I jinxed myself.

PJGunner

Handloader
Dec 11, 2010
2,224
1,306
:shock: Yeah I did just that. I no sooner bragged on my RCBS Chargemaster, then the damned thing went toes up on me. :cry: Oh well, I got 15 years of good service from it. I'd said if it ever died I'd go out and buy another.

Went to Sportsman's Warehouse and they only had a Chargemaster Lite. It actually cost more than my original machine and frankly, IT SUCKS! It's supposed to be accurate to + or - 0.1 grain. That I can accept. I had planned to load the rounds up with Re17 for my 7x57 so the new tool was what I used. I had set for a charge and hit the "GO" button. It did it's thing and then I check weighed it on a scale I knew was accurate. FWIW, I did the same thing with the original Chargemaster until I was sure it threw accurate charges. One of the charges was 44.0 gr. which according to Speer is the max load while Quickload said otherwise by quite a bit. The load was 44.0 gr. and what dropped was usually 0.1 gr. light when check weighed. No biggie as the original usually did that or was spot on. So far so good right? Wrong. Here's what I got. 44.1, 43.9, 44.5, 44.0, and 42.8. :shock: I loaded 12 levels for testing from Speer's start load to slightly into the "dangerous do not use category". I had to fight those type variations for every one of the 12 different loads. The rifle I'll use is a custom Mauser that is very tightly chambered and shows pressure problems much faster than my M70 FWT or Ruger #1, also in 7x57.

My carefully considered opinion is it's as useless as mammary glands on a boar hog.

So I can do two things. Wrap it back up and take to the store where they'll probably put it back on the shelf for some unsuspecting customer or contact RCBS to see what they'll do. Either way I'm left without a tool. Frankly I want a Chargemaster and not the lite one. I'll probably give RCBS a call and work from there.
Paul B.
 
Paul, if you use the same Bullet or check weight does it vary each time you set it down on the pan?

I’m sorry it seems like it is all over the map?
 
PJGunner,

If you can accept that the scale is accurate, than the issue looks to be in the dispensing unit...

Have you tried choking or restricting the dispensing tube?

I have a late model 1500 Chargemaster (6 months prior to the introduction of the Chargemaster Lite) and for some powders (like Varget and H4831SC) I find a choke does wonders for consistency. If I don't use the choke I might end up .5+ grains, with the choke I get back to within .1 grain.
 
Nimrod84":3i81d89l said:
PJGunner,

If you can accept that the scale is accurate, than the issue looks to be in the dispensing unit...

Have you tried choking or restricting the dispensing tube?

I have a late model 1500 Chargemaster (6 months prior to the introduction of the Chargemaster Lite) and for some powders (like Varget and H4831SC) I find a choke does wonders for consistency. If I don't use the choke I might end up .5+ grains, with the choke I get back to within .1 grain.

I have a Lyman and it came with screw in restrictors for the dispensing tube just for those type powders. Without one in place the charges vary quite a bit on bigger sticks.
 
I called RCBS yesterday and talked to a man named Cody. He gave me some ideas to try on the Chargemaster Lite and a phone number of a place that supposedly fixes Chargemasters. The area code says they're right here in Tucson but they have no website and when I tried tp called them yesterday afternoon no one answered the phone. After I have lunch I'll go to the shed and give his hints a try. I think I'll try them on the Chargemaster too. Just might save me some trouble and money.
Paul B.
 
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