Reloading again after 7 years, but this balance beam is irritating me!!

Mike112288

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I’m back into reloading now. For my 223. Using a Redding balance beam this time. 7 years ago I used a 50$ Hornady digital scale. Not feeling safe using a cheap scale. Any recommendations to a scale that’s fast and accurate?? Weighing the powder has been taking me waaaaay too long this way!!
 
My cost effective solution was to buy a set of lee dippers and use the closest size to my load and use a trickled to bring it up to a full charge. Way faster than random spoons but of course not as fast as an auto trickler.
 
Over the winter, I sold my RCBS Chargemaster and a whole lot of other excess items to help fund the purchase of this beauty in early spring.

Super fast and super accurate !
For sh#ts and giggles, you can sit there with a pair of tweezers, and measure individual kernels of extruded power...the scale is so sensitive you will se it go up 0.02 grains for every kernel of varget

By once... cry once.
Half measures cost twice as much.

 
I use two electronic scales ...my Lyman Gen 6 powder dispenser.....then double check it on my Dillon terminator 3rd Gen scale....
And anywhere from .... .1 off ...sometime.2 off
 
I’m back into reloading now. For my 223. Using a Redding balance beam this time. 7 years ago I used a 50$ Hornady digital scale. Not feeling safe using a cheap scale. Any recommendations to a scale that’s fast and accurate?? Weighing the powder has been taking me waaaaay too long this way!!

Speeding up your reloading process and keeping it accurate is usually a costly exercise.

Chargemaster 1500 is an option
GemPro 250 is an option

 
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Over the winter, I sold my RCBS Chargemaster and a whole lot of other excess items to help fund the purchase of this beauty in early spring.

Super fast and super accurate !
For sh#ts and giggles, you can sit there with a pair of tweezers, and measure individual kernels of extruded power...the scale is so sensitive you will se it go up 0.02 grains for every kernel of varget

By once... cry once.
Half measures cost twice as much.


Great minds think alike, I sold my Dillon yrs ago, so I was back to "square one" and this made all the sense in the world, especially if you want to shoot >1000 with any degree of accuracy.
Glad to see your a neighbor as well, :cheers:
 
Great minds think alike, I sold my Dillon yrs ago, so I was back to "square one" and this made all the sense in the world, especially if you want to shoot >1000 with any degree of accuracy.
Glad to see your a neighbor as well, :cheers:

Great minds indeed...
Agreed, I compete in F Class at Nokomis SK.
So unless I'm developing loads locally at Pilot Butte Range, virtually all of my shooting is 800 - 1,000 yards.
 
Great minds indeed...
Agreed, I compete in F Class at Nokomis SK.
So unless I'm developing loads locally at Pilot Butte Range, virtually all of my shooting is 800 - 1,000 yards.

Cool, well I may contact you in the near future, I"m starting with my 300WM and have a goal of trying the "mile" shot if I can? Just waiting on the Autotrickler and a press at the moment.
Stay safe
 
I’m back into reloading now. For my 223. Using a Redding balance beam this time. 7 years ago I used a 50$ Hornady digital scale. Not feeling safe using a cheap scale. Any recommendations to a scale that’s fast and accurate?? Weighing the powder has been taking me waaaaay too long this way!!
Mechanical powder measure is quick and accurate enough for shooting out to several hundred yards. A good, accurate electronic scale can be had for under $500, an accurate, FAST electronic scale will be double that and more.

For my shooting with milsurps and most of my hunting and handgun ammo, a mechanical measure is perfect. A Lyman model 55 measure is still under $100 last time I looked at them.
 
You can have the most accurate and expensive scales on the planet. "BUT" if you do not check the case capacity of every case the chamber pressures will still vary. The diffrence between the top case at 30.6 case capacity and the bottom case at 28.0 is 5,000 psi with the same charge of H335.

Below various case capacities of .223/5.56 cases.

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Below various case weight variations between brands of .223/5.56 cases. The bottom Winchester cases vary 6.5 grains in weight and expensive scales will not fix the wide range of case capacities. I use a RCBS Charge Master that is fast and accurate enough for the average reloader. And if you are not shooting at 1000 yards and checking each and every case for capacity/volume a super costly scale is not needed. On the flip side if you have an expensive custom made rifle then costly scales "MAY" help depending on how you prep your cases.

PExmCCk.jpg
 
You can have the most accurate and expensive scales on the planet. "BUT" if you do not check the case capacity of every case the chamber pressures will still vary.
Below various case capacities of .223/5.56 cases.

Very good advice.

I have two electronic scales (RCBS), both excellent and repeatable scales but I still have a Redding beam scale to verify, I just can't trust electronics, maybe just me but I feel better spot checking the charges.
BB
 
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