So I need to get a scale to start reloading… Which one does everyone recommend? I was going to get a digital pocket scale from Harbor Freight but then I read somewhere that they were no good.
For being my first time do I get a digital or a beam scale? I realize the pros of a digital being that they are faster but are they as accurate? What are somethings to look at when shopping for a scale? Is there a difference between a $30 scale and a $130 scale besides $100?
the primary reason for getting into reloading is to save money and start what looks to be a fun and interesting hobby. Right now I’m not supper worried about spitting out match grade ammo, It’s more like how fast can I turn out enough ammo to recoup my investment; but who knows maybe one day I’d like to make match grade ammo. So I want something that is simple enough to start out with but has enough function to allow me to grow in the hobby.
Frankly, If you want a digital scale stick with a known good one, Dillon, Pact, are good examples, I started witha RCBS balance beam scale, I still have it, and keep it for a back up. The difference between the Harbor frieght scale and the Dillon or Pact scales is quality…You are going to depend on this scale’s accuracy, it has to be right…If it is’nt you could wind up seriously hurt, firearms in pieces, or worse yet…dead. Nice savings…I have a Pact, and it’s been a pretty good scale,very accurate. It’s recently developed some problems and needs to go back to the factory, this is after 9yrs of use so, I don’t consider that a quality issue. If I had to do it all over I’d probably go with the Dillon scale, simply because it comes with a AC adapter, allowing you to plug it into a wall outlet.The Pact is battery operated. Maybe get a good balance beam to start with and as funds allow move up to a digital just get a good one…Keep the balance beam as a back up. There is one small piece of advice I’d like to offer, this is after 28yrs of reloading…I would’nt worry about churning out a bunch of ammo as fast as you can to recoup your investment, reloading is’nt a race, Take your time and pay attention to what you’re doing, because one fuck up can really cost you,and most people fuck up when they’re in a hurry,tired, distracted. you’ll recoup your investment soon enough…
If you are seriously going to be reloading, get the RCBS Chargemaster 1500. Later on you can add the dispensor. Review. When you start doing accuracy loads, you will be glad you spent the money up front.
I have a Chargemaster and it greatly speeds up the process compared to trickling and beam scales.
I wish I wasn’t on my 4th unit …
I have the Dillon beam scale, it was like 50 bucks or something.
You have a 550 and in my experience with mine the powder measure is dead nuts on in over 2500 rounds loaded. Once its set, its set. So for me having a scale that is quick, doesnt matter. I only use it once per loading session or a few times when I am changing powders or what not. I am not using it every 10 rounds when I get cranking like some guys do(I did for about the first 500-700 rounds) since I dont feel its needed since I trust my powder measure.
If I had a separate powder drop and a single stage press, I would probably have an expensive digital, but I dont.
That sucks. Two years and still running fine on my first.
Here’s the breakdown:
On the first one, I messed up the keypad. I was willing to pay for it’s repair, but they just replaced it. Thank You RCBS!
The 2nd one had the middle row of number keys reported what the right row value was. If you pushed “2”, a “3” was actually input.
The 3rd died after it’s first power-on.
The latest is running OK, but I haven’t given it much of a work out.
I’d still buy one, because RCBS Customer Service is great, and they still have the best product out there.
Thanks for the insight… I just bought a RCBS 5-0-2 scale from Sportman’s Warehouse. I just opened it up and can not for the life of me get it to zero. Before I take it back I wanna make sure I’m not an idiot… I have both things set to zero and I’ve tried to use the leveling leg.
Ok so in the middle of typing this I was messing with the scale, picked it up and set it back down and now its actually working… I didn’t change anything else… it just started tor work… Anyone have a problem like this happen with a new scale?
It was on a level (or close to it) table, right?
yea its on my bench… I checked it with a level when I built it… and its the exact same place I had picked it up from… I dunno maybe I did somethin and just don’t know it…
Sometimes they just get hungup on the pointer or the fulcrum. I usually make sure mine swings free before trying to zero it.
I think once you get pluggin with the 550 you will see that the powder measure stays pretty damn consistent and you wont be using the scale much at all except at the beginning of your reloading session to make sure nothing changed from last time or when you change a setting. But as long as you are sticking with what ever setting you had last time(and you confirm it prior to start) I have not found that I felt the need to measure every 10th round. Now with that said, since you are new to it, I would be(I did) measure every 10th round for at least 500-750 rounds to make sure you are comfortable with your powder measure throwing a consistent, accurate load.
must have been that…
HELL YEA I am going to measure every 10th round for awhile… I’m not really worried but I am going to really cautious and follow all the steps… I can’t wait to shoot my first round and get that over with… too bad they don’t make 25 foot lanyards for rifles like they do for howitzers…
What .223 dies did you get? The dillon dies? I ended up getting another tool head for the de-prime/size die since you have to do that with lube, then clean the lube off the case’s, then do the rest of the steps with no lube. Some guys I guess do it all in one step with the lube on the case’s, but I prefer to clean them in before actually loading. I also have the Dillon electric trimmer on the same tool head as the size/deprime die. Might be something to consider once you start into it, or at least do a ton of case’s where you size/deprime only then clean them, and then start actually loading them.
What kind of loads have you looked at?
I have had good success using 25g of H335 behind a 55g FMJ bullet using small rifle magnum primers. It was a load I found a ton of guys using when I was researching base loads for .223.
I got dillon dies and I was actually wondering about the whole lube thing… like what lube to use and how that works with everything. I had thought about maybe running the brass through and just de-priming and resizing with one pass then finish everything off with a second but I’m not sure. I haven’t really looked too much into loads just yet. I still need to get a couple manuals, primers, bullets and powder.
That’s pretty much what I do, Resize, deprime, remove from the machine at station#2.
trim if needed, tumble to remove lube (I use Dillon lube,) Back at the press, when I’m ready to load the brass, I remove the sizing die (I have a locking ring on it so I don’t lose my adjustments)and install a universial depriming die, this will punch out any media that may be stuck in the flash hole, prime and finish loading…
the only downside I see to doing it this way is there seems to be a need then for at least two tool heads and then a bunch of other extra dies per caliber… I plan to do more than .223 once I get the hang of things. I want to eventually do .308, .45, 9mm, and .40. That’s five calibers total mean at least 10 tool heads plus I dunno how many dies… just doesn’t seem very economical… does seem like a nice way to do things though. I have a feeling I’m just going to have to do some experimentation to see what works best for me…
My process is done in separate stages. I keep a Redding T-7 with decap and sizing dies for my most plentiful calibers. (The others are kept in Hornady Lock-N-Load bushings for swapping out in a single stage press.) I clean/lube/decap/size/trim/re-clean in batches and then store the brass until I’m ready to load. I actually have a shelf built to hold plastic tubs for each of the stages so there is no question of what condition they are in. I pull the brass from the range bag directly to the tumbler so there is always something to be loaded. Dillon lube is used on everything. I have a side cover from an old PC case that I spray down with lube and then sift the clean brass in.
With the Dillon, you could spend the money and do it all in one, but for myself at least, I look at the processing and loading as two individual functions and don’t try to find one magic tool that will handle it all from cradle to grave.
Why would you need 10 tool heads for 5 calibers?
Pistol reloading does not require lube and does not require trimming just load and go.
For the rifle stuff you can simply remove the size/decapping die from the tool head when you are ready to actually load. The adjustment of that die is so simple it takes like 2 seconds(raise the ram, screw the die down till it touches the shell plate, back off slightly, lower the ram, throw a lubed case in, raise the ram, tighten down the die).
You can size/de-prime a bunch of brass at a time, you just would not index the shell plate, just size/deprime and remove the case for cleaning.
You could also load with the sizing die there, just put in a prep’d case, seat the primer and index the shell plate, then raise the ram. You would only be using 3 stations out of the 4, but thats fine since you already sized/de-primed earlier.
thanks yea I forgot that pistol cases didn’t require as much work… I just de-primed a bunch of brass and started the cleaning process…
Back to scales, I recommend a RCBS 10-10, or the chargemaster, but you have to be aware that Florescent light will affect electronic scales if located in the area.