RCBS MatchMaster Digital Powder Scale & Dispenser Chargemaster 98941

[Captain mf]

RCBS MatchMaster Digital Powder Scale & Dispenser  Chargemaster 98941, has anybody tried this, sounds great but but as a user of accurate or rather better to say very precise at =/- 0.02 gr.  however with electronic scalesi  experience a lot of issues around environment, suffice to say when working well electronic is very good, but when they are not they are a pain.  and yes I am aware of how good enhanced balance scales are. But would like some feed back on these if anybody has tried them and if they perform as well as laboratory scales  

cheers
 

[No i deer]

Seen some on eBay for about £700 new but there's probaly shipping cost and import duty.

There almost bound to be better than the other powder dispensers but there's only one way to find out for sure.

[ds1]

Problem is it’s still a strain gauge system. The more precise / repeatable  tend to be magnetic forced restoration  type ( also hybrid and other systems). What is basically comes down to, if you want precision buy an Autotrickler with A&D fx 120i scale - around the same coin as the RCBS, faster and potentially more accurate/ repeatable but can be a PIA to set up - it’s a bit fiddly.

If you want convenient buy a RCBS Chargemaster Lite for half the price of the Matchmaster ( possibly half the accuracy / repeatability). I have the Lite and the Autotrickler, the Lite from weighing charges on the fx120 seems surprisingly repeatable for most of what I am doing, within about 0.4 grain if I stop the Lite short of the change weight and slowly manually trickle it up to weight. This sort of defeats the convenience element somewhat. For LR, it’s nice to know that it is accurate rather than believing it to be so….. I also use the Autotrickler because the cost of reloading components, especially 338lm it cost too much to waste.

The Matchmaster seems an expensive half way house - you get the convenience but not the accuracy or speed of the Autotrickler.

Got my Autotrickler v3 from U.K. https://www.hammer-pair.com

Strain gauge vs Magnetic force restoration video:

 

 

[Catch-22]

I did a fairly thorough analysis and review of the Chargemaster Lite back in 2017 when they came out. I know it’s not a Matchmaster...but worth a read none the less.

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

As noted by DS1 above, the Lite was handy for throwing. And to be fair, the scale unit was actually very accurate ONLY if you did the following;

1. Under throw a charge

2. Remove pan, leave to settle and replace pan

3. Trickle up to final weight

If following the above, it was very accurate - often to within 0.02gn - or 1-2kernels of N140.

But doing the above took time...and completely defeated the whole purpose of having an auto dispensing machine.

Needless to say I sold the Lite and bought the Fx-120i with Autotricker & Autothrow combo and haven’t looked back. 

[ds1]

Before even considering the scales though you can see play about with the maths. Take whatever the +/- accuracy of the scales is. Add and subtract that from whatever load you are using and run it through an interior ballistic calculator like Quickload or BT to get a max and min velocity. Using an external ballistic calculator you can see what that velocity makes at the distances you shoot at with your load.

Cavet with that - you are not taking into account many other factors and really the only one that counts is consistency over a chronograph but it doesn’t cost anything to play around with the theoretical benefits or lack there of on a ballistic calculator.

[Popsbengo]

On a non-analytical type lab scale the use of a measuring pan of sufficient weight that places the readings a good way from the bottom of the range is desirable practice.  The pan is usually tare-weight adjusted out so displaying the measured amount only;  this requires no sums to be done.

Doing the above, I get faster settling and less (no) zero drift when the room and scale have equalised temperature.

Using BBT P-Max:  0.01 grains variance in powder (N140) of 44gr in a .308 gives a variance of 1 ft/s in 2,700 ft/s.  That's 0.037%.

If one varies the volume of the case by a similar amount of H2O, the result is about the same change in MV.   So from that I assume that persons that strive to weigh to .01gr also adjust their brass volume after firing (carbon deposit variance)?

I'd have thought the fluttering of a gnat or a sheep-fart down range would have more affect on accuracy.

😁

 

 

 

[GT3_richy]

4 hours ago, ds1 said:

Problem is it’s still a strain gauge system.

That ^

Crazy money for what it is.

[No i deer]

I don't hear the shooters going mad for these match master scales.

I too have recently purchased an A&D but not bothered with an auto-thrower.

Am yet to try ammo I've loaded on the A&D's. Not too long now

[Popsbengo]

regarding technology used to do the measuring (strain-gauge vs EMFR) is not relevant. In my opinion, no reloader needs an analytical scale.  A good top-loading lab scale is sufficient to measure to three decimal places (ie 1mg for example).

Without strict control over temperature, room humidity, vibration, drafts, absorbed moisture control for the powder, etc etc it would be highly unlikely that one could actually manage the precision being sought.  The spare bedroom or garage is not a lab analytical room !

If anyone would like to prove to themselves how humidity matters, pour out about 50gr of any powder from a newly opened batch, weigh and make a note of the precise mass.  Put that powder aside in an open container for a day and weigh again.   I think you may be surprised at the change in mass.  And of course those two differing masses have the same potential chemical energy.

~£400 difference between a good top-loader and an analytical balance can buy quite a lot of useful stuff..

[ds1]

I do agree on humidity control but you can get a reasonable room humidity controller from about £200. It’s what I did anyway.

Most people start to look at quality balances if they have identified a need. In my case getting 20+FPS ES was not doing me any favours at 1km. It’s sort of annoying when vertical spread is larger than horizontal spread. A more accurate balance did do a lot to get ES consistently down into single figures, or so the Labradar  says. If I was only ever shooting 200m or 300m then the juice would not have been worth the squeeze.

Accepted that a precision balance is only part of the process but it is somewhat higher up in the pecking order than a hydraulic seater or most of the other Sinclair crap I seem to have acquired.

[No i deer]

Well said.....

There's an awful lot of gimics out there which I refuse to buy but I have been lured into thinking the A&D's might help keep a level playing field as most f classers seem to be using lab scales 

[One on top of two]

8 minutes ago, No i deer said:

Well said.....

There's an awful lot of gimics out there which I refuse to buy but I have been lured into thinking the A&D's might help keep a level playing field as most f classers seem to be using lab scales 

My A&D set up has been revolutionary 

[No i deer]

I did use gempro250s and they worked really well for me.. I checked them and they were good for 0.04grs consistanly..

I had both scales set up and the loads weighed matched the A&D's.

The A&D's weigh much faster..

Initially I was getting drifting with the A&D's which was pissing me off.. I bought a power surge thing that seemed to help but I can still get 0.02gr of drift.

[One on top of two]

1 hour ago, No i deer said:

I did use gempro250s and they worked really well for me.. I checked them and they were good for 0.04grs consistanly..

I had both scales set up and the loads weighed matched the A&D's.

The A&D's weigh much faster..

Initially I was getting drifting with the A&D's which was pissing me off.. I bought a power surge thing that seemed to help but I can still get 0.02gr of drift.

There’s something not right , mine are rock solid .

I can turn on , warm up , calibrate, smash off 100 rounds of 44.4 grains of RS52 , put my E2 calibration weights on and both 100g and 50g will still be within 1mg .

have you contacted A&D ? 
Are you using a windshield thingy ? Or just the scales on there own ? 

[No i deer]

Yeah I use wind shield but take the lid off too feed the scale with a pinched fingers of powder. I haven't tried feeding it with the lid on yet as I'm unsure if the powder will bounce out the pan..

Tried it with the strip light off too..

I spoke to the technician at Oakley weigh who sets them up for grammar and grains and he said that's quite normal..

I've tried everything bar in another room as my scales are in my gunroom in the attic.. it's  open ratfers and insulated.. there can be air movement but not whence loaded...

Always warm up the scales..

[Montey]

I'm trying my A&D scales with the lid on but one side removed I find the same problem mate I'm throwing the load onto my charge master pan and then using a hand trickler to my desired load 

problem is the scales don't re zero so do I need to calibrate using a calibrate wait? If so what wait should be used ? 

Ive been using the Charge master 1500 but only as a scales under through the load and trickle up 

every one seems to be using the A&D in Fopen