Needing a good scale

[linekin]

I am new to reloading & am needing a better scale. I have been loading with my mentor still & using his digital scale, which I'm comfortable with. So therefore I'm thinking digital is what I should be looking for.
I've seen beam scales advertised here from time to time & am wondering if maybe I should give one of those a shot. For some reason I'm thinking they would be much slower for me to use & am wondering how you guys use them. Mostly speaking of tenth's of grains measuring.
Do you set the scale up to a desired weight & trickle up to it. I feel like measuring each throw & fiddling with the counterweight for each would be a big PIA.
Any help appreciated.
Keith

 

[geraldgee]

Evaluate what your needs are. Are you going to reload 200 or more rounds a week/month/yr? Once you determine what your actual needs are, buy the type of scale that will adequately meet your needs AND give you some room to grow. Then buy the best scale of the type best suited for you that you can afford. I have easily wasted a thousand dollars on scales that I just wasn't satisfied with and unfortuanltely sold some that I wish I had back.
Good luck on your choice and safe reloading to you.

Gerald

 

[Ledd Slinger]

RCBS Chargemaster and A&D FX120i. Life is good

 

[walker2713]

Most beam scales properly set up and maintained will do the job.

Here's my setup: Chargemaster Lite, Omega 2 tricklying into the pan of an RCBS 505, with an inexpensive usb camera set up so that I can precisely see the scale setting.

d

 

[gambleone]

Gem pro 250 are nice and accurate for the money, but you need to take your time
with it and learn how to use it properly. I use a beam scale to get close then use the
gem pro to fine tune the load. You just can't trickle with the gem pro due to its
strain gauge technology. JMHO

 

[linekin]

Thanks for all the responses guys. I'm loading about 200-250 rounds a month now as I'm shooting a little more cf this year. Not that that makes any difference as far as time is concerned. I'm not looking to do it faster. The one that I have now seems cheap & not repeatable, therefore I'm still loading with my mentor. That & I'm still learning a lot.
To be honest I'm just throwing them directly into the cases. I do throw & weigh about a dozen before starting & check the weights & once I'm happy the thrower is consistent I have at it. I do weigh a charge after a dozen throws or so to make sure its still within "my window".
I am loading 34.6 grans but if its a tenth either way I'm fine with it. I'm shooting short range with a 30br which may be a little more forgiving than some. Don't know, as I said I'm new to it still.
I guess the reason for my question is I just don't trust electronics much & was thinking a beam scale may be for me. Having said that I believe an electronic scale would be much simpler to use.
Keith

 

[CharlieNC]

To answer your question about scale setup, you simply set for the desired weight and trickle to it; no benefit to weigh every throw. Of course the graduations at the pointer give a close indication. I use a Lee Perfect thrower which is usually around .3 gr light, and with the Dandy trickle onto a tuned Redding beam. Typically 15 to 20 second process. The low cost strain gauge digitals are slower as the response time is not "instantaneous" when trickling, and "rapid" drift requires frequent zeroing. While I use one to confirm the initial beam loads, it is too slow based on aforementioned characteristics.

The Chargemaster is quite good if you spend a bit of time tuning the control parameters and a proper charge tube insert to achieve fine-stream trickling. Its autozeroing capability eliminates drift. While charges are typically within .05gr, the resulting cycle time is longer than when using a beam; but a bullet can be seated during this time. Performance on long range steel is fully acceptable, but I like the beam for fclass.

 

[jim_k]

RCBS 505 is the quickest and easiest to use. Get a set of the Lee Loader measures, and you'll probably end up using the 2.5 or 2.8 for this load. Pour the powder in a glass dish, and scoop out of that, then pour into the powder cup. Set up an RCBS or Frankford Arsenal trickler beside the cup, and trickle in the last few kernels of powder. Touch the powder cup just shy of the exact setting, and let it settle. The RCBS 505 can detect the addition of a single kernel of powder, if you free the beam each time you measure (free the beam by moving the pan down gently, which raises the beam on the indicator side, not neccessarily all the way to the top of the indicator, but above level.) Try to find a beam scale with 1/10 indications on the measuring indicator portion at the left side of the beam. That way you know about how many kernels you need to trickle; roughly 4 kernels per 1/10 grain, with 4895, 4064, and other standard extruded powders. With tiny extruded or ball powder, it's even easier, since they trickle in small enough amounts that you are not likely to exceed your target weight.

 

[Colt Kodiak]

Gem pro 250 are nice and accurate for the money, but you need to take your time
with it and learn how to use it properly. I use a beam scale to get close then use the
gem pro to fine tune the load. You just can't trickle with the gem pro due to its
strain gauge technology. JMHO

I trickle into the Gem Pro 250 all the time and the scale reads accurately. I'm wondering if I'm doing it wrong.

 

[gambleone]

I trickle into the Gem Pro 250 all the time and the scale reads accurately. I'm wondering if I'm doing it wrong.

Seems that i was getting inaccurate measurements when i trickled. I was checking this with a redding master beam scale just to double check, so i now i trickle onto the beam scale and then set the pan on the 250. I'm going to experiment with this again now since you seem to be doing ok
that way.

 

[RetiredArmy]

I also trickle to my gem pro. No issues, take my time let it settle and all is well. If you want to double check it just pick your pan up and set it back on the scale.
Thanks Bill

 

[mike06]

Just added this hornady trickler to my gem pro 250 works great.

 

[gambleone]

Like the set up. Curious though, after you trickle and come up to the weight you want, do you find the same weight if you raise and lower the pan again??

 

[mike06]

Like the set up. Curious though, after you trickle and come up to the weight you want, do you find the same weight if you raise and lower the pan again??

yes most of the time you need to let the scale warm up for a couple of hours i have notice then it is real stable.
Sometimes the weight will vary by 2/100s but never more.

 

[gambleone]

Thanks. Will give this a go.

 

[Jimmy James]

I just took delivery on a A&D EJ123. $320 to my door. 0.02+/- grns accuracy. Jury is still out. I've been using a RCBS CM1500 for about 4 yrs and according to the 123 its 0.2grns +/- accurate. Could not get the 123 to level with it's built in bubble which I'm not sure about anyway as it sits at an angle or appears to sit at an angle. Calibration button on bottom under battery door is a bad design IMO. I dont have the best environment to load in in the first place. Closet in garage. 123 says 30 mins on to stabilize and they are right about that. I dont have the patience for a balance beam. Cheers!

 

[gambleone]

I just took delivery on a A&D EJ123. $320 to my door. 0.02+/- grns accuracy. Jury is still out. I've been using a RCBS CM1500 for about 4 yrs and according to the 123 its 0.2grns +/- accurate. Could not get the 123 to level with it's built in bubble which I'm not sure about anyway as it sits at an angle or appears to sit at an angle. Calibration button on bottom under battery door is a bad design IMO. I dont have the best environment to load in in the first place. Closet in garage. 123 says 30 mins on to stabilize and they are right about that. I dont have the patience for a balance beam. Cheers!

Let us know how she works out.

 

[SteveOak]

The Chargemaster is quite good if you spend a bit of time tuning the control parameters and a proper charge tube insert to achieve fine-stream trickling. Its autozeroing capability eliminates drift. While charges are typically within .05gr, the resulting cycle time is longer than when using a beam; but a bullet can be seated during this time. Performance on long range steel is fully acceptable, but I like the beam for fclass.

Not sure how a Chargemaster could throw to .05gr as it only displays 0.1gr.

I have and use a ChargeMaster 1500. I am not sure what autozero you are referring to. Can you post a link to something that documents this feature please?

I helped a friend unpack and set up a brand new Chargemaster 1500 yesterday. We installed everything except the wind screen and ran the calibration, put the pan back on and zeroed the scale. Then I put the wind screen on and the scale reading changed from 0.0 to -0.3. It was an excellent opportunity to demonstrate that strain gauge scales are quite susceptible to static. I wiped the entire scale, hopper, case, including the bottom of the dispenser, pan support and then the wind screen with a dryer sheet. After wiping everything down and the scale then read 0.0gr.

 

[CharlieNC]

Not sure how a Chargemaster could throw to .05gr as it only displays 0.1gr.

I have and use a ChargeMaster 1500. I am not sure what autozero you are referring to. Can you post a link to something that documents this feature please?

I helped a friend unpack and set up a brand new Chargemaster 1500 yesterday. We installed everything except the wind screen and ran the calibration, put the pan back on and zeroed the scale. Then I put the wind screen on and the scale reading changed from 0.0 to -0.3. It was an excellent opportunity to demonstrate that strain gauge scales are quite susceptible to static. I wiped the entire scale, hopper, case, including the bottom of the dispenser, pan support and then the wind screen with a dryer sheet. After wiping everything down and the scale then read 0.0gr.

I tested the CM in several different ways. Without going into the details which were reported, it is clear that the internal resolution is finer increment than the .1gr display. Most importantly weighing numerous charges on a scale which displays higher resolution reflects this as well. THE challenge to achieve consistency on the CM is tuning parameters and nozzle for extremely fine trickling, 1-2 kernels at the time. The scale is up to the task.

 

[dcali]

I've had good luck with the Chargemaster, and it wouldn't surprise me if the elecronics limit the resolution a little. You can tell when you're on the light side of a tenth or the heavy side if you watch it enough. What that means in terms of the scale's accuracy is hard to say.