I agree, if you know that upgrading is a possibility in your future this is the smart way to go. When it is time for me to get a new one, I will probably do the same.
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I agree, if you know that upgrading is a possibility in your future this is the smart way to go. When it is time for me to get a new one, I will probably do the same.
I have a good balance and just wanted an electronic scale to weight cores and sort bullets. I went with the Franford Arsenal from Midwayusa. I've used it 2 years so far and no problems. I also use it to make fast readings when adjusting my Uniflow and then verify it with my 502. No problems ever.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/175...grain-capacity
After going thru all these posts some things I better understand to a point. Living as rural as I do if there was more than 100 people in any one place it would be a miracle.
Anything I want/need must be thru the net because trust me if you think your going to town to get whatever it is in the reloading dept. think again. Oh don't get me wrong there is 1 place that caters to the re loaders but they have to order whatever it is and you will pay for it trust me on that.
Some strong points were made and I am going to get a scale that only works on 110v and NOT batteries. I really don't like battery anything but hearing that from a person that lives on solar power that relies on a battery bank sounds strange.
Getting info from you SEASONED swagers/hand loaders is more valuable than reading reviews from the net. I have no clue if there opinions rank right up there with an opinion from the mentally challenged, so I have a tendency to take reviews with a grain of salt.
With my net service it's not as easy clicking on links and reading up on stuff, sometimes it takes as long as 2-5min a page and that's if I don't get bumped off. Using net service via a cell tower aint all its cracked up to be. If a person that wants to call using that cell tower they have first priority and you get dropped, and I mean like right now.
So in the end it looks like my needs are only going to be met if I get one of those high priced units in the future. I'll still need to go looking at the various types/makes but who knows I just might find something that doesn't empty my pocket to much.
I bought a cheapo $40 electronic scale from Midsouth on a special sale for $17.
it lasted about 17 days...junk !
I then bought a cabela's scale
http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/produ....mc_id=crrdtfd
I've used it for about 2 years so far...no problems, fast response.
I can weigh cores and jackets as fast as I can put them on and take them off.
I think I paid $85 for it 2 years ago. It looks exactly like the one pictured in
the link for $65.
Jon
http://pact.com/index.php?page=shop....emart&Itemid=1
Don't get the BBKII !
After doing a lot of research, and reading reviews from folks on various reloading sites, the general consensus was the Dillon scale seemed to be a pretty good unit. I kept reading comments like "very accurate" and "well built" and "reliable". It has the ability to run on battery or AC power, can measure grains to 0.1, has a check weight for calibration, will stay on when running on AC power, and does pretty much everything else I was looking for in an electronic scale. So I bought one. I've had mine about a year and use it to weigh powder and swaged bullets. I've found it to be everything the reviewers said they found it to be. I really like it, and have no regrets or complaints. Granted, it isn't "expandable" like some of the other brands, but that was never a consideration for me. I'm a low volume BPCR / BP CAS shooter. I rarely ever shoot smokeless these days, so attachments to handle nitro don't appeal to me.
For the type of reloading and weighing I do, the Dillon scale is perfect for me. It's a little pricey, but I think it's worth every penny. I agree with the others - save your money and buy the best. Don't go cheap on a scale.
You can't make accurate loads if you can't make accurate loads.
Seth,
I bought my Dillon many years ago because it ran on both battery and AC adapter (we sometimes have power drops out here in rural area), and it is a really good one like you said. I have had mine for a long time, and it still measures very accurately. I agree that it is worth every penny of the price.
For reloading I still use my balance beam scales, but use my Dillon electronic for the swaging stuff. Best of both worlds having both kinds, and like Duke said, they both have their place on the loading bench.
Grumpa - Like others have said here, save your money and get a good one, it WILL be worth the extra cost. I bought mine almost twenty years ago, and it is still accurate according to my scale weight check set. It has paid for itself many times over, and it will probably outlast me at this point.
I use a 10-10 scale mostly but have an old Dillon digital that I have had for years. I was unhappy withn the Dillon because the weight would change as the unit warmed up. I did not have a 120V wall supply. When I finally got one it was a much better scale as the weighing remained constant.
A few weeks ago I was in the local Sportsman's Warehouse and saw a small Frankford Arsenal digital for $30 something and bought it. I have checked it against the 10-10 and am pleased to report that it is very accurate. Probably as close as you can read the scale on the 10-10. It weighs to 750 grains and has a resolution of 1/10 of a grain. It is more accurate than my big plug-in Dillon.
I use a lyman digital with an RCBS balance beam to compare with occasionally. By and large, I'm getting good to excellent to outstanding accuracy from my bullets and it seems to be more due to variables like bullet length, balance and design than wieght, though I do try to keep my bullets to within .05grs. of each other, just on principle. Go with the best you can afford, also on principle.