No more electronic scales for me

Equipment and accessories for shooting. Safes, firearm storage, bipods, carry cases, slings etc.

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by Blr243 » 06 Apr 2022, 7:50 pm

Rcbs 10/10. Beam scale. And cheap lee thrower All the way
Blr243
Brigadier
Brigadier
 
Posts: 4479
Queensland

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by Oldbloke » 06 Apr 2022, 7:56 pm

JimTom wrote:Thanks everyone for your input, and a special thanks to Oldbloke for doing a fair bit of leg work for me. I have ordered a set of RCBS m500. Was a close contest between between those and the Redding Mod 2.
Looking forward to their arrival.



What did they set you back?
The greatest invention in the history of man is beer.
https://youtu.be/2v3QrUvYj-Y
Member. SFFP, Shooters Union.
SSAA, the powerful gun lobby. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Hunt safe.
User avatar
Oldbloke
Field Marshal
Field Marshal
 
Posts: 11192
Victoria

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by JimTom » 06 Apr 2022, 8:34 pm

Oldbloke wrote:
JimTom wrote:Thanks everyone for your input, and a special thanks to Oldbloke for doing a fair bit of leg work for me. I have ordered a set of RCBS m500. Was a close contest between between those and the Redding Mod 2.
Looking forward to their arrival.



What did they set you back?



$178 plus $15 delivery mate. Was the cheapest I could find.
User avatar
JimTom
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
 
Posts: 2130
Queensland

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by JimTom » 06 Apr 2022, 8:38 pm

Pretty good deal I thought.
User avatar
JimTom
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
 
Posts: 2130
Queensland

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by Bills Shed » 07 Apr 2022, 11:11 pm

There is nothing wrong with electronic scales, but you get what you pay for. Those dinky reloading scales from the main name brands are pretty poor. I have a Ohaus scale and it is good gear. Had a Sataurious before that and that had to be 15 years old. Look at any decent laboratory and you will struggle to find a beam balance in use. I have no fight with a beam balance, and I own one too. Saying that it is in a box that I have not opened in a long time.

Bill
Swaging your own projectiles is the ultimate in flexibility.
Bills Shed
Corporal
Corporal
 
Posts: 433
Tasmania

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by deye243 » 08 Apr 2022, 2:35 am

JimTom wrote:G'day Gents

So I have just deposited my second electronic scale item into the bin. A few months ago I chucked a powder dispenser and today a set of electronic scales, so circa $600 worth of kit, both green in colour and made in Fu#$ing China. Lesson learned. Admittedly they are 4 years old however I'd have thought I'd get a bit more longevity out of them than that. I had previously given these items a good wrap on this forum as they did actually perform really well up until recently.

I am now thinking I am going to get a set of balance scales and utilise my powder thrower. After all it does throw really accurately, that is until you get up into the slower burning powders like 2209 where there can sometimes be a slight variation.

I was thinking the RCBS 1000 balance scales.

Anyone have any recommendations?


Hey I am with you only I never went electronic in the first place RCBS 505 scale been using it for more than 20 years never look back .
I cannot remember which but it was the cheaper scale before that just preferred the 505 because he's had three stages instead of two
User avatar
deye243
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
 
Posts: 2209
Victoria

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by JimTom » 08 Apr 2022, 4:55 am

Bills Shed wrote:There is nothing wrong with electronic scales, but you get what you pay for. Those dinky reloading scales from the main name brands are pretty poor. I have a Ohaus scale and it is good gear. Had a Sataurious before that and that had to be 15 years old. Look at any decent laboratory and you will struggle to find a beam balance in use. I have no fight with a beam balance, and I own one too. Saying that it is in a box that I have not opened in a long time.

Bill


Yes mate I agree that if you are prepared to pay the big dollars for good electronic then They would be fine.
User avatar
JimTom
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
 
Posts: 2130
Queensland

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by Oldbloke » 08 Apr 2022, 5:17 am

"$178 plus $15 delivery mate. Was the cheapest I could find"

Not cheap. But I'm sure they will do the trick for many years.
The greatest invention in the history of man is beer.
https://youtu.be/2v3QrUvYj-Y
Member. SFFP, Shooters Union.
SSAA, the powerful gun lobby. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Hunt safe.
User avatar
Oldbloke
Field Marshal
Field Marshal
 
Posts: 11192
Victoria

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by JimTom » 08 Apr 2022, 6:57 am

Oldbloke wrote:"$178 plus $15 delivery mate. Was the cheapest I could find"

Not cheap. But I'm sure they will do the trick for many years.


Most places had them for sale circa $235. No doubt there would be postage on top of that too.
User avatar
JimTom
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
 
Posts: 2130
Queensland

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by Bills Shed » 08 Apr 2022, 8:29 pm

JimTom wrote:
Oldbloke wrote:"$178 plus $15 delivery mate. Was the cheapest I could find"

Not cheap. But I'm sure they will do the trick for many years.


Most places had them for sale circa $235. No doubt there would be postage on top of that too.

I wish... upwards of$1100.00 For mine but I use it for weighing jackets and cores for swaging and reloading. It gets a lot of use and makes it fast and accurate.

Bill
Swaging your own projectiles is the ultimate in flexibility.
Bills Shed
Corporal
Corporal
 
Posts: 433
Tasmania

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by cz515 » 09 Apr 2022, 4:44 am

JimTom wrote:
Bills Shed wrote:There is nothing wrong with electronic scales, but you get what you pay for. Those dinky reloading scales from the main name brands are pretty poor. I have a Ohaus scale and it is good gear. Had a Sataurious before that and that had to be 15 years old. Look at any decent laboratory and you will struggle to find a beam balance in use. I have no fight with a beam balance, and I own one too. Saying that it is in a box that I have not opened in a long time.

Bill


Yes mate I agree that if you are prepared to pay the big dollars for good electronic then They would be fine.


I agree with Bill on this. Have a chargemaster full. Had cheepo digital scales and they are all rubbish on their own ways. A Lee beam scale was ok. And even got a redding beam scale.

A few years ago I picked up a laboratory digital for about $200 bucks (they are over 1k new) and it's just awesome.
When good men and women can’t speak the truth, when facts are inconvenient, when integrity and character no longer matter, when ego and self-preservation are more important than national security — then there is nothing left to stop the triumph of evil
User avatar
cz515
Warrant Officer C2
Warrant Officer C2
 
Posts: 1032
Victoria

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by JimTom » 09 Apr 2022, 6:11 am

cz515 wrote:
JimTom wrote:
Bills Shed wrote:There is nothing wrong with electronic scales, but you get what you pay for. Those dinky reloading scales from the main name brands are pretty poor. I have a Ohaus scale and it is good gear. Had a Sataurious before that and that had to be 15 years old. Look at any decent laboratory and you will struggle to find a beam balance in use. I have no fight with a beam balance, and I own one too. Saying that it is in a box that I have not opened in a long time.

Bill


Yes mate I agree that if you are prepared to pay the big dollars for good electronic then They would be fine.


I agree with Bill on this. Have a chargemaster full. Had cheepo digital scales and they are all rubbish on their own ways. A Lee beam scale was ok. And even got a redding beam scale.

A few years ago I picked up a laboratory digital for about $200 bucks (they are over 1k new) and it's just awesome.


I am not saying that all electronic scales are rubbish, just recounting my experiences. I loved my electronic scales when they were working. I just don’t think I’ll be putting any more cash into buying them when I can achieve the same with something more reliable and cheaper.
User avatar
JimTom
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
 
Posts: 2130
Queensland

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by Bills Shed » 09 Apr 2022, 6:23 am

And the end of the day that is all we need. If it works and does the job, that will do.

Bill
Swaging your own projectiles is the ultimate in flexibility.
Bills Shed
Corporal
Corporal
 
Posts: 433
Tasmania

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by JimTom » 09 Apr 2022, 8:12 am

Very true Sir. :drinks:
User avatar
JimTom
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
 
Posts: 2130
Queensland

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by cflake » 11 Apr 2022, 8:10 am

I had my Hornday electronic scales die about a year ago.. lasted 2 years or so and just stopped working. I even pulled them apart to see if I could fix anything but it all looked fine to me. $500 or so down the drain.

I looked at different options and I could roll the dice and waste another $500 or step up and pay around $1500 or so for better 'quality' but they are still all from various gun manufacturers, not companies that make scales (and that's all they do). I bought the A&D scales for around $1100 and used them with a redding manual powder thrower & trickler for around 9 months until my auto trickler arrived. Total cost is over 2 grand but it's fast and very accurate. The scales are absolutely amazing. Buy once, cry once but you can buy in stages to spread the pain out a bit.
cflake
Recruit
Recruit
 
Posts: 38
Victoria

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by bigrich » 11 Apr 2022, 8:29 am

I’ve had the same cheapo hornady 1500 scales for 5 years. Still working great. Checking them against a rcbs beam scale they are accurate. These are the old black cased hornady scales. I bought a brand new red case hornady 1500 scales from the big C and the caliberation was out from new . In the bin they went. Also bought a $230 Lyman digital scales years ago. Overly sensitive. Took ages to settle and the slightest movement could upset them. They got sold.
So I use a reliable set of old hornady digital scales, backed up with a great rcbs beam scales. If my digital scales fail, I’ll resort to the beam scales. Consistently accurate, no batteries either :thumbsup:
User avatar
bigrich
Brigadier
Brigadier
 
Posts: 4483
Queensland

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by cz515 » 11 Apr 2022, 8:47 am

Beam scales are environmentally better.

Or are the electronic ones with rechargeable batteries more greener
When good men and women can’t speak the truth, when facts are inconvenient, when integrity and character no longer matter, when ego and self-preservation are more important than national security — then there is nothing left to stop the triumph of evil
User avatar
cz515
Warrant Officer C2
Warrant Officer C2
 
Posts: 1032
Victoria

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by Bills Shed » 11 Apr 2022, 12:08 pm

I run power to my scales. Batteries...never used them.
Swaging your own projectiles is the ultimate in flexibility.
Bills Shed
Corporal
Corporal
 
Posts: 433
Tasmania

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by Oldbloke » 11 Apr 2022, 5:26 pm

cflake wrote:I had my Hornday electronic scales die about a year ago.. lasted 2 years or so and just stopped working. I even pulled them apart to see if I could fix anything but it all looked fine to me. $500 or so down the drain.

I looked at different options and I could roll the dice and waste another $500 or step up and pay around $1500 or so for better 'quality' but they are still all from various gun manufacturers, not companies that make scales (and that's all they do). I bought the A&D scales for around $1100 and used them with a redding manual powder thrower & trickler for around 9 months until my auto trickler arrived. Total cost is over 2 grand but it's fast and very accurate. The scales are absolutely amazing. Buy once, cry once but you can buy in stages to spread the pain out a bit.


Would piss me off big time. I would have harrassed Hornady over that
The greatest invention in the history of man is beer.
https://youtu.be/2v3QrUvYj-Y
Member. SFFP, Shooters Union.
SSAA, the powerful gun lobby. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Hunt safe.
User avatar
Oldbloke
Field Marshal
Field Marshal
 
Posts: 11192
Victoria

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by cz515 » 11 Apr 2022, 9:18 pm

Some people have to much freely time
When good men and women can’t speak the truth, when facts are inconvenient, when integrity and character no longer matter, when ego and self-preservation are more important than national security — then there is nothing left to stop the triumph of evil
User avatar
cz515
Warrant Officer C2
Warrant Officer C2
 
Posts: 1032
Victoria

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by JimTom » 11 Apr 2022, 9:46 pm

cz515 wrote:Some people have to much freely time


I don’t follow
User avatar
JimTom
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
 
Posts: 2130
Queensland

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by cz515 » 12 Apr 2022, 9:28 am

Oops sorry wrong thread
When good men and women can’t speak the truth, when facts are inconvenient, when integrity and character no longer matter, when ego and self-preservation are more important than national security — then there is nothing left to stop the triumph of evil
User avatar
cz515
Warrant Officer C2
Warrant Officer C2
 
Posts: 1032
Victoria

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by Oldbloke » 20 Apr 2022, 4:56 pm

JimTom wrote:
Oldbloke wrote:"$178 plus $15 delivery mate. Was the cheapest I could find"

Not cheap. But I'm sure they will do the trick for many years.


Most places had them for sale circa $235. No doubt there would be postage on top of that too.


Are they OK?
The greatest invention in the history of man is beer.
https://youtu.be/2v3QrUvYj-Y
Member. SFFP, Shooters Union.
SSAA, the powerful gun lobby. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Hunt safe.
User avatar
Oldbloke
Field Marshal
Field Marshal
 
Posts: 11192
Victoria

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by ash_hendo » 20 Apr 2022, 5:39 pm

For what it's worth, I find my electonic scale very sensituve to temperature and vibration, vibration was a bit easier to solve, but don't breath near it. a cold breeze or putting a light on the bench will change the results by 0.2 to 0.6 grains per min or quicker, once temperature/humidity is equalised, really repeatable and accurate. The only other bugbear is it is "pressure" sensitve, measuring powder in a tray where the weight is spread out gives a different result to say in a case where all the pressure is in one spot (by about 0.1 grain)
ash_hendo
Private
Private
 
Posts: 86
New South Wales

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by JimTom » 20 Apr 2022, 6:17 pm

Oldbloke wrote:
JimTom wrote:
Oldbloke wrote:"$178 plus $15 delivery mate. Was the cheapest I could find"

Not cheap. But I'm sure they will do the trick for many years.


Most places had them for sale circa $235. No doubt there would be postage on top of that too.


Are they OK?


Still have not arrived Sir. In transit from warehouse in Iowa so I am expecting a full three weeks mate. Expecting them about the 27th. Me thinks I should’ve paid the extra and purchased from somewhere where they had stock. Was an oversight when I pushed the order button. :crazy:
User avatar
JimTom
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
 
Posts: 2130
Queensland

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by Oldbloke » 20 Apr 2022, 6:34 pm

s**t happens. Let's us know if your happy with them.
The greatest invention in the history of man is beer.
https://youtu.be/2v3QrUvYj-Y
Member. SFFP, Shooters Union.
SSAA, the powerful gun lobby. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Hunt safe.
User avatar
Oldbloke
Field Marshal
Field Marshal
 
Posts: 11192
Victoria

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by JimTom » 20 Apr 2022, 8:42 pm

Will do mate.
User avatar
JimTom
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
 
Posts: 2130
Queensland

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by Bills Shed » 21 Apr 2022, 6:45 am

ash_hendo wrote:The only other bugbear is it is "pressure" sensitve, measuring powder in a tray where the weight is spread out gives a different result to say in a case where all the pressure is in one spot (by about 0.1 grain)


I gather that this is not an analytical scale then. One of the tests for setup on a analytical scale is the placement of weights in different positions. It must read the same when the test weights are placed at the edge of the weighing plate as the centre of the plate.
Temp is hard to manage but turning it on the 30min before hand is the solution. Laboratories just do not turn them off.
I solved the vibration issue by building a small shelf out from the wall to hold the scale. The bench is not bolted to the wall so no vibration transfer either.
There are no free lunches and they all have their drawbacks. In the end if it works for you use it. All tools have a purpose and we use them within their limitations.

Bill
Swaging your own projectiles is the ultimate in flexibility.
Bills Shed
Corporal
Corporal
 
Posts: 433
Tasmania

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by ash_hendo » 22 Apr 2022, 8:28 am

Bills Shed wrote:
ash_hendo wrote:The only other bugbear is it is "pressure" sensitve, measuring powder in a tray where the weight is spread out gives a different result to say in a case where all the pressure is in one spot (by about 0.1 grain)


I gather that this is not an analytical scale then. One of the tests for setup on a analytical scale is the placement of weights in different positions.
Bill


Not the most expensive scale in the range, I put it down to that.....

Bills Shed wrote:Temp is hard to manage but turning it on the 30min before hand is the solution. Laboratories just do not turn them off.
Bill


Mine unfortunately has an auto-off at 5 min of no use..... I think it needs 30 min to settle as you say, then I trust it...... It uses so little electricty even on battery mode I wonder why they would do this, or not allow the timeout ot be several hours...... anyway, now I know its limitations, I'm happy. I always throw a bunch of charges into small cups and re-weigh before charging the cases. Anything I created after 30 min of run-time is usually spot on.
ash_hendo
Private
Private
 
Posts: 86
New South Wales

Re: No more electronic scales for me

Post by Oldbloke » 22 Apr 2022, 11:08 am

"One of the tests for setup on a analytical scale is the placement of weights in different positions. It must read the same when the test weights are placed at the edge of the weighing plate as the centre of the plate."

Nothing to do with analytical scales. It's just the correct way to calibrate/test any electronic digital scale using load cells. Weights should be traceable.

Resized_Screenshot_20220422-105347_DuckDuckGo(1).jpeg
Resized_Screenshot_20220422-105347_DuckDuckGo(1).jpeg (142.42 KiB) Viewed 7627 times


To check a beam balance you would simple use 3 or 4 tracable test weights.
Say for example, 10gr, 50gr, 100gr, 250gr. Total 410gr (most powder scale max out at 500 gr) Starting with 10gr adding them one at a time and checking Weight indicated each time. This way the scale is checked throughout its scale/range from 10gr to 410gr

I simply have 3 weights (Small SS nuts) I use to check my beam balance. But usually just zero and use/check one of the smaller weights each time I use them.
The greatest invention in the history of man is beer.
https://youtu.be/2v3QrUvYj-Y
Member. SFFP, Shooters Union.
SSAA, the powerful gun lobby. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Hunt safe.
User avatar
Oldbloke
Field Marshal
Field Marshal
 
Posts: 11192
Victoria

PreviousNext

Back to top
 
Return to Shooting accessories and equipment