RCBS Chargemaster Lite: Bench Review & Demo
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- Опубліковано 10 жов 2024
- This is a video review of the new electronic powder scale/dispenser from RCBS, the Chargemaster Lite. For the detailed online review, check out: panhandleprecis...
During the review, I compared the Chargemaster Lite's performance and accuracy to my RCBS Chargemaster 1500 and 10-10 beam scale. All three scales were used in tandem to handload long range precision ammo with no problems.
For more info on the Chargemaster Lite, be sure to visit: rcbs.com/
Thanks for this review. The quality of your production is excellent as was the content. I am adding an electronic dispenser to my collection of reloading tools for the first time and have been researching these devices. Your video really helped me out and I now have a Chargemaster Lite on the way. I almost pulled the trigger on a Lyman Gen6, since the warm up is only three minutes, but what you lose on warm-up you make back in clean up time since this unit does not have to be disassembled for cleaning.
I bought one a month ago and i love it ! I’ve thrown hundreds of loads with 3 different powders and it has never thrown a single load which wasn’t perfect !
Just bought one and watched this first. Reloading is new frontier for me and this is a perfect start i think. Many thanks.
I went and bought a Charge Master after I first watched this video. Thanks for taking the time to put out your videos
Great video. I believe this is going to be added to my Christmas list. Thanks for making the video. FWIW: It would be nice if they included a second pan so you can have the dispenser metering as you are charging your cases.
Just bought this off a buddy today and plan on buying another one to get a "cycle" going...Thanks for the review again my friend!
Been shooting PRS for years and am finally getting to reloading. Your channel has Ben a tremendous help. Keep up the great work
Thanks for taking the time for your videos and website. Has helped tremendously!
Glad you like them, and thanks for watching!
Just got mine and it is a game changer, it has literally halved my reloading time. Thanks for the information.
nice review man! I'm getting into reloading and looking for a dispenser...This looks like a winner!
Nice review, thanks for sharing PH. The Chargemaster Lite came out just in time, I'm about to add a second powder scale/dispenser with my current Chargemaster 1500 to help speed things up a little, the auto feature on the Lite model looks faster than the auto on the current Chargemaster.
Nice video. I been looking at your powder pan weight and first it came up as 82.0 gr and when you removed it it was -82.1gr and later I saw -82.2. It would be good to test your charge weights against more precise scale. On my GemPro 250 if my negative weight changes let's say from -67.12 to -67.14 it will bump the weight by .02 grain. Because it's such small amount I typically ignore it, but if I see it float another 2/100 grains then I put the empty pan on the scale and reset zero, but in your case it's tenths not hundreds, this would concern me. I am still planning to buy this new lite dispenser. In the past I bought 1500 but couldn't get it to not overthrow and I've tried straw mod, piece of 5.7 cut off brass, I even reprogrammed the speed, but still I would get sometimes up to 0.2 grains overthrow so ended up returning, it wasn't accurate enough to justify 300 bucks.
Great review. Answered all my questions and especially appreciated the direct, detailed and articulate presentation. No meandering, no uh's..great review thank you.
Thanks ! just wondered which of the models I would choose. Now i know the lite model works just fine
Bought this unit. Arrives tomorrow. I'm using a flake powder for a new pistol charge and am hoping this RCBS unit works up to it's standards by throwing out proper, repetitive, accurate weights. Thanks.
Great video. Thanks for putting this one up - I have been trying to decide whether or not to pull the trigger on this one (!!!) and your video helped confirm my decision to purchase. Keep em coming!
Thank you for this video. I just started really getting into reloading and my little digital Hornady scale is not cutting it. I have been researching autoloaders and think im going with the RCBS lite.
I miss your videos!
I like to write the weight of my pans on the inside edge of them, that way when I remove the weighed charge in the pan, I can see if the scale is still zeroed based on the weight it shows (in this case it should read -82.2 grains)
Your video answered my questions and helped make my decision. Lite it is. Thank you for the great video.
Ok! I realized today I need to get a new digital scale. It took me 2.5 hours to reload 50 rnds of 260 Remington. About every 3 to eight rounds I had to calibrate my Lyman digital scale. It was sure nice to have a Franklin portable digital scale to verify all the loads though. The calibration weights are .1 grains off and with the Lyman scale guaranteeing +/- .1 either way. That is not good enough. Makes it -.2 off in the down side and +.3 off on the up side. Thanks for the review!!
Also, Sir; since I load in my garage and it gets cold here in the winter. How does the scale handle the cold? Do you leave it plugged in the outlet? Anything you can add would be great.
I found using a can of caned air like Ultra Duster to blow out the hopper and tube after all drained out, couple squirts and all cleaned out just make sure you don.t turn the can over on its side or up side down or you get a liquid comes out but its dries like in a second but very effective for getting out all grains of powder
Seems to take a bit of time. I'm sure they are accurate/consistent charges. However, I'll use a Lee Dipper or charge thrower and trickle. With a simple platform digital scale I get it done so much quicker. When I first determine the charge I want on the beam scale, I'll dump it onto digital. Whatever that reads is what I will trickle to. No doubt Sam's RCBS is probably more accurate but a kernel or two variance wouldn't bother me .
Good investment , I made the mistake of buying the Hornady and it is the biggest POS . Guess that's why it's cheaper .
I was told by a local grandmaster reloader, to get the RCBS, he claims it's the best out of all the electronic powder dispensers/scales.
Hi from france . thanks for your videos . I think that the bubble level on the "lite" model is important for a simple shooter . I've an old Lyman one and these scales are sensitives about the level . Simple electronic scales too .
BTW, I'm spreading the word about your channel. Good stuff.
Great review and tutorial, Professor. Thanks!
I am comparing this to the Lyman 6. Leaning to this...
They need to make a model where the hopper can just be removed when changing powder and a different filled hopper can just be swapped in
Not sure about this model but the RCBS manual powder measure hopper will melt if powder is left in it
@@rtucker8837 Pretty much all powder dispensers have a warning regarding leaving powder in the hopper, as they contain some pretty potent solvents which can etch plastics, especially transparent ones. My 30+ YO Lyman's show the effects of my occasional laziness, as does my Lil Dandy.
Thank you, this is a verry good comparison
I think my "lee perfect powder" thrower and a manual trickler is faster. This is very convenient, but it took over 15 to 45 seconds to dole out the charge. I can throw the charge in a matter of a couple of seconds, and then use a trickler to get the charge perfect. It takes about 10 seconds per case. I'll stick with my "old fashioned" powder thrower, trickler and scale. I did appreciate the information. I just felt that it wouldn't be beneficial for me to own one.
That thing is freaking awesome.
I’m getting into reloading and the guys I know that I’ve been talking to said send the extra money and get one of these.
Thank you very clear clip. How it works with light charges like 5 grains.
Your video is great. I like how you show everything from the plug to empty powder. So 2 1/2 years later, is the Chargemaster Lite still a good product? I am leaning to getting one.
Joe Jr We just added a third CM Lite to the bench. The one in this review is still working perfectly after 10k-plus charges dispensed.
@@PanhandlePrecision I guess that settles it for me. I just ordered one. Thanks for the response. 👍
No idea WRT the lite but my CM1500 is working as well today as when I bought it back in 2011/12.
It's dispensed 1,000s of charges without throwing an error code or failing to do its job.
@@PanhandlePrecision Durability was all that was left to resolve. Ordering one now on sale $235 @ MSS. Thanks for the review.
Sam, another very informative video for new reloaders. From your observation and experience, thoughts on why to buy one over the other (Lite vs 1500)?
Good comparison thank you
How's the unit holding up? I have a Lyman Gen 6 and sometimes my tube would stop spinning because the powder would get in the passage way and bind it up. Looking for a replacement.
It's holding up just fine. I threw 70 charges on it today. It's been our dedicated H4350 dispenser, and we've emptied three 8-pounders through it since the review.
@@PanhandlePrecision Nice, sounds like a winner 👍
Great review!
Question : is your unit hard to clean without spilling a lot. You say it's easy but does the powder clear canister just lift right out without spilling ? I think I'd be happy with this RCBS unit. Thank you for your time and trouble in making this video. Good stuff for the reloader.
You drain it with the drain valve on the side first, then pop the cylinder off and brush out the remaining kernels.
Thanks for your response. I've subscribed. Nice channel.
Thanks!
When you load with the RCBS Lite model, do you trust every load it throws? Or in other words, are you confident enough to calibrate it, zero it, and start throwing every time?
I do. I get single digit extreme spreads with my loads.
I have the older 1500 model & when I first started using it, had my 5-0-5 scale right next to it. Over multiple loads, I NEVER ONCE had any discrepancy between the two, including overs & unders*. If the CM1500 said 0.1 or 0.2gr over or under, that's what the 5-0-5 showed too.
*Fitting a short length of MacD's straw into the dispenser tube reduced these from one in every 20-30 loads to maybe one in 80-100.
Been using it eight years now & still impressed with it as a way to dispense precise loads.
It's NOT the tool for producing bulk loads of rifle or pistol ammunition & for that, I go right back to using old style Lyman or RCBS powder measures to drop loads, as the aim is for speed of operation, rather than ultimate accuracy.
Just bought one
Hi Sam, another great review thank you. If you were going to buy a new charge master today which one would you buy the original or the light?
I have one, I like it.
Thanks for the review !!!!
I purchased a RCBS Chargemaster lite and used it for 18 months, it then stopped working.
The touch pad will not always respond, sometimes it will not calibrate, it will not stabilize at the 100gm step. It will also not turn off, I have to unplug it. It was used once a week or so, calibrated every time.
RCBS says well it is over a year old, so sorry not covered under warranty. Here is a repair shop and they can maybe help. I have not called the third party repair shop number they gave me yet. Don't know what the cost will be to repair it.
Safe to say I would not recommend an RCBS scale.
Stand for I called hornady and asked these questions the tech said he didn’t know my barrel is only 20 inches long the manuals are using longer barrels the hornady maxes out at 43 gr I loaded some up to 45.4 gr tonight I should be okay I will watch for pressure signs I just got the other manuals I was only using the hornady but now I see these higher charge rates and have decided to go on up since my velocities are low as per hornady spec thank you
Did you proof read your comment?
I found the chargemaster lite brand new for $219 would you recommend it at this price over the 1500 chargemaster? Thank you for the video.
Yes.
Panhandle Precision thank you. Purchased one.
Hi there!
I've ordered RCBS chargemaster lite and it's arrived yesterday. I did everything within the instructions, did calibration, but when type in needed weight it doesn't dispense anything.
I've tried with different units and modes, but no results. Could you please help me with the problem?
After you enter the charge weight, are you pressing the green button on the left side?
Did you put the powder in? LOL :))))))
I reprogrammed my 1500 from the info on Primal Rights a few years ago and also using the straw. Got about 50% faster charge time and good accurate throws with a range of powders.
One thing I will emphasize, get rid of the fluorescent lights in your loading room especially if you are using old 4' F40's or 8' F96's and magnetic ballast. Switch to a good incandescent or halogen or better yet, LED's. If you have older 4' shop lights as a great many people do, simply buy new retrofit LED's where you bypass the ballasts altogether or you can buy 4' LEDs' that use the existing ballast. I don't recall right now if the existing 4' ballasts need to be the electronic type though typically used with the newer T8 lamps.
My first switch was re-ballasting my F40's and old mag. ballasts to T8's and electronic ones before I retrofitted again to just straight 120v LED's bypassing the ballasts altogether. There are some harmonics dancing around from old fluorescent type fixtures that played with the stability of my 1500.
Yep. Old style fluorescents do indeed bollox up pretty much anything using a load cell, plus the light they give is crap compared to LED's.
Hi there! have u tried yet how this thing works with ball shaped powder? That usually tend to bounch all over from the pan but how about this one? Thanks.
What’s the price of each. My old one I got from my dad that is about 40 yrs old literally just messed up on me
Hi Sam question about your Savage 260 terminator, do you know if they make a pre fit barrel that i can order? Then I could just get a hold of some head space gauges and install it myself.
My Savage LRP is chambered in 260 Remington. It's still the factory barrel. The 260 Terminator is proprietary to Defensive Edge. I don't know if they would chamber a barrel for you to install yourself, but it wouldn't hurt to ask! Their email is gunsmith@defensiveedge.net
That is cool eventually I will get one just getting started using a lee dipper right now thank you for your great videos may I ask a question about powder I have lee hornady Lyman and Hodges reloading manuals they each show a different max charge weight for 308 Winchester 168gr bthp match bullet by hornady using varget powder Hornady is about 1 1/2 go less then the others any idea why Hodges is at 46 gr lee and Lyman very close within a few tenths of a grain started this load at about 40 hrs am workin up by .02 grr am at 43 as of now one other question if I use this same bullet the hornady 168 gr bthp match and my other manuals the lee Lyman etc they just list the bullet as 168 gr sie bthp question is as long as I keep the bullets the same does it matter if the bullet is a serria or Berger or hornady does matter who made it and what does the sie
Thanks!
Received mine today, let it warm up for 30 min, and noticed it was drifting 1-2 grains constantly. Tried Calibrating only to have it drift 1-2 grains with it constantly drifting up and down. Cover is over top of pan and there is no air movement. I've tried different surfaces/different wall outlets, and turning off everything including the room lights and nothing works.
Now to see how RCBS's Warranty goes... Sucks because I was really looking forward to upgrading to an electronic system.
I'm guessing you have fluorescent lighting over or near where the dispenser is. They will mess with any scale using a load cell.
Dust cover has static electricity, take it off when using
@@JJ1st506th Turned out to be a faulty scale. RCBS warranty was great and got a new one in the mail within 2 weeks (located in Canada).
Ended up selling it a year later and picking up an Fx120i Setup.
Sam, Curious : As of today, I've a new RCBS lite. It zeroes out just fine and then re-zeroes with the pan. HOWEVER, when you place the plastic windshield on the stand, the scale is no longer zero. You have to again zero the unit with the plastic shield in place (tray & shield together) The wind shield is important to minimize "draft" influences. Is what I'm saying correct or should the shield not have any addition to the zeroing out number. In my mind, the clear plastic shield should be used with each weighing/charging. More important with the lesser pistol charges I would think. AND maybe manual mode is best if you use the clear wind/draft protector ? Your experience please ?
I don't weigh with the shield in place. Just make sure there isn't any moving air from windows, HVAC, etc. If the shield touches the powder pan at all, it will definitely influence the zero.
Super helpful
Good video you should have just reloaded if you round using the scales
Would have loved to have seen him pick a different adapter and try and just shove it in that North American socket for the lolz
Does he weigh plate and spherical powders?
Hodgdon Trail Boss?
Thank you from Ukraine.
Alex 13 I don’t know, I’ve never tried. I use a throw-type powder measure for ball powder because it’s a lot faster.
I need one of those , I am tired of using a manual trickler
Do you have experience with the Chargemaster? Is this superior?
I think it's comparable as far as performance. I have both, and couldn't tell you which one to get.
Im having issue with my numbers jumping around even when its on a flat surface. Any ideas?
roselyn Maglanoc Electronic scales are sensitive to moving air and temp fluctuations. Open windows, HVAC, etc. can affect readings.
Update the repair shop gets a flat rate of $155 to repair this unit, plus I need to pay for shipping it to them.
What would you do?
Probably get pissed off and shop around for a replacement. Having said that, I have three CM Lites now, including the one in this review that have never had a single problem. My best estimate of number of loads thrown with them is over 50k since this review. If one of them crapped out, I’d probably toss it and look for somebody selling a 1500. Lots of lightly used ones out there. Very few people actually load enough to put any wear on the motors or bushings. If they still had Lites in inventory, I’d probably replace it.
Does the 1500 save recipes? I thought that was one of it's features.
Yes, ten I think, though I stopped using the facility, as it's just as fast t justo punch in the weight & get going
Does yours still work? I used mine about 7 times and now the keypad is completely dead.
DuckmanH Yes. Mine is working fine. Did you contact RCBS?
Yes sir. I just sent them an email. That's a real bummer. This thing was soooo nice to have while it was working.
Panhandle Precision I tried it today after work and it is working. It was really hot in the garage yesterday maybe I reached its heat threshold.
Hey guys, is it possible to put sugar in this machine?
I don’t see why not.
Is there a way to turn off the beeping sound?
how to turn off the annoying beeper sound?
Not so accurate... 0 moved by 0.2 in this video.
That was the number of charges dispensed. first was C001, second C002. Scale shows overs & unders automatically & none were thrown during the video.
You forgot to tell us to clean the powder out of the tube when changing powders.
lol everyone that demonstrates one of these electronic powder dispensers uses extruded powder only.
try ball powder and watch it go everywhere and make a mess after about 4 to 5 loads.
you need two styles of powder dispensers not just one.
jamais la vidange totale est montrée, c'est un critère de choix! car quelque soit la marque....peser des charge
Don't trust these dispensers by themselves. Mine throws charges that can be off by half a grain or more with no warning whatsoever. Re-weighting the charge and cross checking with another scale confirmed by suspicion.
Bruce Johnson I keep hearing this. That’s why I’m sticking with balance beam. I want consistency inside .1 and it doesn’t sound like that’s possible regardless of what the digital readout says.
The scale shows overs & unders on the display & mine has NEVER thrown either without showing that it has & by what amount. Is yours an RCBS or one of the ones with known issues?