Digital powder scale & Dispenser

Don45

Don45

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Dwight, Ontario
I am looking for anyone that has used the RCBS ChargeMaster Combo.
I would like to know how well it works and if you have any problems with it.
I currently have a Pact digital scale and powder dispenser and they are junk in my opinion. The scale I have had for a few years and it hasn't been too bad it just takes a number of calibrations before it is calibrated correctly, I have sent it in once to get fixed and it came back the same as when it was sent in. The dispenser I purchased last year and I had to wait for 3 months for it to be made and when it arrived it didn't work so had to send it in to be fixed, when it finally came back it worked for 300 charges and then has stopped working. They have a lifetime warranty but you have to pay the shipping both ways which would not be too bad if when fixed you could get more than 300 dispenses out of it.
 
Sorry, cannot help you with your questions but I got SmartReloader SR750 digital scale from Cabela's for only $30 and it works pretty well.
Accurate and doesn't need calibration done, thou I calibrate before every loading session just in case.
 
I just got mine a couple of months ago. Love it. A bit slow for bigger loads, but unbelievably reliable and a godsend for load development. I would totally reccomend one for any reloader who's got the cash. I've got about five different sets of loads ready for test firing thanks to this thing. Now if it ever warmed up past -20!
 
Thanks for the posts. I had read the review before when I had just the Pact scale and thought that I would add the dispenser and keep the $ amount down. If I had known that the dispenser was going to be this much trouble I would have went for the RCBS then.
Since Pact has an 800 number I think I will give them a call and tell them that I am not happy about it and see what they say, likely they will tell me to send it back in at my own expense and they will fix it. I think I will be using the money instead to purchase one of the RCBS combos, now the search begins for the best deal.
Thanks for the help.
 
Northman999 said:
I just got mine a couple of months ago. Love it. A bit slow for bigger loads, but unbelievably reliable and a godsend for load development.
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Fully agreed. I happily trade a bit of speed for the reliability of the thing.

I charge up some cases and then while the machine is busy throwing another charge I can seat the ones I've already got powdered. Works in to a nice rhythm where little time is wasted waiting for charges to drop.
 
I just love the Chargemaster combo.
You just punch in the charge weight and hit dispense, bingo tray gets loaded.
Then you set it up for auto and when you put the tray back and it settles back to zero it automatically starts to fill the tray with the desired weight, no button punching.
Best $$$ ever spent.
 
O.K.... I've had the RCBS Charge Master since they came out.. and LOVE it!!! How do you set up this "Auto" feature? Is it something in the newer dispencers I can't find anything in my manual about it.....Ken
 
I think you just hold down "enter" and it changes modes to "auto". Cant remember without looking at the book. Right now I do load developement so I only load 3 or 4 of each powder charge.

I find that it overthrows charges as well. If I hit like 40.5 and hit dispense, it will finish at 40.6 or 40.7. Might just be the type of powder Im using.
Seems to do it once and a while. Might happen 1 in 20...then I'll get 3 or 4 in a row.

Who knows. Just a quirk.
 
I have had my Chargemaster Combo for close to two years now. The first one lost the display within about 2 months. No problems with warranty at all. Had a new one up here in no time flat. Nary a problem since. I wonder how I got by without it before. As for throwing a slightly "heavy" charge occasionally, they all do that. But there is a way to solve the issue. You build an adapter to go inside the dispenser tube, and you will get perfect charges every time, regardless of powder type. I used a short section of an empty 222 Remington case pressed into a short section of 7x57 case to make the adapter. It does slow the dispensing of larger charges a bit more, but this is not where you need the nth degree of weight accuracy anyway, so I only use the adapter for precise loads in medium/smaller cases. Regards, Eagleye.
 
Eagleye said:
I have had my Chargemaster Combo for close to two years now. The first one lost the display within about 2 months. No problems with warranty at all. Had a new one up here in no time flat. Nary a problem since. I wonder how I got by without it before. As for throwing a slightly "heavy" charge occasionally, they all do that. But there is a way to solve the issue. You build an adapter to go inside the dispenser tube, and you will get perfect charges every time, regardless of powder type. I used a short section of an empty 222 Remington case pressed into a short section of 7x57 case to make the adapter. It does slow the dispensing of larger charges a bit more, but this is not where you need the nth degree of weight accuracy anyway, so I only use the adapter for precise loads in medium/smaller cases. Regards, Eagleye.
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Do you have a pic of your adapter or a website I can use to build something like that. Definately interested in making one.

We (my buddy and I) had our first Chargemaster crap out as well. Overthrew powder every time. Couldnt ever get one correct. Started doing it after about 100 rounds which were dispensed correctly. RCBS replaced it without an issue.
 
Talked to Pact and told him about the problem I was having and he told me that it sounded like a motor was burnt out so just send it back in and they would fix it. I told him that when I bought it the same motor was wasn't working so I had to send it back and then I only got around 300 dispenses before it needs replacing again.:mad:
I told him that if I did send it back then the total shipping that I had spent on the unit would be close enough to the cost of the unit and that I didn't think that I would be spending any more money on it and that I might try something else.
I think what cheesed me off the most was that the guy at Pact didn't even say sorry for the troubles that I was having with his product; I don't think I will be purchasing any of Pacts products any time soon if ever.
I hope that the RCBS Chargemaster Combo is a better unit, at least I know that RCBS is a lot easier to deal with if I do have any problems.
 
I got one about two years back as part of my equipment upgrade. Great. No problems or complaints. Although, I did keep my old Lyman #55 powder measure and still use it for large numbers of handgun cartridges as I find it a little quicker in those circumstances.
 
I am glad that you have a good one, I sure ended up with a pile of junk for a dispenser, and the digital scale isn't too bad when you get it calibrated.
 
Don45 said:
I am glad that you have a good one, I sure ended up with a pile of junk for a dispenser, and the digital scale isn't too bad when you get it calibrated.
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I can't complain, its been good so far. I'm a little stuborn when it comes to working with or trying to keep pace with some of todays seemingly rapid advancements in technology:redface:. I've found the RCBS ChargeMaster Combo easy to understand and work with but with my ongoing resistance to techno change, I keep the instruction pamphlet close by for 'frequent' reference.
I still have my old Lyman Ohaus balance beam scale and doubting technology a little, when I first got the Combo I frequently checked the charges it was dispensing. It wasn't needed.
I've mentioned it in previous threads but what I find to be the real shining light with RCBS, in addition to the quality of their products is their customer service which is second to none. With any of the minor problems I have had with their 'stuff' or in assistance of a technical nature, address has been immediate and satisfactory. As such, with my gradual upgrade in equipment, my 1st choice has been and continues to be RCBS.:)
 
My RCBS is usually within +/-1-3 granules (using Varget) of my Beam scale.
Both scales are accurate to +/-.01

With the tweaks you can do to the RCBS it really helps speed up the loading.
Tweaks can be found HERE
 
Johnn Peterson I was talking about the Pact dispenser that I have. I am planning on getting one of the RCBS Chargemaster Combos hopefully in the near future, as I have read that it is the best out there. As for RCBS customer service I have always had good luck with them, the guy at Pact should take some lessons from RCBS on how to treat customers.
 
Don45 said:
Johnn Peterson I was talking about the Pact dispenser that I have. I am planning on getting one of the RCBS Chargemaster Combos hopefully in the near future, as I have read that it is the best out there. As for RCBS customer service I have always had good luck with them, the guy at Pact should take some lessons from RCBS on how to treat customers.
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I neglected to mention, as part of my upgrade, one item I did get that isn't RCBS is my case trimmer. I had a Forester but found when I got a 500 S&W it couldn't handle that diameter of case. After checking out for a replacement, I decided on a Lyman Universal. No complaints on the product but I recently picked up a model 71 Winchester and to get the required pilot for 348 caliber took considerable 'fiddling' around:( by way of more than a few e-mails and phone calls to Lyman.
Yes, I realised you were talking about the Pack. If you get a ChargeMaster I don't think you'll regret it. For the next upgrade item I'm giving serious consideration to their AmmoMaster Chronograph. Not really an upgrade as I don't yet have a chrono.:redface: The last time I called them about it, it wasn't yet available so I'll try again soon. A good idea to my wife for my upcoming birthday gift.;)
 
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