RCBS Charge Master 1500

[David Sinko]

A friend recently loaned me his new in the box RCBS Charge Master 1500 electronic scale and dispenser combo. He had bought it a few years ago to dispense large charges of slow burning rifle powder and hadn't even taken it out of the box yet. Wow! How have I ever managed to live without this? I'm using it to dispense very small charges of fast pistol powder and also the quirky 800-X, which can not be metered by volume. The box says it dispenses charges as small as 2 grs. but I have been using it to dispense 1.5 grs. of 231 for the .25 ACP. It seems to work fine. Anybody else use one of these? Is it old technology already?

Dave Sinko

 

[johngalt]

I think I got mine in 2008. Fantastic device. I use it for making .357, as 14 gr 2400 is too much for the Hornady small rotor to meter.

I also use it for load development. It is soooo much easier to reset for the various weights I want than to fiddle with the powder measure.

I set the charge weight and to auto throw charges. It starts metering as soon as you put the empty pan back on the scale. By the time I am ready for the next charge, it is usually done. It doesn't often overthrow, and when it does, just dump it back in the hopper and try again.

 

[VAPA]

I think it is one of best time saving tools short of progressive press.
Be sure to close the drain valve after dumping the powder, if not you will have a mess the next time you use it.

 

[smike308]

Better late than never! I've had one for 5 or 6 years. Great piece of equipment. If I were to somehow break it, I would replace it asap.

 

[rglassma]

Great Tool. I bought from a buddy that was getting out of reloading and had a Dillon 550 for 40.00 !!! Only drawback I have found is that for small loads, it trickles all the way... So, if you use small calibers, may take a while for powder distribution.

 

[novalty]

I have the Chargemaster 1500, and it is a good unit. Never added the dispenser as I have a Harrell's Precision powder measure and it if very accurate for my rifle loads. Supposed to pick up the combo unit tonight at Cabelas AfterHours event for a relative. Might change my mind and get the dispenser once I see how he likes his.

 

[RETSMSGT]

I bought my Chargemaster when I got into reloading a few years ago on the recommendation of a friend. I also would be replacing it immediately if it broke. Besides the press, it is the most critical piece of equipment on my bench. Very accurate and I love that it stores 30 of my favorites loads!

 

[dnater]

My neighbor and I both have Chargemasters. Agreed that they are great timesaving tools. I would never go back to a beam scale. I think the neighbor is on his 3rd or 4th machine, I'm on number three. He uses his a lot more than I do. On my first one, the keypad went bad after several years. The replacement machine's keyboard didn't work properly out of the box. RCBS replaced it with #3 that has been working fine for a couple years. Be aware that RCBS does not fix these when they go bad, they just replace them. They are very good in replacing units at a very reasonable price even when out of warranty.

 

[David Sinko]

I was using "mine" again today. I'm hoping to finish all the .25 ACP loading I have to do before my friend wants it back. He's gearing up to load .50 BMG and this will be his only scale/dispenser. Any tips for the huge powder charges? I'm thinking he should make a dipper that throws close to the desired weight, throw the dipped charge into the pan and then use the machine to dribble out the last few grains. That should save both time and wear on the machine. Does this make sense?

Dave Sinko

 

[johngalt]

Will the amount of powder for a 50 BMG even fit in the pan without overflowing it?

I've never tried loading huge charges, 14 gr 2400 for my .357 is as high as I've gone, but it is worth a try scooping an initial charge and trickling the rest of the way. The worst that will happen is it confuses the thrower and it stops.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Will the amount of powder for a 50 BMG even fit in the pan without overflowing it?

I've never tried loading huge charges, 14 gr 2400 for my .357 is as high as I've gone, but it is worth a try scooping an initial charge and trickling the rest of the way. The worst that will happen is it confuses the thrower and it stops.

With most powders you will have to throw a half charge twice to fill the big 50 Cal case.

 

[.41 cal]

Better late than never! I've had one for 5 or 6 years. Great piece of equipment. If I were to somehow break it, I would replace it asap.

Believe this sums it up nicely.

Had mine for about 6 months and really like it.

It's not a volume reloading tool but for those who looking for greater precision, safety and bit less frustration it a great add to the reloading bench.
For poor metering powers it is painless to use, even if a bit slow. Personally I find load count feature to be my best buddy.

Anything under 40 rounds of the same load with a good metering power I use the charge master. With problem powers I don't bother using anything else.

.41 cal

 

[M&PUSER]

A friend recently loaned me his new in the box RCBS Charge Master 1500 electronic scale and dispenser combo. He had bought it a few years ago to dispense large charges of slow burning rifle powder and hadn't even taken it out of the box yet. Wow! How have I ever managed to live without this? I'm using it to dispense very small charges of fast pistol powder and also the quirky 800-X, which can not be metered by volume. The box says it dispenses charges as small as 2 grs. but I have been using it to dispense 1.5 grs. of 231 for the .25 ACP. It seems to work fine. Anybody else use one of these? Is it old technology already? Dave Sinko

It's GREAT technology ... period. I use mine all the time. It made reloading fun and efficient. I use it for both rifle and pistol cartridges. If I throw an overcharge, which is rare, I simply dump it back in the hopper and keep on tracking. The 1500 Guru at RCBS, Don Legg Jr. can help you speed up the machine yet prevent overcharges. You discovered a super piece of equipment. Don't give it back. If you need to buy your own go here: RCBS Chargemaster Dispenser and Scale - 110 Volt - Natchez Shooters Supplies Spend another $10.01 then save $50. Net $250.

 

[novalty]

There $265.49 on Amazon, and free shipping with Prime.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

On really large charges, you can use a bigger pan. Just don't let the pan and powder combined weight exceed 1500 grains. For 50 BMG I would use a shot glass as a dipper, so the dispenser won't take half an hour on each round. Biggest I load is 338 Lapua Mag: 105.0 grains of US 869, and I use a 45-70 case as a dipper. Ivan

 

[BLUEDOT37]

RCBS ChargeMaster 1500 combo

David, thanks for the post bringing up this equipment. I got to looking into it further & got excited about it so I ordered one from Natchez Shooters Supply (thanks M&PUSER). It'll be here Tuesady, & my Xtreme bullets on Wednesday, then I get busy making it earn it's way. Seems like a good way to consolidate tasks & make those flake powders a little less annoying.

.

 

[ddixie884]

I've had one for several years and love it!

 

[BLUEDOT37]

RCBS 1500 arrived

Kudos to Natchez for processing the order quickly. And surprise, FedEx delivered it a day before anticipated!

I played with it some & got used to how it functions. I used some test scale weights to check the scale's stability/repeatability & I think it's going to change my opinion of electronic scales.

Natchez did a good job packing the contents with styrofoam peanuts to protect it. They even included this gray furry thing to keep it warm, which I now apparently need to start feeding.

.

 

[J. R. WEEMS]

Have used one for years. When one stopped working, RCBS sent another for no charge-- I love mine--

 

[BLUEDOT37]

ChargeMaster options reprogramming

I'm using it to dispense very small charges of fast pistol powder and also the quirky 800-X...

Been using mine for awhile now & am very happy with it.

For those who don't know, some of the ChargeMaster's software parameters can be "tweeked" by the user. I noticed one situation that I queried RCBS on & thought I'd relay the remedy for.

When dispensing powder charges below 10.0grs it starts dispensing at the slowest speed for a few seconds (annoying!) & then shifts to the medium (& more appropriate) speed until it gets close to the target weight & then changes back to the slow speed.

By changing the 14th parameter "W_M 100" to a value of 60 ("W_M 060"), it will start dispensing at the medium speed above 6grs., instead of 10grs, eliminating that delay.

Also, the 15th parameter "W_F 200" can be changed to 110 (W_F 110) so it starts dispensing at the fast speed above 11grs, instead of 20grs.

The program's first three parameters are the ones I've seen commonly mentioned & changed to suit:

HSB_A1 (15.68) Grains under target weight to go from full to high speed
HSB_B1 (3.42) Grains under target weight to go from high to slow speed
BSP_C1 (1.08) Grains under target weight to go from slow to final trickle speed

. . .

Here's a few articles that explain the reprogramming process, if you're unfamiliar with it.

Speed Up Your RCBS ChargeMaster within AccurateShooter.com

RCBS Chargemaster Modifications - AccuracyTech

Primal Rights ? View topic - Reprogramming the RCBS Chargemaster 1500

Digital Powder Dispensers -- RCBS ChargeMaster, Lyman 1200 DPS, PACT test review with accuracy, speed, warranty, reliability tests

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(The sawtooth straw mod really helps with flake powders.)

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