Need some advice on picking a scale.

[ar10ar15man]

just too slow

I'm waiting for my Scott Parker tuned balance beam scale made by Ohaus. He can tune them to read a single kernel of powder. I think a great combo would be a Chargemaster to throw the bulk of the charge then onto the bb scale for final tuning.

 

[crkckr]

It's a bit late in the game but I will add in my experience anyway. First off, I absolutely love my Dillon digital scale. If you do more than a few rounds per year a reliable digital is almost mandatory because beam scales are slow. However, if you have a decent beam scale that is magnetically balanced - and you know how to zero it correctly - you will always know with certainty what you're loading into your cases. With an electronic scale, especially if it's all you have, you can never be certain! I cross check the Dillon with my RCBS 10-10 scale whenever I'm loading anything critical... precision ammo, max or min loads, anything that needs the extra attention for accuracy or safety. I don't check each load, I just confirm that the digital is reading correctly, then go for it. I have made my own check weights when the beam & digital were agreeing on things and can use those as well. The thing about a beam scale it that they are mechanical and it's usually easy to tell if it's messed up. Not so much with a digital. They can get freaked out over all kinds of things and small errors can creep in slowly as well, as happened with my Dillon (even at several years of age they replaced it free. If anyone has better customer service than Leupold, it's probably Dillon). So get a decent beam scale first, then get a digital and cross check them as often as you think might be necessary. If I had to give up one, it would be the digital. One last bit of advice, learn to calibrate/zero your scale first thing. Any scale that gets moved (even a couple of inches) should be calibrated/zeroed. Even if it gets a good bump! You can't zero a scale too often!
Cheers,
crkckr

 

[SMK1000plus]

i like my gempro250 BUT i see very few good reviews.
mine works, appears to be an exception.
lots of zeroing, but good weight in the end.

I throw my powder 0.1gr under weight, with a RCBS ChargeMaster (not the Lite), then use my powder trickler and GemPro 250 to finish each charge to +/- 0.02gr (the weight of one granual of the average extruded powder, i.e. RL-16, RL-23, H4350, etc.)

When weighing powder charges, one must be careful of any air disturbance, especially fans and breathing on the scale. Although it is much easier to see the effects of air disturbance on highly sensitive precision or electronic scales, it effects all scales to some degree. Mechanical scales are not immune.

 

[Knightvision]

I have been using an rcbs beam scale for over 40 years and haven't felt the need to go electronic yet. Might be a little slower but always works

A big 10roger on that statement! Over 50 for me, but what the hey.

 

[Cash Is King]

Absolutely untrue. Your digital scale may have a problem or you yourself may have a problem using it, but not ALL digital scales drift like this.
I can load 50 cases with powder with my digital scale. I can them dump the first one loaded and reweigh it. The weight will be exactly the same as when I first loaded it.

I concur... I have throw about +300,000 charges with my RCBS Chargemaster and never experienced drift.

The unit does have some residue in the gears though (fine powder like H-110 or A-4100). I called RCBS to ask how to disassemble and clean (it is WAY OUT OF WARRANTY) and they told me send it it in and they would do the work no charge). I was shocked, but impressed.

 

[HOCOMO Hunter]

It may have already been stated but Midway has the rcbs lite for 279 with $100 dollar rebate

 

[danny lee mccall]

Since you are just getting started, I'm going to suggest/recommend the RCBS M500 beam scale ($100). A MECHANICAL scale is a must. As you get 'deeper' into reloading, then a digital scale will be a nice addition, BUT you still want that mechanical scale. Why? Sometimes those electronic/digital products act flaky and it might just be a weak battery or a cat or dog hair on the platen or a slight breeze in the room because you left the ceiling fan on, but it can be a PIA. That's where having a MECHANICAL scale to double check things is a 'must'. So start with the RCBS M500. It will work great. Easy to 'trickle charge' into it. And RCBS has great customer service (in my experience) which is nice.

If you want something to go with the scale, I suggest this:
RCBS® Powder Trickler-2

rcbs

 

[ar10ar15man]

just not true of better electronic scales, very true of dillons. my dillon was 0.3 off and would not rezero..1 yr warranty on electrics. into the trash.
try doing 31.50 on your dillon or beam...the extra zero counts..i can
powder accuracy counts for vertical in long range.
(most of what you have said is valid for cheap low end scales)

It's a bit late in the game but I will add in my experience anyway. First off, I absolutely love my Dillon digital scale. If you do more than a few rounds per year a reliable digital is almost mandatory because beam scales are slow. However, if you have a decent beam scale that is magnetically balanced - and you know how to zero it correctly - you will always know with certainty what you're loading into your cases. With an electronic scale, especially if it's all you have, you can never be certain! I cross check the Dillon with my RCBS 10-10 scale whenever I'm loading anything critical... precision ammo, max or min loads, anything that needs the extra attention for accuracy or safety. I don't check each load, I just confirm that the digital is reading correctly, then go for it. I have made my own check weights when the beam & digital were agreeing on things and can use those as well. The thing about a beam scale it that they are mechanical and it's usually easy to tell if it's messed up. Not so much with a digital. They can get freaked out over all kinds of things and small errors can creep in slowly as well, as happened with my Dillon (even at several years of age they replaced it free. If anyone has better customer service than Leupold, it's probably Dillon). So get a decent beam scale first, then get a digital and cross check them as often as you think might be necessary. If I had to give up one, it would be the digital. One last bit of advice, learn to calibrate/zero your scale first thing. Any scale that gets moved (even a couple of inches) should be calibrated/zeroed. Even if it gets a good bump! You can't zero a scale too often!
Cheers,
crkckr

 

[ar10ar15man]

bingo !

It may have already been stated but Midway has the rcbs lite for 279 with $100 dollar rebate

 

[Oxobrianne 272]

I did not read all 7 pages, but will throw my recommendation out there. Find an old rcbs 505, or 1010 beam scale that's made by Ohaus. Use your gift card for something else.

 

[Oxobrianne 272]

Used a 1010 for years. Also a Charge master!! No problems with either.

 

[crkckr]

Ar-man, my Dillon was somewhere around 8 -10 years old when they replaced it. I've been using the new one since around '05 without a hitch since then. It still agrees perfectly with my RCBS 10-10 and all if the check weights I made up when I got the new one back. Still, any electronic device can shoot craps at any given time, new or old, which is why I always tell new reloaders to buy a beam scale first. And I do not consider the Dillon to be on the lower end of digitals, in fact I think it's one the best. The number of $25 - 40.00 Chinese scales out there is downright scary. This is not including any of the automatic scales, which with what I've seen in the past, were all slower than what I do with my Lee dippers and the Dillon. If you tossed your Dillon without contacting Dillon first, I'd say that's on you, not Dillon. When I called them I told them it was well out of warranty. They said send it in and we'll take a look. Two weeks later the UPS guy delivered me a brand new scale. Kinda hard to beat that anyway you look at it.
Cheers,
crkckr

 

[MontanaJack]

Sounds like you got lots of advice. We gunners like to crow if someone will listen to us, ha, ha. My two bits worth. Forget the manual scale if you do more than a few boxes a year. I've got the old RCBS Chargemaster 1500 and it is awesome. I can load 3 boxes of 20 shells an hour, weighing every charge that is a must for rifle. Lucky to do a box an hour with a beam scale. Love the automatic trickler. By all means, put it through the calibrate cycle every time you sit down to use it. Re-calibrate if you move it. Get a set of standard grain weights and double check your desired charge. Mine has never been off, but once is too many. My beam scales collect dust. Don' use powder measures with course rifle powder. They're OK for fine particle size pistol powders. I started years ago with my treasured Webster beam scale with an oil paddle damper. Still have it. Used standard weights to set it. Never did like the newer magnetic dampened beam scales. Too slow. Checked them with my weight set anyway. Didn't trust the cheap moveable weights with their course slots. Don't scrimp on the scale. Afterall, its your life can't afford a mistake with charge weight. Good luck!!

 

[Pauleye]

for what you have in scales you do not trust, you could have an A&D fx120i, and quit worrying about charge weight. plus or minus .02/.03 tolerance.
if you fo not shoot long range competition,
the chargemaster lite WORKS at less than the .1 advertised

Agree with the A&D scale. Many labs across the country use electronic scales and here there is a need for balance beams. Seems ridiculous to me. Each to his own.