cosidering a new set of scales

Get or give advice on equipment, reloading and other technical issues.

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BATattack
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cosidering a new set of scales

Post by BATattack »

hi everyone!!

im considering a new set of scales. currently I run a very old set of balance beam scales which usually work really well and if they have a hiccup I can usualy pick it up when im trickeling. occasionally it just "sticks" a touch.

in general I can get it within .10gr 95% of the time but it does take a fair bit of time and im staring to wonder if there may be room for improvement in this area of my loading.

ive heard of a few guys "tuning" factory balance beam scales which I like the sound of as im a fairly mechanical person but im wondering if a RCBS chargemaster might be worth considering??

it would be very nice to let a machine do the hard work for a change BUT not being an electronics wiz I wonder how hard it is to tweak and maintain accuracy with the chargemaster?
BRETT B
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Post by BRETT B »

I have just converted to electronic powder dispenser and so far I have been very impressed with it. I used to use a Harrels thrower and trickle the final weight but time was becoming a factor !! I looked at all makes and ended up going with the Lyman GEN6 . There older version was not so good but with good reviews in America on their new one and half the price and more compact than the RCBS charge master I decided to try it!! It is very accurate even with bulky powders like 2213 and is quite fast as well. I have measured its accuracy with my other scales and it was spot on weight. It has reduced my reloading time by at least half maybe more and being very compact I can take take it with me when I travel. !!!
BRETT BUNYAN F CLASS OPEN SHOOTER W.A.
johnk
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Post by johnk »

Have a look at the Youtube videos in this one: http://benchrest.com/showthread.php?873 ... post714347
aaronraad
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Post by aaronraad »

I was looking at this last night myself and found some interesting discussion on:

LRH http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f17/best-powder-measure-hodgon-extreme-powders-717/; and

AccurateShooter http://forum.accurateshooter.com/index.php?topic=3777815.0

so you're not alone.

I'm thinking of just buying a set of Lee Powder Measure Kit http://leeprecision.com/powder-measure-kit.html (my teaspoon skills aren't what they use to be) to go with my Omega 2 speed http://www.omegapowdertrickler.com/ and the A&D FX-120i electronic scales.

BRETT B's comments on the Lyman GEN6 are interesting and it would be great to get some more comments from other ozfclass.com forum members on it's performance as well.
Be careful what you aim for, you might hit it! Antipodean Industrial - Home of the G7L projectiles
Razer
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Post by Razer »

I bought a Lyman GEN 6 recently as they were on sale for $365 and with the $Au losing parity with the $US they were not going to get any cheaper.
I have been using the original Lyman Electronic scales since they first appeared some years ago(paid over $500 then).
Having dispensed tens of thousands of loads since and still working fine, I thought it was time to get a new set in case they failed.

New scales have very short warm up time, dispense powder quicker, easier to empty when finished, touch screen, easier and quicker to zero than old model, do not drift much, if at all. All good. :)

To start with it kept running a few tenths over and was peeing me off as the old scales are still stopping right on correct weight.
Problem? Being faster, with ADI powders you need to screw in the supplied powder restrictor or they do 'keep going over weight'.
Only found this out when I read the instructions. :oops:
If this set lasts as long as the original then I will be very pleased.
Only failures that I know of with the old sets was when people left them turned on all the time to save the warm up period. Like any electronics, they don't like power spikes.
Need to keep the scales level, dust and draught free to maintain and keep accuracy.
I fill a loading block with primed cases, set scales to weight, touch the 'go' point. Tip powder from pan into case, by the time I have removed the first case and seated the projectile the next pan is full, ready to go again. :D
IanP
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Post by IanP »

A&D FX 120i has load cells with magnetic restoration and available for reasonable price from the USA. Buy the same scale here in Oz and you can pay up to $2k !!!!!

http://balance.balances.com/scales/1223/

Ian
__________________________________________
A small ES is good. A small SD is better. A small group is best!
NDO
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Post by NDO »

Cambridge Enviro in Canada currently have the FX120i at the discounted price of $400. There's a thread about this particular offer on 6mmbr.com on the reloading page.

http://cambridgeenviro.com/interiorPage ... alances-24
aaronraad
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Post by aaronraad »

NDOliver wrote:Cambridge Enviro in Canada currently have the FX120i at the discounted price of $400. There's a thread about this particular offer on 6mmbr.com on the reloading page.

http://cambridgeenviro.com/interiorPage ... alances-24


Holy snap that's good! :shock:

Do they ship internationally or to Australia even :?: :?:

Please start listing reasons I need a 2nd, 3rd or 4th set because they go back up to USD$600-$650 at the end of September:!: :wink:
Be careful what you aim for, you might hit it! Antipodean Industrial - Home of the G7L projectiles
NDO
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Post by NDO »

Here's the 6mmbr.com link (Looking for precision weight scale) - see all the comments:

http://forum.accurateshooter.com/index. ... =3821471.0
BATattack
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Post by BATattack »

well after some good advice ive bitten the bullet and dropped a few dollars into a RCBS charge master :D

are they perfect from factory . . . . probably not BUT they have been around for long enough for them to work out a few bugs from the factory AND some people smarter/ with more time than me have figured out all the essential mods!

im thinking I may get a tuned balance beam scale and use it to cross reference and check drift / calibration of the RCBS and as a fall back.

yes a $1000 set of electronic scales is nice but for me if it doesn't dispense im more comfortable with a balance beam that is just as accurate at less than half the cost, just as fast and doesn't need a power source.

so it should be interesting to see if the mechanical guy can trust an electronic device . . . . . ill keep you posted :lol:
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