Ohaus 1110 / RCBS 304 The coolest scale EVER!

[Bat Rastard]

I just got one of these. I didn't know they existed a week ago.
Does anyone know when they were produced?
Why were they not hugely successful?

 

[SKWERLZ]

That is kinda cool!

 

[Bat Rastard]

It has a dial that is in .1grains. I can visually split tenths of a grain.
It is big enough that I don't have to have my reading glasses to use it.
It is definitely a cool machine.

 

[Liven The Dream]

I had the RCBS 304 same scale.
I got it New in the late 80's .

They are and were the Best Scales........

 

[jpretle]

Been using one for 30+ years. Have no intention of parting w/ it.....

 

[CharlieNC]

Those types of scales and slide rules successfully sent men into space and back. But now you MUST have an analytical capable of measuring a fraction of a powder kernel.

 

[CharlieNC]

I would respectfully disagree, as this flies negatively in the face if all the A&D fx120i users as well as the tuned beam scale guys including myself that can hold 2 inches of vertical at 1000 yards without an Analytical scale.

Oh I agree, just a little sarcastic humor!

 

[sparker]

I have one, I do not use it. I could, but I don’t. If you wish to know why, I’ll be happy to answer.

Scott Parker

 

[sparker]

The Dial O Grain scale is the same basic scale as the Dial O Gram scale that Ohaus sells to middle school science classrooms for $75 per. The beam heads are large, quite heavy and have a dampening system that is less than robust. The powder pan is also quite heavy. The dial operation relies on a coiled spring thus making it a hybrid of a mass balance and a spring scale and therefore more complicated than necessary.
The addition of the dial amounts to an additional poise on the beam head. This makes three sources of error versus two for any scale that I care to use for powder charges. For these reasons, I use other scales that are much better suited to the task.

Scott Parker

 

[1066]

Although the 304 is a solid well made scale it's certainly not the most sensitive of reloading scales. When the 304 was available, say 1970-1990's it was quite an expensive scale compared with other common reloading scales but, back then, there was very little concern about single kernel accuracy. A tenth grain repeatability was good and a factory rifle that could shoot 1moa was also good - Now we just expect more.
Here's a couple of my beam scales - The original "Dial-o-grain" 1930 style and a Stanton AD4 from 1950's.

 

[JMayo]

I like my Sartorius ....
But those pics are of art !

 

[DiffEQ]

@sparker, yes, used one of those in 7th & 8th grades, though it was in grams.

 

[sparker]

Although the 304 is a solid well made scale it's certainly not the most sensitive of reloading scales. When the 304 was available, say 1970-1990's it was quite an expensive scale compared with other common reloading scales but, back then, there was very little concern about single kernel accuracy. A tenth grain repeatability was good and a factory rifle that could shoot 1moa was also good - Now we just expect more.
Here's a couple of my beam scales - The original "Dial-o-grain" 1930 style and a Stanton AD4 from 1950's.

Somehow, I knew you would have a Stanton. I have a couple of Ainsworth and a Christian Becker.

 

[1066]

Somehow, I knew you would have a Stanton. I have a couple of Ainsworth and a Christian Becker.

The Stanton is built like a Rolls Royce Scott, resolves to .1mg (.00154 grains) Who says mechanical scales are only good for 10th grain.

 

[sparker]

My Ainsworth picks up the mass of a pencil line on a small piece of graph paper.

 

[1066]

My Ainsworth picks up the mass of a pencil line on a small piece of graph paper.

No doubt about it Ainsworth was a craftsman of the highest order, and mostly self taught.
All these beautiful machines are so undervalued. For the chain dial balance in the above post I recently paid just $35 They make the ordinary reloading scale look crude by comparison..