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Thread: Looking for recommendations on a powder scale

  1. #11
    Site Supporter SeriousStudent's Avatar
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    Mar 2012
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    Quote Originally Posted by andre3k View Post
    Any electronic scale in that price range will all suffer from the same minor issues with RFI interference and drift. I have a cheap RCBS electronic scale that works good enough for pistol loads. I wouldn't expect much out of a $100 electronic scale. $100 will get you into a good Ohaus manufactured beam scale.
    Ah, thank you. I was unaware of those issues. Is there an electronic scale that does not have those issues, that would be under $ 200 to $250?

    Thanks for the info, I appreciate it.

  2. #12
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    I assume that you desire a scale to allow adjusting the powder measure's charges and to check charges thrown from time to time. For this purpose any brand name balance beam scale will suffice. I'm using the same Ohaus scale bought new in 1970. Used balance beam scales sell for prices between $15 to $30. They work the same way. I would think twice before spending a lot of money on a high quality digital scale that would be used occasionally. Many report performance issues with cheaper digital scales.

  3. #13
    I too use the Hornady dispenser. I have used it for several years and it works well. I also have a RCBS 1010 beam scale which I consider the "standard" good old faithful, trusty scale.

  4. #14
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    Aug 2015
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    I have a couple budget digital scales. I check them with the little weights that came with them. As far as I can see they are accurate enough for pistol loads.

    Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

  5. #15
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    May 2019
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    Lititz, PA
    I would add another vote for the Ohaus balance at that price point. But since you say you plan on getting into precision loading down the road I would recommend the Chargemaster or similar. Buy once, cry once. If you can afford a high end Dillon you can probably scrounge up a couple extra bucks now on a quality scale/dispenser. I couldn't imagine loading without mine. It made reloading fun again.

  6. #16
    So exactly what are you looking for? I mean, are you looking for something to do the occasional check weighing from your powder measure, or are you thinking precision weighing of every charge? If the former, pretty much any decent balance beam scale will do the job. I also use a Frankford Arsenal DS-750 digital, had it for years, and it's been extremely reliable and consistent, and always agrees with my balance beam scale. For precision rifle loading, I recently added one of the Frankford Arsenal Intellidroppers, and I haven't regretted it at all. My only "complaint" is its tendency to read .1 gr. light on every load, but since it's totally consistent, I just add .1 gr. to whatever charge weight I'm after, and it's spot on. I use both my little FA and my balance to check weigh, all are in agreement. In the interest of full disclosure, I admit to being a bit of a fan boi of Frankford Arsenal, I have a variety of their equipment, and it's all been excellent. Hope that helps, later.

    Dave

  7. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by SeriousStudent View Post
    Ah, thank you. I was unaware of those issues. Is there an electronic scale that does not have those issues, that would be under $ 200 to $250?

    Thanks for the info, I appreciate it.
    I have an older version of this that's on par with the much cheaper RCBS electronic scale, they are always within a tenth of a grain. Both experience a bit of drift, but not a deal breaker for what I use them for. Unfortunately, no lifetime warranty on Dillon electronics.

    https://www.dillonprecision.com/d-te...8_7_25213.html

    In the $250 price range you might as well go for a powder dispenser since you want to do rifle loads at some point. The Chargemaster Lite has received good reviews. Expect accuracy down to about a tenth of a grain.

    https://www.rcbs.com/powder-measure/.../16-98940.html


    If Trump dropped a little something in your bank account you want to go all out, get this. It measures down to a kernel of powder.

    https://www.autotrickler.com/autotrickler.html

  8. #18
    Member SecondsCount's Avatar
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    Feb 2011
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    Utah, USA
    For some reason I have ended up with 6 scales over 28 years of reloading, some digital and some balance beam. I rarely use the balance beam scales anymore. Not saying that digital is better, but I find them to be so much faster to use, and if you use them correctly, will give you just as good results. I've also seen some funky stuff when using balance beam scales as well so always double check your scale with a check weight.

    I can't really make any recommendations because it has been about 5 years since I bought a scale and a lot has changed since then, but I can tell you what I have and use for my purposes of loading rifle and pistol ammo.

    The most recent is an RCBS Chargemaster and that has a lot more to it than just a scale. I have the newer Dillon measure that I got in a trade, a simple Hornady that came with a press I bought, and a little black off brand scale I bought from Brian Enos about 10 years ago. It measures to .1 grain and is my favorite because it is small, battery operated, doesn't drift a lot, and easy to use.

    The key to using a digital scale is to let it "warm up" by turning it on and letting it sit for at least 30 seconds before using it. Sometimes this may take longer. My RCBS Chargemaster needs about 5 minutes and then it is usually rock steady. After using the scale for a while, you will learn what it's doing. If you are going along measuring every load for example, and all of a sudden you see things start to jump .2 grains higher, stop and check your scale. If you're trickling powder, use a check weight every 10 minutes or so to make sure the scale hasn't drifted.

    Keep fluorescent lights, electric motors, cell phones, and even sound waves from the stereo away from your digital scale. I listen to music while I reload but at a low level with the speakers on the other side of the room. Another thing to be careful of is air movement from a fan or HVAC vent, and make sure the temperature in the room has stabilized before starting or you will see drift as the temp changes.
    -Seconds Count. Misses Don't-

  9. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by SecondsCount View Post
    Keep fluorescent lights, electric motors, cell phones, and even sound waves from the stereo away from your digital scale.
    I was warned about the florescent lights as well, and was told LEDs should be better?

    Maybe because I have never had a good one, but I am not totally bought in on digital yet. For one thing, they are digital. So when you are trickling you do not see any progress leading up to the desired charge. As far as accuracy, I have been cross checking and that is nice. One thing I like the digital for is you can tare it with a casing you pulled out of the progressive press to avoid having to repeatedly dump out the charge when you are trying to set the initial drop.

    Not that this is an issue with the device, but I made my most serious error ever reloading when I was new to using a digital scale. I was loading 243 with 95g bullets for testing with a few different powders, and am pretty sure I trickled an overcharge because that was the charge weight from a prior powder. Obviously this is a problem with my brain and not the digital scale, but after years of using a beam I was used to carefully setting the weight and that was that. I should have scribbled a note, or maybe used the tare feature after the first charge and then trickle back to zero after that, but really would rather trickle into a beam scale and then cross check with the digital. Not preaching, just saying don't be like me.

    243 can send a 95g SMK @3547, you just cannot use the rifle again until you buy a new extractor and ejector...
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  10. #20
    I have used an RCBS balance beam for 30 years in reloading hunting ammo and checking my pistol charges on Dillon 1050. I keep it in a large zip lock back to keep dust off of it. I also used an Hornady powder dump scale when working up loads for testing. Your mileage may vary based on your requirements. I am only loading pistol ammo right now so the balance beam work for quality and safety controls.

    Enjoy reloading.

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