98923 Chargemaster Combo Scale/Dispenser Green

Before buying the RCBS Chargemaster I had zero experience in reloading. I am a complete novice and an accident waiting to happen. I needed something to help me measure powder b/c I wanted to do it by weight and not use a volumetric powder drop. Also due to my inexperience I wanted something to help me get things right in general.The day I got this product I read the instructions first. I found out the way to mute the beeping sounds it makes when finishing a load (hold the ZERO key for 3 secs) and how to engage automatic dispense mode (hold the ENTER key for 3 seconds). I found out later, that the machine remembered the mute and auto-dispense setting after I turned it off and back on again. Zeroing the machine is straightforward and the two 50g weights required are stored in 2 small storage compartments beside the weigh scale.On my first reloading run ever I loaded 50 new .44 pistol rounds at exactly 26.4 grains of VIHT N-110 (a fairly short cylindrical powder). I required 52 load cycles since 2 of the loads were over by 0.1 grain. For the overcharges, I generally just dumped the powder back into the hopper and loaded a new charge into the powder tray. On my first reloading experience, all my .44 rounds were finished to the exact weight I desired. IIRC it took about 10-12 seconds for the machine to dispense the powder. I was very pleased with the results.A couple days later I loaded 50 new 30-06 rifle rounds using 54.8 grains of Alliant RL-17 (a long cylindrical powder where the grains tends to clump on top of each other due to the length). On average, it took about 30 seconds to dispense the powder. I required 60 load cycles, with the 10 extra cycles due to overcharges ranging from 54.9 to 55.2 grains. The Chargemaster has trouble with long powder grains since it shakes powder down a rotating horizontal tube; and powder grains that clump on top of each other tend to exit the tube all at once throwing off precise measurement.Even with the occasional overcharges, I like the Chargemaster b/c even when the powder dispenser is wrong, the scale always measures the weight and lets me know if I need to intervene. In the end my loads are always accurate to the tenth of a grain.During my first couple days with the machine, I manually entered the powder weight into the machine. Since then, I have saved the data for my .44 and 30-06 loads into the machine and can recall them using the on-board buttons. For the small # of loads I have, it's 3-4 button presses to select the correct load data versus getting up and finding the book. Even if I use the book, I have to get the book, find the correct page, identify the correct load, and then it's 5 button presses on the machine to enter the weight manually and push the enter key. For these reasons, the memory system on the machine seems more convenient to me.In conclusion, I recommend the Chargemaster since it is accurate and easy to use. The learning curve was fast since the machine did all the measuring work. It has helped me avoid mistakes in measuring powder and as a novice reloader I feel like I can do some pretty dangerous things, but this avoids that issue. My worries are eased by using this product.

I purchased the RCBS Combo Chargemaster hoping that I would obtain consistent charges for reloading precision rounds. After reading about other digital scale/charger systems, RCBS provided the best options for my task. Not that my old RCBS 10/10 balance scale is not accurate, but manual scales take time (using a powder trickler). Additionally, when loading large quantities of ammo that is somewhat forgiving, I am not concerned about the possibility of being + or - 0.1 grains off on some cartridges. I performed a series of tests with two different powders (Accurate No. 5 and IMR 4350), one being spherical, the other cylindrical.Although RCBS recommends allowing the Chargemaster to warm up for 20 minutes if it is left in freezing conditions, I followed the suggestion given in another review and had it turned on for 20 minutes anyway. I decided to use Accurate No. 5 as my first powder. The propellant is a very fine double-base powder, which should be easy to throw accurately. I use it in the 5.7 x 28 round, so the measurement has to be extremely accurate. Following the RCBS directions, I calibrated the charger and zeroed the scale. Aiming for 6.0 grains, the first round thrown was 6.2 grains. I measured the powder on my RCBS 10/10 scale and found it to weigh 6.4 grains. This was extremely disturbing, as a charge in that range was pushing the limits of safety. The following 24 loads were within 0.05 grains when weighed with the balance scale.RESULTS:n = 25mean = 6.008std. dev = 0.04Next, I emptied the hopper and poured a large cylindrical powder, IMR 4350. I use this powder for my .243. Again, I try to maintain a very accurate throw. Not that I am concerned of an over charge, I am looking for extreme accuracy for target shooting. This test was done the next day. I followed the same protocol as the day before. The results below are based on a 36.6 grain charge.RESULTS:n = 25mean = 36.636std dev = 0.0757It took a few discrepant charges for me to look for an answer. Measuring against the balance scale confirmed an accurate charge, however, the difference of just two granules could change the weight by 0.1 grains. I started paying strict attention to what was happening and found that I was producing the errors by either shaking the bench (while seating bullets), or hitting the powder dispenser tube and dropping additional grains in the pan. Because of this, I would recommend keeping the Chargemaster away from any place that could be bumped and exercise extreme caution when removing the pan from the scale as to not accidentally hit the charging tube.Unless you are in a production frame of mind, this powder measure/dispenser is definitely worth every penny spent. It does take a few seconds longer then doing it by hand, but I am not concerned with time spent. The accuracy outweighs any negatives of time spent reloading. Overall, I am extremely impressed with the RCBS Chargemaster and would highly recommend it.