Digital Powder Scales?

[mpthole]

I would really, really like to get a digital scale someday... but man are they expensive (Dillon in particular). Has anyone ever tried one of these?

 

[ocabj]

Get the Pact Digital Precision Powder Scale.

http://www.pact.com/dscale.html

$129.95, free shipping.

As far as that eBay auction goes, I wouldn't waste my money. It's probably garbage, made in China, Taiwan, Malaysia, etc.

 

[mtnbkr]

Woohoo, accurate to 1gr. That's really comforting when I load my hot 32acp loads where the total powdercharge is 3-4grs.

Junk.

MidwayUSA frequently has real digital powdermeasures on sale as low as $80. Spend the money and keep your fingers.

Chris

 

[swifter]

I really think you get more accuracy for $$spent with balance beam scales. I've gone thru several Dillon digitals, and experimented at length with my pal's PACT. I found it no more accurate than the Dillon, albeit more user-friendly.
I returned scales to Dillon until they quit replacing them, the last one went in the trash. I replaced it with a Hornady, with which I'm pretty pleased so far. It doesn't drift like the Dillon, at any rate .

 

[mpthole]

I really think you get more accuracy for $$spent with balance beam scales.

Yeah, but weighing 400 old, pulled military bullets to group them by similar weight is a real PITA with a balance beam scale.

I am fond of my fingers, so I'll either keep using the balance beam scale or figure out what I can sell to buy a nice digital.

Thanks guys!

 

[Ktulu]

I would really, really like to get a digital scale someday... but man are they expensive (Dillon in particular).

I have a Dillon digital scale and IMO it's worth every penny I paid for it.

 

[mtnbkr]

I found some used digital scales from the likes of RCBS and others for good prices (all less than $70). No telling where they'll end up, but they might be worth a look.

Chris

 

[Fatelvis]

I highly recommend them. I love my Dillon D-Terminator, it`s fast and accurate. Ill never go back to the old beam style scales.

 

[ftierson]

I have one of the older 1500gr Dillon D-Terminator electronic scales, and it's the only scale that I use anymore. It's a great scale and, in my opinion, worth the money.

I have a couple of older beam scales that I use every once in a while to check against the Dillon scale. I also have a 55.2gr Speer .224 Spitzer SP bullet that I also check the Dillon with every time I use it (at the beginning and the end of a run).

 

[rwmagnus]

I'll echo the same good remarks for Dillon. I've never had a problem with their scale. It's fast and accurate I won't go back to a balance beam any time soon. Spend the money and your done with it.

 

[esheato]

I have the Pact scale with their electronic powder dispenser. Now that I have one, I couldn't imagine going without it. Friends come over to load ammo and use it. Fast, easy and user friendly.

Do it...

Ed

 

[Wildalaska]

I have the Lyman 1200DPS.....I am now an electronic freak...down with balances!

WildwhirdingAlaska

 

[gdragon34]

I have the exact same scale as shown in that auction.

I tested it against several scales including the ones at work where we manufacture pharmaceuticals. It was dead on in grams but when it converts to grains the numbers don't come out right. Therefore I don't trust the thing at all.

If you just want something to sort brass with I think it would be very convenient to have. If you plan on using it to measure gunpowder that will be ignited inches from your eyes, I'd plan on working a little overtime and buying a quality scale.

 

[Marvin Gardens]

I asked myself "What's wrong with this picture?" when I found I was using a $50 beam scale to check the accuracy of a $200 electronic model. I have used the RCBS (Pact) and the now discontinued Dillon (Ohaus) as well as the Dillon D-terminator model. I like the discontinued Dillon model the best of the "consumer reloading" scales out there that I have tried. Electronic scales can be sensitive to temperature and must be warmed up prior to use. Things like breeze, air conditioning, humidity, and other appliances being run also seem to affect them sometimes.

I use my Dillon (Ohaus) while running batches of training and USPSA ammo. I have found things work out better for me if I turn the scale on about an hour prior to use and also built a cover out of wood and plexiglass that protects the scale from breezes. I calibrate the scale before each session and use check weights frequently during the session.

I didn't believe that the scale was accurate enough for long range ammo and used to throw a charge from a Redding powder measure and then trickle to weight into the pan of an RCBS (Ohaus) 304 scale. I was considering a Denver Instrument scale ($800 or so) but decided on the Prometheus system instead. I have been happy with it and it allows me to load my long range and Palma ammunition pretty efficiently.

I like the digitals for sorting large numbers of bullets, cases, etc. and think they are fine for most general reloading needs if set-up and used properly. I think the key is uniformity in use, set-up, calibration and frequent weight checks. Take the time to learn to use the tool and then have confidence in it.

Your mileage may and probably will vary.

Regards,

Marvin

 

[rick_reno]

Get the PACT scale that plugs into the wall - I (and others) have had problems with the battery powered model. This is the best reloading tool I've bought.

 

[Black Snowman]

I got a $90 Cabela's model that I haven't been entirely happy with. It seems to sometimes "stick" and it throws it off 1.4 grains. Not sure why that exact amount every time. Fortunately it's enough off that I can ususally catch it. But I've pretty much gone back to my ballence scale for verifying my powder measure weights and just use it for things like checking brass and bullet weights.

 

[ftierson]

By the way, I agree with Marvin Gardens on a number of issues...

I failed to mention that you have to follow a warm-up procedure with the electronic scale. With the Dillon D-Terminator that I have, I use the AC adapter and not batteries, and I let it warm up about half an hour before I use it. The zero will drift upward about 0.4gr over that 30 minutes before stabilizing...

I also protect it from air movement. I place it out of air movement from furnace ducts. I take care that I don't breathe heavily on the pan, and I don't move my arm quickly across the top of it when I'm weighing something. I also reset the tare weight (zero it out) fairly often.

But then again, a sensitive beam balance can be affected by air movement to some extent. The usual magnetic dampening helps hide the fact.

However, I do think that this type of scale (mid-price range electronic scale like the Dillon D-Terminator) is fine for loading quite accurate ammunition, and for making quite accurate small adjustments in powder weight. Just keep checking against a known weight. (I do that anyway on a beam scale just to make sure that I haven't knocked one of the sliding weights off...).

And the Dillon has a big LCD display, which I really like.

 

[Don Buckbee]

I fooled around with several different digital scales over the years and had complaints with all of them, ranging from being very slow to being inconsistent. I would try the same weight on the scales several times and got differrent readings each time. I weigh all of my 22 Rimfire ammo for target shooting, sorting into .1 gr groups. I'd put the same round on the scales and get different readings by as much as .3 gr. When trying to sort to .1 gr, getting that big of a variance just doesn't cut it. I Tried RCBS, Hornady, Dillon and CED scales. CED makes the Dillon, but I bought one from CED directly. None of them were what I wanted, which was/is accuracy, repeatability, and speed. So, I wound up buying a Denver Instruments APX-153. It measures to .1 gr accuracy and it is lightning fast. As soon as you place a weight on the scale, the reading is right there; no waiting like the others. And, I can put the same round on the scales any number of times and get the same reading. I only use it for weighing 22 ammo and bullets, not for powder charges in reloading. There, I use a set of beam balance scales which works for me as I don't load large numbers of rounds at a time. I set my measure to throw light, then trickle up on the beam scales.
As far as digital scales go, for me, I can't find any use for them in reloading, just measuring loaded 22 ammo and bullets as I mentioned above.
Don

 

[45crittergitter]

Ditto the thumbs-up on the Dillon 110 volt D-Terminator, and the thumbs-down on the PACT Model 1, 9 volt battery model.

 

[scott5]

Digitat scales

Hello all;
I'm new to this forum. I could not help but put my $.02 on the scales discussion. For years I used a Lyman LE-1000 digital scale for checking the rifle powder dispencers and found them to be lacking in accuracy .

So I had to hand check every charge when loading rifle :banghead:
Then I found a deal at Midway; The Lyman 1200 DPS for $208.
It's a lot better than hand throwing then weighing every charge then trickling to get the charge I want.

Happy shooting.
Scott5

 

[dodgestdshift]

It all depends on your volume. The warm-up time(1/2 hour) and calibration time for these scales is significant. I have a RCBS powder Pro & RCBS dispenser(made by PACT). I also have an OHAUS 10-10 balance beam scale. I use the balance beam for small jobs (around 20 or less) for larger jobs I use the digitals. The digital is somewhat faster than balance beam, but it takes a lot of the tension and strain of weighing charges. You only have to push the button, not watch a beam center itself while trickling a charge.

You must warm the scale up or you will get the infamous "wandering zero" problem.

 

[sigman69]

I have a pact digital scale and powder dispenser...great stuff....