Well topic says it all are digital scales any good?

I am thinking about spending say $150.00 no more on a scale.

I have a RCBS scale 502 but seems to be to light and moves around too much on readings.

So thinking of either the 1010 from RCBS not digital or a Digital scale.

Any suggestions.

Yes did search but most answers are 2 or 3 years ago.

Thanks

They are ok, But some peoples power causes fluctuations and even your dryer or window open with a breeze can knock off your calibrations. Some I know had to use batterys only cause thier power in thier house is a tad noisy. They should add circurty that will filter this out, but for 150 dollars and the accuracy to .1gr the transducers can only do so much.

I can't really speak as to the performance of any of the digital scales' performance because I don't own one, but I am thoroughly pleased with my RCBS 5-0-5.


If you're just measuring powder charges, but just have the itch for a new scale, my advice is to save your money and get a RCBS 10-10 or 5-0-5, or just stick with what you have. But, if you're segregating bullets and cases by weight on a regular basis, I would think an electronic would save you a considerable amount of time.

irwin

I have used both an rcbs 10-10 balance beam and the first digital scale sold by rcbs.Both appear equally accurate but the digital is much faster to use.

Of the reloaders I know I'm the only one that don't have one.

I think they are fast and convenient. I keep an old manual scale around just as a backup. Mine is on a table separate from the reloading bench and sits on a slab of granite from the cutout for the sink in my granite countertop. I have three sides blocked with wood panels to dampen air currents and I calilbrate it often. It doesn't matter whether you use mechanical or electronic scales there are basic ways to use them to ensure reasonable accuracy and repeatability. I power mine from a UPS that was used for a computer. This is fed by a constant voltage transformer. This dampens voltage variations reasonably well.

If I use the mechanical scale I put it on the same granite slab and calibrate it also with a chunk of platinum that I know the mass of.

Irwin,
"There is no such thing as 'too much syrup' on pancakes. " This true, but sometimes there aren't enough pancakes for the syrup, especially if it is wild blackberry syrup.

I`ve a Pact digital and the RCBS 10-10 and use the balance beam scale for powder charges that I want to know ARE the desired weight. I set up the Pact to weight cases, bullets, ect that I want FIND OUT the weight of.
The digitals need to warm up before use and are more prone to being affected by air currents and electrical noice. I read a report, I think here, that a poster had his digital acting up and found out his phone was interfearing with it if he had it at the bench when useing the scale.
Both types sold for reloading have a 0.10gr accuracy rateing so neither is any better as far as claimed accuracy goes. I use a set of Lyman check weights to verify my scales are reading true and neither has shown any improvment over the other in reguards to giving a correct weight.

I've had a couple of digital scales that are sold buy catalogs catering to reloaders. I found they are inconsistent and slow. I would put a test weight on the scales, take it off and put it back on, and I'd get a different reading. I sold the first one and bought another, different make, and had the same problem. So, being hard headed, I bought a third one. It was better at coming close to being consistent in it's readings, but it was, as all of them were, too slow for me. So, I discussed the problem with a friend. He suggested that I look into buying a Denver Instruments Digital scale as he has one and found it to be the best available. He is a shooter too. The model he has was bought a number of years ago and not available now. So, I did some research and bought a model APX-153. It measures to .01 gr and is lightning fast. As soon as you put the specemin on the pan, the reading is available in the window; no waiting around. I can put the same test weight on as many times as I want, and get the same reading, to .01 gr. The only down side to it is that it is bigger than the ones sold to us reloaders in the price range of $150 and below. The APX-153 cost more than that. And, as Old Elk Hunter says, you need to manage the instrument as he describes. It's not a toy. I have mine sitting on a very heavy, glass topped table at 70 degrees F permanently. It's also powered up full time and has been so for about a year and a half since buying it. I've weighed thousand of 22 RF rounds and am happy with it. I shoot 22 RF benchrest and sort ammo by weight.
I use an Ohaus beam balance scale for weighing powder for reloading, not the Denver as I reload in my shop and the Ohaus is portable, and very good in that application. I use a Harrel's measure throwing light, and trickle up to the desired weight.
Don

They are good for weighing bullets and brass and seperating them accordingly but, they are terrible for precision reloading IMO. I have trouble trickling charges over digitals and I find the Beam type scales are much quicker and more consistent.

I've seen this question asked many times on various shooting forums and it seems that more favor a good beam overall but, there is always a few tha love the digitals.

Not saying they are not good to have, I love mine. Like I said they are great for seperating bullets and cases.

I also use mine quite often when building arrows and also when weighing my archery components.

Good Luck!

Reloader

I've been very pleased with my Lyman 1200. It speeds up the process and has been very consistent in its measurements. It's nice to be able to work on various stages of the reloading process while the scale is measuring the load that I need, as compared to having to handle each aspect of the process sequentially.

I use a Pact digital scale now. It replaced an old Lyman M5 beam scale. I consider the Pact's accuracy adequate for my type of reloading and it is easier to use.

The comments about a solid mounting and stray breezes apply to both digital and beam scales but do seem to be more of an issue with the digital version.

I found DMB's post about the Denver Instruments digital scale very interesting. Reloading may not require 0.01 gr. accuracy, but I would like to have something better than 0.1 gr.

Just looked at the Denver Instruments web site. That's an analytical balance with the capacity and accuracy given in grams rather than grains. 0.01 grams is equal to ~0.15 grains; the quoted accuracy is the essentially the same, =/-1 of the last digit displayed.

I don't dispute that the Denver Instruments scales are quicker or more consistent, just that they're not an order of magnitude more accurate.

When you ask this kind of question it can open up the walls with answers and personal preferances. I was using a bonaza beam sacale and did for several years until the digitals came out. I have a small pact BBK 11 scale. Once I figured out the AC in the house was causing problems and went with the battery it works perfect. It made things a whole lot easier and with out doing anything but changing to the digital the groups I shot shrunk. So this is my persoanl experience and wouldn't go back to the beam for sure!

I have not used my Lyman M-5 made by Ohaus ever since I bought my Dillon digital many years ago. Works on a\c power just fine. Every once in awhile I put on a check weight but it never needs adjustment. With 1200 gr capacity, I use it for everything. Very large numerals are easy to see right on the loading bench. And IMO much more foolproof than a balance beam. No worry if any of the poise got bumped out of place. I needed to place it on a shelf at eye level to read everything properly. But I'm keeping the M-5 as a backup. Murphy's Law, you know!

I'm surprised at the lack of support for digital scales

I've been using the same PACT scale since something like 1994 (maybe farther back than that!)

It's been to the shop once in the interim, and have only had that one problem with it.

I don't understand the implication that they are somehow less accurate than balance scales. They are guaranteed accurate to +/-.1 gr, which is the same gurarantee that RCBS (OHAUS)makes with all of their scales. It's pretty easy to confirm , just put a check weight on it.

Always recalibrate it before you laod.

Personally, you couldn't GIVE me a balance scale, after having used a digital one.

PS - I have noticed that electronic scales need a "warm-up" period. Seems to be about 15-20 minutes. In that period, you can get irregular readings, but after it's warmed up, i've never had a problem.

My digital scale will use about 2 minutes to set itself and away we go! Like I said the groups improved the first time I used it and after using it for a few more rounds .250-.375 groups were normal. For me it was a great improvement!

DIgital scales are great. My first one I got a battery operated one and had some problems, especially in the cold, (no heat in the bld. where I load)

Then I goe a plug in version, RCBS. I compared loads to my balance scales for a while but for the last couple of years I have the utmost confieence. I learned very fast to calibrate every time. mine does not need to "warm up" after its calibrated.

I still keep my balance scale in the back of a closet but unless civilization comes to an end (no power) I doubt I will use it again.

Simdow

I borrowed a digital scale to weigh some cases. I found that it should be turned on for a few minutes to warm up.

Then I weighted everything twice. that is, I weighted each case, worte down the weight and after weighing those 100 cases, I ran them back thru.

If they were the same, I felt good about it however one batch of 100 did not jive so I did it a third time.

Then I've read it's a waste of time to segregate cases by weight.

All good replies I have an RCBS 5-0-2 which is good but thought a Digital would be better.

okay might get the bigger 10-10 down the road thanks

I've been using a Dillon Digital scale for several months now, and it has worked well for me. It is very sensitive, so I've been careful to cut off all drafts while using it, or put on the cover when taking a measurement.

Gents;

Being into handloading now for almost forty years, I find that many new-fangled things that folks just can't can't live without these days are mostly irrelevant to me.

Digital scales are NOT among these items. I've been using the original PACT model for over ten years, and I'd sooner be without my Dillon 550, or my pants, maybe.

Over many years, I have actually TESTED quite a few things that most think they HAVE to have, or operations which they HAVE to perform etc. etc. To my personal satisfaction, among other things I have proven that:

-excellent varmint-quality rifle ammo CAN be loaded on a progressive press, and not only that, but in so doing...

-primer-pocket cleaning is meaningless, and

-given the use of a reasonably free-flowing powder, weighing of charges is also irrelevant to the accuracy of MY rifles, including very good varmint and target rifles.

So...the digital scale? All I use ANY scale for in powder handling is to set the powder measure, which is then LOCKED at that adjustment with no possibility of changing (but I still check it periodically anyway). Trickling of charges and all that sort of thing is un-necessary, in my book, and I'm supported in that by legions of benchrest competitors who volume-measure their charges.

Since I'm never messing with "maximum loads" I never feel like I'm a hair'sbreadth from overpressure disaster, either.

The digital is indeed wonderful for weighing brass, bullets etc in search of info or uniformity, and mine sees a lot of use for these purposes. I just got a load of 7.62 NATO brass and sorted the whole 700 rounds by weight in about 40 minutes. Neat! My Ohaus 10-10 would take hours to do that.

I really like the digital scales. I have a Pact and an RCBS. Both made by Pact I believe. Here's one little tip that may help. I have left both of them plugged in for the last ten years or so and have never had a problem with them. Moisture usually destroys electronics so by leaving them on constantly they stay dry.

It really amazes me the answeres to this situation. All of the bench rest shooters I know, and I know some pretty good ones, use volumetric measuring techniques. These can vary quite a bit on a given day and rarely affect the outcome of the match. That error factor is more than that experienced when weighing charges with a good metering scale. When I load I am looking for the sweet spot, the load weight where a half a grain difference either way has little effect on the performance. For hunting loads the digital scales are as good as need be for the task in hand.

Bren MK1, If we want to be anal, let us.

quote:

Originally posted by lb404:
For hunting loads the digital scales are as good as need be for the task in hand.

The implication is that there is a more accurate reloading scale available... who makes a reloading scale more accurate than +/- .1 gr?

Bill Mc, pard;

"If we want to be anal, let us."

ABSOLUTELY! That's why I carefully said "to my personal satisfaction", and "...in MY rifles...".

Differences of opinion do indeed make horseraces, and I'll be the last feller to say that my way is THE ONLY way and everybody else in the world is out of step.

Also, I'm NOT such an ol' f--t and set in my ways that I'm not open to new ideas. That's why I hang around sites like this and read what other folks are doing and saying. I've done a lot of loading and shooting, for sure, but that doesn't mean I know more than a small fraction of what's out there.

Heh...it's kept me going for over fifty years' shooting, this curiosity, and I don't see it changing anytime soon!

I agree 100% with your signature line....