My electronic scale burned up and after the last few days of research i am debating on just going with a beam scale. I mainly trickle powders such as Varget, H322 and Benchmark and weigh about every 10 pistol loads so i am thinking the beam scale won’t be as tedious as i was thinking. I have read that beams also help lower ED/ES issues. I guess i am wondering is a beam a giant pain to use if trickling every rifle load?
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Beam or Electronic scale
- Thread starter Axis II
- Start date
CoalCrackerAl
Member
I use a Hornady digital scale. Not a dispensing one though. I also have a Lyman beam one for a backup.
CQB45ACP
Member
.45Coltguy
Member
Ohhh, this could be a interesting thread. I've been using a Ohaus/RCBS 10-10 balance beam scale since '78 with no ill effects with loading rifle or handgun.
I do use a trickler also. I don't mind slow as I've got plenty of time. That system works for me quite well.
I do use a trickler also. I don't mind slow as I've got plenty of time. That system works for me quite well.
JFrank
Member
Beam scale and a Dandy trickler is tough to beat.
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GeoDudeFlorida
Member
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2020
- Messages
- 13,766
I use both. Not at the same time. The balance is easier for lots of smaller charges. The digital is more convenient for a smaller quantity. I weigh every charge, no matter which scale I use.
One word of caution: what works for me probably won’t work for you or anyone else. I’m “different.”
One word of caution: what works for me probably won’t work for you or anyone else. I’m “different.”
GBExpat
Member
We realized that awhile back but we still love you anyway.
Mountainman2
Member
I have a RCBS 502. It’s old like me, I use check weights and it’s very accurate, not real fast but I trust it. Im in no hurry as I have the rest of my life and hopefully a long one.
shoebox1.1
Member
Love my 30 year old Dillon 1500 D-Terminator, esp when doing +/- work and taring... But also love my ancient 505 too - No drift, no power needed, dead-nutz accurate and the calibration stays and I figure it will work until gravity is not a thing. Using, having both works just fine for me.
nettlle
Contributing Member
I use a RCBS 10-10. I have never owned an electronic scale. Never needed one.
I went from a beam to an electronic to an electronic powder dispenser/scale combo. No way would I ever go back to hand trickling and weighing again.
Varminterror
Member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2016
- Messages
- 17,856
Not certain I have ever heard this claimed, but it isn’t true.
Beam scales typically only resolve as repeatably as common/retail reloading powder dispensers - folks which have never used electronic dispensers will look at the specification for +/-0.1grn precision as indication that all loads could float up and down in a 0.2grn window, but this isn't how that noise presents. Whether a beam or common electronic dispenser, we're typically able to repeat within 3-6 kernels from one measurement to the next, and for 6mm's, that's 0.92-0.97fps per kernel, with actual presentation in the compounded error we experience in our loads presenting far less than the predicted 2.8 to 5.8fps maximum potential velocity contribution to ES.
There are multiple powder dispensers on the market which resolve to 0.015grn precision, which is resolution to within 1 kernel of extruded rifle powders like H4350 or Varget, but even knowing we're only contributing less than 2fps in potential velocity variability due to powder charge error,
In practice, we can load to single digit SD's with an analog balance beam, a common digital scale based dispenser, or a precision dispenser using an analytical balance.
The difference is speed, labor, and attention demand. I seat a bullet while my dispenser is running, can't do that when I'm throwing and trickling by hand onto a balance beam. I have to carefully attend to the needle of a balance for every load, whereas confirming the last digit of a dispenser is less mental demand during loading. The top end precision dispensers run 9-13 seconds per charge, most common commercial dispensers run 25-30 sec per charge, and dropping plus trickling tends to fall somewhere in between - I'm usually 20-30 sec when manually dropping and trickling, outpacing a common dispenser just slightly, but my attention is soaked the entire time, rather than being free to seat bullets concurrently.
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1RedSoxFan
Member
I like my RCBS M1000
LV Gun
Member
I don’t trickle powder but have two beam scales a old Bonanza and a Lee beam scale that my father in law gave me 30 years ago both are very accurate , but I also have a Frankford Arsenal digital scale that I got about 10 years ago that I use mainly for test loads.
CoalTrain49
Member
My beam scale and trickler set idle. If I were loading precision rifle ammo I would use those but I don't. I use an RCBS Uniflow to measure the charge and check every 10 loads with a digital scale. The scale is always zeroed with weights before I start. Not the most precise method to load pistol ammo but +/- 0.2 grains won't matter much for a pistol case. It won't matter that much for .223 either, which I have two. I can't shoot well enough to use a precision load. <2 MOA is my standard for a rifle load. Pretty low standards, are they not? It's all relative to the desired product.
It's all relative to the desired product.
Archie
Member
I've had both balance type and electronic types of various makes and models over the past five decades or so. Most all claimed to be the finest at the time of purchase. In the long run, none have overly impressed me.
Most have given good results, more or less. But not all are 'universal'. Some will show powder dispensation as just about perfectly uniform. Except the firearm (rifle typically) will not group at all. Others tend to respond to different powders in different manners.
I do find the types of equipment that I work with constantly and are familiar to me tend to work better. So instead of have thirty devices setting on a shelf, I suggest to keep using the device one has and make it work.
Most have given good results, more or less. But not all are 'universal'. Some will show powder dispensation as just about perfectly uniform. Except the firearm (rifle typically) will not group at all. Others tend to respond to different powders in different manners.
I do find the types of equipment that I work with constantly and are familiar to me tend to work better. So instead of have thirty devices setting on a shelf, I suggest to keep using the device one has and make it work.
CoalTrain49
Member
I've never seen that in any medical journal. Heck, I've never even seen it advertised.
papajim2jordan
Contributing Member
I mostly just trust my that my Little Dandy rotors haven't played a trick on me and switched all their numbers. I haven't flirted with escape velocity for quite some time, but do keep an old beam scale handy.
papajim2jordan
Contributing Member
It took a lot of courage to open up like that, and talk about "giant beam" issues.
CoalTrain49
Member
What is this giant beam issue that you refer to? I'm here for the reloading feedback.
Highland Lofts
Member
- Joined
- May 1, 2019
- Messages
- 3,556
Ii had a hornady electronic scale, it went bizerk, i,d throw a charge and weigh it, take the pan off, set it back on and it read a different weight, took it off the scale then put it back on and got another different weight.
I threw it away and went with my Ohus beam scale.
I will never go back to elctronic scales again.
Same with digital calipers.
i bought a set of digital calipers. When the electronis scale took a dump i gave the electronic caliper away.
I replaced the digital caliper with two dial calipers.
I trust mechanical equipment over electronic equipment.
I threw it away and went with my Ohus beam scale.
I will never go back to elctronic scales again.
Same with digital calipers.
i bought a set of digital calipers. When the electronis scale took a dump i gave the electronic caliper away.
I replaced the digital caliper with two dial calipers.
I trust mechanical equipment over electronic equipment.
