Small RCBS Digital Scale Worth Buying?

[David Milisock]

I want to up my game a bit on weighed charges, I'm not looking to bench rest, I want to create an inventory of 6MM ARC 103 grain ELDX for my AR.

The 6MM ARC AR loads are more pressure sensitive that traditional bolt rifles, so I want to weigh every charge and this scale says it's accurate to a tenth of a grain.

Anyone with experience? I ask because it was relatively cheap.



Here is a link to the one I was talking about.

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/rcbs-electronic-pocket-scale-powder-measure?ds_e=MICROSOFT&ds_c=Cabelas%7CShopping%7CSmart%7CCatchAll%7CGeneral%7CNAud%7CNVol%7CNMT&gclid=7c4b66aa8b611b89e0230037a163d1ed&gclsrc=3p.ds&msclkid=7c4b66aa8b611b89e0230037a163d1ed

 

[Kracken McGraw]

For something like that, one of the Amazon scales would be less expensive.

 

[ben-o]

I have that scale. Every time I have checked, it’s been within .1 gr of my beam scale. I think it should be fine for what you need.

 

[Krogen]

Be wary of battery powered scales. One one hand they can be more stable than wall wart powered scales - if they're decent quality. On the other hand, battery powered scales usually have an auto turn-off or battery saver function. It can drive you batty. If you can set the time delay after non use, or turn it off completely, that's good.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

+,- 0.10 gr of target weight would probably be a more accurate expectation. Very similar to a decent powder thrower properly adjusted using ballpowder. Any scale with 1 or 2 calibration points and a much larger capacity than your average weighs, I would have a dedicated check weight very close to your desired charge weight. I think the scale you are considering would be better than most of the small scales on Am as many of those are 200,500 or more grams. The RCBS is appropriately 97 gram capacity.

 

[ebb]

What Krogen said!!!! I tried to set up for loading at the range, and my wife had bought one of the battery powered scales and I confiscated it for my project. I could only a few times get the correct amount of powder to the pan before it self shut down. I gave up in disgust. As many have read I have had problems with the chargemaster and would love to find a scale that is somewhat accurate. I have looked at the different lab grade scales and have no idea what I am looking at. Many are priced at thousands of dollars and I assume like all electronics will be junk in a few years. I don't see going over $100-$150, but have found nothing that I believe will suit my needs. I want durable, repeatable and semi accurate.

 

[David Milisock]

Be wary of battery powered scales. One one hand they can be more stable than wall wart powered scales - if they're decent quality. On the other hand, battery powered scales usually have an auto turn-off or battery saver function. It can drive you batty. If you can set the time delay after non use, or turn it off completely, that's good.

Good advice, I'm about as bat shit crazy as I can deal with. Worst case I'll just pull the batteries when I'm screwing around. As I said I'm aware how critical the charge weight is for AR 6MM ARC loads, and I don't want a bad viewing angle on my beam scale to catch me off guard.

 

[David Milisock]

What Krogen said!!!! I tried to set up for loading at the range, and my wife had bought one of the battery powered scales and I confiscated it for my project. I could only a few times get the correct amount of powder to the pan before it self shut down. I gave up in disgust. As many have read I have had problems with the chargemaster and would love to find a scale that is somewhat accurate. I have looked at the different lab grade scales and have no idea what I am looking at. Many are priced at thousands of dollars and I assume like all electronics will be junk in a few years. I don't see going over $100-$150, but have found nothing that I believe will suit my needs. I want durable, repeatable and semi accurate.

I'll check and see if I can adjust the shut off.

 

[Rocketvapor]

Amazon or Red or Yellow or Green scales are re-branded Chinese scales.
Display to 0.1grain, expect a count or TWO for a loading session.
Might require frequent re-zeroing but not a problem.
You will NEED a check weight much closer to charge weight to have any confidence in reading.

While a cheap milligram scale ( usually indicates to 0.02 grains) will look like it drifts more,
you wouldn't even see that with a 0.1grain indicating scale.
Think about it, +/- 5 counts would be +/- 0.1 grain.

 

[Rocketvapor]

I am running a Drift Test on an OLD Lyman Gen 5 in this thread.
Just the scale, not as a dispenser.

Old Lyman Gen 5 help

I bought a Lyman Gen 5 dispenser a few months back. It's almost always within +/- 0.1 grain, typically within about half of that. I toss a charge (fine ball powder) with it, transfer to my scale (EJ-54D2) and pinch up or down if needed. Pinching a few granules of SB6.5 doesn't take long...

forum.accurateshooter.com

 

[Tommie]

A few years ago I bought a digital scale at Harbor Freight. Think I rummaged under the couch cushions to gather the money. Truthfully it’s fine in the ~.1 grain game.

 

[Rocketvapor]

Please don't take this as knocking anyone's choice of scale, but you can't know how accurate, stable, or repeatable a scale is without checking at or near your target weight.
By doing this you are comparing powder readings against a standard.
Comparing a digital to a beam scale is OK (I guess) but usual accepted practice is to compare against something BETTER than the scale you are testing/monitoring.

 

[David Milisock]

Not to be a butt hole but any scale worth its money needs to maintain its specified accuracy over the entire specified range of measurement by the manufacturer. Not just at my specific charge weight range. When I get one I'll be stupid and follow the manufacturers instructions and calibrate it if required.

However it had better be accurate when weighing objects of known weight that have been used for calibration before as long as those objects are between the minimum and maximum weights specified by the manufacturer. Or it goes back and I try another one.

I've never had a misfire, or any malfunction with any of my reloads in over 4 decades and I'm not going to start by breaking a bolt on my AR because I'm trusting some ass wipe engineer at a foreign company.

 

[Rocketvapor]

I think most scales are advertising abbreviated specifications that apply only to near lab conditions.
Even a well known (favorite) milligram scale has given people issues with loading room environments.
Some have gone to power conditioners, restricting electronics like cell phones/modems near the scale, LED lighting, antistatic mats, granite surface plates to correct "funny" readings.
That well known scale has realistic specifications
Repeatability (STANDARD DEVIATION) of 1 count,
Linearity over full range of +/- 2 counts.
Add up everything and a few milligram counts are still LESS than a tenth of a grain.

To verify both scale performance in YOUR environment, comparison check weights at several points through out the range and a small sensitivity weight, just like a cal lab would do to put their label on a calibrated device, just might detect poor performance.
But I agree, get a scale designed and built by US engineers, or maybe Japanese (just not Chinese).

Cheaper scales just list +/- what ever.
No mention of zero drift, repeatability or linearity. There might be a 0.1 grain $40 scale that will actually perform to a count, day in and day out.

For the scale posted in first post, try Brownells or even Amazon.

Sorry if I stepped on some toes by posting here.

 

[ebb]

Is there a reference somewhere that will list some likely candidates for a better reloading scale or at least help me understand the tolerances and how to look at the specs to see if a scale is even intended to weigh close enough to be considered?

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

I just set my old rcbs powder thrower up for 42.8 gr of Ramshot ext. I keep a markered 25 gr,40gr, 55 gr bullets as check weights. I used my 10+ yo RCBS 750(110v) no battery in scale. Threw 11 check throws(powder back in the hopper) 1 was 42.7. Tweeked the thrower, next 15 all 42.8 on electronic and a checked a couple on a beam, checked and leveled with my test 40 gr bullet. So if +,- 0.10 gr is fine, which it is for me(not competition loading) and especially if you are using ballpowders. Any reasonable priced pocket scale can be used to set a thrower. I keep a used dryer sheet in the empty hopper, wipe the funnels, store my funnels stacked with used dryer sheets in between. Brush the inside of case necks to ensure powder doesn't stick. Long stick powder charges to 0.05 +,- accuracy is a totally different setup. I usually trickle stick powder loads up to target weight with my equipment to stay +,- 0.1 gr.
Ohaus has a 200 gram gold scale I believe is NIST certified +,- 0.02 gr for 120.00. 1 year warranty. that would be next level battery pocket scale.

 

[Rocketvapor]

Good show.
Got a link to the Ohaus gold scale?
"Ohaus has a 200 gram gold scale I believe is NIST certified +,- 0.02 gr for 120.00."

 

[ebb]

I searched the Ohaus Gold scale and it looked like 5 or 6 versions, not sure i ever found the one Coyote mentioned. Could you give some directions or a link please?

 

[PhilC]

He was probably referring their gold series scales used for weighing gold and gems. The YA series seems to be in the price range mentioned and would fit his "pocket level" scale reference - https://us.ohaus.com/en-us/yjgoldseries

 

[Rocketvapor]

I believe there may be a mistake in the Ohaus scale.
For a 200 gram scale with 0.02 grain resolution the additional charge for a NIST Traceable Certification is likely $120.