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Old March 21, 2009, 11:00 AM   #1
magstang1
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Which scale should I buy?

I need a scale. What is good. Digital or magnetic, and why? Have a good used one you want to sell? I'm reloading pistols. Thanks!
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Old March 21, 2009, 11:13 AM   #2
Ricklin
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Rcbs 505

Take a gander at fleabay, I sold a 505 on there, it went for about 30 bucks LNIB.

I like my 505 just fine, but I did not need two of them.

If you buy used make sure to get some check weights to verify the accuracy.
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Old March 21, 2009, 06:57 PM   #3
Old Guard Dog
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A good digital scale is faster than a balance scale, but more expensive. A bad digital scale is slow. The scale must resond as you trickle powder into it, and some jump, and don't hold their zero.

I bought a RCBS 750 Rangemaster for under $100 and am very pleased with it. Go on Cabela's website and read all the customer ratings of the various scales. A lot of them, including Cabela's brand have low ratings.

Speed and cost are the factors, after you find one that works satisfactorily.
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Old March 21, 2009, 07:07 PM   #4
under_dawg
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I use the Lee Safety Scale that came with the Classic Turret Kit i bought from Cabelas. It works fine and I'm sure it's relatively inexpensive. I bought one of those $30-40 Frankfort Arsenol digital scales a while back. It does not have the ac adapter capability and is therefore very frustrating. It turns itself off every minute or two and you have to set the tare etc. I use it to double check my Lee scales when I calibrate them. The digital scale I have is handy for weighing bullets, cases etc, but not for reloading. If you go digital spend the extra money and get a good on and make sure it is ac compatable.
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Old March 21, 2009, 10:23 PM   #5
magstang1
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I should add I plan on buying quality. I was looking at the hornady rcbs and dillon digital scales. They seem to get good reviews. I was just wondering what experienced users think. I am new to reloading. I don't want to buy a $100 or more scale to find out I bought the wrong thing. The beam scales seem to be around $75 so I may go that route for now.
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Old March 21, 2009, 10:30 PM   #6
D. Manley
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Quote:
I should add I plan on buying quality. I was looking at the hornady rcbs and dillon digital scales. They seem to get good reviews. I was just wondering what experienced users think. I am new to reloading. I don't want to buy a $100 or more scale to find out I bought the wrong thing. The beam scales seem to be around $75 so I may go that route for now.
I don't think you'll find anybody dissatisfied with a Dillon scale and buying the beam first is not a bad idea. I love electronics but regardless of quality I'd never be totally comfortable without a good balance beam (I use the Dillon "Eliminator") to compliment it.
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Old March 21, 2009, 11:49 PM   #7
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If buying a digital just make sure it isn't a cheap one. Buying beams or digitals from Dillon, Lyman, RCBS, Hornady, Redding will get you past the junk stuff. The internet is full of postings about digitals drifting and doing weird things and most owners use beam scales to check the digital...but I'm not aware of many who check their beams with digitals. If $60-$100 isn't going to break your budget I'd suggest starting with a beam scale and working up to a digital later. After reloading for a while you will know what features you want or don't want in a digital...there is a big spread from simple to programing and auto trickling. Prices are also big for decent digitals.

I've been using an RCBS 5-10 scale for about 20yrs without glitches. Now I'm starting to measure really light 32 S&W Long loads and want another scale to check the 5-10. Probably going with the Dillon Eliminator beam scale for $55. D.Manley, how do you like the Eliminator? I'm thinking anything Dillon is a safe bet.

bc
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Old March 22, 2009, 04:26 AM   #8
darkgael
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scales

I have four scales; two are beam scales and two are digital. The beams are a Lee Safety scale and a Lyman. The two digitals are cheapo jeweler's scales that I bought for less than $20 on Ebay. I bought the first just to see if it was any good. It was and is; I've been using it for a couple of years now and it works just fine (and I load a lot). Maybe I'm fortunate in my experience but the first was good enough that I went and bought another. It also works well.
(I'm retired and move between two houses - reload at both. Have two sets of stuff, much of which was given to me)
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Old March 22, 2009, 10:21 AM   #9
James R. Burke
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I use the RCBS with the powder dispencer works great has a combo or alone.
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Old March 22, 2009, 10:35 AM   #10
billcarey
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A hunter/reloader friend near me likes the cheap Harbor Freight scale but he loads for rifle (30ish to 60ish grains) and doesn't mind the 1/10 to 3/10s drifts it gives...sometimes. I load pistol 1.6 to 9.4 grains, too small in my opinion to accept random errors that large. My beam scale is 100% consistant if I'm careful.

bc
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Old March 22, 2009, 05:13 PM   #11
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"The beam scales seem to be around $75 so I may go that route for now."

I think you think good.

NO beginner needs the agony of fooling with a digital, not many old hands either. A digital and beam accuracy is equal, if the digital is warmed up long enough, it's zeroed/tared and calibrated often enough. And there are no stray magnetic fields near by. And the ducks are flying the proper direction.

Beams work all the time, every time and they follow a trickler in real time, not with a finicky built in time delay.

ANY CURRENT beam scale is fine, most of the old ones to for that matter. An RCBS (Ohaus actually) 505 or Redding will do you good for as long as the grass grows and the river flows. No digital, at any price, will last as long with as little trouble --- IF you keep the pivot bearings and knives clean and don't burr the pivot knife edges up with rough handling.

Avoid setting a beam scale on your bench top, plan to set it on a shelf about nose high to make reading it easy. And set it very close to your powder scale and press too, just to the left of them if you're right handed, for an easy working pattern.

Last edited by wncchester; March 22, 2009 at 05:20 PM.
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Old March 22, 2009, 05:42 PM   #12
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The best value in a magnetically dampened triple poise scale is a Dillon Eliminator. The same scale as RCBS 505, for about 2/3 the price! Both made by Ohaus!
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Old March 22, 2009, 06:47 PM   #13
D. Manley
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Quote:
Probably going with the Dillon Eliminator beam scale for $55. D.Manley, how do you like the Eliminator? I'm thinking anything Dillon is a safe bet.
It's excellent. I do have the RCBS Rangemaster 750 electronic having got a very good deal on it. If (or when) it craps out, I'll go for the Dillon electronic as well.

Quote:
The best value in a magnetically dampened triple poise scale is a Dillon Eliminator. The same scale as RCBS 505, for about 2/3 the price! Both made by Ohaus!
Precisely.
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Old March 22, 2009, 08:39 PM   #14
magstang1
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I found a used, new in box 505 so it looks like I am going that route. Thanks for all the replies.
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