automatic powder measurers - Page 2

AllenJ · February 7, 2014, 09:54 AM

I've had my Chargemaster for almost 3 years now and am very happy with it. It holds zero very well and makes that part of reloading a pleasure rather than the pain it used to be. My reloading bench will never be without one again.

SHR970 · February 7, 2014, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Brian Pfleuger wrote: What's the point in saying that a product "doesn't always" do something when you know your example is of a defective unit? Of course it doesn't work right if it's defective.

This isn't my first one. It's the replacement for the obviously defective one that failed during the warranty period.

Furthermore, my statements of my experience with the product are just as valid as your statements of your experience. You stated that they WILL hold +/- .1 gr. That is what they are supposed to hold according to the specifications. That doesn't mean that they actually do.

Edit to add: There is a very real problem with the Chinese using substandard and counterfeit parts in their electronics. This problem is very well known across several industries and by our government. This is not my opinion this is established fact. The products we are discussing are made in China using Chinese electronics. The odds of getting a bad unit are better than you may believe.

I deal with measurement and test equipment (M&TE) every working day. My company has both on site certified Primary Standards and Secondary Standards Calibration Facilities. I have the privilege of explaining how an Out of Tolerance Condition (OOT) effected our deliverable products at least once every two months and that can even lead to recalling products from our customers (some can never be returned due to their location and they cost very large sums of money). I also know that a particular make / model of any type of M&TE will have its calibration cycle reduced if they (Calibration) experience a threshold level of OOT's*. As we both don't know what the real world failure rate and OOT rate for these scales are, we are left with the anecdotal evidence.

* You don't even what to know how sore a subject torque tools are.

tws92E05 · February 7, 2014, 07:08 PM

Brian I hope to be seeing the reloading angels tomorrow. I finally broke down and ordered my RCBS 1500 and it is supposed to be here tomorrow. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning I'm so excited.

Glad to hear such good reviews from everyone here on it.

Jimmy10mm · February 7, 2014, 07:44 PM

I have a few old Belding & Mull measures and use them with various powders and a powder trickler over the pan on my old RCBS 304 double beam scale. Horse and buggy nowadays I guess but it works for me.

I was intrigued by this thread and went to Midway to read the reviews. Many more pro than con but I'm going to stick with what I have.

Eppie · February 7, 2014, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Brian Pfleuger said: If you can afford the RCBS and won't be bothered by the extra price, I'd go with it.

Brian gave me the same advice a few months back and I took it. Very happy with the results. He also told me that I needed to change powder and I'm glad to say that I'm happy for having taken that advise as well. There aren't many people on the internet that I would trust but I would Brian even though I've never met or talked to the man.

Kindest regards

1stmar · February 7, 2014, 09:15 PM

I gotta tell you, the cheapest I have seen the rcbs is ~$289, I'm not sure I've heard a good reason to spend $100+ more then the hornady. If you like green go for it but I'd bet there ain't a hill of beans difference in accuracy and consistency. The memory feature is nice, but honestly, I push "3" "6" "0" and "dispense". How many buttons are you saving by having a memory function. Maybe 1.

mnoirot64 · February 7, 2014, 10:44 PM

The cost of the RCBS made my decision on the Hornady really easy. No issues. It works like a champ from 3 gr 380 loads to 92 gr 338 Ultra Mags. It's a keeper in my book.

Eppie · February 7, 2014, 11:06 PM

I started out with a Hornady LnL AP press, Hornady dies, Hornady scale, Hornady Case Prep Center, etc... thinking that they were excellent value for their money, but as I learned to reload better, each one had to be replaced with something better.

Now I'm brand indifferent, I buy what works and too often it isn't Hornady. Just a word the wise.

mnoirot64 · February 7, 2014, 11:22 PM

Nice reloading room.

1stmar · February 8, 2014, 02:02 AM

Eppie I agree, I have presses from 3 different manufactures, dies from 4 and supporting accessories from at least 6. I'm no fan of hornady per se in fact I have only 2 hornady products, 1 is the auto charge which is great. The other is the concentricity gauge which is, well ok. Wouldn't buy it again.

steve4102 · February 8, 2014, 09:20 AM

Now that your New dispenser is on the way there are a few things you should be aware of.

These things are very sensitive and require a little bit of Common sense TLC. They can be affected by outside forces that can cause them to get squirrelly(technical term).

Some of the things that can affect these units are,
Drafts and air movement, keep the unit away from air ducts, air conditioners, open windows etc.

Electronic devices such as Laptops, cell phones, florescent lights, etc. My Lyman is not affected by these, but the instructions does spell out they "could" be a problem.

Loud Music in the loading room can affect them. My son has had issues in my Man-Cave playing music to loud. I have not, but I don't try and destroy what is left of my hearing either.

Banging, jarring and pounding on the bench. It is best to keep the Unit off the same bench the press is on if at all possible. Mine is on a separate small bench not attached to my press bench.

There are other, but I can't think of them at the moment.

SHR970, after having one unit replaced and another gone "squirrelly" on you, you may want to examine your loading environment and see if you have similar situations listed above.

rox · February 8, 2014, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Pfleuger

They meter within 1/10gr.

Does this mean +/- 0.1 gr?

I found mine was rather better than this when tested against calibrated lab scales in a good measuring environment. Have you tested yours against some other calibrated measuring instrument? I often see people claim that they deliver charges to -0.0 to +0.1 (or +0.2), based purely on what the device indicates itself! obviously this is not meaningful.

..

Brian Pfleuger · February 8, 2014, 01:06 PM

Mines tested against what the manufacturer claims, what the scale indicates and (no offense) what actually matters.
I know you've tested it and found it better than claimed/indicated and that's cool and interesting and nice to know but it really doesn't make any difference to the end product ammo in terms of safety or accuracy. No reloader ever needs any more than +-0.1gr.

ForneyRider · February 8, 2014, 05:11 PM

My Redding 3br is fast, but the Chargemaster can handle more types of powder. Good to have both.

tahunua001 · February 9, 2014, 12:24 AM

well my setup is mostly RCBS. I have a lee handprimer and works great, although having to get special shell holders is a pain sometimes. I use lee dies for my obsolete calibers because they are most affordable but I prefer hornady dies.

as for plus minus, my RCBS balance scale that I use can be off by quite a bit depending on how evenly distributed the powder is in the pan, too much on the right and it'll say it threw too much and too much to the left and it'll say it didn't throw enough. I would think that this scale, even +/- .1 would be more accurate than the setup I'm using.

now here's a question. I've heard that they break down after a while, anyone had to fix or replace their Hornady or RCBS?

1stmar · February 9, 2014, 02:53 AM

I'm going on year 3, no issues so far. And I agree tahunua, balance beams have their own nuances. I've said that. Many times though I think we are in the minority.

rox · February 9, 2014, 04:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Pfleuger

Mines tested against what the manufacturer claims, what the scale indicates and (no offense) what actually matters.

I've often found that manufacturers claims are not reproducible in the real world - I've never achieved the claimed mpg in my car, for example. That was why I wanted to know what the real variation of my Chargemaster was, and in this case It was considerably better than the manufacturer's claims. I'm unconvinced that no one needs less than a 0.2 grain spread though. I know that great ammo *can* be made with large spreads, but it's a lot easier to make great ammo with very small spreads, when you are unconstrained by 'nodes' etc.

..

Winchester 7mm · February 9, 2014, 04:59 PM

Brian,

I too will be hearing the singing this week. I have a Chargemaster 1500 on the way from Natchez, I had an Auto Charge when I had a reloading set up before (Which I liked) and decided to try the Chargemaster this time for comparison.

Long story short, had a reloading room (All Hornady) and sold it off because I wasn't shooting enough. Since my boys (Now adults ) and I are all shooting, I got back into reloading.

February 8, 2014, 05:11 PM	#39
ForneyRider Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 2007 Location: Forney, TX Posts: 725	My Redding 3br is fast, but the Chargemaster can handle more types of powder. Good to have both. __________________ When all is said and done, there is a lot more said than done.

February 9, 2014, 12:24 AM	#40
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	well my setup is mostly RCBS. I have a lee handprimer and works great, although having to get special shell holders is a pain sometimes. I use lee dies for my obsolete calibers because they are most affordable but I prefer hornady dies. as for plus minus, my RCBS balance scale that I use can be off by quite a bit depending on how evenly distributed the powder is in the pan, too much on the right and it'll say it threw too much and too much to the left and it'll say it didn't throw enough. I would think that this scale, even +/- .1 would be more accurate than the setup I'm using. now here's a question. I've heard that they break down after a while, anyone had to fix or replace their Hornady or RCBS? __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin Last edited by tahunua001; February 9, 2014 at 12:29 AM.

February 7, 2014, 09:54 AM	#26
AllenJ Senior Member Join Date: December 11, 2009 Location: Northern California Posts: 1,766	I've had my Chargemaster for almost 3 years now and am very happy with it. It holds zero very well and makes that part of reloading a pleasure rather than the pain it used to be. My reloading bench will never be without one again.

February 7, 2014, 07:08 PM	#28
tws92E05 Member Join Date: September 17, 2011 Location: Texas Posts: 40	Brian I hope to be seeing the reloading angels tomorrow. I finally broke down and ordered my RCBS 1500 and it is supposed to be here tomorrow. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning I'm so excited. Glad to hear such good reviews from everyone here on it.

February 7, 2014, 09:15 PM	#31
1stmar Senior Member Join Date: March 21, 2012 Location: Connecticut Posts: 2,378	I gotta tell you, the cheapest I have seen the rcbs is ~$289, I'm not sure I've heard a good reason to spend $100+ more then the hornady. If you like green go for it but I'd bet there ain't a hill of beans difference in accuracy and consistency. The memory feature is nice, but honestly, I push "3" "6" "0" and "dispense". How many buttons are you saving by having a memory function. Maybe 1.

February 7, 2014, 10:44 PM	#32
mnoirot64 Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2013 Location: Clarksville, Tennessee Posts: 365	The cost of the RCBS made my decision on the Hornady really easy. No issues. It works like a champ from 3 gr 380 loads to 92 gr 338 Ultra Mags. It's a keeper in my book.

February 7, 2014, 11:22 PM	#34
mnoirot64 Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2013 Location: Clarksville, Tennessee Posts: 365	Nice reloading room.

February 8, 2014, 02:02 AM	#35
1stmar Senior Member Join Date: March 21, 2012 Location: Connecticut Posts: 2,378	Eppie I agree, I have presses from 3 different manufactures, dies from 4 and supporting accessories from at least 6. I'm no fan of hornady per se in fact I have only 2 hornady products, 1 is the auto charge which is great. The other is the concentricity gauge which is, well ok. Wouldn't buy it again.

February 8, 2014, 09:20 AM	#36
steve4102 Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 2005 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,955	Now that your New dispenser is on the way there are a few things you should be aware of. These things are very sensitive and require a little bit of Common sense TLC. They can be affected by outside forces that can cause them to get squirrelly(technical term). Some of the things that can affect these units are, Drafts and air movement, keep the unit away from air ducts, air conditioners, open windows etc. Electronic devices such as Laptops, cell phones, florescent lights, etc. My Lyman is not affected by these, but the instructions does spell out they "could" be a problem. Loud Music in the loading room can affect them. My son has had issues in my Man-Cave playing music to loud. I have not, but I don't try and destroy what is left of my hearing either. Banging, jarring and pounding on the bench. It is best to keep the Unit off the same bench the press is on if at all possible. Mine is on a separate small bench not attached to my press bench. There are other, but I can't think of them at the moment. SHR970, after having one unit replaced and another gone "squirrelly" on you, you may want to examine your loading environment and see if you have similar situations listed above.

February 8, 2014, 01:06 PM	#38
Brian Pfleuger Moderator Emeritus Join Date: June 25, 2008 Location: Austin, CO Posts: 19,578	Mines tested against what the manufacturer claims, what the scale indicates and (no offense) what actually matters. I know you've tested it and found it better than claimed/indicated and that's cool and interesting and nice to know but it really doesn't make any difference to the end product ammo in terms of safety or accuracy. No reloader ever needs any more than +-0.1gr.

February 9, 2014, 02:53 AM	#41
1stmar Senior Member Join Date: March 21, 2012 Location: Connecticut Posts: 2,378	I'm going on year 3, no issues so far. And I agree tahunua, balance beams have their own nuances. I've said that. Many times though I think we are in the minority.

February 9, 2014, 04:59 PM	#43
Winchester 7mm Member Join Date: March 4, 2009 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 38	Brian, I too will be hearing the singing this week. I have a Chargemaster 1500 on the way from Natchez, I had an Auto Charge when I had a reloading set up before (Which I liked) and decided to try the Chargemaster this time for comparison. Long story short, had a reloading room (All Hornady) and sold it off because I wasn't shooting enough. Since my boys (Now adults ) and I are all shooting, I got back into reloading.