New reloader - scale question

[GT1]

I mentioned check weights in the first response in the thread. Some things are easy to miss. *shrug*

That Berry's scale is okay, but the warranty is lacking. I'll take the similarly priced Brian Enos' site listed scale with the lifetime warranty or the uniquetek versions with 20-30 year warranties.

 

[LiveLife]

Ooops, apologies GT1

 

[BYJO4]

I have the RCBSS Chargemaster and a 35 year old Ohaus beam scale. If I could only have 1 scale, it would be the beam scale as there is virtually nothing that can go wrong with it.

 

[GT1]

Ooops, apologies GT1

Haha! No apologies needed. I was just poking at you, sir.

The OP and anyone else interested is getting plenty of info and options on scales, and that's what matters.

 

[rikman]

I started out with a cheap frankfort arsenal digital and I got what I paid for. Thanks to Grafs they let me return it. I believe in buy once cry once lol So since I like digitals I bought the Dillon D-Terminator. it's very accurate.

I like nice tools. My friend has a Sartorius, that Sinclair sells for about $300 that's crazy accurate in .02 grain increments.

 

[jcwit]

My $30/40 dollar scale has been working just fine for 8 years now, still weighs and repeats just perfect. Maybe I'm just lucky.

I believe in value for dollars spent.

 

[Mike 27]

I picked up the Hornady digital for around $80, a few months back and so far it is spot on. I also have a lee safety scale and it is spot on as well. The Lee is a little difficult to see, but works great once you get a rhythm with it. I certainly would recommend the Hornady though at this point. It has not migrated up like the one I replaced or floated around. Spot on for hours, and no need to re zero or calibrate very often during a session.

 

[germ]

Since none of us actually mentioned exactly what our gripes are with the Lee scale, I thought I'd mention it here for the op and others searching.

It has 3 poises, one of which is a knurled brass nut that is used to zero with. My experience is that this thing is maddening to use because it's nearly impossible to get it set right and stay that way for even a few minutes. One poise uses a steel ball and this works fine. The last poise is a plastic slider for the fine adjustments and what a royal pain in the arse that thing is. It's infuriating to try to read and the poise itself will move if you happen to breath on it, which is quite likely because of the need to get very close because it's so hard to read. Sure it has a lock. Other beam scales don't have such a lock or the silly poise to zero with. The Dillon uses 2 poises that simply drop into well defined notches, no locks necessary and it's very very easy to read. Zero is adjusted by a very simple leveling screw. The Lee scale is just another of their "solutions" looking for a problem that otherwise wouldn't exist. K.I.S.S.

The last time I tried to use the Lee I couldn't get it to repeat after carefully setting to zero with checkweights. Without any other changes what-so-ever, I could remove and reinsert the weights into the pan a dozen times and never the get the same reading twice. In all fairness, I didn't learn about the need to clean dust from the pivots till after I bought the Dillon, so this issue could very well be my own fault. Still, for me, the Lee is such a PIA that I'll never use it again. Hammer time!

 

[Hondo 60]

Personally, I’d never trust those $20-$40 scales.
Batteries run down, they use cheap parts, etc, etc,

I don’t understand trusting my fingers, eyes, $300+ guns to something like that.

I guess that leaves the $70 or $80 beam scales, or the $100 digital scales.
I use a Pact BBK II ($100 digital with AC power) with a Lee beam scale to verify.

 

[jcwit]

Personally, I’d never trust those $20-$40 scales.
Batteries run down, they use cheap parts, etc, etc,

I use a powder measure and starting my set up after I get the measure to the charge I wish I then weigh 5 separate throws from the measure. If these all repeat exactly the same, I'm good to go. I again check randomly every 10 to 20 throws. Price of scale has nothing to do with it.

No, I do not weigh every charge, I see no need to.