Looking for a good scale

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cberge8

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Does anyone have any info on a scale, preferably electric, that is actually reliable for a decent price?

I have tried many of the small pocket-sized digital scales and find there can be as much as a .4gn difference between the same powder charge when weighed only a few minutes apart.

I would really like to spend less than $100. I don't mind AC powered or battery powered. I just really don't like using balance beam scales.
 
I don't think you get into good electronics till you get around $125, RCBS Rangemaster 750. This will give you the std 0.1gr std deviation. When you get up into the $300+ you can get 0.02gr std deviation.

The key with digitals is that they must warm up, 10 minutes minimum. The RM 750 when on batteries shuts off after 5min without use. I run mine with supplied AC adapter so it will not turn off. They must be shielded from all wind currents. I also find that my hands near the scales impact the readings. So don't keep your hands lingering around the scales while your waiting for it to settle down.
 
Mr Berg -

Mr Blue Pickup told you the truth. There are so many things that can make an electronic scale be inaccurate that you simply cannot sell a scale that fights them all without adding cost. One scale that has low friction bearings might not be temperature compensated. A scale that is temperature compensated might not have good voltage regulation. The list goes on and on.

In your price range the only scale that I personally trust is the Dillon Eliminator (List price $54). Or you can buy the exact same scale from RCBS called the 5-0-5 (Midway price $74). Both scales are built by Ohaus.

Does a balance beam take longer to "settle"? Why yes, of course. But let's get "real". When you spread those savings over a typical 1-1/2 hour reloading session it means you'll finish in 90 minutes instead of 93 minutes.

Also figure in the savings of having that scale last 20+ years with minimal care. No batteries to change; no powder supplies to replace. Think I'm kidding? The 5-0-5 I use was made in 1973.

Just my 2 cents. ;)
 
I must have gotten lucky when I bought my $39.00 scale, battery operated. I've owned it now for 8 years and it weighs accurate and repeats the same now as when I bought it new. Do a search here, this has been discussed before even to the point of one of the members doing tests against High priced "in the thousands of dollars" lab equipment and some of the low end scales performed as well as any.

Do a google search, buy from a reputable dealer with a return policy, use it away from magnatic influnces, and let you billfold be your guide.

Some make a big deal about using batteries as if that creats a problem, in my experience no more than in my digital camera, calculator or other electronic devices, plus I use rechargable batteries NiMhd kept in the freezor charged.
 
Thanks for the input. From everything said, I think a balance beam may be the way to go for me. I am only weighing every 10th charge or so once I get my dispenser setup, so it should not slow me down too much. As of now I am only loading up mid to low power loads, if I ever decide to go to really hot loads I may opt for one of the really high end scales.
 
As of now I am only loading up mid to low power loads, if I ever decide to go to really hot loads I may opt for one of the really high end scales.
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Mr Berg -

Allow me to correct an incorrect impression. The Dillon Eliminator and the RCBS 5-0-5 ARE "high end scales". I would venture to say that more shooting trophies have been won with the 5-0-5 than any other.

You can spend more money and match the accuracy and repeatability, but even if you manage to beat it, it will not show up on the target. A grain is so small that powder measurements to the 1/100th of a grain mean nothing to 99.999% of shooters.

All the best. ;)
 
Another plug for the RCBS 505. I wouldn't use anything else, fast and very accurate. Taken care of it will last a lifetime.
 
rfwobbly speaks the truth about the RCBS 5-0-5. One of the best beam scales if not the best, for reloading you can get.

I thought you were asking about electronic scales.
 
I just really don't like using balance beam scales.
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Which ones have you used? If you have a Lee and didn't like it, then I understand. I used mine one afternoon and went and bought a Redding. Night & day as far as usability. YMMV.
 
I do not have experience with this scale, but it is just about the only USA made digital scale under $100 on sale for $69.99 at Cabela's.

"The PACT BBK2 Electronic Scale with AC Adapter gives the speed and convenience of an electronic scale at a balance-beam price. Accurate to 1/10 grain up to 300 grains, and within 2/10 from 300-750 grains. Two calibration weights included. Uses standard 9-volt alkaline battery."

s7_215824_999_02



Regardless of scale you end up with, I highly recommend a set of check weights to verify the accuracy of the scale after calibration/zero - http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduc...ent (Not Presses)-_-PriceCompListing-_-212586

212586.jpg
 
A lyman 55 and the ohaus scales are basically the exact same thing as the rcbs 505. All are very good scales. You can get a very good balance beam scale for 25 (what I paid for my lyman) on ebay if you keep an eye out. Any digital scale that cannot be run on AC is out of the question for me.... Digitals can be very accurate and very good.... but they rely on physics AND programming. A balance beam only relies on physics... and I'm a fan of the simple things.
 
I rely on an RCBS balance beam scale that is now around 25 or 30 yrs. old and it is dead on accurate! I would not be comfortable with an electoronic one even though I know there are some exceptional one's on the market, but at the cost of an arm and a leg too!
 
john16443, that jennings scale looks nice! I may have to give it a shot.

FYI, I do have the Lee balance been scale. Once zeroed it does do the trick, very slowly though. The two major downsides i see to it is that the zeroing nut moves very easily, and there are no secondary hashes on it to show how far off from your expected load you are.
 
cberge8 - The lee scale isn't magnetically dampened. The rcbs, ohaus 5, lyman 55, etc. are. The zeroing nut on my lyman don't move unless I want it to (and I have to pick the scale up to do it.... little to stiff to do it while the scale is down).
 
After trying several "affordable" digitals and sending them all back, I realized I'd have to part with more $$ for a good one than I was willing, so I got an RCBS 5-0-5 beam scale and weigh in confidence.
 
I had a RCBS electronic scale, and after a few years use it started to "drift". I read that this is fairly common with strain gauge type units...the epoxy mounting or something similar ages and then things go all erratic.

I got a RCBS 1010 scale (a beam scale with a drum adjustment for the fine poise) and I've never been happier. This one is also made by Ohaus.

At $155 with a $10 rebate, it's a little more than you want to spend, but it is a fine tool -

http://www.sinclairintl.com/.aspx/pid=38054/Product/RCBS_10_10_Scale
 
cberge8 said:
john16443, that jennings scale looks nice! I may have to give it a shot.

FYI, I do have the Lee balance been scale. Once zeroed it does do the trick, very slowly though. The two major downsides i see to it is that the zeroing nut moves very easily, and there are no secondary hashes on it to show how far off from your expected load you are.
Click to expand...
Yes, it is a nice scale, and I check it against my Lee regularly. I have added my own +/- 0.1 grain marks to my Lee scale, you may want to do the same. Simply set the scale indicator to 4.0 grains (or any value you want) and add powder until it balances. remove that powder from the scale and place it in an empty case or some other recepticle for later use. Now reset the scale for 3.9 or 4.1 grains, and add powder until that balances. Once balanced, toss that 3.9/4.1 grains back in the powder container, and replace the 4.0 grains of powder from before. Wherever the scale settles will be 0.1 grains different from before, make a mark next to where the pointer is. Measure the distance from the scale zero point to your mark, and make another mark this same distance on the opposite side of the zero indicator. Now your Lee scale will show if you're within +/- 0.1 grain of your desired weight.

I've also made a mark on my zero adjust screw so I at least have some idea if I aligned those 3 lines close to where they were last time I zeroed the beam.
 
I have the pact bbk2 in the picture and it is junk. has to be recalibrated often and will sometimes tare itself and weigh a negative number for no reason. I use it for sorting bullets but would never trust it for powder charges. I use my RCBS 505 for that.
 
Rfwobbly is absolutely correct, the RCBS 505 is a high end and super accurate scale that can be trusted to the 10th of a grain.
I was so fortunate when I stumbled on the one I have had for about 3 decades. I got it at a yard sale in which the woman's husband had passed away and she had no idea of it's value. I paid $5 for it and felt like I had won the lottery!
In another really lottery feeling find, I was in a pawn shop looking at guitars when my Son spotted a pair of binoculars for $8 or maybe it was $5, no matter. I glanced at them and instantly recognized them as Leupold's. It was a pair of 10x42's that sell for about $400 new.
 
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