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Rcbs charge master accuracy test & thoughts.


ds1

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Following on from the 10-10 scale and Target master vid I borrowed a brand new rcbs charge master combo out of curiosity to see how it compared. Tried it over a week and it does what it says on the box - accurate to +/- 0.1 grain. The balance beam is more sensitive though. The vid shows two charges of 43.0 grains of vv n140 being measured and checked on the balance beam, both are bang on in this case but the charge master did vary about half the width of the pointer while testing over 50 charges on it. As can be seen in the vid the mechanical scale repeats to the same position. If you have the patience the mechanical scale and Target master is going to be a bit more precise and just as fast or faster than the charge master if weighing a batch of charges and then seating the bullets but with the charge master you just press a button and wait - or seat a bullet whist the next charge is being measured.

 

 

Random thoughts on the charge master - it's very plastic, calibration requires a 100 gram weight - rcbs saved by using 2x 50 gram weights - not easy to get them over dead centre on the plate. Sometimes you can see a 0.1 grain shift after the charge count number returns to the weight. The empty pan sometimes reads 156.4 grains and at others 156.3 grains, even just after re-calibration. I did not use the auto dispense as the pan takes a second or two to re-zero when placed back on the plate. There were quite a few over charges - more so than with the target master trickler - I did not try the mc Donald's straw trick.

 

For me it would be accurate enough for my needs, less interactive ( less boring) than using the balance scale and trickler. OTOH I don't feel much desire to spend 500 quid to replace my balance beam scale for something that is nearly as precise just to gain a bit more convenience.

 

Thoughts from more experienced charge master users ?

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I agree with what you have said although you can change the setting on the chargemaster to speed up the dispense rate http://www.accurateshooter.com/gear-reviews/speed-up-your-rcbs-chargemaster/

 

Also I have found that the shooting sheds 'thingy' which they produce, which is effectively the McDonald's straw, make a big difference to over charging.

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Hi,

 

I have exactly the same setup as you.

 

McDonald's straw is needed.

 

If my 10/10 scales show a different reading I remove the powder holder (with the powder still in) and shake it very gently from side to side.

 

This tends to settle the powder and the two readings then align.

 

Hope it helps?

 

Jeff

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Hi,

I have exactly the same setup as you.

McDonald's straw is needed.

If my 10/10 scales show a different reading I remove the powder holder (with the powder still in) and shake it very gently from side to side.

This tends to settle the powder and the two readings then align.

Hope it helps?

Jeff

Whatever works...but powder weighs the same 'settled' or not-what might be happening is that the weighing system is not sensitive enough to respond to one kernel trickling in....as several users have reported....that is acomment on the 'accuracy'of the weighing,of course...and one reason why such systems can produce very small apparent differences...rather few reloaders seem to do 'reliability' checks-ie weight the same dispensed powder several times-it will be the same if the system is sensitive enough....many are more like .1g than .025 (average kernel weight).

I'm not saying consistency better than .1g is needed for many shooting applications,just that validity,reliability and accuracy are not the same thing ( and add in 'sensitivity').Here settling the powder gives the system a 'better shot' at an accurate reading-as no very small sensitivity to very small change is needed.

"Pragmatic' tolerance -holes on paper/beasts - due to sub .1g powder variance effects is actually quite good-NO scale can guarantee SDMV of zero-as other factors are invoolved (neck tension eg)...but it all helps,even in the mind.

 

gbal

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I have found the Chargemaster gives more accurate readings using ball powder i.e. Lovex 073.6 when compared to Vhi N140. I still trickle and use the lab scales as the ultimate decision maker.

 

Appreciate not everyone needs that level of accuraccy but as I am a gruppy old sod I use the lab scales for everything from stalking to F Class. I only wish I had two Chargemasters!!!

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Ds1

Are Chargemasters really £500!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I paid Foxy £370 and thought that was a bit excessive. I guess I will stick one and read a book.

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Having used the charge master for the last 10 years with good results I never really had recourse to doubt it's accuracy.

 

Having recently acquired a hornet I found that the charge master was not good enough at the lower end of the weights, namely less than 12Grns, so I got the thrower and trickler back out, and found I could load the hornet a lot faster.

 

Whilst working up a new load for the .223 I tried using the charge master as a thrower and trickling the 0.2 Grn increments using the 0.02 Grn lab scale.

Doing this I found that the charge master was throwing inconsistent weights, varying by as much as 1 Grn, with certain powders.

 

I now check weigh all charges from the chargemaster when producing loads which I might use at extended ranges, or which are sensitive (getting toward the max load).

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I conducted a fairly detailed test on the newer CM Lite which may be of interest to you as the technique I discovered and discuss in detail reduced variances in charge weight from around 0.1g to 0.02g.

 

http://ukvarminting.com/forums/topic/38699-rcbs-chargemaster-lite-arrived-today/

 

Another thing worth looking into is the fact that all electronic scales can be affected by electromagnetic fields (so your mobile or other electronic devices near by) or even surges in your home wiring (if the scale is plugged into the mains).

These two factors can affect the accuracy of the scale as much as wind drift might.

Personally, I use magnetic field dampeners on either end on the CM Lite power chord and I'm soon to purchase a line conditioner/anti surge socket too, as I live in an old house whose electric wiring leaves a lot to be desired.

 

I think accurate shooter have published a number of articles on this with regard to electronic scales.

 

HTH!

Konrad

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