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Digital powder scale opinions
toad67
Member Posts: 13,009 ✭✭✭✭
Currently have an RCBS 10-10 scale. Looking to go to a digital one. Any one have an opinion on ones to get or stay away from? How about accuracy? Thanks.
Todd
Todd
Comments
I've used a RCBS Range Master 750 for more than 2 years, befor that I had a Pac. I've not had a minutes trouble from the RCBS, and highly recomend it.
W.D.
It is true that at one time PACT assembled the innnards of the RCBS scale, and if you look at the two battery powdered units they are the same except for color. Today, I am told this is no longer true, but PACT does warranty repairs for RCBS and others. They may be assembling scales for some other, off brands.
most digitals claim .1g accuracy but I believe that includes a +- range which means the best you get is .2
You can do an experiment by trickling up on stick at a time to an even amount and then track how many sticks added one at a time it takes to cause a .1 change.
If you really want to be * you can do it in reverse also. Then do it on your beam scale and see if you can be more or less accurate with it.
Depends on your priority speed or accuracy and of course if you believe .1 makes a difference
The +/- means that is what it will throw to, but the scale shows you the weight, so if it is off by .1gr, and that bothers you, you simply dump it back in the dispenser. I have yet to see even a Harrel thrower difinitivley beat a good electronic combo. I will run .1gr variance loads in a 600yd match without even the slightest concern, as it will never show up on target.
There are digital scales, and then then are digital powder dispensing systems that include scales.
Upfront, let me say that ANY scale, beam or digital, is more than accurate enough for 98% of all reloading. They will all weigh to about one tenth of a grain, which is more than enough. Charges that vary by as much as 1% are fine for any shooting use except target competition. One percent of a 50-grain charge is a half grain!
That said, both beam and digital scales have their drawbacks. BOTH kinds are draft sensitive, static electricity sensitive, dirt sensitive, and are ruined if dropped. Beam types have to be carefully leveled, and digitals are subject to radio waves (from current fluctuations as well as radio per se).
Digitals are MUCH faster for tasks such as weighing bullets, cases or (for the terminally *) primers. I would buy a digital made for reloaders. Some of the cheap ones at Harbor Freight and the like are fine for drug dealers who weigh in grams, but not for you and me.
What sold me is the simple fact that I cannot get a tiny little poise in the wrong notch of a digital, like I can with a beam. And, the digital has nice, big, unmistakable digits. When my digital says 25.5, that's what it is.
If I could afford it, I'd get one of the new scale/powder measure combos. The Lyman with the auto repeat function would be my first choice. It automatically dispenses the next load when you replace the pan on the scale.
I am not trying to sharpshoot you. Believe me I intend no offense of any kind.
I had a bad experience which put me off digitals so when people say they are "dead on" I have to ask for clarification. Thats why I suggest the exercise that I posted earlier.
So back to what I asked you. If your digital shows a change when you add one kernal of 4350 how much of a change does it show? Does it go from 45.1 to 45.11 or 45.13? I've not encountered a loading scale that sensitive. As I stated earlier most loading scales claim .1g accuracy I believe they really mean +or- .10g which means from.00g to
.20g of what you are asking for.
Again no offense intended I'm just being overly critical
quote:Originally posted by mrbruce
quote:Originally posted by 18ZULU
-.10g to +.10g of what your asking for. Total spread .2g
I need to be more critical of ME!
quote:Originally posted by 18ZULU
I understand what you meant, that is what sparked my question.
I am not trying to sharpshoot you. Believe me I intend no offense of any kind.
I had a bad experience which put me off digitals so when people say they are "dead on" I have to ask for clarification. Thats why I suggest the exercise that I posted earlier.
So back to what I asked you. If your digital shows a change when you add one kernal of 4350 how much of a change does it show? Does it go from 45.1 to 45.11 or 45.13? I've not encountered a loading scale that sensitive. As I stated earlier most loading scales claim .1g accuracy I believe they really mean +or- .10g which means from.00g to
.20g of what you are asking for.
Again no offense intended I'm just being overly critical
quote:Originally posted by mrbruce
quote:Originally posted by 18ZULU
When I'm loading fire form loads for my 7mm SAUM AI I'll run the weight up to 59.4 in a hurry and then drop a kernal at a time until it hits 59.5. most of the time if I take one kernal out it will drop back to 59.4 and then back to 59.5 when I put it back in... the scale only reads to the 10th but I'm sure that single grain don't weigh 1/10, but it happens to often to be a fluke. I've used the RCBS 90 for so long I just have complete faith in it as long as I make sure to check it often with the weights..
When the pans off the scale it will read 104.2 when I put it back on it reads 000.0, so as long as it shows that same set of numbers every time I don't worry to much about it being off, if it changes I'll just recalibrate it and get back to loading again....
Sometimes for a recheck I'll dump a charged case full of powder back onto the scale, and 999% of the time it will go right back to 59.5 grains of H-4350
I can see the pointer move on my balance one kernal at a time whereas
with most loading digitals you cannot.
They are labor saving tools and quite adequate for the vast majority of handloaders but for the overly critical like myself they don't quite "measure up"[;)]
Pleasure talking with you
quote:Originally posted by mrbruce
Well I sure didnt take offense to the question, lifes to short to worry about things like that on a gun forum, or anyplace else either...
When I'm loading fire form loads for my 7mm SAUM AI I'll run the weight up to 59.4 in a hurry and then drop a kernal at a time until it hits 59.5. most of the time if I take one kernal out it will drop back to 59.4 and then back to 59.5 when I put it back in... the scale only reads to the 10th but I'm sure that single grain don't weigh 1/10, but it happens to often to be a fluke. I've used the RCBS 90 for so long I just have complete faith in it as long as I make sure to check it often with the weights..
When the pans off the scale it will read 104.2 when I put it back on it reads 000.0, so as long as it shows that same set of numbers every time I don't worry to much about it being off, if it changes I'll just recalibrate it and get back to loading again....
Sometimes for a recheck I'll dump a charged case full of powder back onto the scale, and 999% of the time it will go right back to 59.5 grains of H-4350
I suspect that you calculate your car efficiency by the inches to the gallon method, LOL!
quote:Originally posted by Rocky Raab
Friend, you pegged it: you are overly critical.
I suspect that you calculate your car efficiency by the inches to the gallon method, LOL!
One thing that shines about a digital scale versus a beam: with a digital, you cannot bumo a poise weight into the wrong notch and discover you've just loaded a ton of ammo with the powder charge five grains off.
Yeah, BTDT.
Rocky, If you did that on a beam scale you could detect the error and correct it. Electric scales are subject to all kinds of electrical effects such as voltage and current fluctuation which can affect the reading or the sensing that produces the reading.Difference is it's a momentary scale error rather than a physical error on your part. Even more to the point it might only be one or a few charges in a batch and you'd never catch it unless you are in the habit of weighing completed rounds. Admittedly this is not likely in a small batch. I have however seen this occur in large runs.
quote:Originally posted by Rocky Raab
No, I don't, RCrosby. Sorry.
One thing that shines about a digital scale versus a beam: with a digital, you cannot bumo a poise weight into the wrong notch and discover you've just loaded a ton of ammo with the powder charge five grains off.
Yeah, BTDT.
With a digital, it says what the weight is, or else the scale flashes and tells you the reading is wrong. Much safer, IMO.
On a digital you guys all trust implicitly in the displayed number.
As I mentioned earlier I am aware of instances where errors of the
amount in your example existed in the charge weight but did not show on the scale display. I'm merely saying that there is something to reference on a balance.
We are all here on computers and we have all experienced the gremlins
associated with them. An amazing number of those gremlins are caused by power fluctuation and variation which causes programed devices to do other than what is intended.
I'm not sure how you'd detect a digital that is showing an incorrect reading. Weigh it again later? Double weigh every sample on a digital and beam? As I mentioned, mine has an error detection circuit that flashes the display when it detects something amiss. It used to be nearly impossible for me to reload while my HAM radio neighbor was transmitting, for example. But I didn't have to detect the problem accidentally, the scale told me.
that's a great example of what I am talking about. I am not convinced
that the error system couldn't be affected in the same manner but it obviously is a plus. The incident I refer to was also a while back and circuitry is probably less susceptible these days. This was a 5000 rd run and charges were checked periodically during the loading process. Error was undetected until range firing. After the fact inspection showed intermittent overcharges usually several in a small percentage of 20 rd boxes isolated in a segment of the production run. We were able to detect this because the ammunition was loaded and boxed in sequence. Only way we would have caught it would have been to weigh loaded rounds as part of the packaging step.
However we assumed this was not necessary.
Murphy's Law I guess
quote:Originally posted by Rocky Raab
I'll grant you both the "could" and the possibility, 18Z. Many years ago, I loaded up a box of 45 Colt with what I thought was a carefully set load of 8.0 Unique - only to notice quite accidentally as I was putting the beam scale away that one of the poises wasn't in the right notch. I had to pull all 50, and every one of them was off. I'd obviously set the beam wrong from the start. But detecting it was purely an accident.
I'm not sure how you'd detect a digital that is showing an incorrect reading. Weigh it again later? Double weigh every sample on a digital and beam? As I mentioned, mine has an error detection circuit that flashes the display when it detects something amiss. It used to be nearly impossible for me to reload while my HAM radio neighbor was transmitting, for example. But I didn't have to detect the problem accidentally, the scale told me.
After that, it's personal choice.