Powder Scale Options

Hey fellas,

Just wanting to upgrade from my existing scales (Hornady G2) to something a bit more reliable. I find it does not hold constant enough for me (even though I'm in a sealed room with no open windows etc and allow the scales to sit "on" for an hour or so before using them.

Looking at a Frankford Arsenal DS750, or a Hornady G3 1500. What are your thoughts/experiences with these two? Or is there something better for similar money (circa $120 - $150 max)

I'm not wanting to spend much on them, but need it to be consistent at least.

Cheers,

I prefer beam scales, I haven't had much luck with electronic ones.
With the Lee scoops, a trickler, and well-damped scales (my Lymans are excellent) I find beam scales just as quick to use.

@Cigar interesting. I just find balance beam scales tricky to get around and prefer to read a number than get the needle in the right place. Maybe I should give it another shot perhaps...

If you're after accuracy on a budget beam scales will get down to a kernel. If you're after digital and accuracy force restoration scales are the go to, but blow your budget to bits. The other option is some check weights and regularly check as you weigh, or 2 digital scales and confirm each charge.

A beam scale with magnetic damping can't be beat unless you intend loading hundreds of the same thing then a powder thrower calibrated with the aforesaid beam can't be beat. Both run on gravity, mass and volume which are everywhere and free.

I have early lee balance beam,green one...its great...also have flash ohau 505 balance beam,also great,find it slower but its got huge weight range,good for checking cast projectile weight of loaded cases.... if you find balance beam slow,get cheap set of lee spoons/dippers and powder trickler,throw weight below and trickle up...too easy and very quick.

Electronics .... not for me. Had RCBS and Hornady, gave up on both. Gone back to and stayed with my old Hornady Balance Beam. Utterly reliable and consistent. I'm quite content with my slow and steady pace of handloading.

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Originally Posted by JohnQT

@Cigar interesting. I just find balance beam scales tricky to get around and prefer to read a number than get the needle in the right place. Maybe I should give it another shot perhaps...

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also ..if you set up scales at or close to eye height it makes life easier..I have small wooden box screwed onto my heavy wooden reloading bench,scales sit on top of that with trickler off to side so spout sits over pan
Ive got good accurate powder thrower but unless I mdoing more than 30 rounds at once prefer to weight out each load....its NOT slow.

I run a dillon balance beam and Lee measuring spoons,
I was using a Lyman gen6 dispenser but it would always come out of calibration and accuracy frequently and ended up being a right pita so it went in the bin with the trust of it. I don't think I'd bother with another electronic scale unless it was one of those reputed high accuracy high cost ones.

I've found the Hornady G3 scales consistent.
I also use a Dillon balance scale though.
My reloading process is trickle up on electronic scale then dump onto the beam scale.
Then sort out another load on the electronic scale before tweaking the measure on the beam scale to be bang on.

The electronic scales are really only capable of +/- 0.01 gr, the beam scale then gets the rest sorted. In saying this, this is way pedantic as I doubt the 0.1gr is enough variation for me to notice in my loads. But the process is quick using both scales and a happy quite fast pace is able to be maintained while delivering very finely weighed charges.

Any electronic scale will drift, but by simply rezeroing they should be good to go, if it takes 30 seconds to drift .01 and only 15 seconds to weigh the charge where is the problem.... unless the resolution of the scale is crap and if its a "low cost" scale that has a resolution of .1 grain plus or minus thats a three point (.3) range of error right there.
Sometimes if you want the convenience of electronics you simply have to put down more money. Or do what has been suggested and use a beam.
If reading numbers on a beam is not your thing maybe hook it up to an unused TV or monitor and a camera aimed at the scale pointer ( I have seen this done) is very easy to read accurately.

I have been in both camps and I would not have an electronic scale for love nor money ( this attitude persisted for many years) for average reloading use such as with reloading for a couple of hunting rifles.

But then I got into target rifles.

I tried a Frankford Arsenal intellidropper, as it wasnt much more than an up market beam scale in cost outlay.
What a revelation!!

I could now seat bullets while the next charge was being weighed for me! it sped up the reloading process manyfold. Even with checking every now and then by comparing the thrown charge of the intellidropper on a beam. I soon learnt about scale drift but as above just rezero and its fine. Its definition was .1 of a grain and as said this means you have to put up with + or - of this But for most shooting this is actually fine.

I ended up far far down the rabbit hole and invested?? in an AandD scale, its on the same step up from a beam to an intellidropper all over again.
@JohnQT if you take the name badge off of the Hornady or whatever the price will come down to about $50 personally at that price point I would still use a beam scale.

And I must add, when i started target rifle I simply use a good quality powder thrower that gets you within .1 of a grain for fine powders. I would use a beam to get the throw spot on and then throw straight into 50 cases on a run and seat them...... if you are using a ball powder its probably THE fastest way to reload.

A couple of options that might help.
Also if beam is slow to settle add a magnet or replace with stronger ones under the unit. It does not effect accuracy only settles faster.

https://bulletin.accurateshooter.com...e-beam-scales/

https://bulletin.accurateshooter.com...on-smartphone/

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Originally Posted by Makros

I've found the Hornady G3 scales consistent.
I also use a Dillon balance scale though.
My reloading process is trickle up on electronic scale then dump onto the beam scale.
Then sort out another load on the electronic scale before tweaking the measure on the beam scale to be bang on.

The electronic scales are really only capable of +/- 0.01 gr, the beam scale then gets the rest sorted. In saying this, this is way pedantic as I doubt the 0.1gr is enough variation for me to notice in my loads. But the process is quick using both scales and a happy quite fast pace is able to be maintained while delivering very finely weighed charges.

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Correction Hornady G3 Scales are +/-0.1gr not 0.01.
They are probably more like +/-0.05. Dillon scales say they are within a granule or two of Ar2213sc over 48 replicates.

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Originally Posted by JohnQT

@Cigar interesting. I just find balance beam scales tricky to get around and prefer to read a number than get the needle in the right place. Maybe I should give it another shot perhaps...

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Maybe go to Specsavers !:D

Cool. All good info here. I found the G2’s were changing between loads. Within 30 seconds. That just took all my confidence out of them entirely.
I’ll give the balance beams another go. It’ll be interesting to cross reference with the digital scales too.
I’m not running huge numbers of reloads so I think I’ll just need a bit more patience. And I’ll take your advice there @mickyduck and set them up at eye height ��

I use a kids wooden chair by the reloading bench so my eyes are the same level as the scales.

Put plaster of paris in the bottom. Adds weight and stability to the beam scales.
And use a check weight every 5 or so loads.
My 2c.

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

Lyman Gen 6 is okay , but a beam scale and "Target Master" trickler will give far better consistency once set up . There's videos on YouTube , the guy who produces them exports .

recently purchased a Trickler and wish I had done that years ago as it really sped up the beam scale weighing.

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Originally Posted by JohnQT

Cool. All good info here. I found the G2’s were changing between loads. Within 30 seconds. That just took all my confidence out of them entirely.
I’ll give the balance beams another go. It’ll be interesting to cross reference with the digital scales too.
I’m not running huge numbers of reloads so I think I’ll just need a bit more patience. And I’ll take your advice there @mickyduck and set them up at eye height ��

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Can confirm that the G3-1500 is very stable and consistent and have tested against my Dillon beam scales regularly and are always on the money. It was just under a hundy from DeltaMikes so very good value for the money. My Redding beam scales are all over the place but just need a decent bit of magnetic dampening to sort I think.

Love the idea of a bit of magnification for the beams. Very useful tip from this thread.

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Originally Posted by Gerardo

Put plaster of paris in the bottom. Adds weight and stability to the beam scales.
And use a check weight every 5 or so loads.
My 2c.

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

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I have a Redding beam. I glued some lead sheet on the underside for same reason.

For better/faster dampening just replace the magnets with stronger ones. It won't effect accuracy.

If the beam is not consistant sharpen the knife with a very, very fine stone and brush graphite in the V.

I always use a check weight when I set up. Almost anything will do. As long as it's retained, kept clean and weight noted. e.g a 55gr bullet.

Very happy with my rcbs chargemaster, needs to be turned on, balanced and let run to warmed up, have the staw inserted which more even pour, quite a few adjustments to program as to speed of pour, slowing 1 grain to go. If it over pours have set of tweezers to remove .1 or .2 if necessary so as not to need to repour, speeds things up. Had a rcbs balance beam set up at eye height, worked well; but once I bugger my shoulder needed to keep everything at bench height other wise I would never have changed.

My old Chargemaster has electronic scales built into it.
I use a machine nut weighing 44.3gr as a check about every 20 or 30 charges and it will occasionally come in at 44.4gr. So this unit is very stable. I hold the thing down with 8 spots of blutack, one under each foot. I have a low energy bulb above it but don't run anything else on the circuit when using it. I fill all cases before I start bullet seating.
Testing on target has never found a difference in point of impact in less than 1.0 gr so 0.1 accuracy is more than good enough. In my opinion, powder weight can be measured far more precisely than is necessary for good grouping & holding zero so people get anxious about it. I'm told that neck tension and runout are more critical and they are hard to measure reliably.

However, I'm wanting to downsize to a more compact, low tech powder handling so am interested in electronic scales.
Has anyone used these Frankford Arsenal digital scales ?
https://www.reloaders.co.nz/shop/Rel...tal+Scale.html

Got those as well, use to double check ocasionally, seem to do allright with sorting air rifle pellets

I found the FA worked fine, and doesn't require any mods such as straws and stuff. It stays in the 0.1 + or_ as advertised, if you notice drifting just rezero.. it's also easy ro recalibrate. The blue tooth app let's you store loads to your phone.
Only issue can be emptying and forgetting to close the hole.
@Bagheera

Nah. Ive NEVER forgotten to close the drain hole on the chargemaster and had half a pound of nice expensive powder pour out over my filthy bench. ( hardly ever…:(:( )

I reload at the kitchen bench now. Nice and easy to scoop up every last grain. Haven't been allowed to bolt my press to it yet though :pacman:

is that pepper or powder on those sandwiches

I think the salt is corroding my barrel :omg: Will have to make sandwhiches out in the reloading room now!
@Bagheera I just looked up the link to the scale you are talking about.... I thought you meant an intellidropper ( thats what I was refering to.)
Going back to my first post, if you take the "name" off that label its the same thing as one you can buy for $50 or less.
So the question is ...do you trust a $50 scale to be your main method of determining how much powder is in that load?

Id trust it if id started from a lee dipper load or a powderr thrower so it wasnt too far out and id used the scale with a control weight like my nut and it was always within 0.1 gr.

Possibly the scales in the chargemaster or intellidropper are similar inside too. Are some brands really better than others after the label is taken off ?

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Originally Posted by Bagheera

. Are some brands really better than others after the label is taken off ?

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are some brands better than others because they have a label fitted????

I believe its been proven time and again the wee yellow man is VERY good/bad at ripping off businesses and counterfeiting goods made to order in that land

@Bagheera does this look like the Frankford Arsenal one?Attachment 219962

It came from TM for about $40 I will use it for checking a bullets weight. I trust it to do that (within .5 of a grain)

You blokes got me thinking. I made a small stand yesterday. It raises the balance closer to eye level. Very simple, on 3 legs.