It’s critical for a reloader to own a reliable reloading scale. Some people might have chosen analog while others might vote digital scales more! Each has its own pros, but we’ll talk about that next time.
There are great things about owning it which analog users won’t enjoy. Yet, it’s never true to say a digital scale will always be better than analog or vice-versa.
But first, let us start by filling you in with everything you need to know about owning a digital scale. From scales with .1 grain to .02 grain, reloading needs to personal preferences, they will determine the best digital reloading scale for you.
Table of Content
Top 5 Best Digital Reloading Scale
1. American Weigh Scales GEMINI-20 Portable MilliGram Scale, 20 by 0.001 G
The American Weigh Scales has a square shaped case with a shield that bumps out a little. The purpose is to prevent vibrations and bumps from hurting or damaging the scale. It makes carrying it on the go safer and lifts off worries from your mind. A positive reminder that it has over 2,000 reviews and 80% of them had 4 to 5 stars rating.
Buying an American Weigh Scales comes with a protective case, a powder pan, two AAA batteries, tweezers and a calibration weight. Sometimes the scale will come calibrated, but most of the time, we suggest that users calibrate the scale when they first arrive to ensure the accuracy of the readings.
And now, we’re on to the pros of the scale:
- Consistent quality: Over 2,000 reviews with more than 1,600 of them being positive is a good sign of quality product and consistent manufacturing standard. You should not go wrong with this after reading our review.
- Extra Protection: The scale has a shield that can be flip down to keep the scale and pan protected when you weight. It prevents air current from messing with the reading, making it great to use even when there’s draft where you’re reloading.
- 10 Years Warranty: Imagine the fact that the company is confident in giving out 10 years warranty on this digital reloading scale. If you find yourself wondering where to get a scale that won’t cost you another 30 dollars every few months, here’s the thing.
- Affordable: What can we say, it’s the best digital reloading scale that is accurate, consistent, comes with everything you need and priced at a little more than $33.
2. Frankford Arsenal DS-750 Digital Reloading Scale
The Frankford Arsenal DS-750 entered our list of the best digital reloading scales with the consistently positive reviews it has been receiving. More than 1,300 reviews and more than 80% of them were 4 stars or higher. It has the accuracy of 0.1 grain with 750-grain capacity.
The scale works and shows not just in grains, but also grams, ounces and carats. The scale itself has a basic counting function that you can easily use without using a calculator separately.
When you buy the product, it comes with a soft case to protect the scale when not in used or carried around, a calibration weight, 2 AAA batteries and a powder pan.
Here’s why we think this deserves our top list:
- Consistent Quality: Great reviews throughout the years show that the company has been producing the scale with a quality that is sustainable in the long run. We are also able to guarantee that the weight is very consistent and kept its .001 grain accuracy.
- Easy To Use: The last thing we need is a scale that barely shows the number on the screen and a scale that runs out of battery too often. The Arsenal is also built with the auto-off setting from inactivity for 60 seconds.
- Affordable: The scale is exceptionally affordable when you consider the quality, versatility and durability it provides. Beginners will love to choose this scale for their first reloading experience as it is easy to use and is very accurate for the price.
- Dynamic response: The scale works great if you need to measure your powder quickly and we cannot agree more on this. If you hate waiting for 5 seconds every time you add grain, it won’t happen here.
3. Hornady 050108 Electronic Scale, 1500 Grain
With a capacity of over 1,500 grains, the Hornady Scale is suitable to those who do major works on reloading ammunition. It has the accuracy up to .1 grain and is one of those scales that seem to require less calibration throughout time.
The Hornady can feel a little awkward with its size and buttons, but once you get used to it, you know how comfortable it can be. The powder pan is protected to keep draft away from messing with the readings. It comes with a 10g and 50g calibration weighs, a protective cover and a powder pan.
Pros of this scale are:
- High capacity: Up to 1,500 grains per weighing, making it an excellent companion for people with the needs.
- Easy setup: You can never go wrong with calibrating and setting this up for your workbench.
4. Frankford Arsenal Platinum Series Precision Scale
This scale has the capacity similar to the Hornady’s; 1,500 grains at .1 grains accuracy. It does, however, comes it a much fancier suitcase that protects everything inside, which is a great way to bring this wherever you want to reload.
The Frankford Precision scale measures at grains, grams, ounces and carats with decent accuracy. It is priced slightly less than Hornady’s but not with fewer capabilities! It comes with calibration weights, a powder pan, a protective case, a storage case, and a 220V adaptor.
The Frankford Precision Scale’s pros are:
- Easy Recalibration: Using this scale is best when you are diligent enough to recalibrate every day as it slides off easily.
- Protective Case: Unlike other scales, this one comes in a great protective case that you can carry around without worrying that you’ll bump it too hard.
5. Lyman Micro-Touch 1500 Electronic Scale 110V 7750700
If you need something that operates at a high capacity, consider the Lyman’s Micro-Touch with a capacity of up to 1,500 grains. It has a design similar to the Hornady’s but with a deeper, black color. It doesn’t necessarily need batteries if you have a power outlet close by.
The scale comes with a calibration weight and its own powder pan. The scale itself has a dust cover to protect the pan during reading and prevent any air current from messing with it. It is also, as a matter of fact, the cheapest of the scales we have recommended here for 1,500 grains capacity.
The pros of Lyman’s scale is:
- High Capacity At A Lower Price: The scale has 1,500 grains capacity with $20-$30 fewer costs than the others.
- Sensitive: The scale is sensitive to even the slightest movements, showing that it’s exact in weighing powders and other light materials.
What To Look Before Getting A Digital Reloading Scale
There are several factors to consider if you want to get a digital scale and they expand from the scale to your workbench. Some people have set up or condition that is really convenient for the use of a digital scale, while others will still have to do some adjustments beforehand. These are things you should know before installing, using and trusting a scale.
It’s often not the scale’s mistake!
The Scale Itself: Mainly, there are two factors that we want to emphasize in finding a scale. The first one is accuracy with response time and convenience. There might include other factors you sought such as design, power source, portability, etc. and we will briefly touch on those subjects
Accuracy And Response Time: Accuracy is often the number one quality every sought when it’s about weighing light items such as gunpowder. The difference of 0.x grain can make a whole lot of difference in the result of the bullets being shot. You need a scale that measures at the least .1 grain accurately. Emphasize on correctly because we want to get the right combination.
Our recommendation would be to get under .02 grains of accuracy. Which makes it easy to be precise in weighing the powder and getting the results that you want with a minor margin of error. However, response time is also crucial if you don’t want to spend 20 seconds every time you add a little powder in.
Convenience: What matters about a scale is how accurate it is. But in the world of reloaders, you cannot have your time taken too much trying to change the mode of the scale or tuning it every single day. A scale has to be reliable when you need it, demanding minimum care and maintenance.
First, it shouldn’t take too much pain to turn on and just immediately use it as well as giving it an auto-off feature. A digital scale can operate with a power outlet or only with a battery. Whichever it is, you will want to know that there’s special care you need to know before commencing.
Secondly, measuring the weight of the powder is not a fun process as you have to be really precise and patient with every single grain that is added and removed. It will be very frustrating when the scale you are using.
The Environment: A digital scale that is sensitive and accurate can be easily distorted or interfered with by its environment. It’s best that you know what is wrong before you start blaming it on the digital scale. Just like how analog or balanced beam has to placed somewhere away from bumps, the same thing applies to digital.
Power Outlet: A digital that operates mostly on batteries will have a better time with this. But if your scale is plugged in the whole time, you want to make sure that the electrical current going in is stable. Unplug any device or electronic items that take up a lot of power such as the fridge or heater. Use a power conditioner, on the other hand, if you don’t want to unplug the refrigerator all the time.
Quiet, Firm Place: You have a scale that moves at the rate of .002 grains. With that sensitivity, a single movement can really make a difference and you cannot blame it to feel the weight at a draft because that’s only proving its accuracy and sensitivity. The same thing happens to an analog as well, showing how sensitive these things are.
The first thing to do is to confirm that you are working in a room with no wind blowing in too much. The digital scale is best placed on a separate place from where you are working with your press or other things because it’ll be affected by the slightest vibration. It could be different if you are the type to work on things one by one.
And without further ado, let’s move one
Advantages of a Digital Reloading Scale
- Relatively quicker response time as a digital scale doesn’t struggle the way a balance beam does. It detects the weight and immediately shows the number. While there is a ‘lag’ time, it tends to be much better than an analog scale.
- Calculator and a scale in one place. Most scales can easily fit in simple calculation function into the scale. Which makes it easy to count while you are on the go or just too lazy to get that calculator or open your phone.
- Weighs in various measurement from grains to carats. So if you need to weight other things than powder, go ahead, as long as it does not exceed the intended capacity of the scale.
Conclusion
It’s a good idea if you are considering owning a digital reloading scale. Consider factors such as your needs and preferences. And not just that, the care and maintenance can really make a difference. So make sure to read up on those as well. The best reloading scale can be found right in this page for most reloaders, so take your time in analyzing and choose what you need.
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