I have one which I use all the time. Mine is hardly new, since I have had it about 30 years, and did not buy it new. It came in a wooden carrying case. What do you want to know about one. (I actually have two. There is another one around here somewhere, which I never use, since it is calibrated in grams, not grains.)
www.scalesonline.com shows most of the models. The issue is that all of them are calibrated in grams, none shown in grains. I'd just like to look at one, and find out how many yankee dollars it would cost to bring one home.
One has been shown once or twice on www.accurateshooter.com, but they haven't shown a place to buy one or any real data. Just that it is supposed to be one of it not THE best.
Ok, my misunderstanding. I thought perhaps ohaus was bringing back a triple beam reloading scale.
Old Will Knott scales has several mechanical scales. Some with 0.01 gram resolution - which is .154 grains IIRC. Sadly, I don't think anyone makes a triple beam scale that reads in grains anymore.
The people at Ohaus say that they no longer offer ANY scales calibrated in grains. Off the record, the young man says that drug dealers use the gram scale instead, and that they do not mind paying thousands of dollars for an accurate one.
IS, Respectfully have you considered a Digital Analytical Balance? When it comes to taking measurements I am very much an analog type of guy. I've had friends with $500 Mitutoyo Digital Micrometers try to get me to switch, however, I am dead stuck on my analog units(Swiss Tesa/Etalons to be specific). That said when it comes to scales I started slowly making the turn 15 years ago and the first scales, PACT Made in USA, the gray one that will work with the dispenser was horrid. An RCBS/OHAUS 1010 was always more consistent as well as being more accurate. Throwing loads and trickling up on the Pact and then weighing the resulting load on the 1010 was an eye opener. JUNK. Second time I put money down was for the excellent, within it's price point, RCBS Chargemaster 1500. I tried running that against RCBS Deluxe Check Weights and found it FAR closer to being accurate than any digital I'd owned before as well as being consistent(more important). Long story short I've had the chance to work on just about every digital balance that has been repurposed by the handloading community in the last 10 years. Denver Precision, Gempro 250, etc(those two could not be more different. In short the reasonable priced digital to have is the A&D FX-120i and they are available out of Canada through Cambridge Environmental for close to $500-550 shipped. The other choice, the one I went with, is the German Sartorius Entris1S-64 that runs a little over a $1000 and $1071.51 shipped with a Class 1 50 gram calibration weight. This is so far ahead of anything i have ever used it is not even a horse race. The Sartorius is an Analytical Balance which gives you for digits behind the decimal in grams .0001 and three digits behind the decimal in grains two thousandths of a grain demarcation .002 grains. The A&B, made in Korea with plastic draft guards(versus Glass on the Sartorius), looses a digit behind the decimal on both measurements. Essentially an .01 grains... Do your own research at www.scaleman.com ...
Regards, Matt.
Posts: 525 | Location: Virginia | Registered: 26 January 2001
Seems that your practical alternative, if you really want that type of scale, is to use grams as your basic unit, mathematically convert to and from grains as necessary, and become "European." The Vihtavuori manual, for example, shows weights in both grams and grains. This may be the wave of the future anyway. The US is one of the last metric holdouts and everybody else is metric now. Once you get used to thinking in terms of grams and millimeters, it isn't too hard, but it takes some time.
A good job is sometimes just a series of expertly fixed fark-ups. Let's see.... is it 20 years experience or is it 1 years experience 20 times? And I will have you know that I am not an old fart. I am a curmudgeon. A curmudgeon is an old fart with an extensive vocabulary and a really bad attitude.
Posts: 324 | Location: Too far north and 50 years too late | Registered: 02 February 2015
Actually, most Europeans still use grains for reloading as well. I use 100% Metric for everything else. However, for reloading grains are just so much more convenient.
Posts: 164 | Location: Germany | Registered: 06 January 2003
fwiw & imho, I hate to say it, however, the day of the mechanical balance for use in loading(and many other things) has largely passed. We are seeing better balances available at more reasonable prices that outperform even the best hand made scales on the market... Significantly.
If you actually load a good deal you will greatly enjoy an A&D 120 or a Sartorius Entris64-1S. If you are an equipment collector give the market more time. It results in better balances at lower prices...fwiw & imho.
Regards, Matt.
Posts: 525 | Location: Virginia | Registered: 26 January 2001
Idaho SS, Have you thought about the digital weigh & dispense type. I know several long range shooting competitors that win or place high in the final standing that use the Lyman Gen 5 unit. I don't use one at present but it is on my to buy list. Daniel
