to use, and I can't believe I waiting this long to get one. Next up I'll be trying it with H335 which I expect will meter to near perfection.
The only thing I noticed that was odd, is that the scale would creep up if I left the charge on it for a while. There were a couple times where I was seating a bullet on the previous charge, then stopped to do something else real quick (maybe take a quick COL measurement to make sure it was still on, or some other small task) and when I went to get the charge it would have crept up in weight, one time by .6 gr and when I dumped it back into the hopper and put the pan back on it weighed .6 gr, causing me to have to re-zero the scale. This happened twice that I noticed, but it's not really a big deal.
If you've been on the fence about picking up one of these units stop thinking about it and just do it. It will drastically reduce the amount of time you spend at the bench and make your life a whole lot easier!! RCBS also has a $75 rebate which takes my final cost down to $225, but it'd be worth it even without the rebate.
I quickly got it set up and calibrated which was a very simple process. Once set up I dumped in some Varget and started dispensing and comparing to my 505 beam scale. Right away I noticed the ChargeMaster was coming in .1 grain below the 505, but very consistently. I re-zero'd the 505 a couple different times to make sure that was good, and it was. I'm not worried about it coming in .1 low because of how consistently it does so, and with all my loads coming from the ChargeMaster now it really doesn't matter.
Using Varget I was expecting a fair number of over throws due to it being a stick powder. Even using a trickler with my 505 overthrows are easy to do with Varget as a slight turn can cause several sticks to fall out at once. I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. I wasn't keeping track but I'd say maybe 2 out of 10 throws went over, and even then it was just about always only by .1 gr, which goes along with their +/- .1 claim. It is stored in my basement where I load so I didn't let it "warm up" like many people seem to do. It usually took about 5 throws to dial itself in, but once dialed it was an absolute joy to use, and I can't believe I waiting this long to get one. Next up I'll be trying it with H335 which I expect will meter to near perfection.
The only thing I noticed that was odd, is that the scale would creep up if I left the charge on it for a while. There were a couple times where I was seating a bullet on the previous charge, then stopped to do something else real quick (maybe take a quick COL measurement to make sure it was still on, or some other small task) and when I went to get the charge it would have crept up in weight, one time by .6 gr and when I dumped it back into the hopper and put the pan back on it weighed .6 gr, causing me to have to re-zero the scale. This happened twice that I noticed, but it's not really a big deal.
If you've been on the fence about picking up one of these units stop thinking about it and just do it. It will drastically reduce the amount of time you spend at the bench and make your life a whole lot easier!! RCBS also has a $75 rebate which takes my final cost down to $225, but it'd be worth it even without the rebate.
