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I've tried setting default in the reg keys:

hkeycu>software>microsoft>windows>shell>associations>urlassociations>http and https.

Tried using master_preference file.

Tried using command switch --make-default-browser.

So far these aren't working.

Any help would be appreciated. Open to any to batch files, registry keys, file replacements/edits... basically anything I can automate.

Have you tried making a .vbs file to set Chrome as the default browser automatically?

Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

WshShell.Run "%windir%system32control.exe /name Microsoft.DefaultPrograms /page pageDefaultProgrampageAdvancedSettings?pszAppName=google%20chrome"

WScript.Sleep 1200

WshShell.SendKeys "{TAB}"

WshShell.SendKeys " "

WshShell.SendKeys "{TAB}"

WshShell.SendKeys "{TAB}"

WshShell.SendKeys " "

WScript.Quit

Reference: comment by user "Raz" in Making IE the default browser in Windows 10 during OSD

Here is the PowerShell version of the Judy Li / Raz solution:

function Set-ChromeAsDefaultBrowser {

    Add-Type -AssemblyName 'System.Windows.Forms'

    Start-Process $env:windirsystem32control.exe -ArgumentList '/name Microsoft.DefaultPrograms /page pageDefaultProgrampageAdvancedSettings?pszAppName=google%20chrome'

    Sleep 2

    [System.Windows.Forms.SendKeys]::SendWait("{TAB} {TAB}{TAB} ")

}

I wrote a little program that does this silently based on Judy Li's technique: Set Default Browser. See the page for more info.

Take the script from Judy Li’s answer and tweak it.

Option Explicit

Dim oShell, sWinDir

Set oShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

sWinDir = oShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%WINDIR%")

oShell.Run sWinDir & "system32control.exe /name Microsoft.DefaultPrograms /page pageDefaultProgram"

Set oShell = Nothing

WScript.Quit

Save it on your desktop as a .vbs file
(e.g., SetDefaultProgams.vbs). 
Double clicking it will bring up the more familiar Set Default Programs
with the list on the left, like previous versions of Windows 10.

(Of course there are other ways to invoke a program / script. 
You could put it on your Start Menu, or run it through CMD or PowerShell.)

This script was tested by me on Windows version 10.0.16299.192.

I modified the script above so that it will only change the default browser and not any of the other settings (mail, pdf, etc.) So this mimics changing the default browser usuing the Default Apps in Windows 10.

Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

WshShell.Run "%windir%system32control.exe /name Microsoft.DefaultPrograms /page pageDefaultProgrampageAdvancedSettings?pszAppName=google%20chrome"

WScript.Sleep 1200

WshShell.SendKeys "{TAB}"

WshShell.SendKeys "{TAB}"   

WshShell.SendKeys "{DOWN}"

WshShell.SendKeys "{DOWN}"

WshShell.SendKeys " "

WshShell.SendKeys "{DOWN}"

WshShell.SendKeys " "

WshShell.SendKeys "{DOWN}"

WshShell.SendKeys "{DOWN}"

WshShell.SendKeys "{DOWN}"

WshShell.SendKeys "{DOWN}"

WshShell.SendKeys "{DOWN}"

WshShell.SendKeys "{DOWN}"

WshShell.SendKeys "{DOWN}"

WshShell.SendKeys "{DOWN}"

WshShell.SendKeys "{DOWN}"

WshShell.SendKeys " "

WshShell.SendKeys "{DOWN}"

WshShell.SendKeys " "

WshShell.SendKeys "{TAB}"

WshShell.SendKeys " "

WScript.Quit

To change default browser in Windows 10 try the tool from Christoph Kolbicz - https://kolbi.cz/blog/2017/11/10/setdefaultbrowser-set-the-default-browser-per-user-on-windows-10-and-server-2016-build-1607/.

Launched SetDefaultBrowser.exe HKLM "Google Chrome" and it worked fine for me.