RCBS MatchMaster Powder Dispenser

joelkdouglas

Handloader
Jun 5, 2011
1,310
3
Opinions?

Looks like a good piece of kit. Claimed accuracy of 0.04 grains is pretty solid.

At $900 from MidwayUSA also expensive.

And back to the old question-does the same volume of powder change weight by more than 0.1 grains throughout the year as a result of changes in humidity/age/chemical change over time?


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joelkdouglas":1g5fiojy said:
Opinions?

Looks like a good piece of kit. Claimed accuracy of 0.04 grains is pretty solid.

At $900 from MidwayUSA also expensive.

And back to the old question-does the same volume of powder change weight by more than 0.1 grains throughout the year as a result of changes in humidity/age/chemical change over time?


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I would like to get one but no way will I pay that kind of money. At my age the thing will probably out live me. :shock: Recently, I bought a Chargemaster Lite to try out as my more than ten year old Chargemater is acting up and RCBS doesn't have a was to fix them. They did gove a phone number to call and said the guy has a reputation for fixing them but I tried calling several times over quite a few times and nobody's ever home. :( The Lite is only wrrantted for a year. If that new model at $900 plus shipping and tax is only good for a year, or even two years and it craps out after that one would surely be highly urinated off.

As to the question on whether humidity affects the weight of a volume of powder? I think it does.
I did an experiment quite a few years back where I placed some powder in a small contain during the driest part of the year with the cap off for about a month. Humidity ranged from about 5% to 20 %.. I then weighed the powder. I then capped the container and when our rainy season kicked off I opened the container and left it that way for a month. Then I weighed it again. The weight had increased by 3% as I recall. I don't remember the exact numbers as they were in my reloading notes and were lost sometime during the move from Nevada to Arizona. Best as I can recall was the powder wasH4895 and I did this in the mid 1970's. That loss hurt because I had notes dating back to the mid 1950's from when I started hand loading my ammo.

Whether it affects the cartridge AFTER it has been charged and the bullet seated would be another question. There's a reason military small arms ammo is sealed at the neck and primer for long term storage. A case in point, look at the now long gone milsurp 4831 powder. It was/is noticeably slower than current IMR or H 4831. That was due to aging. Note that the strong ether smell of IMR powders will weaken over time and by time I'm thinking years. I still have an unopened can of IMR 4320 that I bought some time in the 70's when I was living in Nevada. I don't even remember what I got it for. :?:

I did mess up one time and forgot to put away two cans of IMR 4350. Somehow they got stuck behind some stuff and it was a couple of years before I came across them This was in my shed where I do my reloading and therefore that powder was not only subjected to very high summer heat but believe it or not we do have some nights cold enough that the NWS puts out a freeze warning. When I came across that powder it was long gone, lots of red powder, sour smell, the whole shebang. Poured one can out in the back yard and used some of the powder to make a trail to the pile for about ten or so feet. Poured what was left onto the pile and lit it off and stepped back. Should have done it on the Fourth of July as it was spectacular. (y)
Paul B.
 
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