Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters who makes the best powder/bullet scales ?

I figure this has been kicked around before but I must have missed it..... without breaking the bank... who makes the best scales ?? Ballance beam or digital better ?? Are the cheap digitals really any good ??

Redding balance beam

One of the best balance beam scales available and the one I use is the RCBS 1010 model.

My experience with the cheaper digitals was not good. Sometimes the readings wouldn`t settle down. When testing the same powder trays, the same weights would vary in readings. Had to re-set often. More waste of reloading time. Sensitive to a close by computer, and just too darn sensitive or finnicky all the way around.

Using my RCBS 1010 balance beam scale along with my powder trickler (after the powder is dispensed onto the tray), "assures" uniform powder charges every time. If my powder charge for example "is" 66.5 grains, then 66.5 gr of powder goes in every case; not 66.4 gr and not 66.6 gr.

Even though the process is slower, I have much more reliance with the powder charge readings I actually see on a balance beam scale rather than with any digital scale.

And most who use a digital scale, probably on every 10th charge or so, test their digital readings for accuracy on a good balance beam scale anyway.

A decent balance scale is more precise and more resistant to environmental error than most common digital scales.

Digital scales give a convincing illusion of being more precise, but are not. The Effective Resolution of my Hornady balance is better than the Lyman digital scale that I tested. If you think about it, a digital scale renders everything from 25.501 grains to 25.649 grains as 25.6 grains.

Digital scales are less likely to be misinterpreted and are usually faster. A balance scale invites errors like getting 14.0 grains of powder instead of 10.4 grains (switching the tenths and the grain readings).

Balance scales are relatively immune to temperature issues. Common digital scales are not. Common digital scales are often susceptible to power line conducted electrical interference.

All of that may not address the real question: What is the best way to get consistent powder loads? My powder measure is as consistent as my scale with short cut stick powder, and is more consistent than my scale with ball powder.

Well guys I used a RCBS balance beam for yrs. I finally got a Pact II digital several yrs back. I still have the balance beam and it stays set up on my reloading desk.

I have checked and double checked, relentlessly, the digital and NEVER found it out of of sync with the beam.

I ASSUME all digitals give warnings when something is out of spec. I always rezero with the provided weights and double check against the beam scale.

I do find it FASTER and easier to READ than the beam.

I don't know if the Pact II is still on the market but I like and recommend it. IIRC it was @ $80.00 at Midway. The last time I looked new digitals were between $100.-150.

I like my Dillon balance beam better than my RCBS 10-10. Less fiddle factor and and faster and easier to use.

My problem is my 35 year old Lyman beam scale talks too much trash to me. The scale has the 5gr weight slider and the 1 gr weight slider with the 1/10ths hash marks...OK ?? IF you try to weigh say 34.5 gr , having the big slider set @30 gr and the small slider set @4.5 to make 34.5 gr total and them move the big slider to weigh 35 gr ...the weight actually only shows it moved 2/10s. This is hard to try to tell in print what is actually going on but the scale doesn't show the weight change the saME FROM TRYING TO WEIGH 35 GR FROM USING THE BIG SLIDER @ 30 AND THE LITTLE SLIDER @5 COMPARED TO JUST HAVING THE BIG SLIDER @ 35 GR. { woops, caps loc huh } Am I making any sence at all. I think I even confused myself.....

What ackley338 is saying is that some beam scales can show a different "weight" when the poise counters are arranged differently, even though the poise "total" is the same. It's true, too. Set it up one way to read 35.0 grains and the needle will center. Change the poise weights in a way that they also total 35.0 grains, and the needle does not center. So how do you know which is the "right" 35 grains?

ANY scale, beam or digital is more than good enough for reloading IF it was designed for reloading. I wouldn't buy one from a non-reloading source like a cheap import tool store.

It's also true that we obsess about exact powder weight MUCH more than we need to. Just because a sophisticated scale can weigh down to an individual powder kernel doesn't mean we NEED to do that. As I often analogize, what some of us do is like measuring firewood down to the 1/64th".

"analogize" I like that word--think I'll steal it from ya'.....

I analogize a lot too....



Casey

I use an Ohaus balance beam scale that was built in 1960. I find that if I have the right charge, and consistently put the pan on the scale, the pointer comes up to 7 "clicks" on the scale, and I don't have to wait for it to go up and down and take the difference. I think this is as fast as a digital scale.

I also find that my powder measure, with reasonably small powders, is accurate enough so I only need to weigh every 12th charge for precision target shooting loads, though I admit that I weigh every charge for hunting loads (just a habit--I am not shooting very many rounds on a hunting trip anyway).

So doing, I can load ammo really quickly.

ROCKYRAAB !! EXACTLY !! THANKS
I guess it is usually 2/10s off but still freeks me out !! You guys think I should live with it then ??

I am still using my 36 year old RCBS 5-10 scale. Two PACT's have ended up in the trash as well.

i haven't used a beam scale since i bought a Dillon D-Terminator about 25 years ago. there are several ways to keep tabs on it during operation.

with the empty pan on the scale it should read zero. with the pan off the scale, it should read the negative value of the weight of the pan.

when setting up the powder measure, i dump five (rifle) or ten (pstol) charges into the pan and weigh it, divide by the number of charges weighed and you have an average.

I bought one of Midways cheap digital battery operated scale and it is right on the money with my RCBS balance beam scale.

I have a RCBS Chargemaster Combo.

I think it is a good value especially if you weigh every charge (like me).

It is pricy so it depends on your definition of �Breaking the bank�


Snake

Except for charges that are supposed to be 10 grains or less, that 0.2 grain error is meaningless, ack338. For very small charges, you could always set it 0.2 "off" since you know that's the constant error.

I bought a PAST battery operated digital scale many years ago the first year they came out.I gave the last balance beam scale away years ago. The PAST came with a set of check weights for checking and I have yet to ever had it register incorrectly. I weigh every charge I load and the only complaint I have for it is it's battery and every once in a while you have to replace the battery and it will be at the most inopportune time. I can't imagine a person selecting a balance beam over a digital for either accuracy or ease of use.

By the way, I've been using a digital scale by Winstead Peters and available from Berry's Mfg lately for a review, and I'm VERY impressed. It requires no warmup, has a check weight, runs on either a wall wart or batteries - and it gives correct readings even when the batteries are nearly dead. It comes in a sturdy case - and Berry's uses every bit of USA-made parts that can be had.

LINK

Go ahead, break the bank. I did and it was worth it!!!!!

Acculab VIC 123

http://www.scalesgalore.com/acculab_vicon_scales.htm

I can weigh by charges to +/- .001 grain....and it's fast too.

Alan

I've got several balance beam scales and I find the RCBS 10-10 to be the best and most convenient.