Help deciding on a scale

[SVT_Tactical]

I've been reading and educating myself in powder weighing. For years I used a thrower and balance beam redding. Trickle up to desired weight. Here lately using a chargemaster. The more and more I strive for the most consistency the more I think I need a better scale. The 120 comes up as a very preferred option. I see that Creedmoor sports has an option and it seems to be rated high as well. With that said is there an option out there less money than the 120 that would be worth having? At a minimum looking for .00 accuracy. I think that's the limits to my ability.

 

[wboggs]

I've been reading and educating myself in powder weighing. For years I used a thrower and balance beam redding. Trickle up to desired weight. Here lately using a chargemaster. The more and more I strive for the most consistency the more I think I need a better scale. The 120 comes up as a very preferred option. I see that Creedmoor sports has an option and it seems to be rated high as well. With that said is there an option out there less money than the 120 that would be worth having? At a minimum looking for .00 accuracy. I think that's the limits to my ability.

I would think you first need to decide on the level of accuracy you need in powder measurement and the speed needed to reload the rounds. It is easy to get caught up in the most accurate and fast products that continue to come into the market at ever increasing prices. What do you need and is cost a consideration?

 

[caffeinated58]

I use an AnD FX120 with AutoTrickler v4. Very happy with it. Loading 41.5gn of H4350 for 6.5CM mainly. Scale is easy to use, very good user manual for the trickler and accurate to 1 kernel (.02 grain). I had scale set to green light within .02 grains. With my brass prep and this charge setting I was getting SDs in the 5.5-6 range. Due to a member on the forum making the suggestion to set the charge weight to 41.51 vs 41.50, the scale now only green lights 41.50 and 41.52 vs 41.48, 41.50, and 41.52. That change improved my SDs another full point to 4.2-5.1 (temps, humidity, barrel temp, etc all about the same). If you have a bigger budget, a Prometheus would be pretty much the top of the line. Pretty pricey though.

 

[JFrank]

I've been reading and educating myself in powder weighing. For years I used a thrower and balance beam redding. Trickle up to desired weight. Here lately using a chargemaster. The more and more I strive for the most consistency the more I think I need a better scale. The 120 comes up as a very preferred option. I see that Creedmoor sports has an option and it seems to be rated high as well. With that said is there an option out there less money than the 120 that would be worth having? At a minimum looking for .00 accuracy. I think that's the limits to my ability.

I’ve owned both, the Creedmoor scale is very accurate and will resolve .02 and display to .01 although a strain gage that will drift slightly, it’s also not as fast as the FX120 or as robust. The dust cover isn’t the quality of the FX either.
Another oddity of the Creedmoor that I didn’t like is they do not have adjustable leveling feet. WTH?
HTH
Jim

 

[wboggs]

I've been reading and educating myself in powder weighing. For years I used a thrower and balance beam redding. Trickle up to desired weight. Here lately using a chargemaster. The more and more I strive for the most consistency the more I think I need a better scale. The 120 comes up as a very preferred option. I see that Creedmoor sports has an option and it seems to be rated high as well. With that said is there an option out there less money than the 120 that would be worth having? At a minimum looking for .00 accuracy. I think that's the limits to my ability.

I reread your post and the looking at .00 accuracy at a minimun stands out. Do you think this is a realistic goal?

 

[ShtrRdy]

I have a 12p ordered from CE Products. Looking forward to enhanced measuring capability.

For the last couple years I've been using a Redding beam scale. Before that a PACT electronic scale with powder dispenser. I got tired of dealing with the drifting on the electronic scale.

 

[209jones]

When F-Class John was testing the Ingenuity powder unit in a vid on YT, he did compare a Sartorious, A&D and a Creedmoor, as it will work with all 3.
No scale expert here, but, the A&D FX120 is, as far as I know, the cheapest of the commercially certified scales, which to me says it has the consistency built into it to work in various regulated environments that need that consistency in a scale. I bought one when the V4 came out, it does as advertised as far as I can tell, used it w/o the V4 on it for a while, tested it against my RCBS and Lyman elec scales which span a 30+ yr age bracket, it holds up. It does remove some doubt about powder charges, which seem to be showing up on the chrono in improved stats, that I can say, have improved consistency in what I see on paper.

 

[JFrank]

.02 = 1 kernel is certainly realistic with either the CR or the FX .

 

[SVT_Tactical]

I reread your post and the looking at .00 accuracy at a minimun stands out. Do you think this is a realistic goal?

Certainly do. If I can hold my other reloading processes up the .001 I think my powder can be held too

 

[Doom]

... At a minimum looking for .00 accuracy. I think that's the limits to my ability.

You need to understand accuracy, precision and resolution. The AnD Fx-120i has the following specs:

Repeatability 0.001g (standard deviation)
Linearity +/-0.002 g
Reolution (display) 0.02 grains

The Accuracy is the sum of the linearity +2xRepeatability for 95%.
The accuracy is then 0.002 + 2x0.002 or 0.004 g
If the scale is the only one used then the linearity is not important so the precision is 2 x Repeatability or 0.002g.
0.002gr x 15.432gr/g is 0.031gr

However the scale will resolve to only 0.02 gr so the actual precision is only 0.051 gr. If the auto zero function is not used then scale drift can be 0.02 gr before the display will read the drift . The actual precision is 0.051gr. The total accuracy of the scale is about 0.08 gr.

This is not throwing water on the Fx-120i. It is the realistic accuracy of the scale. It is an accurate and fast scale.

 

[itchyTF]

Was speaking with an A&D tech and he mentioned a less expensive strain gauge type (might be slower than the 120i) that resolves to .0002 grams (.003 grains). It’s supposed to be in the 3-4 hundred range.
EJ54D2

 

[Straightshooter1]

Certainly do. If I can hold my other reloading processes up the .001 I think my powder can be held too

There's a point of diminishing returns and I feel the FX120i is pretty much at that point. I've tried a few other scales that were strain gauge scales and produced reasonably accurate and consistent results. . . but with some issues: like having to often readjust for drift and keeping them calibrated. There are better more accurate scales of higher laboratory standards, but at a much higher price.

If you haven't already read this article, maybe it'll help you with your decision:

You are being redirected...

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Was speaking with an A&D tech and he mentioned a less expensive strain gauge type (might be slower than the 120i) that resolves to .0002 grams (.003 grains). It’s supposed to be in the 3-4 hundred range.
EJ54D2

My experience with strain gauges is you better have a good temperament and plenty of time on your hands, because you have to wait out the drifting.

 

[dgeesaman]

My experience with strain gauges is you better have a good temperament and plenty of time on your hands, because you have to wait out the drifting.

I shot and loaded with a long range BR guy who used nothing more than a basic electronic scale like that. He had a check weight. He also zeroed each time and made sure to check that the scale went back to zero before he put the charge into the cartridge.

I shot and loaded with a different long range BR guy who used a balance beam scale. I was sensitive enough to resolve a kernel of Varget (.03 - .04 gr approximately).

I use a Sartorius Entris 80 with an autotrickler v3 and although it's a lot faster, I don't think I'd be off from those guys by more than a kernel or two. And unless you're loading dozens of rounds, I don't think they'd be in the loading room more than a couple minutes longer.

I think the only things that won't work are a beat up / cheap balance scale or any of the Chargemaster types. That will limit you to +/- 0.1 gr in good conditions, and that's several kernels each way.

The good news is you can't go wrong, it's a matter of your budget, time, and quantity.

 

[JFrank]

I’ve loaded plenty of long range ammunition using a Parker tuned beam scale, they certainly won’t hold anyone back from making great ammunition.

 

[NZ_Fclass]

At the end of the day, It's down to money. You can load ammo using anything from a teaspoon to a force restoration scale. If you can afford an FX120 or 300, then buy it If not pick a price range and look for the best within you budget.

But if you want accuracy and speed y reloading-then there's Autotrickler and Supertrickler - and whatever comes next.

 

[Ranger188]

Your trying to save a couple hundred bucks if possible, I get it.
I'm as cheap as they come but the FX120i is one one the best things I've
bought over the years and haven't regretted it once.
You know why it's one of the most popular scales, it works great and for a relatively
cheap price, one of the best. And you don't hear of any problem with it.
Just buy it.

 

[M-61]

Let us know if the groups get smaller regardless of your choice

 

[bozo699]

I’ve never upgraded to the v4 or any of that. In 2010ish I bought a Sartorius GD503 and a Dandy trickler , best money in the reloading room I’ve ever spent. I know they have fancier stuff now but in 14 years it’s always on other than power outages, it doesn’t drift and it’s dead nuts!…
Wayne

 

[varget204]

Got 2 FX120i's 1 with V-4 Trickler, they are Awesome, Quick ,wish I had got them years earlier