. . . The scale is the next item I plan on buying (I hear I may be better off with a beam scale opposed to a digital). . . . Sounds like it's ok to load a few and see how they do.
As said above, the Lee scoop is ok for light loads, and I'm sure you can appreciate those loads will not be as consistent as a good scale might deliver. So cut your rifle some slack if things don't work out in the "tight group" department
As for which scale . . . IMO the bottom line is a GOOD beam scale is the best approach. I think my scale story is all too familiar to many . . .
I started with the Lee scale (~$25) which does not come with a calibration weight, so the only calibration is to "0". This scale WORKS, but the ergonomics are painful . . . the gradations are hard to read, the pin used to hold the scale at a set point is hard to use and often changes the set point, and the calibration dial is so loose it tends to spin out of calibration on it's own
So I bought a Hornady GS1500 digital scale (~$34). it comes with a 100g check weight, so you can calibrate the scale at "0" and at 1,543gr . . . leaving you somewhat in doubt everywhere in between
It does not consistently give the same weight for the same load . . . and the reading often flutters, despite running only on batteries. Finally, in order to save battery life, it shuts itself off very quickly, so if I "tare" a case, fill it with powder, and come back to the scale to weigh the powder . . . the scale is often shut off.
Next stop was a Pact dispenser/scale (~$300 IIRC). Long story short . . . too much fluttering, inconsistent readings for the same load, frequent overshooting/undershooting.
Next came the RCBS 5-0-5 ($93) and a set of RCBS check weights (~$31)
. Now I could zero the scale, and see what it said at a load very close if not exactly the load I actually wanted
(BTW, this is the setup - or the Lee scale + check weights if budget requires - that I would recommend to start with.) Not perfectly consistent, but boy it "guessed" the weight of each of my check weights very very well.
As a digital die-hard I couldn't resist a GemPro 250 (~$125) after reading several glowing reviews. With one exception, it works very very well on batteries, again guessing correctly at each and every check weight I threw at it. Turned the scale off after a 2 hour loading session and came back the next day to a "low battery" signal. Turns out the thing eats batteries like candy! When used on its wall-wart transformer, the scale often but not always exhibits all the fluttering and inconsistencies of other digital scales. The one exception? It does not trickle well, taking long to respond and often building in a cumulative error that you have to be on guard for. But it is very useful in non-trickle situations . . . like "how much does this weigh?" . . . where a beam scale is tedious at best.
So when I want exact charges, I use the Pact to throw 0.1gr low (so it does not overshoot), throw the powder into the RCBS 5-0-5 and use a Redding hand trickler to top it off, then throw it on my GemPro for a final opinion. If/when the scales start to disagree, I re-calibrate and continue on.
This sort of thing is a well-trodden path. Some accept the digital issues knowing their charge is close enough for government work (and safety). Some do not. But for me, a beam scale and a set of USEFUL check weights are indispensable tools. YMMV.
