Thread: cheap electronic vs beam scales

Looking at getting some scales as the reloading kit builds.
I have used beam scales before, accurate I know but slow.
I don't want to blow a lot of coin on scales.
I see see a range of smaller cheaper eletronic out there now.
Frankfort Arsenal
Hornady G2 1500
Lyman and a few others.

Just wondering if anyone out there are using one of these lower end models ?
The Hornady even has a trickle function now so looks like more thought is going into the products.

Are Lee beam scales as shitty as made out ?

May load 50 - 100 rounds a month.

My thoughts...

Spend your money on a good powder thrower and learn to throw a repeatable charge (use the same technique for every charge) and then use beam scales to check every 5th (or 2nd, 3rd, whatever) powder charge. Especially if you are using powder that meters consistently.

From what I have seen and experienced, cheap electronic scales are cheap for a reason... Even those in the likes of a Chargemaster aren't particularly accurate. Precise electronic scales are expensive (see the set that @graeme has for sale). I have a similar setup to his and it is very good, but you need to ask yourself if you really need to be measuring down to 1/100th of a grain for what you are doing (I probably don't but like the idea that each load is basically identical, down to the grain of powder so thats a variable that I can exclude).

I started out with a good powder thrower set to just under what I was after then trickled up to the measure on some RCBS/Ihaus beam scales. As The Claw says above practice your throw. About 90% of the time it was less than 6 sticks of ADI powder to bring it up to the measure.

Generally the cheap electronic scales zero creep a lot.

+1 for what gadgetman said.

Steer clear of the cheap digital scales.

Bugger, good advice, thought I was onto a winner. Cheap for a reason.

I bought one of those electronic ones recently.
They seemed to work okay, but I was checking each charge on the beam scales anyway. At one point I changed calibres, and the first new charge maxed out the beam scales! It turned out 42.5 grains on the electronic scales was about 4 grains over May possibly have been because I took the calibration weight off after it said Pass but before it showed the weight.
I have more confidence in my Lee perfect powder measure than the electronic scales.

cheap and shit go well in the same sentence ive got cheap hornady digis and a lee beam prefer the beam theres nothing more annoying than the stupid digi switching off half way through measuring out a charge and as said above they tend to wander

Buy a cheap set of beam scales to keep your going then save up and buy auto powder despencer hornady or rcbs
I check the odd one on beam scales just to be sure but my rcbs is pretty darn good
I pour the powder into the case then seat the projectile while it measures the next charge for me
Very easy and hassle free
I use that for all my rifle loads and I check on beam scales every load for development loads to ensure the upmost accuracy
And probably 1 in 10 if im just loading a batch for hunting

For my black powder or smokeless cowboy loads for 44-40 or 45-70 I use a cheap lee powder thrower
This is way quicker than the charge master but nowhere near as accurate still plenty accuracy for black powder
Cowboy loads for plinking with the leavergun