Is there a good reloading scale with 0.01/0.02gn accuracy?

M1000 mechanical scale.

I threw away all the electronic junk. I got tired of the bullsh*t recalibration, not trusting it, always finding a different excuse online why a scale could be off (messing with my trust issue) - it is too hot, too cold, could be the lights, the different moon phases, Jupiter and Venus aligning, could be Monday, or maybe Tuesday ...

Seriously, f*ck that noise.
 
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paul73 said:
I just wonder if anybody knows of a reasonably good model, preferably under $200 in price.

Right now i use the one i got with the dillon - not exactly cheap - a $150 scale with 0.1gn accuracy

D-Terminator Electronic Scale (10483): Reloading: Powder Scales

D-Terminator Electronic Scale (10483): Reloading: Powder Scales
www.dillonprecision.com www.dillonprecision.com

But i can tell this thing has a tendency to drift a bit - like a 0.1/0.2gn amount when you repeatedly remeasure same shell with a powder drop multiple times.
If you then reset it to 0, weight up the shell again - it is fixed, but, it is a hassle. I can of course try to escalate and get it replaced, but, dunno if it is worth the fight.

A lot of scales when i read reviews have similar issues, it seems. So i guess it will not hurt to ask about it here, who knows. realistically even the 0.05gn accuracy would probably be enough, as i have a feel this dillon one has a practical accuracy of 0.2gn most likely.
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You're wasting time and money chasing .01g . Your varied casing volume, your varying bullet weights, and your varied neck tension will offset whatever uber- precision powder charge gains you are trying to achieve.
 
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PatMcD said:
Just so I'm clear; you want a reloading scale that measures down to 1 or 2 hundredths of a grain?
Notvreally sure why you'd want one, but I'm sure there are scientific scales that would fit your criteria.
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For Handloading .22LR, long range accuracy.
 
I'm an accuracy nut myself, and I agree with removing even small variables wherever practical. That said, dribbling in 25gr +/- .02 is kind of pointless. That's an error of one part in 1,250. There are so many factors that are worse than 1 in 1,250 that they drown out small charge weight errors. The powder's burn rate from the factory isn't that good, then that rate changes significantly with temperature. Add to that the variations in case neck grip, primer ignition, bullet weight, case volume, etc. I'm happy with +/-0.1gr.
 
HotShot99 said:
For Handloading .22LR, long range accuracy.
Click to expand...
HotShot99 said:
For Handloading .22LR, long range accuracy.
Click to expand...
I would be looking at controlling primer compound if you could.

Along with bullet weight and dia.

Probably better money and time spent heading out to Elly test center and find the best lot for your rifle and then buy 20k rounds or so
Or what ever amount you think tou need to last a few seasons?
 
slap shot said:
Resurrected for this nonsense? 😂
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:)

to get a bit of a useful info - i have this now for a good while, and it indeed works very well, to my own great surprise.

i am confused of what i see now, as it was a $16.99 and now shows at $9.99. but its photo looks exactly like the one i have and use all the time. it is indeed that cheap and it is damn accurate and it does not drift. there is no gurantee of course if they did not swap out the guts and it is not the same item no more.

 
 
EddieCoyle said:
Maybe I'll give this one a little more time.

Note to everyone: If you buy a cheap scale, throw out the batteries that come with it and put in good ones before you use it.
Click to expand...
This.....use good batteries: Energizer Lithium.

On a whim I got a cheaper, smaller Franklin Arsenal scale. Being an engineer(nerd) I did some tests on it and was suprised how good it is. It was accurate over its full range, repeatable, stable with time and temperature, BUT sensitive to battery voltage. Energizer Lithiums change less with temperature and time than other batteries. With those, it's a good scale.

Like with all scales, it likes a fairly level table, keep the weight somewhere in the middle and tap the Tare button occasionally.
 
paul73 said:
To be honest I feel burned enough by paying $150 for Dillon scale to pay $300 to an another brand with no reviews.

Dillon just did today again readings from 25.6 back to 25.1 and I cannot know now if it was powder drop issue or a scale lie. The chrono during shooting will tell the truth, of course. But, it sucks.
Click to expand...
Is your electronic scale near a basement window? Near a furnace blower? You are certain there aren't any air currents affecting your scale?

Have you done any/a lot of research into electromagnetic interference?

What sort of lighting are you using? Are you near any sort of transformer or cheap Chinese ballast resistor (read: flourescent lights)?

Lastly--do you run the Dillon by the power cord or by battery? Put in fresh batteries, warm it up with the power cord, then unplug it from the wall. Does it behave differently? If so there are "line conditioners" you can buy to clean/stabilize dirty electrical power.

One last thought. Instead of buying an expensive scale--maybe get an electric powder trickler, and use the Dillon to double-check your charge weight.

If it's within a tenth, fuggedaboutit.

Frankford Arsenal Intellidropper...

It SERIOUSLY speeds up loading with stick powder. It drops a charge as fast as you can seat a bullet.

If you go that route, wash all removable plastic with warm, soapy water and tape a ground wire to the hopper--it is super static-friendly straight out of the box.

You might also consider carefully removing the scale pedestal, checking for manufacturing swarf, and gently reseating it square.


ETA: You can find the Intellidropper unit for $179 pretty often, and if you didn't know, Cabelas will price-match Amazon and MidwayUSA.

The only thing that sucks is emptying powder--and learning to close the powder drain afterward.
 
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EddieCoyle said:
Maybe I'll give this one a little more time.

Note to everyone: If you buy a cheap scale, throw out the batteries that come with it and put in good ones before you use it.
Click to expand...
Then take them out if its going to sit for any length of time.
 
Warm_Garand said:
Is your electronic scale near a basement window? Near a furnace blower? You are certain there aren't any air currents affecting your scale?

Have you done any/a lot of research into electromagnetic interference?

What sort of lighting are you using? Are you near any sort of transformer or cheap Chinese ballast resistor (read: flourescent lights)?

Lastly--do you run the Dillon by the power cord or by battery? Put in fresh batteries, warm it up with the power cord, then unplug it from the wall. Does it behave differently? If so there are "line conditioners" you can buy to clean/stabilize dirty electrical power.

One last thought. Instead of buying an expensive scale--maybe get an electric powder trickler, and use the Dillon to double-check your charge weight.

If it's within a tenth, fuggedaboutit.

Frankford Arsenal Intellidropper...

It SERIOUSLY speeds up loading with stick powder. It drops a charge as fast as you can seat a bullet.

If you go that route, wash all removable plastic with warm, soapy water and tape a ground wire to the hopper--it is super static-friendly straight out of the box.

You might also consider carefully removing the scale pedestal, checking for manufacturing swarf, and gently reseating it square.


ETA: You can find the Intellidropper unit for $179 pretty often, and if you didn't know, Cabelas will price-match Amazon and MidwayUSA.

The only thing that sucks is emptying powder--and learning to close the powder drain afterward.
Click to expand...
I just went through this with a friend.
Gave him my old hornady scale that came with my press. Its fine except the back light. Its a blue hue and i cant see the read the display. Anyway I noticed real quick it did not like the old transformer florescent lights. It would almost pulse in sink with any fluctuation in the light
My friend said the scale was wrong a lot. I asked him about the lights in his basement , yup ancient florescents….. he had some LED lights installed and it seems better now.
 
I cant speak to its absolute accuracy but I picked up the Gen6 lyman compact on special from brownells when it first came out for like $129. Its a bit slow but no issues yet. I like the small foot print.
My reloading bench is only 18” deep by 32” wide it sits snug in the corner just right.
 
mac1911 said:
I just went through this with a friend.
Gave him my old hornady scale that came with my press. Its fine except the back light. Its a blue hue and i cant see the read the display. Anyway I noticed real quick it did not like the old transformer florescent lights. It would almost pulse in sink with any fluctuation in the light
My friend said the scale was wrong a lot. I asked him about the lights in his basement , yup ancient florescents….. he had some LED lights installed and it seems better now.
Click to expand...
The cheap scale I use now for almost a year was pretty great so far, and is 0.01gn accurate. I like it quite a bit. No more expensive scales for me.
 

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