Balance Beam Powder Scale Help

Looking to pick up a scale now that Santa Clause has brought my Dillon 650 to my house.  Is there a reason to pick one over the other or another option I should look at? 


RCBS Model 502 Magnetic Powder Scale

https://www.precisionreloading.com/cart.php#!l=RC&i=09069




Hornady Balance Beam Scale

https://www.precisionreloading.com/cart.php#!l=HN&i=050109

Have you considered Lee?

I'm not loyal to any brand, just works well at a reasonable cost.  Prefer made in USA if possible and like the magnetic dampened versions I've used reloading with friends.

JayhawkNavy02 wrote:I'm not loyal to any brand, just works well at a reasonable cost.  Prefer made in USA if possible and like the magnetic dampened versions I've used reloading with friends.

I've got an RCBS 505 b/b and it is a great little scale.  The mag damping works nicely and zero just repeats and repeats and repeats.  I'm pretty anal so I been measuring every 5 throws since I just started in March but probably will start every 10th throw since my confidence has grown in the last 900 reloads.

I have an RCBS 505 that I like a lot along with a 1010. But the scale I use most is the Gempro 250. 

For pistol I use the scale for setup of my dillon dispenser then throw and weigh some single charges, then throw 10 charges and determine the average. 

For 600 yard rifle use I throw each charge, and then trickle if necessary to within .02 grains.

The RCBS has continued to be an exceptional magnetic scale.

The true balance beam takes too long.

In the past, the Lyman and RCBS scales were made by Ohoaus, and branded by the other reloader companies. 

If you look at photos of the two that you show, you will note that the pan, pan holder, and the movable poise weights are very similar, if not identical, to include those of the Lyman scale, which suggests that with minor details (the base), all will serve equally well well. I have had many of these manufacturers scales in my hands through the years, and there is no significant difference between them.

So buy one as reasonably priced as possible, keep it clean and it will serve for ages: no batteries required.

-Ron

the hornady with the end brass adjustment works very good with light bullseye loads,

I really like my 5-0-5

I like Webster model AR

If I had to go back to a beam scale, the only ones I would use have the "thumb wheel" for the lowest poise. Don't like the smallest poise being on a notched slide.
I really like my digital scales and have since I got my Ainsworth back in the '70s (and it still works).

there is a guy on 6mmBR.com that tunes beam scales and he won't touch the new ones, they won't meet his standards. The new RCBS scales and others are made in Mexico or beyond. If you have any, even the smallest interest in shooting rifle where weighing each charge can matter read this:

http://forum.accurateshooter.com/index.php?topic=3876997.msg36596311#msg36596311


either buy and older model he mentions or just contact Scott Parker directly for an already tuned model. He buys old ones and then tunes and sells them. I have a tuned Redding from him and they work as advertised.

The added bonus of using an older balance is that you can attach an Omega Powder Trickler to it and have a fully automatic powder measuring system for cheap. This combo works well for rifle loads and getting Standard Deviations in the single digits are common.

yep I'd highly suggest finding an old Lyman M5 or any Ohaus for that matter.. Guess my M5 is 35 plus years old and still works perfectly.. I use it for quick checks and reference and do most of my rifle scale work with an old RCBS 304 made by Ohaus. When my nephews wanted to get into reloading I found them M5s.

Guilty.  I will check that out.

http://www.omegapowdertrickler.com/

These electronic ones are getting good reviews. http://bullets.com/search?q=bald%20eagle%20powder%20scale

robert84010 wrote:there is a guy on 6mmBR.com that tunes beam scales and he won't touch the new ones, they won't meet his standards. The new RCBS scales and others are made in Mexico or beyond. If you have any, even the smallest interest in shooting rifle where weighing each charge can matter read this:

http://forum.accurateshooter.com/index.php?topic=3876997.msg36596311#msg36596311


either buy and older model he mentions or just contact Scott Parker directly for an already tuned model. He buys old ones and then tunes and sells them. I have a tuned Redding from him and they work as advertised.

Talked to Scott Parker a tuned Ohaus M5 will be about $225 or $175 for a Redding Model 2 shipped.  I'm checking how much if I send him one, I assume much less.

However, Is the precision of being able to weigh to a kernel required?

From reading the Bald Eagle Powder Scale is accurate to about +/- 0.01 gr.   that seems pretty good considering my progressive reloader is only able to throw charges accurate to +/- 0.1 gr.   

I may pick up the electronic and start hunting for an M5 to send to Scott depending on how much it will cost if that level of precision is required.

For pistol, no.  For long range rifle, maybe.  For pistol throw ten and weigh them.  The average and variation is what you're looking for.  The average is the nominal amount (4.3 gr, e.g) and the variation should be within 0.1 gr for a .2 max variation.

With rifle powder, RL15 specifically 2 individual kernels is .02 gr. With a good  measure you can run +-.02 for your loads. You might have to dump a few and trickle a few but it's not a problem to get that accuracy with weighed midrange ammo.

JayhawkNavy02 wrote:


I may pick up the electronic and start hunting for an M5 to send to Scott depending on how much it will cost if that level of precision is required.

  For pistol shooting I doubt it's worth the effort.  My own data from a Dillon RL550B checking WST and Bullseye showed the Standard Deviation of dropped charges to be ~0.05 grains.

I've heard that Scott charges about $65 to do a tuneup and that includes return shipping, so there is probably money to be saved by buying your own and sending it in. I bought my M5 for $70.  I only mentioned using Scott because your title of the posting is balance beams and he is the best..

I agree that none of that is necessary except for 1000 yard shooting. There are very inexpensive digitals available now, have at it. The only time i've trickled up ammo is for my Palma rifle. Even for service rifle matches I just checked the drop on my Dillon with a digital, once set, I would crank out ammo. Once my Distinguished Badge arrived I went to Palma and that is where is Parker tuned balance and auto trickler really shined. I could make ammo weighed to the kernel pretty fast. 

Now I have a series one Prometheus and it's even faster and easier.

jmdavis wrote:With rifle powder, RL15 specifically 2 individual kernels is .02 gr. With a good  measure you can run +-.02 for your loads. You might have to dump a few and trickle a few but it's not a problem to get that accuracy with weighed midrange ammo.

Sorry but I would have to see this to believe it. I have a Harrells measure and it's considered a good measure but it is nowhere that accurate, for even 10 rounds.  Sure any good measure can drop one  or two charges on the desired charge but it's about doing it for 20 or 30 drops where you get your actual SD and ES values.

Spoke with Scott and he's about $85 now for the tuneup/calibration.  Finding a scale would be much cheaper, and I don't have zero issue with the additional expense of buying a scale direct from him.  His time has value and he invests his own cash to find a scale and tune it until someone purchases it.

I appreciate the advice on the balance beam scale and I plan on sending one in.   Great tip!

Cheers,
Derek

You want accurate:

- Dave