Analog Scales vs. Digital Scales

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Matthew323

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When weighing powder charges for BH209 & Swiss black powder, should one have an analog powder scale to check the accuracy of a digital powder scale?

Edit: I purchased the Frankford Arsenal DS-750 Pocket Digital Reloader's Scale.

Any suggestions on a analog balance beam scale? The one I like is not made any longer, and sells for crazy money on e-Bay & GunBroker.

It is the RCBS 1010.
 
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I have the same ds750 scale. Ive not had any problems and its always been pretty accurate. I check it with the supplied test weight and a few known weight bullets. I checked it against some friends scales, too.
 
I have Both the RCBS 10/10 (Bought it new Many years ago) And the Frankford Arsenal Digital, I use the Little Digital way more due to it’s Convenience, I use my RCBS 10/10 Certified Check weight to Check the Digital before i Start and End, and off n on throughout Weighing Powder Charges just to make Sure it’s being Truthful.

1 thing i found Odd, I would get 3-4 10th Swings using the Aluminum Pan that Came with the Frankford Arsenal, I switched to my Brass colored RCBS 10/10 Pan and That 3-4 10th Swing Went away?? I Threw the Aluminum Pan that Came with the Frankford Digital in the Garbage
 
Anyone on the forum have an RCBS 1010 that they are not using that they would be willing to part with for a reasonable sum of money?
 
You know Bruce, it doesn’t really matter if your scale tells you that 74 grains is 75 grains as long as it tells you that, every single time. True that it is important that it’s accurate, but not nearly as important as it is consistent. A couple of check weights, would be all I would worry about, just to make sure it’s telling you the same thing every time it’s calibrated..
Just my opinion.
 
1 thing i found Odd, I would get 3-4 10th Swings using the Aluminum Pan that Came with the Frankford Arsenal, I switched to my Brass colored RCBS 10/10 Pan and That 3-4 10th Swing Went away

Same here!! My RCBS digi-scale came with a plastic pan, making it a finicky little B-word. Started using my brass pan from the old 1010, and, bing!

Also noticed that I CANNOT run my tumblers while Digi weighing anything. Makes the numbers on the readout jump around like a cat sh!#ting razor blades!!
 
Beam and balance for this guy. Been using them for 50 years. Set it on a surface, balance it, use it, talk about consistent. I use them regularly in the orchards and vineyards for sample weights. Ive seen a lot of people bring all kinds of electrical scales. Any surface imperfection, vibration, heat, sun, battery failure can throw them off. For reloading I have a little beam and balance with a copper pan. ( Lyman brass smith 500 ) That weighs in grains. I have a larger one that weighs to a 100th of a gram. 1000th of a gram if you have good eyes. Get a beam and balance and you'll never look back. Nothing to go wrong.
 
I have a Hornady digital scale. Works great. After every couple of powder weighs I use the test weight. Have never had a problem yet. Much faster than the old way.
 
You guys have influenced me to get a new beam scale. I misreported earlier. I have an RCBS 505. I don't use it nearly enough, but I agree that the digital scales are faster. I think I'll get an M1000 and use it to double check my digital more often.

However (and not trying to toot my own horn) I've been a precision shooting instructor and armorer for the police agency where I work for nearly 20 years, and I've had very good results using a digital scale/powder trickler combo in long range loads for 7.62 NATO/.308 Win, .300 Win Mag, and .338 Lapua.

It may be that difference between accuracy and consistency, though. Now I need to know.
 
I still have, and occasionally use, my first beam scale, which is a Redding that only went to 325 grains. It has an oil dampening set up that stops the beam oscillations and that part works fine, but it is a little messy. Finally upgraded to an electronic jewelry scale that goes to 1000 something. I was suspicious of it, so I bought another one of a different brand and discovered that they can be inaccurate if not set plumb level, so the first one was okay. All I really weight is muzzleloader balls that I make, so as long as they are consistent, that's the main thing to me. Powder charges are done with the adjustable measure that I one time checked on my beam scale and seemed remarkably accurate.
I'm curious how many other shooters are weighing their powder charges for every shot, and do they find this to be helpful? I'm not one of those shooters that gets every shot in the same hole by no means, and I wonder if weighing powder charges makes that much difference. I hate to make it as complicated as reloading smokeless powder for modern-day rifles, after all I'm shooting the muzzleloader for fun and not a job.
Any comments?
Squint
 
My brother-in-law gave me this old scale in the 1970's. I still use it at times but mostly use my Cabelas' digital.IMG_0308.jpeg
 
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I dragged out my trusty 90's vintage Lee beam scale yesterday, it hadn't seen the light of day for years... Used it to weigh and verify Swiss 2F powder charges dropped from an old RCBS measure. After the first 25 86gr charges the RCBS was throwing charges so consistent that I dropped down to verifying about every 10th charge.

Curtis
 
I hunt and punch paper out to 100 yards, occasionally out to 150 yards. I have both electronic and beam scales, both of which are very accurate being certain using certified weights. The only reason I weigh my charges is to eliminate the charge weight from the whole of the equation should things head south for some reason. I don't use any cast lead and feel that bullet makers have a standard that they need to follow to assure bullets fall into a specific weight range to assure their claims of accuracy, yet I weigh bullets too if things start falling apart on paper. I have been a XTP user for years and trust them, period, from my sample weighing. When I switched to Barnes Expanders and XPB bullets I weighed every one of them for a while but found that the consistency in their weights was unreal good, better even than the XTPs. Do I find one scale better than the other for weighing powder and bullets? No because both of my units are very accurate. My first electronic scale was a $40.00 Hornady and had accuracy issues after weighing a few loads so that took a hike. I bought a different electronic scale for just under $125.00 and that sucker is accurate regardless of how many charges I weigh, so the old adage "you get what you pay for" holds true in the case of any scale. The beam scale I have is a RCBS that I bought back in the early 60's for center fire reloading.
 
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