RCBS Chargemaster Combo pi$$ing me off

O

Obtunded

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 95.2%
40   2   0
Location
Chase BC
I have owned a CMC for years and it served me very well until a week before the US National F-Class Championships, when the electronics went hen-house. I had to buy another one, but sent the old unit to RCBS (out of warranty) along with $45 and they said they would take care of it.

The keypad failed quite suddenly. I have heard this is a VERY common problem.

I got my unit back a month later and was pleasantly surprised to see i was sent a brand-new replacement!

However... I plugged the effing thing in, and its display was as buggered as the one I sent in!

Made in China.

I guess that says it all.
 
Hopefully they will make it right for you. I called them about a bent pin on my depriming rod and they sent me 2 for free.
 
I had to send my Chargemaster to RCBS as well with same problem... shipped my same unit back, and it is working. While waiting for the Chargemaster to return I bought a Vic-123... now I use the Chargemaster to knock out a charge of powder and the Vic to confirm and correct.

The chargemaster can be off from .1gr to .2gr... and every 1 in 10 reloading sittings its in a good mood and is consistent to within .04grs. I have tried all the internet "tricks" and find that both the Vic and the Chargemaster do best when completely powered on for several hours before using.

I wonder how Hornady's new combo is working?
 
blargon said:
Has anyone tried the PACT combo lately? They are made in Texas...

http://www.pact.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14&Itemid=126
Click to expand...

Ih ad a PACT and it wouldn't work worth a chit with ball powder, and as I'm a large fan of Win 748........... thing wouldn't even calibrate its self, so I kept the scale and pitched the dispenser as it soon broke. Sending back and forth to Texas wasn't what i wanted to do.
I have heard mostly good things from the Lyman 1200. FS
 
Styled said:
I had to send my Chargemaster to RCBS as well with same problem... shipped my same unit back, and it is working. While waiting for the Chargemaster to return I bought a Vic-123... now I use the Chargemaster to knock out a charge of powder and the Vic to confirm and correct.

The chargemaster can be off from .1gr to .2gr... and every 1 in 10 reloading sittings its in a good mood and is consistent to within .04grs. I have tried all the internet "tricks" and find that both the Vic and the Chargemaster do best when completely powered on for several hours before using.

I wonder how Hornady's new combo is working?
Click to expand...

My CMC is never shut off, and I regularly check its accuracy against a beam scale and it is amazingly consistent.

I would get am MXX 123 if I were going to going to the dump-weigh-trickle system, but that sort of accuracy is way overkill in a 60 grain powder load
 
Exactly the same thing happened to me last month. Sent it back with my 45.00 and just got it back on friday. Spent all day sunday prepping cases and go to set up the scale. Do the calibration and what do you know it won't work. I entered a value of 69 grains and the most it would get to is 67.2 then 68 then 66.7 after an hour of messing around I gave up. My returned unit was new as well but a new one that worked would have been better. It is now boxed up headed to the mail today. Wait another month I guess.
 
I'm starting to feel like my CMC is the exception rather than the rule. I picked up mine early in 2006 and so far, it hasn't missed a beat. :redface:I have to keep the instruction manual handy to 'remind' me on how to get access to the function I want as modern technology and I haven't advanced at the same pace:p. To 'check' accuracy on a regular basis I kept my old Lyman balance beam scale and powder measure. To dispense multiple charges for handgun loads I still use the Lyman tools as I find old Lyman powder measure quicker.
 
I have a RCBC Chargemaster combo as well. When it works, it works awesome.

I havent had trouble with mine for almost 2 years now. Took it out last Saturday to load some ammo and when it powered on, it showed an error code.

Called RCBS this morning and since its been 2 years since they replaced the last defective one, he told me they'd send me a new one for $65 USD. I just have to send them pictures of my unit smashed so they know it wasnt resold.

I plan on taking some before and after pictures before running over it with my diesel truck.

Shouldnt be much left.

How can you argue with a company like RCBS? The item is off warranty and they'll give you a new one for a fraction of the cost to rebuy it.

I knew there was a reason all my reloading gear is RCBS.
 
savage112 said:
I've been using the Pact combo for about 3 years now. So far, so good. I don't have any complaints with it.
Click to expand...

I had one for a while, but never used the dispenser, only the scale. Had another digital scale here, so sold the combo...I don't load high volume, so I'm good doing it the old way...:D

Mad_Mikee said:
I plan on taking some before and after pictures before running over it with my diesel truck.

Shouldnt be much left.
Click to expand...

Dude, don't run over it. Make it a gong...:p
 
blargon said:
I had one for a while, but never used the dispenser, only the scale. Had another digital scale here, so sold the combo...I don't load high volume, so I'm good doing it the old way...:D



Dude, don't run over it. Make it a gong...:p
Click to expand...

I figured my truck should flatten it pretty quick. First time I tried to drive my duramax up on my oil change ramps, it squished them right flat.

Trying to think what I have for loaded ammo I could shoot it with. Not a whole lot other than 22-250 or maybe a few rounds of 7mm-08 or 7mm RUM.

Might be worth buying box of factory ammo for the 338wm to put a few holes in it. Definately cheaper to just drive over it.

Maybe I'll take a little video of it being flattened.

:)
 
Fassteel said:
Sending back and forth to Texas wasn't what i wanted to do.
I have heard mostly good things from the Lyman 1200. FS
Click to expand...

Well I wouldn't be in a rush to go out and buy a Lyman 1200 DPS III. I just returned a brand new one that had a lot of problems, ironically similar to the RCBS Chargemaster. I have since ordered a Chargemaster. If you read the reviews and do the research, although the Chargemaster isn't perfect, it seems to be more reliable than the Lyman.

Now I haven't used the Chargemaster yet but most of my stuff is RCBS and they seem to stand by their product. They shipped it today so we will see.
 
Obtunded said:
I have owned a CMC for years and it served me very well until a week before the US National F-Class Championships, when the electronics went hen-house. I had to buy another one, but sent the old unit to RCBS (out of warranty) along with $45 and they said they would take care of it.

The keypad failed quite suddenly. I have heard this is a VERY common problem.

I got my unit back a month later and was pleasantly surprised to see i was sent a brand-new replacement!

However... I plugged the effing thing in, and its display was as buggered as the one I sent in!

Made in China.

I guess that says it all.
Click to expand...

I feel your pain, Mine started doing that within a year of my purchse I found that if you pressed the buttons firm, and repetively you could get it to take the input you wanted, sometimes it took several tries. THe problem was also intermittent disapearing for months at time and them coming back again out of the blue. Last year in frustration I picked up a Lyman 1200 DPS 3, OMG you have to wait 30 minutes to use if after you turn it on, and the bloody zero drifts all the time I generally have to rezero 5 times in each reloading session that lasts 90 minutes or so. I have come to detest it and the imposible zero drift.... Now i have 2 expensive dispensers, one random in its dependibility and the other almost useless....

I don't even have the heart to post them for sale as I honestly do not want to get bad feedback after the sale....

Honest input on the Pact dispenser would be appreciated
 
Maybe using surge protection is the key. I've always had mine plugged into a surge bar and so far it hasnt skipped a beat.
Line power is pretty ratty in some places so maybe thats the issue.
 
Lyman 1200 II user here.
Like every other sensitive device it has it's own troubles. Such as:

- absolutely hates statics, dry air and synthetic clothes drive it crazy sometimes... but it's so obvious and easy to avoid;

- must be leveled properly;

- hates fluorescent bulbs within several meters, must be something with magnetic fields and/or UV;

- first 3-4 charges may be +/- 0.2gr so I usually drop them back right away, after that it's steady;

Once you know that and have a beam scales/ control weights JIC, it's pretty reliable and reasonably fast.

RCBS CMC is on my short list of "nice to try" but stories posted here do not make me so sure.

s>
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom