Best brand of digital scales ?

[Blr243]

I don’t want to return to the old days of rcbs balance scales. Since I have started loading again I’m using Hornady dig scales. As I’m trickling powder into a dish on the scales I notice quite often that after the powder has landed the scale weight jumps up and down a bit and just seems erratic and not right. I’m especially interested in those who have tried one or two different brands. I don’t mind forking out for the best. If I’m loading for my 243 I don’t care if I’m .2 of a grain over or under but for light loads in my blackout or pistol loads I need better than what I’m getting

[SCJ429]

I use a RCBS Chargemaster and they are OK. I still use balance beam scales for competition loading.

[bigfellascott]

I use a RCBS Chargemaster and they are OK. I still use balance beam scales for competition loading.

Do you find it makes much diff between the CM and Balance beam? and if so how much?

[Sergeant Hartman]

Mate been there and basically there are 2 types of scales.

The basic scales, from hornady to chargemaster and even gempro. The more you spend the better the quality of scale (excludes chargemaster as it's a powder thrower and a scale) basically you will varying accuracy and scales that either take a while to settle or don't register small changes in weight.

I have used a gempro 250, as long as you pickup and place the pan back on the scale everytime its very accurate 0.001gram or 1 kernel. (Lol I have 1 for sale... long story, warranty replacement unit brand new, but i going back to rcbs 510 scale)

Then the are the expensive lab type scales like the A&D fx120i... look at spending 1k+ on them. Very responsive and accurate.

[Sarco]

I use a GemPro 250, manufacturer claims that it is accurate to .02 grains. Far more accurate than really required for reloading. I generally work on anywhere from .06 under to .06 over weight as accepable. For loading both rifle and pistol, it is fine, however for trickled loads it can be a PTA in that it is a bit slow to react so a little at a time is required, hence it is slow.

I also use a Lyman Gen 5 digital powder system for rifle and use the gen pro for weight checking. Pistol loading I use a Dillon Square deal, but it is fitted with a Unique Tech Micrometer Powder Kit for finer adjustment of the powder bar.

[bigfellascott]

I do like my RCBS Chargemaster, I like the automation of it all, makes reloading quicker than the old RCBS Beam scales 505 which are still good and have a set as a back up (I think I still have em)

[SCJ429]

I use a RCBS Chargemaster and they are OK. I still use balance beam scales for competition loading.

Do you find it makes much diff between the CM and Balance beam? and if so how much?

I find that with a 40 grain load you might be able to add three kernels of powder and it is still 40 grains. With the balence beam it would go from under the line to over. If that pushes you out of the node or not is another thing but if I shoot badly I blame the charge, if I used the balence beam I look for something else.

[Apollo]

Oh Dear, we have two Topics exactly the same.....!!!!

Gempro 250, accurate to 0.2 Grains or one granule of AR2208...

How do you merge two topic's... I guess delete one....!!!

[bigfellascott]

I use a RCBS Chargemaster and they are OK. I still use balance beam scales for competition loading.

Do you find it makes much diff between the CM and Balance beam? and if so how much?

I find that with a 40 grain load you might be able to add three kernels of powder and it is still 40 grains. With the balence beam it would go from under the line to over. If that pushes you out of the node or not is another thing but if I shoot badly I blame the charge, if I used the balence beam I look for something else.

Thanks for that mate, yeah I often wonder how much diff a few grains would actually make

[Sergeant Hartman]

I have forgotten the exact number the wad a post somewhere in the internet but each kernal of 2208 is like 5 or 15 fps. Minute of fox,deer etc not really noticeable... shooting fly at 500m, more than likely.

For tacticool, even if shooting at 100y yes huge amounts mate.

Good info in the other thread, apollo... probably copy and paste it here.

[Apollo]

Scott, I think you guys had better have a think about what you are typing/saying. In a 40grain load you are referring to above there would be a massive difference of a few grains above or below your target load OR did you mean Granules...???

If you are close to a maximum load and go a few Grains over you will have a dangerous possible problem.

A RCBS ChargeMaster is not in reality all that accurate. At best 0.1gr of powder plus or minus which means you can have a variation of up to 0.2gr from your minimum to maximum load weight. In some powders and loads that is a massive error rate.

With AR2208 where one granule weighs 0.02gr that equates to a variation of 10 granules of powder. Not acceptable.

[Apollo]

I have forgotten the exact number the wad a post somewhere in the internet but each kernal of 2208 is like 5 or 15 fps. Minute of fox,deer etc not really noticeable... shooting fly at 500m, more than likely.

For tacticool, even if shooting at 100y yes huge amounts mate.

Good info in the other thread, apollo... probably copy and paste it here.

Agree, so I'll do the copy & paste. If a Mod spots this they may like to close/delete the duplicate thread.

From the other thread.......

"As a competition shooter I want my loads fairly spot on no matter what it takes.

Every known Electronic Scale and for that matter even Balance Beam Scales take a tad of time to correct to be on weight. I don't know of any scale that is immediate in showing weight.

That said for 40 odd years I have been reloading I still use a Balance Beam Scale for the initial weighing of my thrown powder charge, I do let it settle or even give it a bit of help by touching the scale.

Now, call me OCD but I weigh every powder charge down to the granule of powder for my loads which started to get really OCD when Benchrest Target started. Most loads I am using AR2208 and I know that each granule of powder weighs near on 0,02 grains and that is the accuracy of my electronic scales being GemPro 250. I know a lot of target shooters that are using the same but some even better but near 10 times the price.

My theory is a good Powder Thrower that can deliver close to your required weight, put it on Balance Beams and trickle what best it shows as required then onto the GemPro 250 to check and add or remove some powder. That's what I do, slow but exact and I'm in no bloody hurry. I want to win, not come last.

A mate has tried to speed things up any does his initial charge using a ChargeMaster Lite then on a Gempro 250 to check and adjust. Funny thing is that he has gone downhill in accuracy scores so whatever he is doing now has a flaw somewhere. I know he does tend to rush things so that may be his error.

To pose my answer after all that. A Gempro 250 but remember it can take a second or three to register the change of one granule of powder added or removed. They are a couple of hundred bucks or so. I bought mine from a medical supply mob in Victoria.

Don't use any electronic scale in the same room as fluro's, mobile phone's etc. " end quote....

[sungazer]

I say the above is not true. I have a A&D 300 and you can put one more kernel of powder on and it will change to the new reading the time it takes depending on the response time you select Fast, medium or Slow. You can get a A&D FX200 for under a grand. It will be the best piece of reloading gear you will ever buy. I say that for all quality scales including the Sattorius

[Apollo]

There's a lot of difference between a couple of hundred bucks to near a grand. So you would expect some nice features.

I'm happy to wait the few seconds for a change to happen. Most times I know from the registered weight how many grains to add for correct weight.

Anyway, each to their own. Whatever works the best to suit your pocket money.

[Blr243]

Thank you for the replies. I will try to get to the gun shop tomorrow

[No1_49er]

A shooting buddy of mine, who is far more serious than me about the need to win, uses a Harrel powder thrower. Never seen him weigh a charge yet. Not long come home from an international match that he won. I guess it's OK to be a bit OCD, but is it really necessary?

[in2anity]

I’m going to play devil’s advocate here and say that for a heavy, inherently accurate target rifle; once you find your node, a 1/10 grain or so of variance is really not going to make a huge difference. It may be a different story for a benchrest setup or f-class setup, I wouldn’t know, but that’s fairly niche

[in2anity]

A shooting buddy of mine, who is far more serious than me about the need to win, uses a Harrel powder thrower. Never seen him weigh a charge yet. Not long come home from an international match that he won. I guess it's OK to be a bit OCD, but is it really necessary?

Couldn’t agree more. I was once told by a rather famous commonwealth palma shooter that in fact (over a large sample size) he couldn’t differentiate a 1/2 gr difference surrounding his primary node. That’s 0.5gr deviation!

[Apollo]

For the few last comments.

A Harrel Powder Thrower is very well known and used for competition but it depends on the model as to how accurate they are. Nice gear.

F-Class and/or Full Bore is a whole different ball game to Benchrest. Most common in F-Class/Full Bore is the .308 so even in the accuracy node you have a huge window open around the initial powder charge for accuracy. Plus that the top scoring ring size is a lot bigger than that for Benchrest where also the degree of accuracy required is much tighter.

I'm not going to get into a debate about F-Class/Full Bore as I have never shot that type simply because I can't lay down prone due to physical injuries. What I do know is that a few of those shooters that come and shoot Benchrest actually don't do all that well as they have never had to come up with the degree of accuracy required. However, after awhile they adapt, even change calibres to get in with the rest.

My own Gunsmith has never shot Benchrest, only shoots at a NRA Range. He admits that it's a different ball game and accuracy requirement.

If you have a calibre that isn't fussy about powder charge weight then go for it but if not then you need to be fussy about how much powder goes in that case.

It's all shooting and shooters love shooting.

[Bills Shed]

I am no comp shooter but have tried weighing each load and using a powder thrower. Reality results show no difference. On that note I do have a lab grade digital balance for my projectile swaging and use it for checking my powder thrower reloading as well.
This type of scale is expensive. It will weigh .02gn very consistently, it is fast but you must treat it like a lab balance. Give them at least 1/2 hour to warm up, I leave mine on. As to fluros affecting balances, maybe a cheaper one but I have not seen it with the Sattorius. There are a lot of electronics in there to compensate for a lot of factors. Every lab I have worked in has had fluors. Maybe the distance from the Fluro is a big factor. In my opinion .1gn is fine for run of the mill reloading. If you want better, more power to you but these days the biggest factor in accurate shooting is usually the human.
I use a scale for projectile swaging with .02 resolution as there are two or more components used to make up a projectile and keeping the errors in weight to a minimum helps to keep the weight differential to a mininium.
Good luck in your search.

Bill

Bill

[bigfellascott]

I am no comp shooter but have tried weighing each load and using a powder thrower. Reality results show no difference. On that note I do have a lab grade digital balance for my projectile swaging and use it for checking my powder thrower reloading as well.
This type of scale is expensive. It will weigh .02gn very consistently, it is fast but you must treat it like a lab balance. Give them at least 1/2 hour to warm up, I leave mine on. As to fluros affecting balances, maybe a cheaper one but I have not seen it with the Sattorius. There are a lot of electronics in there to compensate for a lot of factors. Every lab I have worked in has had fluors. Maybe the distance from the Fluro is a big factor. In my opinion .1gn is fine for run of the mill reloading. If you want better, more power to you but these days the biggest factor in accurate shooting is usually the human.
I use a scale for projectile swaging with .02 resolution as there are two or more components used to make up a projectile and keeping the errors in weight to a minimum helps to keep the weight differential to a mininium.
Good luck in your search.

Bill

Bill

Spot on Bill re fluros, I used have fluros in my reloading room, can't say I noticed any weird and wonderful differences in my results on the scales.

I think it's one of those weird and wonderful airy fairy interwebs things or some such and you are right about the shooter being a very important part of the accuracy equation too, not much good being a "Barry with all the gear and no idea"

[Gamerancher]

It all depends on how OCD you are. Yes, some folks think that weighing down to the granule of powder makes all the difference. If that's what it takes for them , let them do it. I've sat in the reloading room at benchrest nationals, talking to a mate who was competing, bloke next door on the bench was just throwing his powder straight from thrower ( yes it was a Harrells ) into his cases and seating his projectiles. He went on to win that year. Yes he used a scale to set up his thrower but there 'aint no way that thrower was throwing to the granule, I've used them, they are not that accurate.
I really dont believe one granule of 2208 = 15f/s.
I know fella's who have won U.S Nationals and World Titles and they do both, one weighs each charge, the other uses the "just set and forget the powder thrower" and goes with that. Like I said, whatever works for you in your head.
So, your choice of digital scale comes down to how OCD you are, what type of shooting you are doing, what you believe makes the difference and how deep your pockets are.

[Bills Shed]

It all depends on how OCD you are...

Best answer I've heard yet.

Bill.

[sungazer]

Apollo the crap you spew about f-class is just stupidity especially like you say you have never tried it. It has nothing to do with the topic on hand. The Topic is which is the BEST brand of scales the not the best value for money scales and certainly has nothing to do with the class of shooting.

So you say a $1000 scale may be better than one that is $250 you also say that a kernel is about 0.02grn perhaps even 0.015 grn that is 0.001 gram so maybe a scale that accurately weighs that amount could be helpful in a precision sport at long distance where velocity actually makes a difference to the POI.

I made no such statement that 1 Kernel of 2208 = 15ft/s either. Since it has been brought up though I will say that at 1000 yrds 6ft/s will make a difference it is easily verified using a ballistic calculator and if that difference is position it important to you. You need to know what that difference is in powder weight and other factors in reloading that may cause that difference.

[bladeracer]

GemPro250.
Never run it on batteries, mains power only.

[tom604]

Lyman 6,,mine is out by .1 but is consistently out by .1 , so i add .1 to my charge,,should try the nozzle extension thing that may fix it but im too lazy

[Sarco]

Lyman 6,,mine is out by .1 but is consistently out by .1 , so i add .1 to my charge,,should try the nozzle extension thing that may fix it but im too lazy

My Lyman 5 is exactly the same, so I also add .1gn to the charge I want. I tried the nozzle extension and it made SFA difference either way so I didn't bother to remove it again.

Sarco

[in2anity]

Lyman 6,,mine is out by .1 but is consistently out by .1 , so i add .1 to my charge,,should try the nozzle extension thing that may fix it but im too lazy

My Lyman 5 is exactly the same, so I also add .1gn to the charge I want. I tried the nozzle extension and it made SFA difference either way so I didn't bother to remove it again.

Sarco

I found that it really depends on the powder. Most powders I agree the extension doesn’t seem to make much difference (other than to slow you down). But I found that for powders that seem to flow super easy (like 06H), the throws are generally over rather than under. In this case, the nozzle restricts it just that little to prevent the “over pour”, and you seem to mostly get the consistent 0.1 under again.

[Rod_outbak]

If we are talking 'Best' brand, as opposed to 'Best value for the dollars', then I'd vote for a Prometheus scale.

http://prometheustoolcorp.com/

However, I'm not sure if they actually rate as a digital scale as such...
Automated:- Yes, but digital; Not really.. Kinda a beam scale with some attached electronics etc..
It looks like they resolve to about 0.01 Grains. (Blurb says it responds to a single grain of 8208, which is supposed to weigh 0.009 Grains)
Mate has one, and it certainly delivers the same charge every time consistently...

For me, I have a RCBS Chargemaster, as well as a Chargemaster Lite, for powder dispensing.
For my shooting, they seem to be good enough for my needs.
I do confess a yearning for one of the A&D scales like the FX120i....sigh.

[Sergeant Hartman]

Mate look around you will find lab scales go reasonably. I got a a&d hr200 the other week. And it resolves to 0.0001grams is a bit slower than the fx. But accurate and repeatable.

All that means is I have a brand new gempro 250... which I won't ever use... so not sure what to do about it

Edited its actually higher resolution