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Posted: 12/8/2013 8:07:13 PM EDT
| I'm on a budget, but what scale would be best for checking loads for the Dillon 650? I dont need it to be digital, But that would be a plus. |
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Quoted:
Dillon, RCBS, and Hornady all make quality beam scales. I have the RCBS 505, good scale. I would stay away from the cheap digitals (less than $90) as they drift. Even the non cheap scales can drift with power fluctuations. I was loading 9mm on my Square Deal yesterday, checking the powder drop every 100 rounds. After 6 or 7 hundred I checked a load and it was a half grain too high, and I was loading near the top of recommended range.  Great, now I get to pull 100 bullets.
However, upon using the check weights I keep on hand it turned out my 4.5 weight was still reading 5.0 grains. Whew! I recalibrated the scale, tested a few more loads and got 4.5 grains and got back down to business. I was using a receptacle that has always given me steady power in the past (can't use one on the same circuit as the refrigerator) but we were having some showers yesterday with thunder every now and then. |
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Quoted:
Even the non cheap scales can drift with power fluctuations. I was loading 9mm on my Square Deal yesterday, checking the powder drop every 100 rounds. After 6 or 7 hundred I checked a load and it was a half grain too high, and I was loading near the top of recommended range. Great, now I get to pull 100 bullets.
However, upon using the check weights I keep on hand it turned out my 4.5 weight was still reading 5.0 grains. Whew! I recalibrated the scale, tested a few more loads and got 4.5 grains and got back down to business. I was using a receptacle that has always given me steady power in the past (can't use one on the same circuit as the refrigerator) but we were having some showers yesterday with thunder every now and then. Quoted:
Quoted:
Dillon, RCBS, and Hornady all make quality beam scales. I have the RCBS 505, good scale. I would stay away from the cheap digitals (less than $90) as they drift. Even the non cheap scales can drift with power fluctuations. I was loading 9mm on my Square Deal yesterday, checking the powder drop every 100 rounds. After 6 or 7 hundred I checked a load and it was a half grain too high, and I was loading near the top of recommended range. Great, now I get to pull 100 bullets.
However, upon using the check weights I keep on hand it turned out my 4.5 weight was still reading 5.0 grains. Whew! I recalibrated the scale, tested a few more loads and got 4.5 grains and got back down to business. I was using a receptacle that has always given me steady power in the past (can't use one on the same circuit as the refrigerator) but we were having some showers yesterday with thunder every now and then. ^^ This is exactly why I use a beam scale. I believe every reloading bench needs a beam scale and a set of check weights as a staple. Digital as an add-on for weighing bullets and cases if you do that. |
I use a UPS for smooth power for things like digital scales. You don't need a high capacity unit, but get a good brand, like APC, Tripplite or Belkin, not "Hong's Storm Door and Power Supply Company."  Old, poorly regulated florescent light fixtures will cause problems with poorly shielded electronics, too. Oh, and a digital scale can get whacky because of air currents, too, so if you're going to use one for precision, build a box for it to hide in, like those used with high-end decigram balances.
As others have mentioned, a balance (beam scale) is essential, and you can't really replace one with a digital scale. The most you can get away with is using a digital scale for quick checks, and only after you've let the digital unit fully warm up AND you've calibrated it very recently. Higher cost digital scales will drift less, be more consistent, and more accurate, but they ALL drift some and require regular calibration. A beam scale will be accurate all the time, as long as you set it up on a level surface and use it correctly. |
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All balance/beam scales are inherently more reliable than all digital scales, since they use gravity instead of complex electronics. The difference in reliability and accuracy between the two types of devices can be very broad, or very narrow. A high quality digital scale (very expensive) will be close to as accurate and reliable as an entry level beam scale, and will often be easier to use, while a mid-range beam scale (like an RCBS 5-10) will be worlds more reliable and accurate than a cheapo digital bought on eBay from some vendor who ships directly from Hong Kong (I have one of those, and it doesn't even read in grains as was advertised, but it's OK for gross measurements for postage).
If you want true accuracy, buy a higher end beam scale and put up with its slower characteristic performance. But remember that typical reloading charge tolerance is +/- 0.1 to 0.2 grains. You don't need a decigram balance, nor a digital scale that reads to 0.0001 grains to do accurate, repeatable and safe reloading. |
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