What handloaders wouldn’t want 10 times the precision they are presently getting from their ammo? We have the means to obtain that improvement from our powder charges with Hornady’s new-for-2024 Precision Lab Scale that weighs charges down to 1/100th of a grain.
Competitive shooters need ammunition that performs absolutely consistently shot-to-shot, and precisely weighing powders charges is instrumental in achieving that consistency. For about a century now, a plus or minus error of 1/10th of a grain has been the promise of every balance beam and electronic scale marketed for the reloading bench. More accurate scales measuring down to 1/100th of a grain—commonly called scientific, laboratory or lab scales—have been around for a long time, but if one ever found its way onto a reloading bench, I never heard about it until I bought one some years ago. I needed that precision for experiments in handloading .22 Long Rifle cartridges with miniscule 1.5- to two-grain charges where an error of plus or minus 1/10th grain is so significant as to render experiment meaningless. A minor downside is that the scientific scale measures in grams, not grains, requiring me to mathematically convert grams to grains. No big deal, but certainly not a dedicated handloading tool.
In 2022, Creedmoor Sports began offering a scientific scale specifically for the handloader, an electronic scale with a sensitivity to 1/100th grain that also provides a readout in grains as well as grams. Last time I looked at its website, Creedmoor Sports had, unsurprisingly, sold out of the scales. Handloading giant Hornady has now stepped into the breach, and handloaders seeking the utmost precision from their ammo can get that 10X improvement in consistent powder charge weights from the Hornady Precision Lab Scale.
Boasting a deliberately small footprint for the reloading bench, the Precision Lab Scale can handle up to 3,000 grains, and with that 1/100th grain sensitivity, we can check and cull bullets, cases, loaded cartridges and even primers, if one is so inclined, for confidence in greatest consistency. The Precision Lab Scale features high and low sensitivity, as well as “Compare,” “Percent” and “Count” modes. Calibration, needed each time such scales are powered up, is quick and easy. And for the truly meticulous handloader, Hornady’s new scale can be connected to a home computer to utilize its “Print to spreadsheet” function.
If you have no experience with lab scales, do know that such precision requires lab scales to be protected from drafts, hence the clear plastic shields surrounding the pan. An exhaled breath, literally, can register on the scale and throw off measurement. Also, trickling powder is a touchy matter. As few as three or five kernels of extruded powder can register on the scale, and you’ll be happier using a quality, smooth-operating trickler with a long, extended drop tube. You’ll soon tire of hand-holding a standard trickler above the scale pan, especially when you’re loading hundreds of rounds for competition.
Hornady’s Precision Lab Scale is available now from Midway USA for $399.99.
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