Digital charge dispensers?

[TheDan]

The "reloading shed" will be done soon, and I'm thinking of getting a digital charge dispenser once I get the bench set back up. Has anyone used one before? Worth the cost?

These are the three makes that I know of. The Hornandy one is the cheapest of the bunch and made in USA... Any reason not to get that one over the RCBS or Lyman? Any other option I should consider?

https://www.amazon.com/Hornady-Lock...=1495468437&sr=8-2&keywords=RCBS+ChargeMaster

https://www.amazon.com/Lyman-Gen6-D...8772&sr=8-2&keywords=digital+charge+dispenser

https://www.amazon.com/RCBS-98923-C...=1495468437&sr=8-1&keywords=RCBS+ChargeMaster

 

[bmnloader]

I only have experience with the RCBS and I like it.

 

[Dawico]

No experience with the Lyman.

The scale on the RCBS beats the Hornady hands down. It is much more sensitive.

Had a RCBS first and sold it before a move. Bought the Hornady and regretted it. Sold that and am happily using a RCBS again.

 

[lonestardiver]

They do make single stage reloading easier and faster. No experience with the Lyman or Hornady.

 

[TheDan]

The scale on the RCBS beats the Hornady hands down. It is much more sensitive.

Had a RCBS first and sold it before a move. Bought the Hornady and regretted it. Sold that and am happily using a RCBS again.

Thanks for the input! Which one was faster? How "off" was the Hornady?

 

[Dawico]

Thanks for the input! Which one was faster? How "off" was the Hornady?

Speed was about the same. Plenty of DIY mods that help with speed and limit over charges on YouTube.

The RCBS scale is just more sensitive. Even putting pressure on the bench next to it will show up as the reading flutters. Any breeze is noticable too for the same reason. The Hornady wouldn't pick up either unless it was a major disturbance.

The Hornady would be off a tenth after a while. Weigh a bullet when starting and weigh it later and it would read a tenth more. I didn't see any more change than that but it was enough to lose my trust.

These may not seem like major issues but I just couldn't trust the Hornady for the tolerances I expect from my ammo.

 

[ed308]

I purchased the RCBS based on a lot of the reasons noted. Like it too. Natchez has the best price of them at this time:

https://www.natchezss.com/rcbs-chargemaster-dispenser-and-scale-110-volt.html

 

[Dawico]

I purchased the RCBS based on a lot of the reasons noted. Like it too. Natchez has the best price of them at this time:

https://www.natchezss.com/rcbs-chargemaster-dispenser-and-scale-110-volt.html

I had Academy price match a $300 ad and then got the $75 rebate.

 

[TheDan]

The Hornady would be off a tenth after a while. Weigh a bullet when starting and weigh it later and it would read a tenth more. I didn't see any more change than that but it was enough to lose my trust.

These may not seem like major issues but I just couldn't trust the Hornady for the tolerances I expect from my ammo.

The scale I currently have does that as well... I re-zero it every 10 rounds or so. That does get annoying

 

[ed308]

I had Academy price match a $300 ad and then got the $75 rebate.

Got the same deal from Cabelas when I bought mine back in December.

 

[ROGER4314]

On our .458 Socom and .375 Socom projects, we are trying lots of different bullets and loads. Mostly though, we load 10-20 of each variation and seldom have large batches of any particular load.

I bought the RCBS Chargemaster for that project and it has worked splendidly! No experience here with the other brands but I can recommend the RCBS unit without any reservations!

Time for each charge depends on the powder that you use. We've been using cylinder shaped powders like IMR 4895 and H-110. The granules roll like little drums and I got a lot of overcharge weights. The project was original research, and I wanted exact loads, so I dumped any that indicated "over." On powders that roll out of the trickler, I placed a small book under the forward end of the Chargemaster so when the charge was compete, no additional grains of powder tumbled out. The charge takes a bit longer to measure out that way, but my main concern was accuracy.

A perfect plan was to charge a case, press "dispense" on the Chargemaster and turn to the press to seat the bullet. When that was done, the next charge was ready on the Chargemaster!

I'm sure the other brands like the Chargemaster are quality units but I've never used them. I have run the wheels off of the RCBS Chargemaster and recommend it 100%!

Flash

 

[ed308]

I really like the memory and auto dispense feature on the Chargemaster. I'm sure other presses have the same features. But having the dispenser start the next load as soon as the pan is placed on the scale really speeds up the process. Plus, the scale with the Chargemaster is very accurate.

 

[Mikewood]

The RCBS is what I have. It's pretty fast but you can speed it up by using it along with a powder thrower. HOWEVER. If you use a ball powder the manual RCBS powder thrower can throw a charge of powder accurate to about 2/10 ths of a grain. So the auto dispenser isn't really needed. It's really nice though. Esp if you set it up to throw 1/10 grain short and let the trickier give it the extra 1/10th if needed. Half the time it seems to hit dead on. YMMV.

 

[Dawico]

On our .458 Socom and .375 Socom projects, we are trying lots of different bullets and loads. Mostly though, we load 10-20 of each variation and seldom have large batches of any particular load.

I bought the RCBS Chargemaster for that project and it has worked splendidly! No experience here with the other brands but I can recommend the RCBS unit without any reservations!

Time for each charge depends on the powder that you use. We've been using cylinder shaped powders like IMR 4895 and H-110. The granules roll like little drums and I got a lot of overcharge weights. The project was original research, and I wanted exact loads, so I dumped any that indicated "over." On powders that roll out of the trickler, I placed a small book under the forward end of the Chargemaster so when the charge was compete, no additional grains of powder tumbled out. The charge takes a bit longer to measure out that way, but my main concern was accuracy.

A perfect plan was to charge a case, press "dispense" on the Chargemaster and turn to the press to seat the bullet. When that was done, the next charge was ready on the Chargemaster!

I'm sure the other brands like the Chargemaster are quality units but I've never used them. I have run the wheels off of the RCBS Chargemaster and recommend it 100%!

Flash

Check out videos on the straw mod. It really helps with overcharges.

I reprogrammed mine too but am still playing with the settings to fine tune it to my needs. Not sold on that particular mod honestly.

 

[sabot_round]

I have a Lyman DPS 1200 II since 2002. It has been through several moves across the country (I'm in the ARMY), and I have loaded thousands of rounds with it. To this date it still throws accurate charges that I double check with a balance scale every 20 rounds or so. I can't speak for the GEN VI or any others, but I'm happy with what I have right now.

SR

 

[ROGER4314]

Gotta fess up. I used none of the programmable capabilities of the RCBS Chargemaster. We used so many different loads and powders to see if they would function the action of the rifle with and without silencers that it wasn't worth programming the unit.

I set the dispenser to my weight (say 34.5 grains) and hit dispense. When the screen showed "stable" and there was not an "over" showing on the screen, I dumped the powder in the cartridge, replaced the tray and hit dispense again. I had to keep an eye on the scale zero after the load was dispensed as a tiny kernel of powder may have remained on the scale. A small brush comes with the unit to sweep off any residue.

I use a baking pan from the "Dollar Store" under the Chargemaster to keep the area free of powder.

Flash

 

[Dawico]

Gotta fess up. I used none of the programmable capabilities of the RCBS Chargemaster. We used so many different loads and powders to see if they would function the action of the rifle with and without silencers that it wasn't worth programming the unit.

I set the dispenser to my weight (say 34.5 grains) and hit dispense. When the screen showed "stable" and there was not an "over" showing on the screen, I dumped the powder in the cartridge, replaced the tray and hit dispense again. I had to keep an eye on the scale zero after the load was dispensed as a tiny kernel of powder may have remained on the scale. A small brush comes with the unit to sweep off any residue.

I use a baking pan from the "Dollar Store" under the Chargemaster to keep the area free of powder.

Flash

If I get an overcharge I stick the little brush in the powder to pull a few kernels out and get the charge right.

 

[TheDan]

The RCBS is what I have. It's pretty fast but you can speed it up by using it along with a powder thrower. HOWEVER. If you use a ball powder the manual RCBS powder thrower can throw a charge of powder accurate to about 2/10 ths of a grain. So the auto dispenser isn't really needed.

Right, that's another thing I'm mulling over. It's definitely a neat tool, but how useful is it really?

 

[Dawico]

Right, that's another thing I'm mulling over. It's definitely a neat tool, but how useful is it really?

I can live without it but now that I have one I won't be without.

I use mine (my only digital scale) to weigh powder, cases, and bullets as the need arrived.

Like stated above, you can be seating a bullet while the next charge is pouring. Very handy in that regard.

 

[TheDan]

Like stated above, you can be seating a bullet while the next charge is pouring. Very handy in that regard.

Yep, I can definitely see the value in that. Pretty much sold on the RCBS at this point. Just need to keep my eyes peeled for a used one or a good sale