best digital scale for the $

[JackinSD]

"But, the doom and gloom of a digital scale is almost over the top in those posts. "

Goodness, I hope I haven't talked anyone out a digital if that's what they want. Everyone should have a chance to learn and, as long as it lasts, everyone is happy with their digital.

Let's not forget the first portion, "Yeah, beam scales work flawlessy and have been used for a long long time, and everyone should have one."

Not just the part you chose to have a problem with.

My point being a digital scale has it's place. Are they for everyone? No.

Glad we can agree to disagree

 

[BitterrootBob]

Depends on what your objective is. If you want each and every load to be accurate to a single kernel of powder then something like the [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfl9C0-5zYw"]Sartorius GD-503[/ame] may be the unit for you. For most the $1325.00 cost is prohibitive, though.

Another force restoration scale that is marketing for reloaders is the A&D FX-120i. This scale can be accurate to a single kernel of powder as well but for less than half the cost of the Sartorius GD-503 at $599.95.

The next step down is strain gauge weigh cells that produce the drift everyone hates so much. Some of that can be helped with line noise filters on the power cord. The best one of those is probably the Sartorius AY-123, formerly the Acculab 123. This scale can be found for $310.00. These are extremely accurate within 5 kernels of powder across 100 reloads. That is better than any beam scale will produce, IMO.

Then there is the previously mentioned GemPro 250, which is a very accurate scale for the money at about $135.00. Again, your loads should not deviate more than 10 kernels of powder across 100 reloads which is pretty accurate.

Decide what you want to accomplish and which of these meets your needs for accuracy and cost. I believe each of these scales is about the best in their respective classes and price points.

 

[johnnyk]

wildhorse1,

To answer your question; I would say the RCBS Charge Master.

My opinion is based on close to 30 years of reloading (with 20+ of that looking and waiting for two lines to merge) and 15 years working as a industrial scale technician. IMO, life is too short to use mechanical scale!

I have had my CM close to 5 years and if it quits tomorrow I will make arrangements to have parts, or another unit, sent as soon as I can. In that time, it has only had one problem. The 1, 4, 7 of the keypad went out in 2011.
I called RCBS and they initially wanted me to send it in for repair but I explained my profession was repairing scales. They sent the keypad (overlay), free of charge, and I installed it in 15 minutes.

I have also installed a bubble level on the reservoir cap, four leveling feet with more adjustment and the McDonalds straw up the trickler tube. I like mine and see no need to revert back to the Flintstones. JohnnyK.

 

[peter lam]

You have a great plan because now the beam scale have not that quality like the digital scales have. Since 5 years ago I was using beam scale for my shop but now I have also digital floor scale 48" by 48" for my shop it's doing very well work.

 

[lloydsmale]

All i can say is ive used nothing but digital for 10 years now. I have a pact scale and dispensor and a lyman 1200 dispensor and another pact scale just for weighting. I load more then most 10 people do and if they didnt work id sure not be using them. Anyone who says there not accurate just hasnt used one or at least hasnt used a quality one. Id sure as hell trust my pact or lyman as much as id trust any 50 dollar beam scale and trust it way above a 10 dollar plastic lee balance beam. Now is it as accurate as a scale a chemist uses. Hell no. but ive yet to see a loading job that plus or minus a .1 of a grain of powder made a pinch of differnce in and id bet a dime to a dollar that you cant get anymore consistant then that with even a balance beam from rcbs or hornady or lyman. Absolute only two down sides i can see to one is there not cheap and if the power goes out your out of luck but then i guess in the once or twice in my lifetime the power went out while I was actually loading i found something else to do.

Funny how alot of handloaders can be so old school. Some wont use a progressive press. Some wont use a bottom pour casting pot. I know some who havent and wont even try a new powder. Me i handload to shoot not to handload. If something makes that job faster and easier im all over it. Sorry to all you old school guys but electricity was invented years ago and im not one that wants to go back to loading with a handtool using a coal oil lamp. Ive got to balance beam scales left for just in case but youd have to proably pressure wash the dust off of them. If you somehow have yourself convinced your loading better ammo because your using a ballance beam and you feel better about yourself because of it i say go for it. But your never going to convince this guy.

 

[Rick Richard]

I have a Dillon Electronic scale I purchased ten years ago and it has proven to be very accurate and reliable. I would not like the idea of having to use the beam again since it is so time consuming waiting for the pointer to level out.

 

[Canadian Bushman]

I use a gempro 250 and it has good resolution but will bounce around +\- .1 sometimes so you have to watch it.

I also have two beam scales a lyman and a lee, but they arent as accurate or as repeatable as the gem pro.

My next scale will probably be a denver instruments or a pact.

No matter what you choose, spend the money up front and get a good one.

 

[Trickymissfit]

All i can say is ive used nothing but digital for 10 years now. I have a pact scale and dispensor and a lyman 1200 dispensor and another pact scale just for weighting. I load more then most 10 people do and if they didnt work id sure not be using them. Anyone who says there not accurate just hasnt used one or at least hasnt used a quality one. Id sure as hell trust my pact or lyman as much as id trust any 50 dollar beam scale and trust it way above a 10 dollar plastic lee balance beam. Now is it as accurate as a scale a chemist uses. Hell no. but ive yet to see a loading job that plus or minus a .1 of a grain of powder made a pinch of differnce in and id bet a dime to a dollar that you cant get anymore consistant then that with even a balance beam from rcbs or hornady or lyman. Absolute only two down sides i can see to one is there not cheap and if the power goes out your out of luck but then i guess in the once or twice in my lifetime the power went out while I was actually loading i found something else to do.

Funny how alot of handloaders can be so old school. Some wont use a progressive press. Some wont use a bottom pour casting pot. I know some who havent and wont even try a new powder. Me i handload to shoot not to handload. If something makes that job faster and easier im all over it. Sorry to all you old school guys but electricity was invented years ago and im not one that wants to go back to loading with a handtool using a coal oil lamp. Ive got to balance beam scales left for just in case but youd have to proably pressure wash the dust off of them. If you somehow have yourself convinced your loading better ammo because your using a ballance beam and you feel better about yourself because of it i say go for it. But your never going to convince this guy.

The company I used to work for made balance weights for testing gas turbine engines, and balancing turbine wheel sets. Often at odd ball weights. For years we used Ohaus 304 scales, while the lab inspection used a $10K digital scale. In the tool room where we cut them out of certified bars of brass, the fellows used two scales side by side in Plexiglas boxes built for them. tolerances were usually in the 1/10th grain area, but sometimes just a 1/10th window depending on the application. The scales sat atop a granite surface plate that was level. The guys in instrument repair always had two or three of these scales being worked on (we probably owned twenty). I brought a new Pact scale in one day to see how it compared, and it was clearing better than the 304's in every way. Later I brought in a second identical one, and it was the same. So I brought in the first scale to compare the two with the master that everything was checked off of in the end. (we used three different scales to check to each other, plus we had a $10K scale in the tool room). The results were the same. Every bob weight we made went thru two of these scales, and trust me they were extremely picky about the weights. Nothing is much more exciting then a gas turbine wheel exploding! We later converted over to electronic scales in the tool room (Pact to be exact). Last time I saw the 304's, they were headed to the dumpster.
gary

 

[steeltraps]

I have the Sartorius GD-503, the Sartorius M-prove= AY-123, and a RCBS 750. I use the GD-503 for getting ES down single digits on my custom benchrest rifles. I use the RCBS 750 for my ar-15s and tatical and hunting rifles. But for the best dollar per dollar electric scale i would say Sartorius M-prove is the best. Around 325 dollars i think. I got my M-prove last year. I think the M-prove replaced the AY-123 Sartorius. They look the same to me, but my manual says M-prove on it, not AY-123 like my buddies unit!gun)