Electronic Powder scales/measures

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  • Last Post 25 June 2013
billglaze posted this 22 June 2013

I'm interested in weighing accurate powder charges faster and easier than I've been doing it for the last 60 years. (!) I've been looking at the electronic offerings by the various manufacturers and I'm asking for input from folks who have had some experience with the different makes--both good and bad experiences, who to stay clear of, drawbacks, etc. Just general information to help me make my decision on which to buy, or, maybe, buy nothing at all, if there isn't a satisfactory one on the market. I just remembered I tried one (R.C.B.S? can't recall) many, many years ago, when they were brand new, never got it to work right, and finally, after the manufacturer couldn't correct it, it wound up in the trash, an expensive solution to my frustration, and back to the trusty Lyman 55. And the Dillons.

In theory, there's no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is. My fate is not entirely in Gods hands, if I have a weapon in mine.

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99 Strajght posted this 22 June 2013

I have used the Lyman 1200 for about 5 years now and never a problem as long as I let it warm up first. The newer ones are faster.

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onondaga posted this 22 June 2013

http://www.castbulletassoc.org/view_user.php?id=5098>billglaze

Stick with the Lyman #55 and the powders it likes. It is unbeatable with powders it likes.

When I measure powder for particular loads that have a broad sweet spot in grain measurement, I wont hesitate to use the very inexpensive Frankford Arsenal digital scale that has been non-problematic for me:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/175512/frankford-arsenal-ds-750-electronic-powder-scale-750-grain-capacity>http://www.midwayusa.com/product/175512/frankford-arsenal-ds-750-electronic-powder-scale-750-grain-capacity

The price is back now, but I got it on sale at $19.99 a few years ago. I use the little digital with Lee scoops and a powder trickler. Fast, Good and Accurate for me.

Gary

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Pigslayer posted this 22 June 2013

I agree with Gary in reference to the Lyman #55. It's a bullet proof old dinosaur and I have three of them. A sharp eye & quick fingers can snatch one up for cheap on eBay. I've thought about getting an electronic powder scale but when the software gets corrupted or they get a glitch, it doesen't go away & sometimes goes undetected. Maybe I'm just an old fart, but I'll stick with the Lyman #55, a powder trickler & a beam scale for consistently accurate measurement.

If someone else had of done to me what I did to myself . . . I'd have killed him. Humility is an asset. Heh - heh.

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John Alexander posted this 22 June 2013

My beam type powder scale is an ancient Herter which was a copy of the Redding at the time. It still works perfectly after 50+ years but it is slow.

A half dozen years ago I bought a Pact and it too has worked flawlessly. I have made up check weights of values near the weight of powder charges I commonly use and check it fairly ofter. I have never caught it drifting or lying to me in any way. I sometimes forget and leave it on for weeks when I'm not loading but it doesn't seem offended. I am generally a reactionary about keeping equipment simple but wouldn't be without the Pact.

As long as powder measures have gotten into the conversation. I bought a Redding twenty years ago and think it is hard to beat. I appreciate being able to set the micrometer adjustment and be close to the charge weight which reduces the fiddling to get the final adjustment just right.

However, for coarse grain powder the cheap, tinny, plastic Lee “Perfect Powder Measure” is superior to the Redding or the 55 in my opinion and costs one eighth of the Redding's price. John

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LWesthoff posted this 22 June 2013

I too have an old Herter powder scale (and use it, once in a while, to check my PACT II). I also have a pretty ancient Herter Powder measure, which I use all the time. I have a Lyman measure too, but I like the Herter better, probably because I'm more used to it.

I weigh ALL my rifle charges, and will only accept plus or minus 0.1 gr. I use mostly H4895 and Varget, and that old Herter measure will throw somewhere between 85% and 90% of the charges within my +/- 0.1 gr. limit without any trickling or otherwise fiddling around.

Re the PACT scale: it went TU on me once in the more than 15 years I've had it, and PACT fixed it very promptly, no argument and no charge. Very good people to work with, in my opinion.

Wes

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shooter93 posted this 22 June 2013

I have both the Lyman and the Hornady. Both work well and I might give the edge to the Hornady.but it probably doesn't matter.

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Pigslayer posted this 23 June 2013

John Alexander wrote:

However, for coarse grain powder the cheap, tinny, plastic Lee “Perfect Powder Measure” is superior to the Redding or the 55 in my opinion and costs one eighth of the Redding's price. John

I have heard nothing but good about the LEE Perfect Powder measure. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. I wonder how it would work for H4831?

If someone else had of done to me what I did to myself . . . I'd have killed him. Humility is an asset. Heh - heh.

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onondaga posted this 23 June 2013

http://www.castbulletassoc.org/view_user.php?id=6171>Pigslayer

My Lee Perfect loves H4831 and the large extruded stick powders. The Perfect has an elastomer cutoff that doesn't cut or crunch large stick powders. If your measure crunches , jams and cuts large stick powders like the Lyman #55 does, get the cheap Lee Perfect. It loves the stuff. 

The Lee is easy to immediately destroy by not following directions. set the tension screw for no more than 2 pounds to work the lever and never force it if it jams, you will warp and destroy the mating plastic parts and end your friendly relationship with the Lee Perfect. Take it apart, clean and dust with motor mica or graphite. Forget tiny particle spherical powders if you have zero tolerance for leaking and have already warped the parts. it wont get better after you ruin it once, it is plastic! If you relly handle the Perfect gently and follow directions it actually gets better and may even handle small spherical powders just fine.  You can't do that with abuse, not following directions and temper fits..it is plastic! It is a wonderful design and would be  rugged precise measure in metal but would likely be the most expensive powder measure of the type in metal. It is less than $20 on sale right now at MidwayUSA, remember that too:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/540522/lee-perfect-powder-measure

The best feature of the Perfect is that it uses the VMD system and can be preset very accurately to be very close to a precise charge just by using the Lee chart or VMD slide calculator. The adjustment on the Perfect is in hundredths of a CC (cubic centimeter) delineation markings that correspond to the VMD powder density factors with CC's from Lee . So setup is fast when you follow VMD directions.

Gary

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badammo posted this 23 June 2013

I have an RCBS uniflow and Lee perfect. Changed out the rotor on uniflow to pistol sized, smaller diameter piston. Its mounted on my piggyback2 so I use the perfect for single loading. Mine came warped from factory so I took some valve lapping compound and fixed it. Still leaks small spherical powder. Just put small pan under it.

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onondaga posted this 23 June 2013

http://www.castbulletassoc.org/view_user.php?id=7411>badammo

You can verify your suspicions if your Perfect came warped from the factory. Take it apart, look with magnification and see if the plastic cone pressure seal for the valve that leaks has friction heat smears or gouged scrapes on the bearing  surface. It didn't come from the factory that way. Setting the tension screw higher than 2 pounds and not breaking in according to instructions will warp, scrape and smudge the plastic valve surface. forcing a jam will do that damage too..... it is $20 and made of plastic, not brass or stainless steel.

Actually that part is designed thin so that the 2 pound tension will flatten it and make it seal.  More than 2 pounds will bend it worse and warp the part worse making the measure leak worse. Lee removed the 2 pound specification because it has not made a difference for people that ignore instructions and believe more tension is better.  Actually the least tension that works well is the best setting for the Perfect and the gentlest and smoothest movement of the lever produces the most consistent measuring. If you have to push more than 2 pounds it will not be close to smooth and your consistency will be poor. A common after market fix for the Perfect when you make it jumpy is to add a vibrator from an electric toothbrush or personal vibrator to the crank stem.

Gary

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pat i posted this 23 June 2013

LWesthoff wrote: I weigh ALL my rifle charges, and will only accept plus or minus 0.1 gr.

Seems like a lot of work although we've all done it at some time in our shooting career. Have you ever run an unbiased comparison of weighed vs dropped charges to see if theirs a difference on the target?

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tominct posted this 23 June 2013

 I've an RCBS electronic scale and have gotten variable readings when the same charge of powder was sitting on the scale. Not all the time, but enough so I use it for weighing bullets only. For that it is great.

 The Lyman scale(s) that I have work fine for powder weight checking. I do not weigh all charges as none of mine are run to the max.

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vmwilson posted this 23 June 2013

Just to get back on topic for a switch, I have a PACT BBK that is in excess of 10 years old for sure.  It's fussy about good battery power for one thing and some repeated tests with it years back convinced me I am only willing to use it to weigh bullets.  In my mind if I weigh the same object repeatedly it should register the same weight and I doesn't always do that.  Sent it in to PACT years back and when it returned it likes to shut itself off automatically which kind of throws “warming it up” out the door.  They didn't have a battery eliminator at the time I bought mine and a Radio Shack model I purchased definitely made things worse.  I only use the battery when I get it out.  At least at that time of MFG. trickling charges was NOT recommended so for anything touchy I use my balance beam scale.

If I can get a picture to load this is what mine sits on.  Adjustable for level with about 12 pounds of lead inside and the aluminum plate top is grounded.  Not sure it helped but it sure didn't hurt anything either.

 <a href="http://s171.photobucket.com/user/Mike4245/media/HPIM1079.jpg.html>http://s171.photobucket.com/user/Mike4245/media/HPIM1079.jpg.html” target="_blank"><img src="http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u310/Mike4245/HPIM1079.jpg>http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u310/Mike4245/HPIM1079.jpg” border="0” alt=” photo HPIM1079.jpg"/></a>

Mike

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LWesthoff posted this 23 June 2013

Pat:

No, I haven't run an unbiased comparison. Also, I know most of the jacketed bullet benchrest guys THROW their charges, and shoot their 50 lb. plus guns through one little hole.

But I'm an ex-bullseye pistol shooter, and I learned long ago that an awful lot of the secret of accurate shooting is up there between my ears. If I throw a shot wild, I don't want to be able to blame it on anything but me. Not the rifle, not the bullet, and not the powder charge. It's undoubtedly anal, and other shooters (some of whom often outshoot me) may use other ways of catering to that area between their ears, but this one works pretty well for me.

Wes

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pat i posted this 23 June 2013

LWesthoff wrote: Pat: I learned long ago that an awful lot of the secret of accurate shooting is up there between my ears. Wes

And that in a nutshell is the best argument in anyone's favor.

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Pigslayer posted this 25 June 2013

I was at the range shooting next to a guy shooting a .338 Lapua . . . A $4000.00 rig. He shot 1/2” 3 shot groups at 100 yards with factory ammo. I was shooting a Remington 760 Gamemaster (made in 1954) with a cheap Bushnell 4 x 12 x40 scope. I shot 1/2” 3 shot groups also. Yes, this was jacketed ammo. Sierra 150 SBT, CCI Lge rifle primer & 54.4 gr. H4831. Needless to say, the guy with the $4000.00 rig was rather perturbed. I too am pretty anal about my charges being accurate. If I'm just plinking with my pistol the. The charges are thrown. If I'm serious then they are weighed on the beam scale to +/- 0. Just my fetish I guess. Pat

If someone else had of done to me what I did to myself . . . I'd have killed him. Humility is an asset. Heh - heh.

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