Anybody need instructions on how to modify the timing of the Chargemaster? Maybe it is common knowledge for most people but I didn't know how to do it when i first bought it. I've tweaked the timing of each stage of powder trickle and it greatly improved the productivity of my loading. It was my only complaint of the Chargemaster. It took too long to throw a charge! Anyway it was a loading tool I wish I bought from the very beginning for my general reloading needs. A Wilson type case trimmer is also the only way to go IMO.
If you could do it all over - Reloading Equipment purchases
- Thread starter Mudduck
- Start date
My dad's stuff was all almost all RCBS (with a smattering of Herters and Lyman and a lone Forster trimmer) when I started loading in the late '60s, so that's what I knew when I started to acquire my own kit.
I went through a 'turret-press phase' with a Lyman and a Redding (both long gone and neither missed), I wish I still had my Dillon 550B.
I love my Bonanza/Forster Co-Ax press, it's the single-station press that I should have bought first.
I've never regretted a single piece of Lee gear that I've bought. And I've had a bunch. That's not to say that I've never busted a piece of Lee gear, I have. But I've busted RCBS, Dillon and Hornady gear too. (I'm pretty "ham-handed").
I've never had a bad set of dies, Hornady, Dillon, Lyman, RCBS, Herters, and Lee, never had a problem that I didn't cause.
- I am eternally grateful to Lee for driving down the cost of Carbide pistol dies! My first set of carbide dies were a set of RCBS dies for 9mmP, and in about 1977 cost me around $80! (When a litre of gas was around 35¢ and a job that paid $10/hr was a darn good job)
Scales - I think a beam-type balance is darn hard to beat for precision, accuracy and durability. A balance measure mass, a digital scale measures weight. I have a digital scale, and I have plans to buy a better one; but I'll never give-up my balances. They are too valuable for backing-up the digital scales. I do love the speed of those digitals! They make the sorting of bullets and cases something that one can do without setting aside _hours_ of time.
My father's scale (from the early '60s) was a Lyman Ohaus M-5, which was still going strong when it was lost in a fire in 1994. Was replaced with an RCBS 5-0-5.
I think any quality beam-balance would do just fine (and the Lee balance is great, very accurate and precise; but kind of finicky to use and I wonder about long term durability)
I went through a 'turret-press phase' with a Lyman and a Redding (both long gone and neither missed), I wish I still had my Dillon 550B.
I love my Bonanza/Forster Co-Ax press, it's the single-station press that I should have bought first.
I've never regretted a single piece of Lee gear that I've bought. And I've had a bunch. That's not to say that I've never busted a piece of Lee gear, I have. But I've busted RCBS, Dillon and Hornady gear too. (I'm pretty "ham-handed").
I've never had a bad set of dies, Hornady, Dillon, Lyman, RCBS, Herters, and Lee, never had a problem that I didn't cause.
- I am eternally grateful to Lee for driving down the cost of Carbide pistol dies! My first set of carbide dies were a set of RCBS dies for 9mmP, and in about 1977 cost me around $80! (When a litre of gas was around 35¢ and a job that paid $10/hr was a darn good job)
Scales - I think a beam-type balance is darn hard to beat for precision, accuracy and durability. A balance measure mass, a digital scale measures weight. I have a digital scale, and I have plans to buy a better one; but I'll never give-up my balances. They are too valuable for backing-up the digital scales. I do love the speed of those digitals! They make the sorting of bullets and cases something that one can do without setting aside _hours_ of time.
My father's scale (from the early '60s) was a Lyman Ohaus M-5, which was still going strong when it was lost in a fire in 1994. Was replaced with an RCBS 5-0-5.
I think any quality beam-balance would do just fine (and the Lee balance is great, very accurate and precise; but kind of finicky to use and I wonder about long term durability)
Has anybody used the Jennings / JScale Mack 20 Digital Precision Scale - dual display design. 20 gram capacity x 0.002 gram resolution $65.00
http://www.oldwillknottscales.com/jennings-jscale-mack-20.html
It seems some reloaders using this scale (normally used for gemstones) find it more accurate???
http://www.oldwillknottscales.com/jennings-jscale-mack-20.html
It seems some reloaders using this scale (normally used for gemstones) find it more accurate???
vagrantviking
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Alberta
I don't think they ship outside the US.
try h ttp://www.canadianweigh.com/scales/list/counting-scales
I have a iBalance 311 from another hobby, have never used it for powder yet... never thought I would need +/- .01 grain accuracy....lol. However I have confirmed both my chargemaster and Pacific beam scale with it.
I have a iBalance 311 from another hobby, have never used it for powder yet... never thought I would need +/- .01 grain accuracy....lol. However I have confirmed both my chargemaster and Pacific beam scale with it.
First thing is to get yourself a good loading manual. I started with a Lee Loader back in the seventies and upgraded to an RCBS Rockshucker. In the eighties I got a Dillon 550b because you could use standard dies, it is reasonably fast and you can load rifle and pistol on it. Today I use the Dillon for pistol, the Rockchucker for rifle and for small runs of ammo when developing loads. Even the Lee loader gets used once in awhile.
I would probably buy that RCBS kit from Prophet if I was just starting today and buy the dies and shell holder for the cartridge I wanted to start with. Don't worry about the extra stuff as there won't be much. If you buy one of those kits make sure it has everything you need as there is nothing like reloading the night before tomorrow's hunt and finding you need something else that wasn't included. Did I mention the shell holder? They usually don't come with the die sets or press and are needed to load anything on a single stage.
I would probably buy that RCBS kit from Prophet if I was just starting today and buy the dies and shell holder for the cartridge I wanted to start with. Don't worry about the extra stuff as there won't be much. If you buy one of those kits make sure it has everything you need as there is nothing like reloading the night before tomorrow's hunt and finding you need something else that wasn't included. Did I mention the shell holder? They usually don't come with the die sets or press and are needed to load anything on a single stage.
- Location
- Vancouver Island
HOW is it possible that this thread got started THREE DAYS after I plunked down the VISA card for my (initial) reloading setup???
At least there doesn't seem to be any concensus here about what gear is evil versus what gear will guarantee .1 MOA first time, every time... Seems most brands have some supporters and some 'been there, won't go again' folks.
I'd have been pretty p*ssed if this had been a whole thread dedicated to bashing every piece I bought (Lee 50th kit, Jennings J-Mack scale, Frankford Tumbler, Lee dies, etc.) Not that it's ever too late for some good bashin' here on the interweb!
At least there doesn't seem to be any concensus here about what gear is evil versus what gear will guarantee .1 MOA first time, every time... Seems most brands have some supporters and some 'been there, won't go again' folks.
I'd have been pretty p*ssed if this had been a whole thread dedicated to bashing every piece I bought (Lee 50th kit, Jennings J-Mack scale, Frankford Tumbler, Lee dies, etc.) Not that it's ever too late for some good bashin' here on the interweb!
The top line RCBS Rockchucker Supreme Deluxe Reloading Kit,sold by Cabelas for $719,is a great bargain, and it doesn't include anything that you really need to upgrade. It already includes the Chargemaster, and the other top line RCBS tooling.
gunrunner8
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Kamloops, B.C.
I don't agree. The whole kit made in China is making the RCBS very greedy bunch of so and so by bringing them 1000% profit. No wonder all left in NA are gubbermint and McDonald kind of jobs....
I assume that what prophet River is selling in 2 pieces is the same as cabelas supreme kit?
No not the same. The kit sold by Cabelas includes the case prep tool, and uses a different, and in my opinion better, priming tool, and it includes the Chargemaster instead of the balance beam scale, and manual measure, used in the other kit..
Apparently the castings for the presses were made in China, and the castings were then machined in the USA. I haven't heard anything about that changing recently.
