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the best auto charge and scale combo?
- Thread starter TOPGuN050
- Start date
Also interested. I *think* the RCBS Chargemaster usually comes out on top, but Lyman has released a couple new machines.
Richard
Richard
I know it doesn't get too much play around here but I've been using the Hornady unit for a couple years now with no issues different than the RCBS and for $150 less. I've thrown in the neighborhood of 10K charges and it's still kicking...
I had planned on picking up a charge master since it has the best reviews after many hours of research. During Christmas Sportsmans had the auto charge on sale for $160 so I grabbed one. Very pleased so far. Once I learned how to use it properly it very rarely overthrows. Maybe 3 out of 50 with me running the press on the same table. At first I double checked the readout against the calibration weights every 5 rounds. Always came out right on. Friend with rcbs says he has similar results.
+1 on the Hornady I use the Hornady auto charger with the McDonald straw and works great.
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Just bought a CM 1500 from brownelles. I havent delt to much with them, it says it has their 100% liftime returns for any reason policy or something like that. I decided to start over on load development for my new 308 and bought lap. brass berger vld's and chargemaster from them.
Props to those who can afford one! I surely cant. My wife shit purple twinkies all day today after looking in the bank acct. at what I spent this weekend on reloading stuff. But thats life.....
I have a Lyman 1200 DPS 3. I use it for rifle charges. I have checked 300 or so charges, every one with a beam scale. I find it consistently high by about .1gr. No complaints with it. Paid less than $200 for it a couple years ago.
I was in the same position last year, after research bought the Chargemaster. No experience with any of the others--but couldn't be happier.
Super easy to use. As accurate as one could expect, easily reprogrammed (and I'm not a tech guy--just followed the youtube guide), and after reprogram, very fast.
Super easy to use. As accurate as one could expect, easily reprogrammed (and I'm not a tech guy--just followed the youtube guide), and after reprogram, very fast.
Mine was unhappy too until a day before a match I charged n seated 200 rounds in 1 hour, my time is more important than how much I spend on tools, I have a blue collar job, I'm not a rich man, but a man who works for his money, if you make your wants and desires a priority you'll figure out how to make it happen.
+1 on the Prometheus; however, like the Greek, I tend to believe it is a mythical creature. How could so many people lust after a machine, and yet they stop making them? For a year or two, I made do with a Chargemaster. It is good, but left me wanting. When I couldn't locate a Prometheus, I decided to settle for second best, a Sartorius GD503 Sartorius Magnetic Scale Is Fast, Precise within AccurateShooter.com and I haven't looked back. Combined with an Omega Trickler, I've got a birds nest on the ground. I now weigh my loads to a single kernal of Varget.
Only thing is that that article is a little old and expect to pay double IF you can find one. They stopped making them in May of '13. (I sort of get the idea of going out on top, but this is starting to become a nasty habit.) I bought mine here https://www.scalesgalore.com/sartorius_GD503_NTEP.cfm and apparently they still have some in stock. Word of warning, If you purchase one, don't have an AMI (acute myocardial infarction, AKA, a heart attack) when you open it and find that it won't read in grains. There are a few articles on this forum that explain how to fix that situation.
Part of the reason this one is still in stock is probably because it is set up to be Legal-for-trade. 1) That means there is a seal on the bottom which you must break in order to switch it to read in grains, which also makes it NOT legal for trade, but you really don't care about that. 2) You won't find those directions anywhere but this site. 3) Even with the directions, it takes some looking, and a little skill to switch it. 4) Since the one they are selling is set up to be legal-for-trade, the instruction book is crippled. Again, Snipershide to the rescue. You will also find the complete instruction book (or a url) on this site which will allow you to reprogram it to read in grains.
All of this sounds complicated, and it can be, but it is worth it if you happen to be CDO like me, (That's like OCD, but the letters are in alphabetical order, like they SHOULD be!) In some ways it is better than a Prometheus (Sour grapes? What's that?). Seriously, the Prometheus is a uni-tasker. It does one thing exceedingly well, but only one thing, measure powder. I have used my GD503 to sort my bullets and brass to 0.01gn. It will measure to .005gn, but even I am not that CDO! I say I used to, because now I sort my bullets by bearing length (Ogive to boattail).
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Brand never stopped making Gen2's, he is a one man operation, each machine takes about 2weeks to build, if you ever meet him you'll know why, OCD/perfectionist is the best way I can describe him, he has a Mechanical Engineering Degree, and not one of the new here is how to use auto cad ones, the Uniflo(which is modified), the electronic components(he assembles them and programs the chip), and the case are the only things he doesn't make himself, so the wait time is well justified.
Love my Chargemaster. The only thing I don't like about it is how close the dispensing tube is to the tray. Quite often when the charge has been thrown and I go to grab the powder tray, the tube gets bumped and drops a couple more grains into the tray so I have to start over. Otherwise I really like it. If you do get one don't forget the straw and to look online how to speed it up.
Cobra i fully understand about time. Im a mechanic by trade so my life revoles around the "time is money" and efficency aspect. However I do enjoy reloading as a hobby (not that you or others don't). But I was weighing every charge with a uniflo and then trickling up. I wanted something faster so the chargemaster was in the budget. I also do not shoot in matchs. Dont really have a desire to start either.
I fix things too, 737s for Southwest Airlines, get a Chargemaster, but keep a balance beam to keep it honest, after 27 years of fixing my trips to the Snap On truck are rare these days, if you know the WieBad guys SuperDE has a Gen2, he lives on the north side of Bryan, BTW I graduated from A&M in 1986, A&M Consolidated High School.
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Hahaha small world. I don't know those guys. I would love to see one in action just for the awe factor! Yea as for the snap on truck, I had to buy a bigger box as mine was falling apart and wanted one I would never have to replace ever again. So I broke the bank and bought a epiq series 68". Cool career btw. Aways wondered how that was like.....
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I guess I got bad info. I had been told that they were no longer in production. Wow, two weeks is FAST! LaRue takes 6 months min to deliver an OBR, Bar-Sto ended up taking about 5 months to make and install the barrel in my G35. Doug Giraud takes 12 weeks to make an annealing machine, trimmer, or spotting scope stand. 2 weeks is FAST!
