My Lee balance scale has given me enough false readings and ruined a whole batch of MK 262 clone loads that I am fed up with it. I made my mind up on getting a new scale and I was looking at the Hornady GS 1500. I will admit I am kinda hinky on a digital scale but I am sure that anything that has Hornady on it it should be GTG, plus the price is right. Anyone have any experience with it? Any recommendations on a new scale? I really like to keep it under $100.
- Thread starter GhostFace
- Start date
I also started with the Lee, moved to an RCBS 5-0-5. While both worked for me (when used in conjunction with RCBS calibration weights), the RCBS is lots easier to use and read. It's hard to keep the little calibration wheel from moving - it should really be under tension - and pressing the pin in to hold at a weight ias not easy to do, especially when I can't really see the little white lines through the holes lol.
I also have the Hornady GS1500, and it doesn't flutter, mostly gives repeatable readings and when it doesn't its by 0.1gr which is OK I suppose . . . but I keep going back to the RCBS because I trust the scale at the charge I am looking for, and . . .:
Like most digital scales, GS1500 calibration is at much higher weights than we use, and when it doesn't give readings that match my little calibration weights there's not much I can do except "hold" high or low to compensate. It also turns off automatically when not in use, and maybe I missed it but there's no way to adjust the length of time it will stay on. That's pretty annoying when I tare the scale for an empty-primed case and come back with it filled with powder and the scale has turned off. There are workarounds of course, but still. When considering the price, its a pretty good scale.
I've got a GemPro 250 coming tomorrow (Merry late Christmas to me) because I *want* a good digital scale, and the GemPro has been given good reviews. So we'll see lol. It's a little over your price range at $122 through Amazon at least.
I also have the Hornady GS1500, and it doesn't flutter, mostly gives repeatable readings and when it doesn't its by 0.1gr which is OK I suppose . . . but I keep going back to the RCBS because I trust the scale at the charge I am looking for, and . . .:
Like most digital scales, GS1500 calibration is at much higher weights than we use, and when it doesn't give readings that match my little calibration weights there's not much I can do except "hold" high or low to compensate. It also turns off automatically when not in use, and maybe I missed it but there's no way to adjust the length of time it will stay on. That's pretty annoying when I tare the scale for an empty-primed case and come back with it filled with powder and the scale has turned off. There are workarounds of course, but still. When considering the price, its a pretty good scale.
I've got a GemPro 250 coming tomorrow (Merry late Christmas to me) because I *want* a good digital scale, and the GemPro has been given good reviews. So we'll see lol. It's a little over your price range at $122 through Amazon at least.
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Buy once, cry once... 
Denver Instruments Pi 603D Pinnacle Series 0 01g 600G Analytic Scale New | eBay
Definitely a great scale. Sell the wife and kids and get one, you won't regret it.
just razzin' and tweakin' the glitterati... I like beam scales, they've always worked well for me.
Denver Instruments Pi 603D Pinnacle Series 0 01g 600G Analytic Scale New | eBay
Definitely a great scale. Sell the wife and kids and get one, you won't regret it.
just razzin' and tweakin' the glitterati... I like beam scales, they've always worked well for me.
Buy once, cry once...
Denver Instruments Pi 603D Pinnacle Series 0 01g 600G Analytic Scale New | eBay
Definitely a great scale. Sell the wife and kids and get one, you won't regret it.
just razzin' and tweakin' the glitterati... I like beam scales, they've always worked well for me.
Holy crap! If 2K+ is out of the budget. Thank goodness Dan was just kidding. I like the RCBS chargemaster. I got it for like around the $280 range and thought that was a lot of coin to drop, but I've been very pleased with it. I use it for those powders that don't meter well , a.k.a varget, for my precision rifle reloads, and for when I'm working up a load.
For the money the A&D FX xxx I series is probably the best you can get.
Repeatable measurements down to a 0.001 g, so it can measure single kernels.
Also the Sartorius AY series is worth the money if you can still find one,costs a little less then the A&D as they've recently stopped making them they are not easy to find though.
Balances.com is usually worth checking too as they have good prices on scales in general.
If you want the best a analythical scale is the thing, Sartorius with parts counting and intergal calibration , costs close 3000 for the cheaper models.
Repeatable measurements down to a 0.001 g, so it can measure single kernels.
Also the Sartorius AY series is worth the money if you can still find one,costs a little less then the A&D as they've recently stopped making them they are not easy to find though.
Balances.com is usually worth checking too as they have good prices on scales in general.
If you want the best a analythical scale is the thing, Sartorius with parts counting and intergal calibration , costs close 3000 for the cheaper models.
give these guys a call and they get you the best bang for the buck
Affordable Scales & Balances - Huge Selection and Great Prices on Top Quality, Name Brand Scales and Balances
the customer service guy is a reloader and was a huge help
i learned a lot from him
Affordable Scales & Balances - Huge Selection and Great Prices on Top Quality, Name Brand Scales and Balances
the customer service guy is a reloader and was a huge help
i learned a lot from him
Total faith in my Dillon/Ohaus $75+/- beam scale. I bought this after my highly touted digital refused to give me repeatable measurements.
Digital may work for some but in my case lights, cell phones or whatever didnt let it happen for me. I like my beam.
Digital may work for some but in my case lights, cell phones or whatever didnt let it happen for me. I like my beam.
The RCBS Chargemaster has worked well for me for 9 or 10 years. I also have an old Ohaus 10 10 scale that works great if you don't mind being off a tenth plus or minus. Beam scales are great if you want a backup for your digital. You can buy the scale out of the Chargemaster combo separately however the Hornady one you are looking at is probably just as good.
M
milo 2.0
Guest
Yep....
Stu'
You likey?
Thinking about pulling the plug on one, wont that be a fuckin rodeo with 2 Chargemasters!
M
milo 2.0
Guest
If you could swing your budget a little, the RCBS 10-10 has been the best beam on the reloading market for years. 160.00. Not sure of the price, but Pacific makes a nice cast scale, just doesn't feel cheap.
The RCBS Ohaus scales are good scales in the 100 dollar range... the 1010 is a bit more money, but is a very nice unit. I still use an old 502 that works very well.
As for accuracy... if you find that loading to the nearest tenth of a grain is necessary for your load recipe, you are shooting a non-optimal load--plain and simple. You can win matches and accumulate trophies with non-optimal loads, but you've got to jump thru plenty of hoops to do it.
An OCW load will allow you to vary .2 grains up or down from the center charge weight and you'll never see the difference on the target. And again--if you *do* see the difference, you're using the wrong powder charge.
Electronic scales are fine, but I believe in keeping it simple with a decent beam scale. In fact, get a second beam scale and double check the powder charge from time to time throughout the load process. You can really over-spend on reloading gear if you want to. Buy what you need; buy what works... but don't polish the apple. It won't taste any better in the end...
Dan
Hell yeah I like it. My ES is always in the single digits if I'm chronying. 2 chargemasters is exactly what I'm using then weighing. You'd be surprised how far the chargemasters drift. Makes those realllly long shots a little easier knowing that your mv is pretty much the same with every batch.
I second Aimsmall, thanks to his post I jumped on a discounted A & D Much better than strain gauge style scales. I have tried a tuned ohaus, gempro and charge master...I now dump a little low with a Lee PPM and trickle up with Omega trickler. It's not a Prometheus but it's as fast an accurate as I have ever loaded. It's neat to see the scale register a single kernel.
Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
I was concerned with my RCBS 5-0-5 scale giving me fluctuating readings recently so I bought a GemPro 250 a few weeks ago from oldwillknottscales.com. It has really good reviews and it is on sale for $114.81 plus shipping. I started using it this week, it is simple to use and I am satisfied with the quality.
SWThomas, I also have a Dillon. It is VERY wind and breeze, BREATHING sensitive!!! I have a love hate relationship with it. lol. With that said... it is great for weight sorting primers and bullets fast! My RCBS 10/10 and 505 scales were both off by 1/10 th gr each. I borrowed a friends scale, with my Dillon, decided on .204 cal 40gr sorted bullets. from there, I counter drilled the existing holes in my 505 scale until it matched the other 4 scales. Basically, tweaking the counter weight by 1/10th gr. Now, my 10/10 and 505 RCBS scales are dead on without sending them out for tweaking. Just be careful how much material you remove. If to much is removed, you need to add lead shot to your cup holder to "balance" the beam once again. (the aluminum cup below the brass powder pan has lead shot in there to "balance the scale" just remove the philips screw and you'll see what I'm talking about)
When weighing my charges, I "Blow" on the cup. This gently moves the powder cup to truely balance the powder charge. And If I don't....guess what.....1gr off! So, gently blow on the cup, not enough to blow powder out of the brass cup, but enough to move the actuator arm. This allows the magnets to do their work to equalize the beam to zero if the charge is perfect.
I'm adding pics to show how I tweaked my scale a bit. I used a Smith Knife Sharpener(diamond cut) to bring the balance knifes on the beam to a sharp point! You must clean DUST out of the Quartz crystals and keep the beam posts SHARP! Otherwise, false readings every time. Make sure your beam is straight and the copper coated steel is perfectly centered between the magnets. Adjust as necessary. I have adjusted and tweaked USA and Mexico made scales. If they are tweaked right and cared for properly, will serve you great for years to come.
EDIT: my friend with the scales had a 50 gr weight to zero the scales with.
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I was a bit confused on this. Your RCBS scales were off by 0.1gr weighing what? and compared to what?
Those (my 10-10 and 505) were compared to a 50 grain(not gram) test weight and three other scales. Mine just happened to be a touch light on dialing in from the factory. No big deal since they always measured consistently. I probably could have removed lead shot from the counter balance to make it easier! Hind site is 20/20 right? lol. Live and learn i guess.
"I'm adding pics to show how I tweaked my scale a bit. I used a Smith Knife Sharpener(diamond cut) to bring the balance knifes on the beam to a sharp point! You must clean DUST out of the Quartz crystals and keep the beam posts SHARP! Otherwise, false readings every time. Make sure your beam is straight and the copper coated steel is perfectly centered between the magnets. Adjust as necessary. I have adjusted and tweaked USA and Mexico made scales. If they are tweaked right and cared for properly, will serve you great for years to come. "
I have been using that trick for about 20 years now, keeping your pivots clean and burr free is important for consistency.
I use denatured alcohol to clean the bearings with.
I have been using that trick for about 20 years now, keeping your pivots clean and burr free is important for consistency.
I use denatured alcohol to clean the bearings with.
SWThomas...I do sort my primers into two batches. It seemed to help with extreme accuracy, ever so slightly. Does it really help? who knows. But I'm an accuracy nut. I do sort my GM205M's into 3.6g and 3.7gr lots. On that Dillon, I can sit down for an episode of Walking Dead and sort out at least 5 packs of primers. I'd never want to sort them on a beam scale! I usually end up about 60/40 heavy to light primers. I still believe the heavier primers will pop hotter, slightly more compound in the cup.
Like I said, who really knows without testing equipment to really tell. I mainly do it for peace of mind when shooting for groups. Just removed one more possibility from the equation that causes occasional flyers. My dad still thinks I'm crazy!
Like I said, who really knows without testing equipment to really tell. I mainly do it for peace of mind when shooting for groups. Just removed one more possibility from the equation that causes occasional flyers. My dad still thinks I'm crazy!
This is a popular and reliable pocket scale among jewelers. Will give you 0.05 grains precision!!
Jennings / JScale JSVG 20 Digital Jewelry Scale
Amazon.com: Jennings JSVG-20 Compact Digital Jewelry Scale: Office Products
Specially good for average loads. Not good for 50 bmg zeroing on the empty case. Too sensitive for that much weight too.
Jennings / JScale JSVG 20 Digital Jewelry Scale
Amazon.com: Jennings JSVG-20 Compact Digital Jewelry Scale: Office Products
Specially good for average loads. Not good for 50 bmg zeroing on the empty case. Too sensitive for that much weight too.
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M
milo 2.0
Guest
My dad still thinks I'm crazy!
I'm not quite sure your Dad is alone in that assumption!
