What scale - under $100

C

CourtenayBoy

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I am having a hard time deciding on a scale. I am leaning towards a digital that plugs into ac power but a piece of me feels that a beam scale has an added safety of always being accurate without calibration. I have blown my $1000 budget out of the water by a few hundred already on my whole setup.

What scale do you like, and why? Looking to stay around $100 mark

Thank you all very much for all the help

Mike
 
CourtenayBoy said:
I am having a hard time deciding on a scale. I am leaning towards a digital that plugs into ac power but a piece of me feels that a beam scale has an added safety of always being accurate without calibration. I have blown my $1000 budget out of the water by a few hundred already on my whole setup.

What scale do you like, and why? Looking to stay around $100 mark

Thank you all very much for all the help

Mike
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Used RCBS 505.

It's what I have, works reasonably well. Stabilizes pretty quick. Wish the tray wouldn't swing as much but I just tap it with a powder "shovel". The best thing here is people buy the RCBS Supreme kit and upgrade their scales so you can have one new for dirt cheap. They are like 120 new (not sure why), but you can score a new one for like 40-60 dollars.

Thing is about mechanical is I can trust it. I'd be double guessing an electronic one a lot unless it was very expensive (well above 100).

I have a cheap 60 USD electronic scale and I don't trust it at all. The most I do with it is measure bullets and still know it's not being very accurate.
 
Shibby! said:
Used RCBS 505.

It's what I have, works reasonably well. Stabilizes pretty quick. Wish the tray wouldn't swing as much but I just tap it with a powder "shovel". The best thing here is people buy the RCBS Supreme kit and upgrade their scales so you can have one new for dirt cheap. They are like 120 new (not sure why), but you can score a new one for like 40-60 dollars.

Thing is about mechanical is I can trust it. I'd be double guessing an electronic one a lot unless it was very expensive (well above 100).

I have a cheap 60 USD electronic scale and I don't trust it at all. The most I do with it is measure bullets and still know it's not being very accurate.
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Why are people upgrading? I don't want to have to buy another scale so I may end up having to spend a bit more. The posts will tell........
 
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Get a cheapy jeweler scale off fleaBay for 10 bucks, good to .1 grain (max 10gram). When you are absolutely sure reloading is for you get an RCBS Chargemaster.

Surprisingly my 10 bucks fleaBay scale is within .1 grain of my Chargemaster. Auto dispensing is sweet; use it for max loads on my 44mag and 50. Plinker loads consistency is good enough, for max load don't want to go over.
 
Unfortunately, with scales, you really do get what you pay for. It sounds like Burnaby was lucky. But I bet you a lot of those fleabay scales wander all over the place and aren't too accurate. I have 2 cheap MTM scales (Lebaron double shipped) and one of them is OK but the other one was completely useless from day one. I've had other cheap ones in my archery tool box for years and they rarely last a year. Most of the cheap ones are battery only and for reloading you really do want one that is plug-in that doesn't shut off automatically right when you need it. These tend to be in the over $100 range though.

If you have to start with something cheap, others may have some good recommendations. My suggestion is to save up for a good scale or even better, the Hornady or RCBS automatic powder dispenser.
 
There's a bunch of scales right in the 100 dollar range. 105 to 120 will get you a new rcbc 505 or redding beam scale. You will always need a good beam scale even if you decide to go digital in the future, that way you can always back check if you think you have a problem.
 
I just picked up a digital scale off ebay for $25, states it is accurate down to .03 of a grain. Turns out that is not true, but certainly within the +/- .1gr most cheap digi's are. I also got a RCBS 5-0-2 scale from LeBarons for $85 this weekend, they also have Lyman pro 500's but I liked the RCBS better myself.
 
Ive been using the lee scale and when you get used to it .. well it can be useful then. It states in the manual for it that it is accurate to 1/20th of a grain, which my explain why it takes a while to settle down. It isn't the most durable or easy to use scale but it does seem to be accurate..

edit: downside of the lee is a maximum 110 grain capacity. So checking the weight of your tips isn't gonna happen.
 
Also Used RCBS/OHAUS 5-0-5. Local gun shops have them for $50-60 sometimes. EE they are proably 10 cents let than new plus shipping.

Some people "upgrade" to the electronic RCBS Chargemaster combo and then don't want their balance scale anymore.
 
I use an MTM Case Gard Mini Digital Reloading Scale I bought from Airgun Source. Not the best but a lot better than the beam scale I got with my Lee Classic Cast Turret Kit.
This is also available @ Le Baron and Basspro. A pricematch is possible with a print-out of the listing.
 
CourtenayBoy said:
Why are people upgrading? I don't want to have to buy another scale so I may end up having to spend a bit more. The posts will tell........
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Because people have more money than they care, less time than they want, or more debt than they can pay off.

The 505 being magnetically stabilized settles pretty damn fast. Maybe one-two bounces and it's good. By the time your hand is on the trickler it's already stabilized once you get good at setting the tray down without rocking.

The thing is, unless you want to talk accuracy and repeatability, you won't get that with a digital scale unless you are wanting to spend a HUGE amount of money. Probably 300-400+. The beauty if mechanical is it's cheap to get comparible or better accuracy.

I GUARANTEE that 10$ scale mentioned above DOES NOT have repeatable results, and does not measure accuratly. The display may show the same number but I bet a beam scale will show it's not right. Ever wonder why cheap bathroom scales ALWAYS show the same number when you get back on, yet if you shut it off and jump on the number is never the same? Same thing with electronic scales. Not to mention their zero drifts unless left on all the time, and even then you have to be careful.

I think every good set-up has a good beam scale. The 505 is a good start and will remain part of your kit for a long time, even when you get a expensive digital one.
 
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Shibby! said:
The thing is, unless you want to talk accuracy and repeatability, you won't get that with a digital scale unless you are wanting to spend a HUGE amount of money. Probably 300-400+. The beauty if mechanical is it's cheap to get comparible or better accuracy.
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Says it all !
 
I looked at several in the price point you are talking about and i went with the Dillon, the 1`/ 10's were easier to read IMHO it was $80.00 at P&D. FS
 
Op,
why are you asking here? Aren't these your words from an earlier post in another thread?
CourtenayBoy said:
Too late. Ordered the hornady LnL today. I have the abc's of reloading and Nosler 5th edition. I don't mess around when I want to do something, I do it right, out of the gate. Why would I mess with a single stage when time is limited and I would rather spend more time with the kids and at the range than at the bench. It isn't rocket science and there is a wealth of knowledge on the net as well as local guys willing to show a guy the ropes.
I am happy with my decision and I appreciate that your opinion differs from mine
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If you have such a wealth of local knowledge available to you why aren't you using that? Get some of them to loan you several different scales so you can try them out. Then you would know what is best for you.

CourtenayBoy said:
I don't mess around when I want to do something, I do it right, out of the gate.
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And yet here you are looking for a cheap, hopefully used, scale. I call bullsh!t.
 
I just bought a RCBS 5-0-5 Scale today to replace the Lee Safety Scale I have.

Excellent Scale.

I've been comparing them all day, and the Lee is surprisingly accurate! It's just a little touchy to use.

Hell if you want, send me $ for shipping, and I'll GIVE it to you. As I don't need it anymore (Lee Scale) lol.
 
rookie wildcat said:
Op,
why are you asking here? Aren't these your words from an earlier post in another thread?


If you have such a wealth of local knowledge available to you why aren't you using that? Get some of them to loan you several different scales so you can try them out. Then you would know what is best for you.



And yet here you are looking for a cheap, hopefully used, scale. I call bullsh!t.
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I wish I could understand what made you feel the need to post this and whhat it did for you
 
You'll get that sometimes... Don't take it personally, some guys just don't have anything better to do or offer I guess. Lots of other people on this forum to learn from so don't let that discourage you from asking real world questions.
 
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