Scales** Digital or Beam**

I am in need of a new powder scale. I am currently using a Redding beam scale that is NOT magnetically dampened (it takes a long time for it to settle even with help). If I decide to go with another Beam scale I think it will be a Dillon Eleminator ($55 + S&H).
If I decide to go Digital I was considering Brian Enos' Digital for $75 + S&H. It comes with a weigh/pour pan and a 20 year warranty. Sooooooooooooo......
Tell me what you know about either of these scales and give me some pros/cons to help me decide on which way to go. I'd love to keep this in the under $100 range.
Thanks in advance for the assistance!
Dick

I have only used the RCBS digital scale. It's around $100. It works perfectly.

i 2nd the RCBS digital scale. I have that and the balance scale that came with the rock chucker kit. They both work good, but i lean towards the electronic scale b/c it seems to be less likely to get out of whack. The rubber stubs on the bottom of the electric scale stop it from moving if i slightly bump it. If i slightly bump the balance scale, it hase to be readjusted.

I have bought an RCBS beam scale about 1970 to replce my old un-dampened Herters scale. It was a vast improvemnt in speed of use.

I bought a Cabala's branded PACT digital scale used at a gun show about 8 years ago for $15 bucks.

The RCBS beam scale hasn't been out of the box again, except for check weighing against the digital scale occasionally.

I think for speed, or weighing every charge, you can't beat a digital scale.
For better then 0.1 grain accuracy you can't beat a beam scale though.

rc

And I'm the opposite of RC - I have had a RCBS 5-10 for 30 years - bought one or two digital ones, especially the ones that dispense pre-measured powder - those break and are inaccurate - MY RCBS balance beam has always worked

A 5-0-5 beam scale is all I've ever used, being fairly new to the game. Iv'e heard that if you throw a little light and trickle up to your charge, the digital scales have a delay that messes you up. Any truth to this. It seemed to make sense when the guy was explaining it to me. Of course with pistol stuff it doesn't matter because I only weigh about every 10-15 rounds anyway.

I can't comment on your specific scale choices, but as far as beam vs digital...
I think for bullet and case weighing a digital is better because it is faster and you probably don't need +- 0.1 grain accuracy. I've never found a digital in the $100 range that would be within .1 grain. Normally they are within .2 grains. For a rifle with 50 grains of powder that might be OK but for a .38 target load of 2.8 gr of Bullseye that is not acceptable.

Jeff

i use the $20 Lee balance beam to verify my $15 MTM digitial scale. works for me.

I`m a beamer all the way !!!

The digital hasn't been made I wouldn't check with beam. RCBS 505-don't leave home without it.

Used to use a beam...I don't have the time to mess with it anymore.

Bought a RCBS Chargemaster a few years ago and haven't looked back. Perfect for load development and doesn't take long to warm up (well, not like I ever turn it off anyway).

+1 for the RCBS Chargemaster.

+1 RCBS Chargemaster, I have a series of charges that I weighed on different surfaces, they all read the exact same. I figure that if I worked up my load using this scale only I should be all set.

I have both the RBCS CM 750 Digital and the 1010 beam.

The digital scale starting acting up at about nine months. The “Cal” button would turn it on & off, plus, it always needed a 20-45 minute warm up period before it would weigh consistently. It finally died just past the 12 month warranty date. $100 for 13 months of use makes it hard to recommend digital only.

The beam scale works every time, doesn't need to warm up and I trust it.

In your case, I might bite on the 20 year warranty and get the digital just for the speed, but the powder measure set-up would always get verified on the beam.

I have a 5-0-5 and it works well. But, it's slow to use. I bought a 40 dollar Franklin Arsenal scale that works really well and comes with check weights. It runs on batteries and is good within a 10th of a grain. So far, it's been spectacular. It's way faster than the 5-0-5 and has been as accurate. Can't beat it for 40 bucks.

I only have a beam a rcbs 5-10 which Ive had for thirty years works fine for weighing powder charges. That said I plan on getting Digital for weighing thing of unknown weight cases,bullets,broadheads and when checking powder bushings in a shotshell press adjusting a beam to the weight of something is time consuming and a PITA

Beam.

I once calibrated and repaired some very costly lab digital scales for the space program. I use a beam and nothing else for weighing powder.

1+ Beam

Unless I had to sort bullets or cases by weight, I'd use a beam scale.

I gave up on digital scales when I had a RCBS (Pact) transducer start to drift on me after a few years. Apparently the epoxy ages or something, and then they don't give steady readings even after a warm up period.

The RCBS 1010 (Ohaus) beam scale is magnetically damped, like the 505, and it works just fine for setting up a powder measure. It has a micrometer poise and an "approach to weight" feature that make it slightly easier to use, IMO.

Even though the 1010 is a little more than $100, I'd get it. The hard plastic case encourages you to store the scale properly (disassembled) and keeps it dust-free.

Thanks for all the input guys!

Digital, I plug it in, turn it on and go, beam type scales, there are not many I do not have, so I have a choice, I have no problem verifying one or the other.

I was told the clothe dryer was the highest consumer of EMF of all the appliances, I am exempt from that one the EMF in my area for the clothes dryer is the same for the A/C, range, oven, lathe and kiln, and my dryer comes complete with a shield in the form of a metal cabinet. If there is something that is creating RF get a RF checker, an old AM radio without chokes and filters, and get a compass then if you are concerned about something running down the wire? run your wires through a metal tube/shield, and avoid being neat like those that insist on rolling wire into a coil.

I plug um in, turn um on and go, Most of my reloading is surrounded by metal shelving, metal shelving, not plastic.

F. Guffey

RCBS 5-10 since 1969.

I have both a 1010 and a RCBS digital chargemaster scale.

I have checked and cross checked and both will give you the same value. Both are reliable. Both are accurate. Neither one has ever failed me.

Digital is faster. Balance beam is more traditional.

I use the digital day in and day out.

If I decide to go Digital I was considering Brian Enos' Digital for $75 + S&H. It comes with a weigh/pour pan and a 20 year warranty.The scale Enos sells is actually a Jennings JS-100XV and can bought at Old Will Knott for $44. It's an ok scale but it wouldn't be my first pick.
For convenience go digital, for reliability go beam.

Whatever digital scale you buy, get a Lyman powder funnel pan for it.

They are slicker then owl dodo.

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/product_images/015-7752433.jpg

Won't probably work on a beam scale as you won't be able to zero it with that much weight differance from the aluminum pan.

rc

For $100 stick with a beam scale. To get into a quality digital scale will be above your price range.

Used various beams and digitals. Settled on a RCBS Chargemaster 1500. Haven't sprung for the auto-dispenser yet, but I hear good things. Start up, warm up, calibrate, and its accurate. After being on for a while I usually re-calibrate as it can start to drift +/-.1 gr. Every 10 minutes or so I usually check it with the check weights, but thats just me being anal retentive.

For $100 stick with a beam scale. To get into a quality digital scale will be above your price range.


Its obvious you've never used my $50 digital scale.

I've use an Ohaus beam scale since the late 60s and love it. But....My buddy swears by his digital. I guess that cancels us out huh?

Use what works for you and makes you happy, er, satisfied.

I started with an RCBS 5-0-5 20+ years ago, and it always worked. About 10 years ago I was seduced by a Dillon electronic, and used it for several years. The digital scale IS a lot easier to use when doing +/- weighing of cases or bullets. And when they work, the digital is also faster in determining an unknown weight of powder, as when setting up a powder measure.

But . . . my Dillon started getting flaky a few years ago. This showed up in varying readings for powder weight when I was just checking (confirming) occasional loads in the middle of a (progressive press) reloading session. My powder measures are usually quite consistent with the powders I use, so I would be surprised by a variance, and when I would reset the digital scale it would then read the weight I was expecting. So it got to the point where I just didn't trust the digital scale. And frankly, for just checking a preset weight of powder, a beam is just as fast, and I don't have to wonder if it needs resetting or not.

I haven't used the digital scale in 3-4 years now. And frankly I don't miss it. Just haven't gotten around to putting it up on ebay yet.

Are you also going to list on ebay that it is an unreliable scale and needs to be recalibrated. Honestly, that's kind of messed up.

Let's bone the unsuspecting ........ :cuss:

Well, yes, when I decide I want the space it's taking enough to be worth taking pictures and writing up a description, I will list the scale on ebay. Before doing that I'll run it again for a while to be able to be specific about what it does and does not do.

I've sold hundreds of items over the years with comprehensive descriptions of every known flaw and fault, with pictures when applicable. My goal in listing stuff is to give the buyer absolutely no reason to be disappointed with what they get from me. I've had more than one feedback say "better than described," so it seems to be working. I have no qualms selling things that way.