Recommend me a good scale?

[dennishoddy]

I use the Hornady auto powder dispenser that has the digital scales on it.
So far my RCBS beam scale has agreed with the digital 100% of the time.

 

[NikatKimber]

it sounds like for what you are doing a balance beam or the frankford would be fine. you mainly need one to get your powder measure dialed in and then for occasional sanity checks... I used the frankford for a while to weigh bullets. it seemed pretty accurate. it always registered calibration weights within +-.1gr

Just remember the auto disk is really only consistent when used with ball or flake powder and it is only as consistent as you are... my auto disk would shift .4-.5gr heavy when i rotated the turret on my lee press vs just dumping powder and never moving the turret... so whatever process you use to dial it in, repeat that process every time.

This is true of any meter. They don't actually "weigh" the charge, they allow the powder to flow into a known volume. Thus, if you tap or jar the meter while the powder flow is open, the charge will settle and you will end up with a larger weight charge than anticipated.

 

[lkothe]

I use my Lee beam scale but I also got an electronic scale (AWS) from Jerry's Reloading. I compare the two just to make sure when I'm setting up my powder drop for each load.

 

[Pokinfun]

I have one of the low end RCBS digital scales. The scale came with my RCBS reloading kit. I don't really care for it. It is accurate, but sensitive. I have to make sure it is perfectly level, and I put the powder pan is in the same spot as when it zeroed. I also have to turn it on zero it, and let it set for a couple of minutes before I use it. Also, sometimes it will just change for zero to 0.3 grains for no real reason.

 

[dennishoddy]

This is true of any meter. They don't actually "weigh" the charge, they allow the powder to flow into a known volume. Thus, if you tap or jar the meter while the powder flow is open, the charge will settle and you will end up with a larger weight charge than anticipated.

^^^^^absolutely true. When operating a powder measure its real important to operate it with consistency.

 

[tRidiot]

I ended up getting both of these:

Lee Precision Safety Scale (Red) - $25.99

and

Frankford Arsenal Reloading Scale - $26.99



I should be able to get pretty close and be pretty safe with this combo, I would think. I can spend the bucks on a really nice scale for trickling later when I really figure out what I'm doing.





Thanks for the advice!



Next, I'm looking for a nice modular storage system. Something with removable medium-sized bins that hang on the wall would be good.

 

[swampratt]

I have old dressers that i use. You can make shelf's on top of them if you need.
So many cheap dressers out there..Sturdy top to hold a scale and keep it from shaking and becoming unlevel ..You do NOT want the scale on the same bench as the press.

But my loading in in a bedroom dedicated to reloading.. not the garage as most people do.
If you do it in the shed or a garage watch the humidity levels as you will notice rust on press and dies if it gets high.

 

[Glock_21]

I prefer a beam scale to a low end digital. My 20+ year old RCBS 505 is still my "go to". I put a calibration weight on it regularly just to make sure.

 

[Pulp]

I bought an electronic scale from Midway, can't remember the brand, cheaper one though. You can't trickle charge on it. I put a light charge in the pan, then slowly trickled. The reading never changed. So I tapped it, when it settled it was like three grains over my desired weight. Someone explained it to me, about how the auto-zero built into the scale was acting faster than I was trickling. So now I trickle on my 505, then check it on the electronic scale. When using my progressive, I check every 10th or so load on the electronic scale.
They are handy, but I still trust my old 505 more. I also have a Lee Safety Scale, never cared much for it. For me it is really difficult to lock the 0.1 poise into desired position without moving it a bit one way or the other.
I built a little table about one foot tall to set my 505 on, so it would be more eye level for me. I didn't care much for bending over to be at eye level. After using it, I realized I should have made it about 1.5 feet tall.

 

[Cedar Creek]

That little Frankford Arsenal scale sound pretty cool for the money. I've been using my 505 for 40+ years with no issues, but the ability to confirm accuracy would be great. I think I'll give it a look.

Cedar Creek