Automatic powder dispensers

railsplitter

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Was considering getting an automatic powder dispenser such as the RCBS Chargemaster Lite. Does anyone have any experience with RCBS or any of the other brands? My main concerns are overall quality and accuracy of the electronic scale. Seems like most reviews of the Hornady powder dispenser talk of how it throws an overcharge a significant amount of the time.

I've heard some not so good reviews in general that electronic scales' accuracy can be thrown off by anything from flourescent lights to microwave ovens which are on the same circuit that the scale is plugged into. TIA.
 
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all the claims of electrical interference are old wives tales. The battery powered units are junk for obvious reasons so stick with a unit powered from 110 volt through a converter and you'll be good to go.
RCBS is the standard for customer service in the event anything does go wrong and that's why all my stuff is green....
 
I am just getting back into reloading after a hiatus of fifteen years or more. Much of my gear I left with a friend figuring I would upgrade.

I still have my RCBS 5-0-2 balance beam because the one piece of reloading equipment my buddy actually owned was an RCBS Chargemaster his father bought him for Christmas, which I got to use and to which I took a liking.

I found a decent price on a Hornady Lock-n-Load unit and compared the check weights with a set of mine that I had compared to a certified set on an analytical scale. They checked out just fine.

I warmed it up and it would consistently throw within one half of a tenth grain. I was satisfied. I started throwing the first test batch and it threw the first dozen charges just fine, then I had a string of overcharges. About eight of the next twelve. And not by a little either. These were over at least a full half grain.

That's when I noticed the curtains moving. The AC had kicked on.

I shut down the AC and put the cell phone in the next room for good measure.

I haven't had any problems since.
 
I can only speak for the RCBS Chargemaster (not the "Lite"). I love mine. I agonized over spending the money on it until I started using it, then I was kicking myself for not buying it sooner.

I work in the EMC field (electromagnetic compatibility) and while interference is possible, it is much less likely today than it might have been 30-40 years ago. Products have to meet both safety and EMC compliance standards, and that means they can't emit over a certain level of EMI (very low) and also have to be able to function when subjected to certain levels of interference. While this does not 100% guarantee that interference won't happen, it does give reasonable expectations that it won't happen.

I have a shop full of florescent lights, and I have never noticed any interference with any of my scales, from the $20 Gemini-20 to the RCBS Chargemaster. The only interference of any kind I have noticed was my FM radio buzzing slightly when I was using my Milwaukee M18 battery charger. A simple clamp-on ferrite bead on the power cord to the charger fixed that.
 
I have the Hornady. I'd like to sell it here but fear the negative feedback for selling a complete piece of garbage.
 
How fast are those dispensers? Can they keep up with a good powder dropper? Are they much more consistent than the powder droppers?

I would not mind having one if it improved my reloading process or improved my reloads.
 
I have the Hornady. I'd like to sell it here but fear the negative feedback for selling a complete piece of garbage.
I liked my Hornady a lot but the rcbs lite whoops it in every way. I have a friend with the big rcbs chargemaster and he is jealous of my lite. For 99% of people, the lite has enough features, smaller, cheaper and doesn't beep as loud lol
 
I have the Hornady. I'd like to sell it here but fear the negative feedback for selling a complete piece of garbage.
Hi Tim. I've been thinking about getting one of those so could you elaborate a bit on your issues with it? PM me if you prefer. Thanks

Elmer
 
Hi Tim. I've been thinking about getting one of those so could you elaborate a bit on your issues with it? PM me if you prefer. Thanks

Elmer


Simple. It does not throw consistent charges. Not only are they inconsistent, the drops can be significantly off.

I've done the "straw" trick. I've gotten rid of electronic interference, I've turned it on hours before wanting to use so it could do whatever it is that's supposed to do, I've made sure that the room temp is consistent, etc. etc.

By the time I get it set up to throw something that is close enough that all I have to do is trickle the remainder, I may as well have used my dead ass simple Lee Perfect Powder measure and a trickler.
 
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Was considering getting an automatic powder dispenser such as the RCBS Chargemaster Lite. Does anyone have any experience with RCBS or any of the other brands? My main concerns are overall quality and accuracy of the electronic scale. Seems like most reviews of the Hornady powder dispenser talk of how it throws an overcharge a significant amount of the time.

I've heard some not so good reviews in general that electronic scales' accuracy can be thrown off by anything from flourescent lights to microwave ovens which are on the same circuit that the scale is plugged into. TIA.

I had a floor lamp with CFL bulbs near my bench (2-3ft from scale) to throw extra light on it. The Chargemaster WOULD NOT calibrate properly. I almost sent it back to RCBS until I moved the lamp and the problems went away.

The large dual tube fluorescent light on the ceiling poses no issues.

It’s not fake. Physics is real.

Oh, like it was mentioned earlier, moving air will disrupt the scale, like a fan or AC unit blowing right on you. I like a fan going in the room so I’ll just aim it away from myself while I’m using the Chargemaster.


How fast are those dispensers? Can they keep up with a good powder dropper? Are they much more consistent than the powder droppers?

I would not mind having one if it improved my reloading process or improved my reloads.

Not faster than a powder dropper but my CM throws spot on charges. There’s not a +/- .2gr deviation or anything
 
Simple. It does not throw consistent charges. Not only are they inconsistent, the drops can be significantly off.

I've done the "straw" trick. I've gotten rid of electronic interference, I've turned it on hours before wanting to use so it could do whatever it is that's supposed to do, I've made sure that the room temp is consistent, etc. etc.

By the time I get it set up to throw something that is close enough that all I have to do is trickle the remainder, I may as well have used my dead ass simple Lee Perfect Powder measure and a trickler.

Wow! Thanks for the reply and thanks for keeping it simple.
Elmer
 
How fast are those dispensers? Can they keep up with a good powder dropper? Are they much more consistent than the powder droppers?

I would not mind having one if it improved my reloading process or improved my reloads.
They won't keep up with a volumetric powder measure, but they are more consistent.

If I am loading plinking ammo, where +/- 0.2gn won't cause problems, I will setup my Uniflow or Lee Perfect powder measures, as these will drop a charge quicker than the Chargemaster. However, if I want accuracy loads, I will use my Chargemaster.

I have seen photos of reloading benches where there are 3 Chargemasters running at once, to keep up with a progressive press.
 
Simple. It does not throw consistent charges. Not only are they inconsistent, the drops can be significantly off.

I've done the "straw" trick. I've gotten rid of electronic interference, I've turned it on hours before wanting to use so it could do whatever it is that's supposed to do, I've made sure that the room temp is consistent, etc. etc.

By the time I get it set up to throw something that is close enough that all I have to do is trickle the remainder, I may as well have used my dead ass simple Lee Perfect Powder measure and a trickler.

I’m a big fan of Hornady, but what you state is what I have been hearing about the Hornady one and why I will go with the RCBS, only heard minor things about them.
 
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