My RCBS 505 scale is getting touchy and at time gets inconsistent which contributes to flyers. It needs to be sent back to RCBS for re-caliberation. I am thinking of picking up a second scale and here are my my options:

1) Buy another 505 scale as a backup scale to validate the powder charge or
2) Buy an electronic scale such as the RCBS Rangemaster 750 as a primary scale and use the 505 as a backup.

Please advise me of your experience on digital scales - are they consistent and accurate, and if the Rangemaster 750 is a piece of reliable equipment?

Thanks...

I have the RCBS 1500 scale. I have checked it agains my RCBS 5-0-2, 5-0-5 and 10-10. It has measured "right on" against all three.

Well, if your scale is touchy, it is probably a sign that the knives or bearings are dull or damaged. You can send it back and get it repaired, but what to do while it is gone?

Electronic scales are not better than the usual unequal-arm balances that we call scales. They are, however a notch handier in operation; they are, sometimes, a tad slower.

I had somebody's electronic scale for a while and it was a dud. One of the early ones, it wasn't really great.

I did, however, buy a Denver Instruments reloading scale ($500+). Denver Instruments was formerly the William Ainsworth balance company and they make stuff for laboratories, and presumably started in the gold-rush days in Colorado. It is a gem in all respects, except it puts out a radio interference that screws up my FM radio in the shop. I keep it on a constant voltage powder supply; you know, one of the small computer-type ups units, so that the electronics get jumbled as little as possible. It came with calibration weights of two types and never fails to be right.

I keep my old Ohaus 10-10 (or whatever it is). It was made by Ohaus before RCBS took over their line of reloading scales to market them. It is the one with the self-contained case. I won't be without it. Get yourself a new mechanical balance as a back-up, if nothing else. Get yourself a good electronic balance if you like (and I do).

Ihave a Denver Inst. scale as well, I use it mostly to check my other two scales, a Pact Digital Precision and an RCBS 1500 like Steve. I have a couple of old school balance beams, and they all check against each other, but the balnce beams are a hair different from each other, and the other digitals, the DI is just dead nuts accurate.

Sorry to ramble a bit, but I think the Pact Digital precison would be my recommendation as a second scale. I will add that many of the popular digital scales, i.e. Dillon, Pact or whoever are made bu the same company--who that is I don't know--it may be Pact.

Good Luck--Don

Danny Boy,
From what I have done I like the RCBS 1010 the best. I have a 505 and an electronic (RCBS something (to lazy to walk to the reloading room)) and it works well for checking but it is slower in response than the 1010. By this I mean as you trikle the 1010 shows movement the whole time, it takes a moment for the digital to show a change.
Hope this helped!


Smedley

quote:

Originally posted by Danny Boy:
My RCBS 505 scale is getting touchy and at time gets inconsistent which contributes to flyers. It needs to be sent back to RCBS for re-caliberation....

Danny Boy, if you have the time and inclination I was wondering what exactly is up with your 505.
Meanwhile, have you checked/cleaned the pivot position. . . is there a dead fly in there?

Does the knife edge look clean and sharp?
Can you re-edge it if not?
There is something in the user manual about having the pan holder hanging straight isn't there ??

I'm just wondering how RCBS can recalibrate these things, or how they can even get out of calibration.

How far out does the 505 get? People keep telling me that about 0.5 of a grain in say a 30cal case doesn't make much difference?

I have had magnetic dampened scales act "weird" at times as though they had reversed polarity or something.

Electric scales can give you a whole new set of problems, but heck, they're fun to play with.

JAL:

From time to time, I cleaned the knife-edge and it doesn't help much. RCBS suggested that I send it to them for re-calibration. I am reluctant to do so, as I would be without a scale for 2-6 weeks. So a backup scale is in the order.

Danny

I have never left my scales with the beam on it except when using it so the knife edges don't get rounded. I very rarely use it except when working up a load and throw them all out of the measure and I'm still using the original Redding scale that I started with when I was 13 years old and I'm 49 now. I have a set of government weight standards and it still weighs within 1/2 a tenth of a grain.

I tried an electronic model, but the balance beam works best for me. You can pick up a used balance beam on ebay for a song, especially one of the old oil dampened models. They're slow, but fully as accurate as a magnetic dampened scale.

As far as a check weight, just weigh any jacketed bullet on a known scale and use it.