Your choice of powder scale?

S

squirrelyhunter

Guest
Looking to by a powder scale and wondering what others are using. I've been considering buying an automatic scale/dispenser but see lots of complaints about them.. i.e. RCBS and Lyman..


Thanks
 
Powder Measures

Squirrelyhunter,
I have 4 measures. One Harrell's Culver measure(their top of the line), a Dodd measure, and 2 RCBS Chargemasters. I had a problem with one the Chargemasters,sent it to RCBS and they sent me a new one(great customer service). The other one has never given me a problem. I use one on my reloading bench and one I take to registered matches. I have it set up to run on electricity and/or a battery depending on if they have electricity or not. I take a regular measure with me just in case(Murphy's law-you know) I like all of them. I really need 2 chargemasters but only one regular measure, don't know how I ended up with 2. Both styles have their place.
Best,
Dan Batko

"Where are we going and why am I in this basket?"
 
I don't have an automatic dispenser, but I've had 3 different electronic scales. The only one I kept is the Denver Instrument scale & it is now 10+ years old with no problems. (Shouldn't have said that in public. I'll probably find it smoked tonight:eek:)
 
Joe Entrekin said:
I don't have an automatic dispenser, but I've had 3 different electronic scales. The only one I kept is the Denver Instrument scale & it is now 10+ years old with no problems. (Shouldn't have said that in public. I'll probably find it smoked tonight:eek:)
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Funny you should say that. I had a Denver APX-153 for 4 years. Last week I was raving about how great the scale was, mind you was. The next day when weighing primers it took a sh*t, I called Denver and they said "Sorry we don't repair that model anymore, the load cells are obsolete" then they tried to sell me another one. I hung up the phone before I started screaming!
Good luck
vinny
 
I feel your pain, but still think the Denver scale the best. For what mine cost, I would hope it would be repairable for a long time, don't remember the model number. However, in the world of modern electronics, things become obsolete way too soon it seems. I'm not into this throw away world we live in these days. BTW, is that scale made in the USA, or maybe a far east product they bought to have an economical model?
 
Joe Entrekin said:
I feel your pain, but still think the Denver scale the best. For what mine cost, I would hope it would be repairable for a long time, don't remember the model number. However, in the world of modern electronics, things become obsolete way too soon it seems. I'm not into this throw away world we live in these days. BTW, is that scale made in the USA, or maybe a far east product they bought to have an economical model?[/Q


Denver instrument scale APX-153 $590 drop shipped direct from Denver instruments. Their replacement scale is either the TP-153 or MAXX-123, I think thats what the rep said anyway, I don't call a $590 scale an "Economical Model".
vinny
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Sorry to change the tenor of the post :eek: but I've got to say this...... for PRECISION reloading you must get a decent electronic scale, something that reads to 100ths (00.00) instead of just tenths (00.0)

Yeahh, they suck sometimes...... and they're finicky and a pita at first and must be kept in a controlled environment and tend to drift and change and just gener'ly buggerup on occasion but they are the only way to get ES down below 10fps IMO.

I guess I've been lucky with my Denver Instruments MMX 123 because it keeps ticking along, repeatably.

Tain't cheap nor without issues but it does WORK to get'cher powder weighed to the kernel.

IMO it's worth the learning curve.

al
 
What sort of shooting do you do? We tend to assume that everyone has OCD. I have friends who are very happy with their Chargemasters. If you are trying to whittle down ES for 600 and 1,000yd competition then get a scale that measures to .01 gr. to check your Chargemaster, but for most mortals, and those who own little things like world records as shorter distances (certainly not I) the Chargemaster alone has proven sufficient. Jerry Hensler built an inexpensive battery pack for his and if free of outlets and generators for as much as a year at a time. Looks good to me.
 
To second Boyd's opinion... here's what's cool about the Chargemaster, you can SEE the weight of your charge. For bulk precision loading near the top of the charge range this is a "must have" feature.

If you choose the Chargemaster (a FINE machine IMO) I suggest you get in the habit of consciously LOOKING at the readout every time you pick up a charge. Doing this allows you to catch over-charges, something impossible to do when using just a powder thrower.

Safety, Safety, Safety, first and always :)

al
 
Vinny, I checked my scale last night and it is a Denver Instruments Accurate Load III, cost $450-500 new. It is pretty big & heavy, not something you would take to the range. It has been rock solid over the years, though. We lost half a dozen appliances to a nearby lightning stike years ago and the scale kept on truckin'. Purchasing an expensive scale like that is one of those "cry once" things.
 
RCBS charge master

I read an interesting article about "clean power" for sensitive electronics like the charge master. I plugged mine into power strip that a "clean power" filter built into it. (I believe it was Monster Power strip that was affordable) It is mainly to protect the equipment, but I did notice more accurate charges as well. Just my 2 cents.
 
Joe Entrekin said:
Vinny, I checked my scale last night and it is a Denver Instruments Accurate Load III, cost $450-500 new. It is pretty big & heavy, not something you would take to the range. It has been rock solid over the years, though. We lost half a dozen appliances to a nearby lightning stike years ago and the scale kept on truckin'. Purchasing an expensive scale like that is one of those "cry once" things.
Click to expand...

I didn't cry when I bought the apx-153 because I'm a firm believer in "you get what you pay for". I cried when my $580 scale took a sh*t after just 4 years. I'm not complaining about Denver they were great when I needed help in the beginning it's just a little dissapointing when your scale takes a crap and Denver basically says "sorry!! We'll be happy to sell you another one".
Sartorius GD503 weighs to .001 grain, moocho $$$$$$ but like I said "you get what you pay for".
 
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Maybe I am missing the point, I 'rough' weigh then trickle. I use crude beams. Its slow but it seams to be conistent. Any of you guys still load like this?
 
That is the way that I load, when using powders that are too coarse to throw. I will say that having borrowed a MMX 123 (I hope that I got that right.) that measures to .01 gr. and compared its results with my old RCBS 10-10, I learned one thing. It is difficult to evaluate a scale without having access to a better one. My old scale is not nearly as good as I thought it was. I spent some time on this.
 
Used my Adam HCB 123 for the first time tonight and am really pleased. Not as nice or expensive as my Ohaus Navigator, but it's here and working and my Navigator is at Ohaus not working. Used the HCB 123 to check my RCBS Charge Master and am very pleased with that as well. Both scales agreed with each other within .02. If it keeps on trucking, I may get hooked on the Charge Master. :D
 
I will second the Clean Power

I have used a battery back up/"Power Cleaner" ( line conditioner ) I hook all of my electronic loading room stuff up to long enough to have replaced the battery last summer. I wouldn't have bought the battery back up part but at the time it was the only line conditioner I was able to find. I believe it works to allow the electronic scales to be more consistent.

The other big issue is static. I have been meaning to buy a grounded rubber mat to set my scales on for a long time but haven't thought to do it yet. I believe a grounded mat would take away lots of the inconsistencies as well.
 
>40 years, balance beam

i've always hand measured using an ohaus plastic top case till it got brittle and the pan hanger busted after 30 years - then rcbs 505.
.308, .243, 30-06, .38 spl, .45.
from 3 grains to 45+ grains.
i always check it before loading with analytical quality weights of 1,3,5 grams.
so i'm always in the ball park.
 
I started out with old (1950s vintage) Redding #3 measure and scale; didn't worry much about weighing individual charges at the time, as I was using WWII surplus H4831 in a 243 with 80gr. bullets.

Over the past 15yrs or so of XC & LR HP, the need for more precision became obvious, so I added a Sinclair upgrade kit to the #3, as well as purchasing a Harrells measure. Bought a Dillon digital scale in '92 which still works, though it seems to drift more than it did when new. Also tried an early Lyman 1200DPS, which also drifted with annoying regularity. Finally got tired of both these digital units drifting so often, sold the Lyman, and purchased a DI MXX-123.

Though trickling charges does get tiresome when I'm loading 200-400rds. of LR ammo for a big match, I've grown accustomed to the precision of the DI balance, and have shied away from trying another automated charging tool. Rather than sit at the bench for hours on end, I try to keep ahead of the curve by loading in advance and spreading the chore out over several sessions.
 
DC power to Chargemaster

Shinny,

A few months ago I spent quite a bit of time trying to sort out this issue. To save you the misery of reading the whole story; here is what I have done with the blessing of an electrician that I trust and the blessing of my brother in law, who is quite adept at computers and electronics among many other things:

I wired it directly to a 12 volt DC boat battery.

I connected a plug that fits the chargemaster to a pair of wires, being certain that the polarity is the same as on the transformer plug that came with the CM. On the other end of the wires I have connected alligator clips that are color coded for polarity. I connect these clips to a deep cycle marine battery that I just happened to have available (I'm sure any 12 volt car or motorcycle battery would work just fine). I was advised by the electrician to connect to both terminals of the battery before connecting to the CM as a precautionary measure.

This has so far worked out fine. I have run the CM 5 or 6 different times probably for more than 30 hours total so far like this and it seems to weigh and dispense just as well as when being plugged in to AC. I suspect that it may actually weigh a little more consistently as I'm sure that the isolated battery power is much "cleaner" than the AC power. Also, I have not yet had to charge the battery and don't expect it will need it for quite some time.

I hope this helps, I am still a little concerned that it may shorten the life of the CM but my two advisors (who didn't pay for it or get paid for their advice) don't think it will have any adverse effects.

Brian
 
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