Single stage press vs. progressive?

kombayotch said:
When I come across at $400 magnetic force restoration scale, that I've seen credible test results for, I will snap it up. The description of the FX-120i on some of the sites selling it states: "If you are an obsessive competition shooter and need powder weight to the absolute kernel then you probably need to buy the Sartorius GD503."

If you're going to be obsessive, you might as well go the length...
Click to expand...

Yes BUT

I bought the FX120i and then GOT A BAT ACTION FOR FREE OR MAYBE 2 BARRELS OR MAYBE A SIGHTRON


you get the picture for 1600 US dollars and shipping and so on the FX120i is a bargain for magnetic force etc


the FX and a bat action is the cost of the GD503


so I chose to spend my money on the FX which I can see one kernel make a change on the readout,


it took my 5 years to find a price on this quality of scale (and I got a backup one) so I am pumped,


and Mystic is correct I can see a difference .02 ( two hundreths of a grain) make a difference in loading OVER ONE TENTH OF A

GRAIN on 100 and 200 yard benchrest targets,

I found that even thouh I am a average at best shooter my preparation has taken me a long ways,

SOME if not most of my accomplishments have been by paying attention to details and not my skill level (smallest group at 200 yards at 2006 NBRSA USA nationals, 4th world championship team event in Vienna Austria, and others , not to brag most of my friends outshoot me all day long)


until you load in PRECISE one-tenth increments and test in the morning in dead calm without mirage YOU REALLY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOUR GUN WILL OR WILL NOT DO


Humbly spoken to assist others,

Jefferson
 
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I would put a 5 year old Vibra HT series against a 5 year old GD503 any time, but I will admit that I am now picking nickels.

Vibra drifts less due to voltage variations and as I said above is more tolerant of dust such as gun powder.

Oh ya, I forgot to mention that the Vibra automatically calibrates itself when you turn it on. It has internal calibration.

Besides the Vibra HT is slightly less expensive than GD503. You can purchase either of them from Balance Canada. He sells both brands.

http://www.vibra.co.jp/global/pdf/catalogue/HT_catalogue.pdf
 
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I received the FX-120i today, very nice scale and easily picks up 1 kernel, quickly and zero drift. It will definitely reduce my reloading time. I can see why they usually go for almost twice that price. Not that it'll help much with my shooting when I'm off a whole revolution on the scope... but eh, gotta start somewhere. Thanks again for mentioning this great deal Jefferson.
 
I have the FX-320i and have tested it against the tuning fork scales and other magnetic force restoration scales we use in our production and labs I am confident the FX-320i scale is accurate. Yes the tuning fork scale does read 3 decimal places but is very sensitive to noise/vibration during taring and calibration! Not a huge deal as there are ways to isolate the scale.
I pain $600 delivered to my door tax in from a supplier in Ontario it was actually a better price than I could find state side.
 
Reading this thread can make me poor but it humbles me
that there are a lot of things that I didn't know especially loading match ammo.

All along I thought that the best scales are RCBS or LYMAN, not until I read all the post here.
Thanks to all the good guys who've shared their knowledge for all to benefit.
 
I use my 550B for all my precision loads. The only step I skip is the powder throw. I use a RCBS Chargemaster for my powder dispensing. Other than that there is no reason you can't get good quality & ACCURATE handloads from a progressive machine.

One of the other important things is quality dies... many progressive machines come with dies that are ok for mass produced ammo but the tolerances *may* be lacking for real precise loads..

The other big advantage is that you use the same machine for all your handloads incl pistol without the added expense of a second machine or limited space.

YMMV
 
tammy said:
Reading this thread can make me poor but it humbles me
that there are a lot of things that I didn't know especially loading match ammo.

All along I thought that the best scales are RCBS or LYMAN, not until I read all the post here.
Thanks to all the good guys who've shared their knowledge for all to benefit.
Click to expand...

x2 - Here I was all proud & excited to be starting reloading, Truly Humbled by what I have yet to learn and thankful that people are willing to share.
 
Wow! When I asked what I thought wads fairly simple question I wasn't prepared for the overwhelming amount if info I got! Sadly my bank account isn't ready either!

Thanks for the info guys. I'll obviously have to make a scale upgrade among other things. I'm using an old ohaus 10-10 balance beam now. I think if I really take my time is pretty repeatable. But obviously not close to what I need to go past 600. I do get the occasional flyer...

And to the "wrong forum" guys. I was pretty clear as to why I posted here and not reloading. To get the precision shooters perspective.

Thanks again guys
 
Anyone interested in a nice success story about what can happen when you use a good scale might enjoy reading this.

Amazing 0.349″ Group at 600 Yards

http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2013/06/amazing-0-349-group-at-600-yards-wagner-shares-his-secrets/


rodwag07.jpg
 
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