Dillon D Terminator Digital Scales

[Martin52]

My 10 year old digital scales have just stopped working and need replacing.

I am interested in hearing from anyone one using the Dillon D Terminator digital scales, whether they are accurate to 0.1gr and whether there's any problem with drifting ?

I am a .308 sling shooter, 300 - 800 distances, using mainly Varget and would appreciate opinions on this scale.

Thanks
Martin

 

[bricktop]

Not good. Bought one a while ago, would drift, and then had display problems. When it did function properly, it has a slow update speed. Dillion outsources customer service for this since (I think) competition electronics makes it. Would have been acceptable had it cost $30, but it costs too much for this. Look at the Gempro 250 or Chargemaster which are somewhat in the same price range.

 

[Rtheurer]

Some times I just dont understand....

I have owned one for.... Gosh... maybe 1998ish. It has been flawless with no drifting. Its been very stable and accurate. I now have a TPE 153 as well and when I compare the two the little Dillion is right on the money. ( just does not go weigh down to .001)

Yet Bricktop has had issues with his.

Same thing for the Lyman 1200DPS I hear folks cuss this thing up and down but I have been real happy with mine too.

Why is it one guy gets the exact same product as another and it just does not work for him. Sometimes I just dont get it? Darn Electronics can be persnickty i think.

 

[jackbrownii]

A problem I ran into with my Dillon is that it doesn't like it when you trickle powder on it. Severe zero drift problems.

A little google work and I found quite a few others with the same issue. A couple people mentioned that Dillon told them that the design isn't meant for trickling, just measuring.

 

[Cassidy]

I've had my Dillon D-Terminator for about a year now, and I sense drift after several loads and have to re-zero; this has occured since I first got it. Today, while getting ready to reload, I decided to check for drift by using a simple screw nut - weighing it intermittently to be sure the weight is the same. However, I noticed that the screw nut weight consistently changed from 36.5 gr without the scale cover to 37.5 gr with the scale cover; not sure why (there is no (none) breeze in the room) - I have calibrated the scale several times this afternoon to resolve this matter, and it won't resolve. Getting a little frustrated since I am spending time trying to get the scale to read consistently instead of reloading; may look for another scale, particularly since someone above noted that Dillion indicated this scale is not intended for trickling, which I need to do to get an accurate load. In past reloadings I have also noted that the scale reads a little differently if there is a piece of steel near it - move the steel away, and the effect seems to go away. I am a little concerned about reliability and consistency of this scale.

 

[firewrench044]

I have used a D Terminator for about 6 years
I alow it to warm up before use (10 min. ) (all electronic scales need a warm up )
When it gives me any trouble I replace the batteries, and problem solved
The best scale I have ever had !

 

[jimini]

Will never buy a DTerm again. Drifted awful, sometimes upwards of .3. Customer support gave me a new one, said something on it was wrong (though it seemed to work fine to me). Sold that and switched to the GemPro 250, good to go now.

 

[40X Guy]

Loved my Dillon, pretty much wore it out after about 12 years. The little touchpad keys where you punch it on or off or calibrate etc. were unreadable after so much use. Would buy another. But with that said I moved up to an A&D FX120i about 2 years ago.

Frank

 

[amlevin]

I've had my D-Terminator for over 6 months. At first it seemed to drift but after a good wipe down with a dryer sheet, no more.

The auto shutdown, battery saver, mode annoyed me no end as it would shut down if I didn't weigh another load quick enough. For Bench Use, while plugged in, I saw that as unnecessary. Asked Dillon and the rep said "Just take the batteries out and run it on AC". Did so and it hasn't shut off since.

I leave all my digital scales plugged in and turned on 24/7/365. This scale is every bit as accurate as my Chargemaster scale and RCBS 5-0-5 (tuned). Check weights show it to read "dead on".

It does take a moment or so to "update" when trickling small amounts but it's only a second or so.

It works just fine as a "Range Scale" too although unless you have power available that battery saver feature will possibly be an annoyance. If Range Use is in your plan, get the case for it and carry a few spare batteries. Better yet, get the lithium batteries that are used in cameras. They last a lot longer than the plain alkaline's.

 

[Martin52]

Just ordered a new Gempro 250, the Dillon D Terminator was a close second (within my budget) although I was also beginning to consider the Chargemaster.

Reviews of the Gempro, as most on this forum would know, are generally very good and I hope the accuracy to 0.02 gr is achievable. For me, this sensitivity put it ahead of the Dillon and the Chargemaster that both measure to 0.1 gr.

Testing my old scale (a Field & Stream compact model) indicates it has lost it's ability to adjust the read out whilst trickling up. I tested this with the calibration weight (10g) in the pan, then converted the scale to grains and added a few kernels, slowly. Most times it took 30+ kernels (Varget) to record a 1 gr increase, other times it was as low as 6. However, the scale was still accurate when measuring a fixed weight.

After reading as many of the Gempro reviews as i can find, I have not heard much about trickling up being a problem but will be happier once it's delivered and I can test this.

Thanks for all your comments.

Martin