Electronic powder scales - Handloader

Guns Magazine, Jan, 2003 by Charles E. Petty

Of all the chores in reloading, weighing powder is the most critical. The unit of weight we use, the grain, is a really small quantity (7,000 grains to one pound), so being able to accurately weigh charges requires equipment that is capable of a high degree of precision.

A little over ten years ago, the first electronic reloading scale came on the market. They were an adaptation of a scientific scale and came about because someone saw its potential for handloaders. At around $500, those first units were expensive, but the first time I used one I was hooked.

The speed and convenience was, for me, worth every penny. Notice that I didn't say anything about accuracy, for the electronic scales have the same plus or minus .1 grain sensitivity that is found with good beam balances.

Electronic Scales Today

The good news is prices have come down a lot, and the utility of the scales has improved. All of these work using a device called a strain gauge that is sensitive to very small changes in weight... but it is also sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity. This can cause the zero to shift if we aren't paying attention.

Any scale can get out of adjustment, but electronic scales need an extra bit of TLC. That's why it is best to use them where temperatures are moderate and constant.

Over the years I have used quite a few different electronic scales and have formed some pretty strong opinions based upon that experience. First of these is that I will never be without an electronic scale again. The time they save and ease of reading is invaluable to me.

The second observation is you really have to learn to live with the scale and keep it happy. Obviously it needs to be in a clean, stable spot and kept perfectly level. Remember I said heat affects accuracy. Even the small amount generated by the solid state electronic circuitry matters, and when you turn the scale on you need to wait awhile -- as much as 30 minutes -- for it to reach equilibrium and stop showing drift. My solution to that is simply to never turn it off.

My typical use is probably different from most, but I have not had good luck with battery powered units. They are less expensive, but I found battery life to be short. Unless you can get an AC converter, in the long haul the cost of batteries can really add up.

The Handlest Feature?

Electronic scales have a "tare" feature that is a great convenience. Tare is almost another word for "zero" because when you hit the tare button the weight on the pan is zeroed out and you can measure differences.

If you were sorting bullets by weight, all you'd have to do is find one that weighs what you want and then hit tare. From that point on the reading is going to display a plus or minus difference from the standard weight.

Another helpful use of the tare function is when we're adjusting the powder measure on a progressive loader. It's difficult to try to drop a charge in the scale pan, but all you have to do is tare out the weight of an empty case and use it to catch the charge. Since the weight of the case has been zeroed out, the reading is going to be just the weight of the powder.

So, do you "need" an electronic scale? For the majority of reloaders who use only a few powders and have standardized loads I'd say the answer is absolutely not. But for someone who loads a wide variety of calibers and likes to try different loads, my answer is the opposite. The time savings can be huge. The electronic scale stabilizes within a second or so, but even the best magnetic damping on a beam scale takes many times longer.

And The Winner Is

Electronic scales are an excellent example of getting what you pay for. It is rare for me to say something like this, but I've tried a lot of the scales on the market and the hands down winners are the PACT Digital Precision Powder Scale or the RCBS Powder Pro Digital Scale. The only difference between them is the color. Both are made by PACT, but they put the RCBS product in a green case.

They are unfailingly accurate and stable. An added attraction is that they can be coupled with the Digital Powder Dispenser. With it, all you have to do is calibrate the dispenser for the powder you're using and then enter the desired charge weight via the keyboard.

Pushing the "dispense" button automatically trickles the desired charge weight into the scale pan. The two parts communicate via an JR interface, so the scale tells the dispenser when to stop. For someone who wants to weigh every charge this is a great convenience.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

PACT INC.

[800]722-8462

www.pact.com