At SHOT Show 2025, RCBS announced two new much-improved tools for the reloading bench, both of which will make smokeless powder dispensing and charging faster and more precise.
HOW TO IMPROVE A FUNNEL
Wide at one end, narrow at the other, what could possibly be done to improve a funnel? Maybe not much for a kitchen funnel, but RCBS has so improved it for handloaders that the company has applied for a U.S. patent on the funnel. But the Matchmaster Powder Funnel is more than just an improved funnel, it is a set of tools.
RCBS calls it the “fastest funnel available,” partly due to the aluminum funnel itself wearing a non-stick coating to keep powder granules moving “without a grain left behind,” RCBS says. Another major innovation is that the funnel accepts caliber-specific thread-on adapters ranging from .17 to .50 caliber. The aluminum adapters are designed so that extruded (“stick”) powders won’t bridge to block powder flow, and ball and flake powders flow just as smoothly, of course.
Aluminum funnel, aluminum adapters—no plastic here, except for the storage box that holds the funnel and six adapters. RCBS sells the Matchmaster Powder Funnel ($39.99) and 13 adapters ($18.99 each) alone or as a set of six most popular caliber adapters and the funnel in the plastic storage box ($99.99).
A UNIFLOW FOR COMPETITION
For precision shooters who handload, a precision shot starts at the loading bench, and one of the most important bench tools is the powder measure. New for 2025, RCBS has updated and improved its benchmark Uniflow Powder Measure in the UPM-3 Competition Powder Measure.
One update is revisiting the powder baffle in the hopper, long trusted to regulate powder compression at the bottom of the powder column, which equates to more consistent charge weights. RCBS improved the hopper, as well, in giving it threads for easy removal for cleaning.
Secondly, the UPM-3 utilizes a single cylinder for rifle and pistol powders—extruded, ball and flake—rather than separate cylinders as in the original Uniflow Powder Measure. The single cylinder will meter from 0.5 grain to 100 grains, depending upon powder type.
Third is the Matchmaster Micrometer Adjustment Screw that permits precise charge adjustments, very important to assembling match grade ammunition. This is much improved over the standard Uniflow Powder Measure, not just in accurate settings, but in providing better ergonomics and larger scales to read. And like the original measure, the handle is reversible to either left or right side. MSRP for the UPM-3 Competition Powder Measure is $199.99.
NEW DIES FOR NEW AND OLD CARTRIDGES
Of course, RCBS introduces new dies for 2025, including Full Length Die Sets for .22 and .25 Creedmoor, .338 ARC and 8.6 Blackout, and a three-die Taper Crimp Set for .400 Legend. Full Length Bushing and Neck Bushing Dies are also available for .22 Creedmoor.
Shooters of .22 Creedmoor should also take a look at RCBS’s Matchmaster Series of precision dies featuring micrometer adjustable seating depth, in both Full Length Bushing and Neck Bushing versions. Other new Matchmaster seating dies include .22 Creedmoor, .222 Rem., 6 mm Rem., .257 Roberts, 6.5 mm Grendel, 6.8 mm Western, 7x57 Mauser, .280 Rem., .280 AI, 28 Nosler, .300 BLK, 7.62x39 and .338 Win.
For a downloadable catalog of RCBS products, visit the RCBS website at rcbs.com.
