[Tom in Pittsburgh]

My garage reloading area is cramped (my fault, I know). To weigh my powder drops, I have to set up either a balance-beam and/or PACT electronic scale on the dining room table & carry my drops back & forth.

I think one of those small pocket-type electronic scales might be the answer (I have room for one of those near my presses) and it looks like there are 4 or 5 of them out there. But, before I spring for one, I thought I would check with you folks for recommendations.

Just as a PS - I’ve been paying more attention to my powder drops & have been surprised to see that all of the Hornady bushings I’ve tried with my vintage DL-105 single-stage press drop light with Red Dot (when compared to the bushing chart). Maybe some sort of safety buffer they’ve added in?

TIA

 

[Rhodesengr]

I bought this one

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Lots of outlets sell it. I bought mine at Midway. I have nothing to compare it to but it comes with a calibration weight. It seems to be accurate and is reproducible. If I take a load off and back on, it reads the same number and drift seems slow. Changes by a few tents of a grain after 10 or 20 minutes. I tare out a shell, so it reads zero with an empty shell, drop in a powder charge and weight again.

 

[GJB02]

I have the Frankford Arsenal DS-750. It is small, accurate and low cost. I have been using it for over 4 years with no complaints. It is even sensitive enough to use with my powder trickler when I am loading rifle and pistol. I have checked it against my balance beam and it is always right on.

 

[Tom in Pittsburgh]

Thanks to both of you. I have another reloader friend who uses the Frankfort Arsenal scale, too (& likes it).

 

[rapid86]

In my experience, all Hornady bushings run light.

 

[pheasantmaster]

I've been using the Hornady mostly of late.

Have three of them and haven't any issues to disclose.

 

[bosni]

I have a Frankford DS-750 and Hornady G3-1500. I use the Frankford more often because it is much quicker to settle. Couple things I don't like about it is the auto shutoff time is not adjustable and it loses the unit settings when you recalibrate it. In practice neither is much of an issue, sometimes it turns off when I'm adding powder, boxing shells etc. You just have to remember to tap the scale once in a while if you don't want it to shut off.

 

[Takasaki]

I have a cheap $10 pocket digital scale from amazon I have used for 8 years, works great and smaller than a cell phone.

 

[flashmax]

My garage reloading area is cramped (my fault, I know). To weigh my powder drops, I have to set up either a balance-beam and/or PACT electronic scale on the dining room table & carry my drops back & forth.

I think one of those small pocket-type electronic scales might be the answer (I have room for one of those near my presses) and it looks like there are 4 or 5 of them out there. But, before I spring for one, I thought I would check with you folks for recommendations.

Just as a PS - I’ve been paying more attention to my powder drops & have been surprised to see that all of the Hornady bushings I’ve tried with my vintage DL-105 single-stage press drop light with Red Dot (when compared to the bushing chart). Maybe some sort of safety buffer they’ve added in?

TIA

I can’t even visualize a safe reloading area that can’t spare a 12x6 inch space to set up a balance scale.

 

[Tom in Pittsburgh]

My reloading table is a folding workbench I got on sale at a local Woodcraft store a couple of years ago. It has a working surface of about 19” by 40”.

On the left is a Hornady 366 progressive press mounted on a wooden base which I clamp to the table. On the right is space for one of my Hornady/Pacific DL-105 single stage presses, also mounted on a wooden base. Outboard of each press is enough space for a MTM 50-round tray. In between the presses is space for wads. On the right of my single-stage press, there’s also room for a tray of primers. No good place for my balance-beam scale, which would get jolted each time I pulled the handle on one of my presses.

Enough said on my workspace - what I asked for here was a small scale electronic scale recommendation, not an unimaginative critique of my reloading bench. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot ?!?

 

[Tom in Pittsburgh]

Takasaki - thanks, what brand is your scale?

 

[Nebs]

This does not look to be any different than the scale I have with the Hornady brand name on it:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mavis-La...c0c6fec9d3c013897cbe9e75dc4c2e2d&gclsrc=3p.ds

 

[Tom in Pittsburgh]

Thanks, Nebs

 

[flashmax]

Guy says his balance scale would get jostled with every pull of the handle. But seems not to know that same jostle will cause EVERY powder charge to vary. Gets all bent out of shape at the slightest hint that he needs to change his methods.

Message back. Foxtrot Uniform

 

[Nebs]

Tom:

Are you using the same bushing charts for your 366 as for your 105? If so, the bushing charts for the two machines likely are different.

 

[Tom in Pittsburgh]

Thanks, Nebs - I have both Hornady bushing charts (one for my DL-105s & a separate one for my 366). I’m also using some P-W, RCBS & MEC bushings (with an adapter). The old 105 chart doesn’t include some of the newer powders (like Clays), so there is some trial & error going on & lots of weighing. It’s all good & all part of the process. Once I get a bushing & charge dialed in, I’m planning to use a small, handier scale to spot check my drops.

My 366 is not the problem - I have it set up for 700X & AAs & the same settings are working well with Rem Gun Clubs & Nitro 27s (with different wads).

The challenge is mostly with my two DL-105s. I have one set up for Federal papers & the other is used for all those other plastic hulls (Fiocchi, Field & Stream, Fed Top Guns, etc.) Lots of different combinations of powder, primers & hulls.Very much like puzzle solving. I have eight (or so) vintage trap & skeet guns ranging from the mid-1880s right up into the 1960s & each one seems to like something different. The 366 is currently keeping 3 of them happy. One more tweak & my 1950s vintage Winchester Model 50 should make it four 👍

 

[woodperson]

I do surely like my little green RCBS electronic scale.

 

[halfmile]

A balance scale never needs batteries and never acts funny for unknown reasons.

So do whatever you want.

HM

 

[Tom in Pittsburgh]

Just one example: my Hornady DL-105 chart says my 444 bushing should drop 18.0 gr of Red Dot. Weighing five drops on a Lee balance beam scale resulted in an average weight of 17.5 (high of 17.6, low of 17.3).

My computer says the standard deviation among these 5 weights is .1

 

[JPM]

And that may change with the next batch of Red Dot that you purchase. JPM