Electronic Powder measurers

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
Whats your thoughts?

Do ya have one? What model is is? Do ya like it enough to recomend?

Have ya thought about gettin one? If so what models are ya liking & why.

I never have had. I use manual mostly RCBS but I have a Lyman, Hornady and a couple Redding too.

My buddy is pushin me to join the modern era & buy one.
I am likjng this Frankfort Intella-Dropper.

CW
 

waco

Springfield, Oregon
I have the RCBS Charge Master 1500. I love it. If you ever use powders like SR4759 this this is a God send.
Buy with confidence.
 

Matt

Active Member
What waco says, especially with SR4759 and any of the big stick powders. I’ve even begun to use it with 4895. Don’t like it (or need it) for ball or flake powders, use a little dandy or Redding measure for those, quicker just as accurate. The RCBS 1500 is great once you get a technique you like, lots quicker that using a measure and then trickling to weight. None of that bothersome “crunch/sheer “ stuff either.
 

462

California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
I don't have one.

I've thought about getting one.

If I were to buy one tomorrow it would be the RCBS Chargemaster Lite.

However, the more I study them the more I realize I don't need one. They don't do anything any faster or more accurately than my RCBS Uniflow measure, 5-0-5 scale and powder trickler.
 

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
I bought the ChargeMaster when they first came out and never looked back. Wouldn't be without it.
 

Spindrift

Well-Known Member
I have a Lyman. If you’re making a bunch of ammo with identical loads, using a regular volumetric measure is faster (if the powder generally works well in a powder measure). If you’re making a lot of ladder/test loads with different loading weights, the electronic powder dispenser is very effective. And it solves the problem with powders that don’t cooperate with the volumetric measures.

The Lyman har worked well. The hatch where you empty the powder when you’re done, is on the back side of the machine; I wish it wasn’t.

It is an appreciated tool in my reloading room, but I don’t use it all the time.
 

Tomme boy

Well-Known Member
Have had a chargemaster since about 2002 or so. Never had any problems with it. If making hunting loads or doing workups I use it. But for blasting ammo no. Can't believe what they want for it now.
 

Winelover

North Central Arkansas
I bought the ChargeMaster when they first came out and never looked back. Wouldn't be without it.

Same here. Recently, had to replace the power supply. Bought a replacement off Amazon for $6.95.............not bad for having had the Chargemaster for about twenty years.

Have three powder dispensers set up for pistol loads but they hardly get used anymore. Two Hollywoods and a Uniflow.
 

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
I don't have one.

I've thought about getting one.

If I were to buy one tomorrow it would be the RCBS Chargemaster Lite.

However, the more I study them the more I realize I don't need one. They don't do anything any faster or more accurately than my RCBS Uniflow measure, 5-0-5 scale and powder trickler.
Exactly why I dont yet own one. ;)

CW
 

Winelover

North Central Arkansas
I beg to differ, on the slowness. Depends on how your reloading technique. I don't (never use) a loading block. I charge case, then immediately seat bullet. By the time, I do that, next charge is ready in the pan.

Like some other poster said. Invaluable, for making ladder loads, too. I don't see a disadvantage to the Chargemaster electronic dispenser at all.

Last week, I used the Chargemaster to load about a thousand 9 mm rounds with Unique. Yesterday, I loaded about hundred 44 Special and Magnums with 2400................12.5 and 18.0 grains, respectively. Hella of a lot faster, changing the setting on the Chargemaster than a manual powder measure. Once charge is entered, it meters exactly. I only have to recheck it against a beam scale, once. Unlike a manual(trial and error system), you don't have to hold your mouth, just right, to get repeatable charges.
 

Rockydoc

Well-Known Member
I had a Lyman for many years. It just quit a few months ago. Very fine powders like L’il Gun and H110 would get into the very narrow gap around the shaft of the trickler tube and bind it up. Otherwise it did Ok.

I now have the RCBS Chargemaster Lite. If I am not doing a large volume of rounds, such as ladder load development, I weigh each load by using an appropriate size Lee dipper to fill the pan just shy of the desired weight and then let the Chargemaster finish the job.

For volume work, I use a RCBS Uniflow powder thrower.
 

Gary

SE Kansas
I've used a Chargemaster and others and settled on a Gempro 250. One caveat; if you have Florescent lighting be aware of possible measurement "drift". I'm switching to LED lighting over the bench and hope that works better. I was experiencing a .2~3gr shift when the lights were on.
 

Jäger

Active Member
Wow! Looking at the price on that Chargemaster, with what I do for reloading, it looks like a very nice piece of kit - but not something I am likely to decide I need badly enough at this stage of my life/reloading to shell out that much money to buy. Maybe if I win the lottery...

There are quite a number of electronic scales out there. Mine lost my confidence. That ultimately lead me down a bit of a rabbit hole where I realized there's a whole other world pertaining to powder scales that I didn't even know existed. Some who haven't completely gone electronic trickler to their complete satisfaction or looking for greater precision with beam scales might be interested in other aspects of weighing scales.

I bought a Dillon electronic scale so long ago that it was covered with a lifetime warranty back then. Up until recently, I don't recall noticing any problems or questioning the readings. Nothing changed; when in use was only near wood, no nearby electronics, metal, etc. A few years ago while trickling to weight in the pan on the scale, I noticed that readings were lagging as I trickled powder; after the measure display "locked" at the setting I was trickling to, a little tap on the pan to make a large change in the weight the sensors were detecting. When it settled again I was regularly several tenths of a grain over weight I had trickled to. Not good.

Haven't trusted it since (although I still use it). Contacted Dillon and found that at some point or other the lifetime warranty disappeared; now their policy is that it is a third party product that they sell with Dillon's name on it, so no lifetime warranty - but would you like to buy a new one from us? NO!

To be clear, no complaints about the response from Dillon, I bought this electronic scale when they first started selling them, and I think that must be maybe over 30 years ago now. I am just not convinced that all electronic scales are reliably accurate, just because it's an electronic scale, whether Dillon or anyone else. There's a quality range there.

I understand that a "wandering zero" (kind of like the Lee Enfield No. 5 rifle is accused of having?) is common to a lot of electronic scales, especially the less expensive ones like Dillon; I have seen threads on this issue on other forums on the internet. Not an issue unique to me and my scale.

So I'm using a few different work flows now for the Dillon scale. First, I've found it is repeatably accurate as long as you're not gradually changing weight i.e. by trickling powder. So it's accurate for sorting cast bullets by weight, cases,or to check the weight of a charge thrown into the pan and then put on the scale. There the scale goes directly from unloaded, to the end weight you are measuring all at once. Then it's accurate and the weight it displays is repeatable if you repeatedly measure the same object. But where I'm trickling to weight, I throw the charge just short of the target weight with a powder measure, and then trickle to desired weight in my good ol' Ohaus/RCBS 1010 beam scale that I've had for decades.

Anyways, while investigating my now-suspect Dillon, I discovered there's a whole segment of reloaders, mostly F-Class types, who go to great lengths in order to precision tune their beam scales: lapping the beam bearing contact edges, adding gizmos, precision pointers, etc. All the way down to adding a micro camera to their tuned scale so that they can use a 7" tablet for a closeup of the pointer/zero alignment:

Beam Scale Video Enhancements

There's a little universe of essentially self taught balance beam technicians who you can send your beam balance to and they will tune it from top to bottom, add enhancements, etc. I didn't bother looking at pricing for those services as my current kit was good enough for my needs, and my somewhat anal procedure and checking when weighing individual charges was good enough for my needs.

I regularly check both the still-useful but suspect Dillon and my 10-10 beam scale with the check weights I've also had forever; I assume that probably sooner or later my many decades old 10-10 will need servicing, but for now diligent regular cleaning of contact points and careful storage away from household dust, etc has it still reliable and precise enough for what I'm doing with individually weighed charges for big game hunting rifles, Service Rifle, varmint rifles, etc.

Anyway, whether balance beam or electronic, there are scales and there are scales. And then there are people who will really tune up your powder scales if you believe you need even more accuracy.

Just some things to consider in the reloading weighing universe out there. And all electronic powder scales are definitely not created equal.
 

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
I've used a Chargemaster and others and settled on a Gempro 250. One caveat; if you have Florescent lighting be aware of possible measurement "drift". I'm switching to LED lighting over the bench and hope that works better. I was experiencing a .2~3gr shift when the lights were on.

Be aware with the LED's. I haven't checked a scale under LED's but I can assure you your radio will not work under them. Completely blocks the signal.
 

Winelover

North Central Arkansas
I had a 4 foot, 4 bulb florescent over my bench. Change it to LED, removed the ballasts. I had no issues with the Chargemaster with either type of lighting. LED's are much brighter.
 

Winelover

North Central Arkansas
Not a radio, per se, my Sono's doesn't skip a beat. If I'm in the shop, it's always on, and within arms length.
 

Ian

Notorious member
I have the big Chargemaster, used it twice, put it back in the box. I doubt I will ever use it again since I don't use SR4759 or Trailboss. If I do ever need to use powders which would give my Uniflows a hard time I have a Belding & Mull which will accurately meter corn flakes.