digital scales

[walker77]

What do you guys use for digital scales? I have a pact digital scale, and that thing is a piece of ****. Im getting tired of dealing with it. Im not looking to get an old school set just yet. I check every 10 loads, so that would really slow me down.

[walker77]

that thing is a piece of ****.

Since when is that word a bad word? Anyway, i forgot to mention, that stupid pact scale seems to be extreamly sensative to EVERYTHING! Temp, movment, wireless phone, and i kinda think it doesnt like my router either.

[Bullshop]

Dillon Determinator, one of the best reloading investments I have ever made.
I have had it for about ten years now and I got it used. It gets used nearly every day and is always left on 24/7. Absolutely dependable! If this one dies I will seek another and nothing else will do.
BIC/BS

[deltaenterprizes]

My Lyman has the same problem with phone interference.

[Shooter6br]

My Pact scale has been trouble free as s my Pact model 1 chronography both 10 years old

[stephen perry]

Walker give this scale a look. Range box size. Bruno sells them. I have used one now for 3 years no issues.

Stephen Perry
Angeles BR

[walker77]

My Pact scale has been trouble free as s my Pact model 1 chronography both 10 years old

Yeah, yeah, rub it in!!! I guess ill have to send it in to them. I hate to turn loose of it that long, but if it doesnt work, i guess it doesnt matter.

[snowwolfe]

Electronic scales tend to drift and I quit using my Pact for measuring powder charges for this reason.
Electronics are great for weighing boolits, cases, brass, etc but for powder, especially when you are trickling in the last amount I went back to a beam/balance scale and have been happy ever since.

[lwknight]

I have been thinking about digital scales myself. I see a lot of $20.00 to $40.00 price ranges and think that they probably are not going to be any quality at all.
On the other side, the high end scales going for $250.00 or more seen to me, too much for my use as a convenience.
I have a rcbs 1010 that will likely never fail but, digital seems like it would be nice too.
I hope this thread brings out suggestions of good scales under $100.00 or so.

[Maven]

walker77, I had problems similar to yours with my PACT also until I telephoned them. They walked me through a fix over the phone, which has been 100% effective. Why not give them a call?

[yondering]

Another big +1 for the Dillon scale. I've had mine for about 7 years now. No drifting, not sensitive to lights, phones, or most other electronics, and holds zero for months at a time. Calibration is really easy too; takes about 20 seconds.

The Dillon is sort of expensive (~$130 I think?) but worth every penny. It's one of those purchases worth saving up for, knowing that you'll be buying quality equipment. If mine ever breaks I'll be buying another of the same model.

I've handled the Pact scale and the cheaper RCBS electronic scale; both were junk and wouldn't hold calibration and were sensitive to the way you looked at them.

[Bob J]

I have the D-Terminator as well.... Awesome scale.... Have never had any drift or problem with it...:smile:


Dillon Determinator, one of the best reloading investments I have ever made.
I have had it for about ten years now and I got it used. It gets used nearly every day and is always left on 24/7. Absolutely dependable! If this one dies I will seek another and nothing else will do.
BIC/BS

[captaint]

I have a little digital scale that works great for weighing boolits - fast & accurate. I do not use it for powder charges though. I have the old beam scale for that, and since I only weigh every 10 or 12 charges - no big deal. I like them both. Mike

[Shiloh]

I use a jewelry related scale. Weighs in Troy ounces, grams, pennyweight, and carats.
I weigh in carats,then I convert to grains.

Shiloh

[helg]

I have been thinking about digital scales myself. I see a lot of $20.00 to $40.00 price ranges and think that they probably are not going to be any quality at all.
My $30- scale has been tested at the forum here (http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=448754). The mark at the scale is NEVA(R), and it has shown way enough accuracy for powder measuring against $1500 lab-grade scale. The measurements were within 0.03 grains maximum for test weights up to 10 grains, and within 0.08 grains for all test weights up to 100 grains. The highest deviation was on test weight of 45ACP A-Merc brass, which may well be caused by the brass imperfection.

BTW, the set of test weights may still be available through the forum. According to the rules at that thread, you may get the test set for free, but have to send it to the next in line on your expense.

[Storydude]

Digital scales are sensitive enough to measure air pressure changes.

the "drift" you see is probably caused by a draft, or line intereference.

I thought my PACt was junk too, till I put it inside a 3-walled cardboard box. Boom, no drift, no calibration every 3 min, and works like a dream. remember, you are measuring to 70,000ths of a Lb here. even the pressure from your breath 5 feet away can be detected by a GOOD strain scale...Which the PACT is. ALL digital scales avg. out the weights over a set time...If they read EXACT weight as determined by the strain gauge, they would be bouncing all over the place with the slightest vibration, draft, wind, and even heat.

[Bent Ramrod]

I got my D-Terminator used as well. It doesn't do well in trickling up powder charges, tending to hold a given reading and then jump 0.3 grains. However, with a given weight put all at once on the scale, it is as accurate as my RCBS pan-and-beam scale. I don't leave it on all the time, so it does tend to drift slightly in the first 20 minutes of operation, but it zeros accurately enough during this time. Anything "digital" is going to appear to drift a lot more than the "analog" version, because numbers change definitely on a screen while the same change in a pointer's position is a lot less noticeable.

For load development, where I trickle up to exact weight, I continue to use the RCBS. For checking powder measure settings, sorting boolits and cases, weighing lube ingredients, letters for postage and about everything else, it's the Dillon. I used to do a lot more pan weighing of powder before I got the D-Terminator; now I run almost all my loads out of the powder measure with an occasional check on the electronic scale. This morning, I weighed each scoopful of black powder from my Ideal adjustable scoop before drop-tubing them into the cases. It was quicker and less involved to load 20 shells by dumping the occasional out-of-tolerance (+/- 0.2 gr) charge back into the container and trying again than it would have been to assemble the RCBS scale and trickle the charges up to the exact weight, or even to fill the powder measure, check the weights and empty it again when done.

Most of the hi-tech gimmickry of our modern age does little for me but raise my blood pressure, but the electronic scale is a worthwhile part of the reloader's kit. Can't say anything about the other brands. I did notice the Dillon tends to use up batteries rapidly, so I use mine in the plug-in mode.

[BlueSmoke]

I like the electronic scale I bought from E. Arthur Brown Co. I think it was less than $40. It came with an isolation pad and some static free dishes for weighing powder charges.

I use it for weight sorting bullets and brass. I also weigh powder charges to verify what the measure is throwing every so often in a loading sequence.

I think it's the same scale sold on the Brian Enos web site.

I tested it against my RCBS beam balance scale and they both show the same weight.

Regards,

BlueSmoke

[Lead Fred]

I measure 100-105% loads, There is no room for error.

I bought one electric RCBS scale and gave it away. I have no time for warm up, or calibration, or errors.

I use an 1960s Brand new beam, and a RCBS 10-10.

Id never use anything else.

[lwknight]

I always turn the fans off when setting up my measure and weighing charges with my 1010.
It stands to reason that a digi-scale should be treated the same way. And now I learn to keep any strong RF fields away too.
I'm afraid that if I buy a cheap scale and it does not work out that it will be money wasted.

[odoh]

I'm surprised about all the neg reports ~ Mine is one of the first RCBS branded PACTs and haven't had any problems ~ its used w/a PowerMaster Powder Dispenser. Works great. Had it upgraded by PACT to run faster recently.

[Firebricker]

I would go with the suggestion to give pact a call I think they will take care of it. I've had my pact scale abought three years it's been flawless but ever manufacturer can turn out a bad one now and then. FB

[John Guedry]

Don't feel bad about wasting money on Pact. I've got the BBK it worked OK for about amonth then went nuts. A trip back to Pact and it worked for about a week,nutso again. It sits on the shelf out of my way.

[Cadillo]

I bought my first electronic scale over eighteen years ago. It has never missed a beat and is quicker and more accurate than the balance beam scales I once used. I have since given the the balance beam scales away to people new to reloading. The only reason I bought another is because the second one, a Lyman allows me to enter in a charge weight and it automatically dispenses that amount of powder, which is GREAT for load development requiring the testing of various specific charge weights.

I leave the Lyman turned off, because I use it far less often than the origianl Denver Instruments scale, which I leave turned on 24/7 as per the instruction manual, thus no warm up delays. I calibrate it before each session, but this takes less than five (5) seconds. I then verify the settings with a Lyman check weight. I will never again own a balance beam scale for reloading.

The Denver Instruments scale I use is no longer in production. If I needed to buy another, I would opt for the one marketed by Sinclair International.

[Mike W1]

I've had a Pact BBK for quite a few years and it used to work OK. Now the thing shuts itself off while I'm using it and last time I called the tech told me that was normal. Hockey pucks!!!! Now I can't warm the thing up long enough to calibrate it and if I'm so lucky to get that far it shuts off while I'm trying to use it.

Last I tried for email support I had no luck there and I'm not real crazy about sitting on the end of a phone line. If I were to buy one today based on service I think I'd go for a Dillon. Even though I'm sure they don't make the things themselves they do seem to know about customer service. Think Pact could do a bit of studying in that area personally.

[Southern Son]

Another one for the Dillon D-Terminator. I bought one new in about 1994 (give or take a couple of years). In about 1998 it stopped working (would not turn on or anything). I took it to a gunshop that deals Dillon and asked them to find out how much it will cost to fix (did not want to throw more money into it than it was worth). They called me and told me to come in and pick it up. When I got there they gave me a brand new one. I have been using it since then for everything (powder, boolits, whatever). If I let it warm up for half an hour, then there is no drifting and like one other poster said, it is a little bit picky when trickling charges, but I have found that if I trickle it in fairly quickly, it is fine.

[GMT210]

I am also looking for a good digital scale around that $100 mark and found this website. Does anyone have any experience with any of these and or the Cabelas branded one for $79.

Mark

http://www.rightonscales.com/web/reloading/

[Down South]

I have a cheap, (did I say cheap?) set of digital jewelry scales that are very accurate for what I use them for. I use a beam scale for serious powder weighing. All of my rifle charges are weighed with a beam scale. I use the digital to verify the final setting of my beam scale for pistol/revolver loads. So far it has been dead accurate comparing charges weighed on my beam scale.
I do use the cheap digital scale to weigh boolits and brass with. It’s fast and easy to use and 1-2 tenths of a grain is not an issue for cases and boolits.

[lwknight]

I think that the A/C power option is important on any electronic scale. Batteries are a pain and cost adds up

[robertbank]

My bride aka Santa brought me a RCBS Combo Unit for Christmas this year. It works great. I use it for rifle of course but also for setting my 550B powder measure. Very fast, in fact much faster than my balance beam set up. They are costly though.

Take Care

Bob

[TAWILDCATT]

I have several beam scales,but use redding and rcbs.the redding is old but works.
I check charge and never weigh again.pistol and fixed cavities.rifle I also weigh once the measures are Lee auto disc.I shot compitition with 38 and 45 and did not see the need to weigh every 10 charges.the loads shoot as well as I can and I am not a top shooter nor would I ever be but I am steady,and consistant.
I hasve a pact and a smart loader digials.fine for bullets ect.and something to play with,but to sensitive to every thing.just another dodad to play with.:coffee:

[mpmarty]

I've got an RCBS electronic scale. it's junk![smilie=b:
All my powder measuring is done on an Ohaus 1010 scale I don't think you can beat a balance beam for accuracy and with magnetic damping they work fast enough for my reloading.

[Lloyd Smale]

ive had a couple differnt pacts through the years and still have one. Its been a good scale but ive replaced the transformer plug on a couple times now. I also have one of the newer lyman auto dispensors. The scale on that one has been dead nuts on and i havent had a problem yet with it but its still pretty new. One of my pacts was a total *** just like the dispensor that came with it. It had the odasity to melt in the fire that consumed my barn and loading gear. Youd think they could make one thats fire proof. Or is it idiot proof im looking for!

[orrsteiner]

I recently got a RCBS 750 for around $100. So far, no issues. When weighing boolits, it takes about 2 seconds to level out with the weight. My experience with it is limited at this point.

[weasel 21]

My RCBS 750 is excellent. Good advice setting in a 3 sided box as these units are very sensitive to wind. RCBS WILL support digital scales beyond the 1 year warranty. I have a friend that was sent a brand new 750 after he dropped it on the garage floor. That unit was over 12 years old and he told them how he damaged the unit. Excellent customer service.

[walker77]

I called pact today. My unit is the one with just the battery, no 110 plug. They told me that sometimes the wires from the battery push up against the load cell and give a screwy reading they said leave the battery out side the unit and see what that does. I thought yeah ok, what ever. I just got done trying it and that darn thing is as stable as can be. I just got my new dillon balance beam scales last week :( Oh well, i guess its a good thing to have a back up.

[MtGun44]

Denver Instruments.
A real lab scale, will out last 5 of the ordinary reloader's scales.

Bill

[prickett]

I have an RCBS scale coupled with the Chargemaster unit. I'm very happy with it. Takes 10 seconds to power on, then is ready (and calibrated). I don't normally have to calibrate it since it seems to hold calibration very well.

[Cadillo]

Denver Instruments.
A real lab scale, will out last 5 of the ordinary reloader's scales.

Bill


They used to market a model called the Accuload that was a peach. I've had mine for quite a number of years. I'd like to get another when this one goes belly up, but alas it is not to be. I guess reloading gear is no longer politically correct in Denver. :(

[gray wolf]

I
have an RCBS scale coupled with the Chargemaster unit. I'm very happy with it. Takes 10 seconds to power on, then is ready (and calibrated). I don't normally have to calibrate it since it seems to hold calibration very well.

I have the same charge master unit---never more than 1/10 of grain off--most time dead on or within 1/2 a tenth. Takes about 20 seconds to drop 57 grains of H4831.
very fast and accurate. Great for working up loads.
If my load is 23.4 grains or whatever then thats what I want. Not 2/10's either way.
Cost a little more but worth every penny--(to me).
I had a pact unit for about 1 week a few years ago. I smiled all the way to the PO the day I sent it back to Midway.

GW

[mpmarty]

I've got a pact unit branded RCBS and I think that stands for Real Crappy Boolit Scale.

[Lloyd Smale]

ive had at least one pact for the last 15 years and they are a good scale but to be honest ive had problems. Both of the ones i had were in for repair and luckily one was being repaired when i had the fire so i still have one. Most of the problems ive had have been with the plug in transformers and pact has taken care of it. Ive got a new lyman dispensor/scale and like this one better then i liked the pact dispensor. Its much faster. Only down side to it is the long warm up, but i take care of that by just leaving it on.

[MtGun44]

My Denver Instruments is not a reloading scale, just a lab scale that also has
the grain output display built in and in the right range to be useful.

They are (were) pretty expensive, but a friend had one for years and it was really
reliable and I have heard of a lot of $100+ scales crapping out fairly quickly, so I
sucked it up and bought a really good one. Seems like it was nearly $500 about
10 yrs ago. No idea what they sell now, I'll likely never need another one.

Bill

[jimbojr]

Watch out for the cheap scale. my Soninlaw gave me a didital scale weighs things but you can't trickle into it. it doesn't register the trickling.

RCBS 1500 is what I'm looking at getting.

[Cadillo]

My Denver Instruments is not a reloading scale, just a lab scale that also has
the grain output display built in and in the right range to be useful.

They are (were) pretty expensive, but a friend had one for years and it was really
reliable and I have heard of a lot of $100+ scales crapping out fairly quickly, so I
sucked it up and bought a really good one. Seems like it was nearly $500 about
10 yrs ago. No idea what they sell now, I'll likely never need another one.

Bill

I suggest that if you have not already done so, make sure that you keep it wired to a FRESH surge protector. Mine just went down for the count after eighteen years of use. I highly suspect but cannot prove that it was the result of a power surge we had that same day. My surge protector is several years old and probably was no longer protecting the scale.

Eighteen years ago I paid $425.00 for mine. About eight years ago, I called Denver Instruments and asked them what they would charge me to look mine over and check it all out, if I were to ship it in for a checkup. They told me it would be a minimum of $425.00 to check it out. I obviously declined their magnanomous offer.

I have a new Acculab scale on order from Sinclair International. I doubt it will last eighteen years, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. In the meantime, I'll be sure to wire it to a new surge protector.

[mike in co]

reloading vs ammo crafting.
reload any ol' beam will work fine, but you need to understand that most are plus or minus 0.1...that is a 0.2 stackup, which means if your loads are in 0.3 steps...well they may not be .

since i have been doing some benchrest shooting, i bought the harrells powder measure..."like" a benchrest shooter....only to find out with the powder most common(vv n133) it is a plus or minus 0.1 item with an ocassional 0.2 .
i then did some research and bought from denver scales an mx123. this scale is plus or minus 0.02 with a sensitivity of 0.03.
it is mounted on a solid granite block, 3x 18x12.
plugged in al the time( i do need to ad a surge protector)
it is $325 delivered if i recall.
my d-terminator is not used any more.
i still use my beam scale when plus or minus 0.1 is ok.

mike in co