New balance from Cambridge Environmental

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wheelgun

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I am a 1000 yard competitive shooter (while at least some times competitive) and always looking to eliminate another variable. While in Phoenix I discussed various options for an affordable balance with the top shooters at the US Nationals. I know there are more expensive scales but this one is quite popular with the top shooters. To my surprise I found that all who use this scale order it from Cambridge in Canada. The only thing I am going to do is get a clear plexi glass top. The top is required because you will be weighing your breath or the air every time the furnace starts. Also, from what I can find out, lots of shooters drill a hole through the side panel to stick the trickler rod through.

Up to this point I was using a chargemaster and since getting this balance I have found it is just as fast to bring out the old RCBS powder throw and use the Omega trickler to take it to the load I want. Ordering experience from Cambridge was excellent and I was set up in less than a week, I ordered the 100 gram calibration weight as well. I got two of the tricklers directly from the builder Stan Pittman while in Phoenix. The trickler works by vibration and delivers one kernel of Varget at a time. You can order directly from him, he will ship to Canada or Sinclair (if they will ship to us). I had trouble getting an order through from Sinclair while in Phoenix and when I discussed it with shooters there they said just to meet up with Stan in Phoenix and he will bring how ever many you need.

I know $525.00 seems a little steep but the Chargemaster is parked for now so it may be an option instead for those starting out.

Here is the link for the balance:

http://cambridgeenviro.com/productD...-A-D-5-Year-Warranty-Top-Loading-Balance-5110

I put some white material behind the setup for picture contrast. Not sure why the tubing micrometer is in the picture.

I am now loading capable of measuring to 1/100th of a grain and found the chargemaster was not as accurate as I though it was.

 
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I have been thumping the chest on these for about 2 years,

they are one of the most economical and yet best force restoration (sp) scales on the market,

a copuple of ears ago in the USA you had to give a 100 buck deposit to get on the list,

THEY WORK GREAT you will be amazed,


I use the RCBS on a taller table and get the powder charge weight close,

then transfer the pan to the FX120i and trickle with the fingers the last few kernels, works for me and the cycle rate is about right as I look out over my vast holdings of land (OK over the valley and the river which I imagine I own)

I also load the powder into VIALS glass for taking to the range if loading at the range is necessary (short range Br for the weekend match or maybe to a large f-class match in case I have to reload for one gun) (need more f-class brass)

buy once and it is a KEEPER

Jefferson

( the price whjen I started was 400 as they ordered a bunch in for the ontario schools who then said no but had a big deposit so they discounted the scales a bit and then they became popular)

a most excellent post and one that should become a sticky as a lot of guys think the 50 dollar digital scales are the answer NOT
 
Bit the bullet last year and it has been a great investment.

I use mine without the wind screens. I am in a room with the vents closed. Air is stable and readings are solid.

Give it a try unless you have constant air moving around you can't control. People walking around is BAD!!!!

Also, keep a clean electrical supply to the scale. A UPS or similar to get rid of the peaks and noise will help alot.

For those without this type of budget, the Gempro 250 is a decent scale for less then 1/2. It is fussy and the drifting eventually is a pain (noisy electrical is a huge part of this problem). Not a bad place to be BEFORE moving to the FX-120i.

Bye bye chargemaster...

I gave up on my Redding BR30 powder measure. Now using the LEE Powder scoop. Gets me surprisingly close and trickle in the rest... FAST.

Jerry
 
wheelgun, thanks for the good post (a polite way of saying "damn you for posting this, this is probably going to cost me a lot of $$$!" ;-)

Tell me a bit about your process. Do you throw a charge from your measure into the pan, and then put the pan onto the scale? Or do you throw a charge into a piece of brass, then dump the charge into the pan (already on the scale)?

How fast does this scale update its display? Is it near-real-time (say, more than ten updates per second), or is there a bit of delay or settling time needed from when you add some powder to the pan to when you are sure what the current charge weight it?
 
I zero pan on balance, drop charge on pan within a couple of tenths and tricked to hundredth of a grain. There is just very slight lag on balance so stop tricking couple hundredth from desired. After first twenty loads you get on to when to stop. With this method I am finding it just as fast as the charge master but "weigh" more accurate.

On the trickler you slide the yellow sleeve further away from hopper to slow flow. As shown it is dropping individual kernels of powder.

I put the material behind to enhance contrast and eliminate confusing background clutter but now that you mention it, it does look like a pile of snow.

I am going to attempt to build larger plexi glass shield to cover all of the scale. With an opening for my hand. I find the shield opening a little small for my big paws. I am not prepared to work without it and it eliminates any dust contamination when not in use.
 
How fast does this scale update its display? Is it near-real-time (say, more than ten updates per second), or is there a bit of delay or settling time
Click to expand...

There is just very slight lag on balance so stop tricking couple hundredth from desired
Click to expand...

There is a setting in the scale to switch from slow (stable) to fast (less stable) sampling. The scale comes from the factory set to slow mode. If you are trickling, have a look in the manual and see about adjusting it to fast mode.
 
I wasted my money on a p.o.s JemPro and a Lyman gen 6. no more electronics, stick with a good balance beam.
 
There's a big difference between toys made for the reloading market, and a real balance made for commercial use, which this is.

I find it reacts quick enough as it comes but is adjustable, I only dump the power with a measuring spoon and pinch the last few kernels in.

There is No need to calibrate and fuss with that for our reloading use, which is worth saying it doesn't come with a Calibration weight and if you do purchase one it needs to be ASTM class 0, 1 or 2 at worse($100+)
Trying to Calibrate it with the cheap weights(class 5-7 usually) that come with toy scales will just screw things up, so don't do that!


You Can use a cheaper weight if only to check that it reads the same from zero/start up with repeatability, but not to calibrate it. So say you have a 100g class 7, you start your scale which reads 0.000, you put it on it may read 100.030g. If it always reads that, fine. If one day you put it on and it reads 150g, maybe something is wrong.
 
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SND said:
You Can use a cheaper weight if only to check that it reads the same from zero/start up with repeatability, but not to calibrate it. So say you have a 100g class 7, you start your scale which reads 0.000, you put it on it may read 100.030g. If it always reads that, fine. If one day you put it on and it reads 150g, maybe something is wrong.
Click to expand...

I do calibrate mine at the start of every reloading session, and I use one of the cheaper weights to do it. I'm not particularly worried if the weight isn't exactly what it claims to be; only that its weight doesn't change from session to session. So, even though I think I am using 23.7 gr for a load when I'm actually using 23.8 gr or whatever (because my calibration weight is off by a few thousandths or hundredths of a gram), I'm always loading the same amount.
 
Being in the precision world, to me that's a crime...
It does get the job done as it is just reloading and we mainly need fine repeatability over exact weight.. but still... there is no reason at all to do the calibration sequence each time with these scales. It isn't like the toy scales that have to be calibrated every 5-10 rounds because they keep drifting and next thing you know you're off by a grain.

You would be better off to take that cheap weight, put it on a brand new (not messed with) scale, see what it reads, then file it down to match say 100.000 if it was on the plus side(I did that with mine). But I still wouldn't use it other than to put on top to make sure it reads ok/repeats over its range and detect any major malfunction.
 
Is the Omega trickler available in Canada? or have to bring it across the line?......looks like Sinclair doesn't carry them anymore, although I'm sure they're available direct, or other American retailers.
Just wondering about domestic availability.
 
SND said:
there is no reason at all to do the calibration sequence each time with these scales. It isn't like the toy scales that have to be calibrated every 5-10 rounds because they keep drifting and next thing you know you're off by a grain.

You would be better off to take that cheap weight, put it on a brand new (not messed with) scale, see what it reads, then file it down to match say 100.000 if it was on the plus side(I did that with mine). But I still wouldn't use it other than to put on top to make sure it reads ok/repeats over its range and detect any major malfunction.
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Weeeeeeell I don't have the room to dedicate to this scale with a heavy table and a big block of marble under it so I have to move it to take it out and put it away each time. It's just a about two feet from the back of the table to the front but I do have to re-adjust the level. The manual says to calibrate it on initial setup (before first use) and each time you move it..
 
jfarrell said:
I have one and love it. I use my Chargemaster to throw the initial charge and weigh on the FX120i. Very fast and accurate
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I do this too, but I'm seriously thinking about moving back to a powder thrower and a trickler, since I generally have to trickle a little bit on most charges anyway. This week I'm experimenting with a Hornady Quick Trickler to see if it's faster than using the Charge Master and then trickling afterward.
 
I use the chargemaster to say dispense 28.6 grains and on the fx it is about 28.55 or so

then I trickle with my fingers the extra few kernels to bring it up to 28.62 grains for a 6PPC

does not take very long

THE IDEA BEING to get the first powder dump close then you just have a few (10-15) kernels at the most to bring it up to the desired charge weight

easy peasy

and fun

Jefferson
 
I have had mine for. Year and love it - huge improvement over my age pro .... Now what to do with my unopened charge master that I purchased but it's still packed in the box because I use my Lee thrower ( better accuracy the RCBS thrower) and I use an Omega electric trickles - for me is works quite fast
 
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