Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Digital or Mechanical?

My old 505 scale is getting flaky, so time for a new one. RCBS doesn't do parts anymore for the 505, and I don't think the Ohaus 505 is exactly the same unit. Are the new automatic dispensing/measuring units worth the money? If so what do folks think is the best unit?

Been using an old RCBS digital scale for years. Finally bought a Chargemaster Lite, which is the one I see often pictured in magazine articles. Works great, with a few whoopsies sprinkled in, mostly because it occasionally stops short of the programmed charge. I just trickle it up with the button and keep on going. Takes about the same time to fill the pan as it does for me to seat a bullet. Haven't used a balance beam in a couple of decades, though I still have a couple.

Fine ball powder is a bit of a pain to unload from the hopper. All things considered, it's a great convenience.

Got it from Amazon. The price moves up and down a good bit. Think I paid $235.

Also have the original Lyman Autoscale someone gave me, but never set it up.

That's what I am thinking, it would be much more convenient, but I am not a real volume Reloader. The most I load a bunch of is a 2.7g load of Bullseye for a 38 Special Wadcutter. I have yet to find a powder measure that will do that consistently, if at all. Wondering if the new digital scales can do that. Looking at the Lyman Gen 6 or 5, RCBS Chargemaster/Chargemaster Lite, and the Hornaday Lock and Load. $180 to $350.. A decent mechanical scale is about $70. The old RCBS 505 is about 37 years old. Doubt the digital stuff would las that long. I may not last another 37 years either..

Got a like new RCBS digital if you might be interested. My 10 10 crashed and like you, I tried to get replacement parts. Bought the digital and promptly found a NIB 1010 at a gun show. I also have a like new 505 if you need one.

Guys I recommend you Use Both.

Checks/Balances... knowhatimean?


Jerry

I ùse a Little Dandy for a lot of revolver loads too.

I have a digital scale only, and yes a check and a balance. Not really a good idea to trust either without a check and a balance. Now powder measures and thrown charges...

Always check a digital scale. The inexpensive plastic strain gauge springs used in low dollar scales can easily stop working properly..

I had a RCBS and a Dillon fail on me. Both scales were made by an outside company for RCBS and Dillon. The scale warranty from RCBS and Dillon is one year. After the RCBS failed, I purchased an expensive jewelers digital scale. It has been reliable and very accurate.

In digital scales, spend the money for a good one. I do not feel you will find a quality digital scale from any of the companies producing reloading equipment.

Google problems with digital reloading scales.

Unless you're looking for an excuse to buy, thoroughly clean the pivot and the agate. Should be completely, absolutely clean to avoid "stiction." NO OIL! And of course check for damage on the agate and the pivot. Some of that can be carefully dressed out. Bought a 1010 somewhere near 1980 and about 20 years later it started acting funky. Gave it a thorough cleaning with acetone and Q-Tips and I'm using it today. Works fine.

I use a Lee dipper just below the weight I want and either finish up with a powder dribbler or tap-tap a little powder out of a dipper depending on the powder. I usually don't reload that many at a time. I have an RCBS Competition powder measure but considering setup time and weighing witness loads it isn't much faster than weighing for 20-40 rounds.

I do and check often. I have also been known to wear suspenders and a belt though.

Mechanical. I dont trust the electronics.

So you guys with the digital scales. When you check it while reloading and find out it’s off again how many s hell’s do you recheck? Ed k

I still have the old one sitting next to the new one. Occasionally I'll dump a charge into the pan of the old one as a cross-check. So far, so good. I also use bullets, especially the copper ones, as check weights from time to time. Since I generally stay away from nose-bleed charges, consistency more than safety is my concern.

The Chargemaster Lite instructions say to power it off when not in use and to warm it up before calibrating, which is to be done every time. I leave the old one on for the most part, though it often gets "stuck" and has to be power-cycled to get it to respond. Checking it with reference weights never showed it was affected by any of that, but I still calibrate it from time to time. The old balance beams stay in their boxes for SHTF use😱.

I check about every 5 th round ? or so. Seldom, but a few Xs I have found them off a LITTLE, not much but I wasn't satisfied so I re charged them. When that happens I check the previous 2-3 and proceed.
I keep my balance beam set up and have the check weights within reach.


SO FAR, so far I have not found enuff irregularity to stop using the E scales.


The MAIN reason I like E scales is, they are easy & quicker to READ.

Jerry

Another vote for chargemaster lite! I double check charges with a Lyman digital scale. Ive used mechanical scales for 30 years and IME probability of error is far less with "GOOD" digital scales. Yes there is a lot of [bleep] that can hit you sideways when unexpected with mechanical scales. Time to recalibrate AGAIN has happened to many of us and the thought process is I wonder how long its been this way. The Chargemaster has measured dead nuts accurate for me every time and I do follow the manufacturer recommendations.

My days of methodical mechanical bullshit are over with permanantly

I gave up on digital/electronic powder measures after trying three different ones, all needed re-calibration during a reloading session. Went back to a balance beam, currently have an Ohaus 10-10 and it has never given me any trouble. I've used an RCBS LIttle Dandy for pistol and revolver loading practically forever.

Ive got a RCBS ChargeMaster that I bought in 2000. It has worked flawlessly all these years!! I have a set of brass check weights that I use before each use. If they are spot on I proceed with my loading!! But as with anything electronic they can get screwy so therefore it wouldn't hurt to have a back up scale!!

The reason I asked is because I tried an electronic one. I was loading 50rounds and I checked a few times and it was off. I’m talking up to a couple grains. Back in the box it went. It was one recommended one this site and another site. Scared me. Ed k

The consolation that is often felt by useing a mechanical scale is that your brain see's a given number every time even if that given number might be a hidden inconsistency. One thing I have noticed concerning digital scales is most people never follow the manufacturer recommendations to allow them at least 30 minutes to warm up. When I started following directions along with buying a good digital scale all the problems went away.

I've followed warm up instructions with my chargemaster lite and checked charges with a mechanical scale that was calibrated before every use and in a year and a half the only misread charge I ever had was when the mechanical scale got bumped. The mechanical scale at that point was off but the digital scale wasn't. Ive had that sort of crap happen with mechanical scales a lot more than once and never with a digital scale. It sucks dumping 50 powdered shells and starting over because somewhere the scale was bumped and not noticed. Worst I've ever encountered with a digital scale is being off .2 tenths of a grain. Load the bullets and shoot because .2 tenths doesn't mean jack

I did clean the pivot and the agate, Did not help much. The scale will zero, but when tapped it does not always return to zero. Re-zero and the same thing will happen, good for a couple of times then off again. The pivot is blued so to speak and the knife edge is shiny so it has had some wear. The electronic scales are suspect, I have had a few. The cheap ones do not last long. I have a good one now, and yes you get what you pay for. I have found that the digital ones are much more sensitive to any breeze, and fluorescent lighting, and electromagnetic interference.

You are missing out, the electronics are trustworthy!!!!!!

I have a chargemaster but if I had it to do over again I'd go with another 505. Get you a cheap digital and check the 505 at each session if you want, but I loaded for 20 years with a 505 and never had a hitch. AND the Charge Master isn't really any faster.

As much as I use and like my Chargemaster, I'd never be without a mechanical scale. I currently have a 5-10 that was sent back to RCBS in about 1994 for a tuneup. It may be due for another.

In the interest of preventing unnecessary wear when not in use, I turn the beam over and leave the scale set up like this with a dust cover over it:

Rcbs 1010

My 1010 did that, then I noticed that the counterweight on the screw was a very loose fit and would move ever so slightly when I tapped the pan if I didn't have the little nylon set screw tight. So I stopped tapping the pan. Look carefully, there's not much to go wrong there. Could take a known weight, bullet if you don't have a set, and set it gently in the pan with tweezers. Try it several times and see if the imprecision goes away.

Yeah, I know, you're looking for a reason to buy a new toy. We all do it.

Digital scales have been around for many years....not all of them have been good ones.

Almost all balanced beam scales are made by Ohaus and branded by several companies.....mine is a Dillon but I also have a RCBS that I got on Ebay…..an excellent machine.

Since I have very little experience with the digital scales I won't give thumbs up or down about them....but my experience with Ohaus scales has been excellent.....I'm staying with what works for me.

Mine is a 505, different than a 1010 no nylon screw. Looked closely at the knife edge with a magnifying glass and it looks a bit rough. Spent some time looking at youtubes, and I like the RCBS Chargemaster Lite, and the Lyman Gen 6. For those that have the RCBS how easy is it to clean out and change powders? The Lyman seems quite easy to do that.

I do the same thing. Leaving the scale set up over time probably contributes to more wear than actually using it.........

And it does help to keep the pivot clean so gunk doesn't grind it down.

I found 3 1/2 tablespoons of h4831 is just right for my 270 and 150 gr bullets. So no need for them scale contraptions

Yea, I like the teaspoon idea, got a bunch of those......…. Probably better to use my old Lee powder dippers, still can find a few powders that match the slide chart.

Then never mind.

I see that now, looked up the 505 instructions. I misremembered from 1980! Anyway if you don't know here's a picture of the 1010 fine adjustment. The poise (forgot the proper term too) is like a barrel nut on a threaded rod right below the scale. There's a nylon screw (not shown) that locks that barrel nut. Pretty slick.

I'm quoting a post from up the page so I'm adding this to clarify. This is in reference to a question about the Charge Master and changing powders.
It's not hard to do but you gotta be careful or you'll spill powder. There's a drain on the side that you need to hold a container under to drain the powder out of the hopper. Make sure you close it when finished. It's easy to forget. Take care to get all the powder out of the hopper and the auger. After I'm through charging cases and drained the hopper, I leave the machine powered up and I hit dispense so it turns the auger for a while to get all the powder out. A guy on another forum experienced high pressure from one cartridge out of 20 and we all believed that it was because he had used a fast powder the loading before and it trapped a grain or two of the faster powder inside the auger and caused a duplex load in one cartridge. It doesn't take much of a fast powder when mixed with a slower one to make a lot of extra pressure. It's scarey to think about that. He was lucky it wasn't a lot. It just made his bolt sticky and flattened his primer.

Very true, but you won't forget anymore after you've done it five or six times. Ask me how i know.

I have an RCBS 5-0-5 in the original box sitting on top of my reloading bench. It came with a big box of reloading stuff I picked up at a yard sale. I use a 10-10.

If you are interested in the 5-0-5 send me a PM with an offer.

I bought the Ohaus it is exactly the same from what I can tell Amazon with free shipping.

My old 70,s ERA 505 did not like our 7.0 quake and the fall!

I have been using the RCBS ChargeMaster more and more here lately. The scale has proven very repeatable but maybe a little slow to respond to very small changes. The calibration weights that it came with always read the same in addition to a 40 and a 55 grain bullet. I also have a small baggy with a few spent primers that also read the same weight every time. I use it to double check the scale for pistol loads.

When loading anything less than 50 rounds or so (which is most of the time that I load) I have taken to using just the scale with Lee powder dippers. It is about as quick when you consider the time it takes to set up a powder measure for the correct load or to empty and clean the powder chamber of the ChareMaster and quicker than dipping a light charge and trickling up when using a beam scale.

Well, bought a Lyman Gen 6, so far so good but only a few loads. Will see as time goes by.

its been years ago, but when I had my 505 going wacky, RCBS had me just send it to Ohaus in New Jersey...

took 3 or 4 weeks turn around, but when they returned it, its been flawless for 12 to 15 years now...

O'haus 304 Dial-a-grain.

I used a diamond stone to sharpen worn knife edge on a rcbs 10-10. Cleaned the pivots with alcohol. Set the base with a level, and adjusted weights in bottom of pan so that it zeroed when base is perfectly level. That got rid of any stiction, and inconsistencies.

Just remembered, I also removed the stone agates, and polished the paint off of the little nubs that they set on.

Oh, a Wise guy, eh?

Lyman M5 for me, although I'd love one of the high end electronic models with an autothrow attachment, or a Prometheous.

Depending upon the type of powder I'm measuring I use a combination of both mechanical and electronic scales for weighing powder. For all ball powders I use a Redding 3BR powder measure and trickle up to weight with either a Dandy 2-speed electronic powder trickler or an old RCBS manual trickler. I check every few throws on my RCBS M1000. My RCBS M1000 is the most consistently accurate scale and I also have 2 RCBS 505's which are very useable as well. I had an RCBS 1010 but it was just not accurate and I finally sent it back to RCBS for service. They sent me the M1000 to replace it as they too could not get it to measure accurately.

I check all my mechanical and digital scales with RCBS check weights. For throwing extruded powders, I use an RCBS Chargemaster Lite which has been extremely accurate. I usually check every 4 or 5 powder throws and using my M1000. I also have a GemPro 350 and an RCBS 1000 Rangemaster digital scales both of which I use on occasion but mainly for weighing bullets. I know, way too much info but, I really like, and fully trust, my current setup.