scales make and model

[flashman]

Hi all , over balance beam scales , Ok need a good set of electronic , any recommendations , ...........thanks

[Wapiti]

Do you want one that also meters the powder, or just electronic scales for use with a trickler etc?
If you are after an auto one that meters, I have both Hornady and RCBS because I reload at two locations, well the Hornady one is just not up to the speed and accuracy as the RCBS. Overthrows all the time. RCBS is miles in front.
As for just electronic weighing, can't help. For that, I'd rather the superfine accuracy of the best beam scales made by Ohaus.

[Bugman]

I only reload for pistol, now, but my RCBS 10-10 scales are still accurate and reliable for checking every 10th load. They were a bit tedious for rifle loads. Accurate, but tedious.

[deye243]

I don't know what your problem is but I've been using RCBS 505 for 20 odd years never let me down just gotta keep the dust off them

[bladeracer]

Hi all , over balance beam scales , Ok need a good set of electronic , any recommendations , ...........thanks

I've been using a $30 Temu scale for a couple years now and I can't find fault with it. It's better than my GemPro 250 scale.

[JDM9691]

I had some cheap ebay scales that I used for a couple years but zero starts to wander around after a while - was always re-zeroing. I made up a spreadsheet so that I read the weight before I put the thrown load on the scales, then I read off the number to trickle up to. Still accurate that way, but a pain.
Got sick of that and the balance scales, and bought a hornady G3-1500 last year, which has been rock solid, and accurate when compared to balance scales.

[Damo300]

I have the didital hornady one.
Work great.

[flashman]

Thanks for the input , been trolling the web lots of low end and high end stuff ,my reloading bench is red and green , Lyman seem to be OK nows to find a shop that carrys what im looking for,

[flashman]

Hi im going blue the Dillon D- Terminator for $300 read reviews not bad at all yes cleavers have got it

[tuknal]

ive got a set of frankford digitals and a pair of rcbs digitals i think both were around $80/100 from memory and they both read different i dont know which to trust
so my powder measure (dillon 550 one) stays set where it is, id fork out for a more expensive set but i dont want to be back in this boat

[flashman]

Yes see where your going with this , a mate had the same though , i reload for him as well , get good set of scientific scales , Buy once cry once...,,

[tuknal]

yeah i get that ,but not sure i can justify 1200/1500 for a set of scales ,,im not trying to get too precise just need something reliable
been looking at the A&D HT120i scale if theyre reliable id buy one but just dont know

[bladeracer]

yeah i get that ,but not sure i can justify 1200/1500 for a set of scales ,,im not trying to get too precise just need something reliable
been looking at the A&D HT120i scale if theyre reliable id buy one but just dont know

Buy a set of scale calibration weights if you don't have confidence in your scale. I have two sets, the larger set has weights from .01gm (.154gn) up to 100gm (1543gn) in thirteen increments. Or use a few good bullets to check your scale calibration. And buy two or three scales so you can get second or third opinions on your weights.

I bought half a dozen cheap scales. Rose uses them to weigh poo samples from the animals for doing worm egg counts under the microscope, and I use them for loading ammo, so we're weighing in very low numbers, under 2gn at times - zero issues with them.

[deye243]

Trying not to be too negative but I'm not a young bloke and I've had a little quiet laughter to myself every time I see threads on electric powder measures and electric scales throwing the wrong weights being inconsistent if you know how a look after a decent balance scale and no how to use a trickler they leave them for dead even in speed once you know how to use the two

[bladeracer]

Trying not to be too negative but I'm not a young bloke and I've had a little quiet laughter to myself every time I see threads on electric powder measures and electric scales throwing the wrong weights being inconsistent if you know how a look after a decent balance scale and no how to use a trickler they leave them for dead even in speed once you know how to use the two

I find beam scales very, very fiddly, and more so as I get older. A $30 digital is a joy to use compared to a beam.

[deye243]

Next time I'm loading I will make a video

[Fester]

I was over the cheap Hrdy electronic scales pretty quickly, like most blokes.
I decided that a Chargemaster lite was only a few hundred more and never looked back.

I later scored an old style RCBS beam scale to check accuracy and needn't have bothered.
Talking to others, it seems that the load cell in the RCBS is very good.

If I just wanted good value electronic scales, RCBS would be hard to beat.
Not heard much about Lyman, but heard their machines were not up with RCBS.

[tuknal]

just the other day i totally was second guessing/lossing confidence in powder weight and for my reloads ,whats causing variation (according to the rcbs/frankford scales) in charge weights (both read different to each other) and whats to blame,,ie powder thrower (dillon or the 2 electronic scales i have)
so i remembered i had an old redding beam scale tucked away its been well looked after and always boxed ,,, i got it out set it up and found that the rcbs electric scale (if im trusting the beam scale) can be from 0 to .4 out ie reading 25.2/24.8 when its 24.8 on the beam
powder measure seemed fairly consistent with the beam scale 0/.2 variation ie aiming for 24.8 and getting 24.7/24.9 over 10/15 charges ,the beam if to be trusted just told me that the powder thrower was far more constant than the electric was telling me (which was the part doing my head in)
so looks like ill be putting my faith back in the old school beam scale from now on
unless theres anything im missing or should try 1st before i think ive had a win

[Fester]

Any breeze can affect my RCBS, Chargemaster Lite.
I reload on a very solid, stable workbench, sitting on a slab, so nothing else ever affects consistent readings, just the odd .1gr over thing.

I noticed straight away and shut the roller door. All good again.
I guess that's why they include the plastic cover/shield thing that no one would bother using.

[9.3x64]

I used to used a RCBS Chargemaster. It was a very convenient system. I only moved it on because after dropping about 50 charges it started to drift about.4 of a grain. It was really good for the first 50 or so, but I didn’t trust it after that. It was one of the early models, so maybe they are much better now.
Nowadays I just use a powder thrower and trickle up .3 of a grain from there on a high quality electronic scale.

[niteowl]

Just a quick comment. Be aware that some, not all, just some electronic scales and charge measuring devices are affected by a mobile phone close by.
I found this some time ago when the charge varied by a LARGE amount when a phone was in the room close to the device. This may be known now and maufacturers have taken steps to prevent this situation.

[Fester]

Yeah, they still recommend keeping the phone away.

When the Chargemaster Lite came out, it appeared to be less susceptible to electronic interference, or better insulated.

I am sure my very solid bench helps, and even the overthrows are generally only .1gr.
I always wait and check the readout after the beep; can't go wrong.

I fitted 2 big old double fluoro tube units from a construction site to light up my garage and one is nearly over the top of the bench within about 2m. It has no effect on the Chargemaster Lite.

[Wapiti]

I wonder why more people don't build solid benches for reloading themselves from steel.
Looking at some YouTube videos where the bloke shows some technique or whatever, and they have these benches with chipboard tops, even marine ply, studs for legs and you see them FLS a case and the whole front of the bench twists.
Even the workbenches that you can buy that are made from that smallish pallet-racking knockoffs from Bunnings (shudder) are flexy.

If anyone is ever thinking about a solid bench for reloading, think about buying some 50x3 SHS and a sheet of 6mm plate from your steel supplier. I reckon for the price of that "Rack-it" chinese stuff you would have a solid bench that will never flex or move, with ample room to spread your reloading functions out and have room to work.
And set up a few presses. I have three set up at once, two are a 6 and 7 station Redding and Lyman press.

I the smallest standard sheet is 1800x1200, that's an awesome workbench size. maybe some steel suppliers still stock the 1800x900 size but I'm not sure.
50x3 is perfectly strong enough, 5 and 6mm is overkill because your design will not allow any flex, ever. And the bench, being deep, will never ever twist or tip.

When you sketch up your frame size, take a look at your presses where they have the bolt holes drilled, so you can drill holes in the 6mm to that won't fall over the box-section frame underneath. In other words, the right overhang of the plate top.
If you forget that and your press holes fall over box section underneath, no problems, drill the holes smaller to allow you to tap the holes. Most presses M10 is just right.

And you can make your bench at just the right height so you sit comfortably without getting a sore back. Those padded mechanic bar stools with the gas strut posts are awesome seats, you can swing from one station to another.
You can even make a frame to sit your old-style beam scales and trickler on, so the beam is at eye height when sitting on your fancy stool so there's no parallax error watching the beam, and again save bending.
If you make the top out of angle with the toes up, and drop in a piece of marine ply and on top of that a cut out piece of that flat rubber ute-mat for the scales to sit on, they won't slide around and the toes of the angle will stop the scales being bumped off.
You could even suspend a 1200mm LED batten switched to 6000K above the bench, for white superbright light to take any shadows away and help you see inside a loading block full of charged cases to make sure you haven't under/over charged any.

And if you're really into a great job, you could buy a litre of hammertone-charcoal metal enamel from Autobarn and spray the whole thing hammertone with a cheap $40 Ozito airless spray gun. Hammertone hides a multitude of sins in welding. Not that you'll need that of course.

[Fester]

So many blokes reload on wonky little Chinese flat-pack crap that it's not funny.
I couldn't handle flex when using the press.

Even my first small reloading bench in the spare bedroom to load .357 revolver ammo was a solid-built heavy timber one.
When raily tradesman built things, they sure did it well. The bench must be about 100 years old.

HammerTone is the toughest paint that comes in a spray can, I reckon.
My mate used it when he did cut and shuts on heavy camper trailer tow hitches.
I did the lower fairing cowling my VTR 1000, that bolts on down behind the front wheel.
The paint never showed any stone chips like the factory-painted ones over time.

[Wapiti]

VTR1000? man, still got it? Thrown a cam chain yet?
I used to collect Suzuki Katanas, 1100's and 1000's. Had a Robbie Phillis genuine 1000 with the Akront spoked racing wheels, lock-wire everything, Yoshimura pipe, etc.
Had that downstairs on a racing stand. My fave was the 1983 black engined metallic maroon 1100. Got a great poster pic of me on one wheel going up Mt Tambourine.
My last was a TL1000S twin, man what a mono machine. She'd pull monos just by rolling the throttle on from 2000rpm.
Had a CBR1000 for about 6 months, POS peaky screaming thing.
Had to sell them all after I got skittled on my TT600 going to work, that was the end of that.