Advice please

[JHLL]

I'm in the market for an RCBS Chargemaster, or a Hornady Auto charge, or another make that you all think works better.

I would really appreciate any input from all of you in regard to their functionality, and if some of you have one, if you think it saves enough time to justify the cost. I've been looking at them for a while, and they look like they would be the cats a**. What do you think? Thanks! Jerry

[Brian Pfleuger]

I don't know about The Cat's Ass, but the first time you use one, there's a light that shines down from heaven and a chorus of angels sing.

Seriously.


I have used the Chargemaster combo quite a bit. It's absolutely fantastic. The Hornady unit seems to get good reviews and it's a lot cheaper. I don't know how it compares directly to the Chargemaster.

[JHLL]

Thanks peetzakilla, I have been researching on them for a while, and they both get great reviews. I just wanted to see if I could get some input from someone with hands on experience. I will be pulling the trigger on the chragemaster. I will also be obtaining the Thumlers tumbler, stainless media kit, which I can't wait for. Thanks again!!!

[subman47]

i also have the RCBS Chargemaster greatest thing since sliced bread , use it all the time on rifle cartridges

[AllenJ]

I got a Chargemaster this year after 30 + years of hand weighing and it is worth it IMHO. It's a lot of money but wow, does it ever speed up the whole operation.

[mrawesome22]

Got the auto charge. It is the cats meow and the bees knees.

It made the most dreaded part of reloading enjoyable.

[JHLL]

Thanks for the replys, looks like I'll be the new owner of a chargemaster.
As I stated in my other post, I'm taking the leap into the stainless media craze also. If my brass comes out like the pics I see using that stuff, I might actualy get down and do some breakdancing.

[Brian Pfleuger]

I'm confident that your brass will look fabulous. I'd like to do it that way myself but I can't quite justify the cost for what amounts to cleaner "insides". I use regular walnut media with Flitz polish and my brass looks just as good as the stainless, except for the primer pockets and "innards". I'd like cleaner innards but the cost is a bit prohibitive, especially when you're already set up.

[JHLL]

I use corncob now,and it does work good, but from what I've seen other than drying time, 30 minutes and they are clean. Put that batch to dry, and have another batch being cleaned and polished. It just seems to me I could do more cases in less time.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Yeah, probably. I don't shoot and/or load enough for speed to matter for me. I'd like to have the innards clean because I have seen some indications that the hardened carbon inside the case isn't great for the bore when it gets blasted out next firing but even that, I don't shoot enough to worry.

If you like steel, go for it. Like I said, it clearly works great, just the price of entry is too high for me.

[AFK]

My buddy has a chargemaster and it is amazing to see it work. I don't know much about reloading rifle, but he uses a stick powder and it literally measures to the "stick" very cool

[JHLL]

peetzakilla, I dont shoot a whole lot myself, especialy now that its winter. I pay my dues at the local range every year, and am lucky to get out there 5-10 times a year,really justifies the expense doesnt it? But when I do go out there, it is nice to know I'm a member of such a nice range. The only problem is most of the other members reload also, so I can very seldom find brass.
I plan to change the amount of time I get out and shoot this year.

[JHLL]

Thanks AFK, I watched a video on midway sight I believe, and it looked sweet.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Originally Posted by JHLL

peetzakilla, I dont shoot a whole lot myself, especialy now that its winter. I pay my dues at the local range every year, and am lucky to get out there 5-10 times a year,really justifies the expense doesnt it? But when I do go out there, it is nice to know I'm a member of such a nice range.

I know how you feel. I was a member at one range for a year and only went there once. (They were a little crazy anyway, the dues were too high and the range was 100 yards only)

Now I'm a member of a much nicer gun club with a 100 and 300 rifle setup as well as several pistol ranges (and they're not crazy and the dues are 1/3 the other place).... and I've been there once.

Most of my shooting is on private property but it is nice to have a clean, safe place to go when I need it.

[Archie]

Every new loader gets crazy about measuring the powder charge down to the nth degree. A perfectly uniform powder charge is probably the least important factor. That is counter intuitive, but there it is.

Truthfully, there is enough variance in case weights, primer weights (of ignitor substance) and so on to completely wipe out all the benefits of 'exact' powder charges.

Before buying the automatic powder dispenser, you would be well to spend money on pillar bedding the barreled action in the stock. lapping the bolt lugs, sorting cases by weight, trimming, turning necks, chamfering and truing flash holes on the cases, truing the primer pockets, weighing and sorting bullets, neck sizing only and using straight line dies to seat the bullets.

Then the powder charges will be worth fussing about.

Until then, a powder charge with uniformity of two to three percent (1.5 grains variance in a 50 grain charge) will give results as good as you're going to get. A decent powder measure will do you just fine. Pretty much any of the major brands will serve most adequately. I personally don't like the Lee measures, but it's a personal thing; they don't do ball powders very well. I have Dillon measures and a Frankfort Arsenal measure; they all do well.

I'm not trying to rain on your parade JHLL, but I went through the same routine and spent a lot of money on stuff I didn't need when I could have spent it on stuff that actually makes the gun shoot better.

[JHLL]

Archie, I'm not necessarily getting the chargemaster to obtain exact charges.
As I said in my first post, do you think it would help speed up my process, compared to the RCBS uniflow, and is it enough to justify the cost?

I don't need it, and I know that, but if it makes my loading sessions easier, and faster, cant be all bad.

I load .32 ACP .45 ACP, .38special, .357MAG, 6MM REM. .270 WIN
.300WIN MAG and soon to be 9MM and .44 mag

So if it would be easier to change powders with the chargemaster, and make it faster I'm all for it. So don't worry about raining on my parade. I'm not completely new to this, just don't have many posts, and havent been a member long.

Thanks for the info though, because you are right about newbies getting stuff they dont need.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Yeah, me too.

Precision dispensing certainly can't be a bad thing but the Angels aren't singing about exact powder charges. They're singing about how fast and easy it makes the job.

And, I feel better about having exact charges. Don't care if it matters or not. It matters to me.

[kmaysob]

ive been drooling over those things for years. im gonna step up to a digi here in the coming weeks as my old scale broke. one of these days ill get the rcbs

[JHLL]

I've been looking/drooling for a while myself, but couldnt force myself to spend the money. I'll let you guy in on a little secret though, I hit pretty good on a one arm bandit yesterday so the casino is buying it for me. LOL