Many of our readers do more than just hunting on the weekends or spending a day at the range. A lot of us like to be much more involved in the lifestyle and culture of firearms, and having a set of quality tools at hand to reload your ammo is crucial for an accurate shooter.
Therefore, we’ve put together this review of the best digital powder scales, for those of you who like to recycle and fill your own ammo. Instead of reviewing both manual and digital scales, we stuck to solely digital for this review.
 Best Budget Buy | GGD Compact Digital Reloading Scale |
| $57   Shop NowClick to read my review |
 | Frankford Arsenal Precision Scale |
| $101   Shop NowClick to read my review |
 Top Pick | Hornady Lock N Load Auto Charge |
| $346   Shop NowClick to read my review |
 | Lyman Gen 6 Touch Screen |
| $246   Shop NowClick to read my review |
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Choosing Reloading Scale
Reloading scales can come in a wide range of accuracy, capacity, and usability. But the kind of scale you need will mostly be based on the purposes you have in mind for the tool.
The scale’s essential parts are shown in the figure below as an example. But be aware that reloading scales could come in a variety of shapes, and sizes.
On the other hand, a loose substance, such as gun powder, comes with its own set of challenges. The most critical one is to prevent the mess that might easily happen! The other challenge is measuring your powder accurately, which is surprisingly more difficult if you’re not going the electronic way. Therefore, we recommend choosing digital reloading scales as they are less prone to human error. Additionally, the device allows you to take measurements much quicker.
Also, we’ve mentioned it before within our scale reviews, but we’ll mention it again here: please, please, always calibrate your scales! As a friendly reminder, calibrating when weighing any type of product is crucial to have accurate results. Happy scaling, friends!
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The 4 Best Digital Powder Scales
GGD Compact Digital Reloading Scale with Precision Accuracy
Materials – You can bring this reloading scale anywhere, and reload anytime you want as this one fits in your pockets. It’s also compact, lightweight, and portable, and operates using two AAA batteries. The batteries are, however, not included. This scale is also made of stainless steel with a protective plastic cover. Additionally, its weighing surface has a plastic film cover, so make sure to remove it before weighing your powders. It is straightforward to operate with its five buttons: on/off, pieces, units, tare, and light. It also features a large LCD display with a blue backlight that is easy to read.
Performance – This digital weighing scale has an accuracy of 0.01g. To use it, you must place it first on a flat horizontal surface to get a more accurate measurement. It also has a capacity of 200g, which is reasonable for its size. In addition, it has a default overload protection system and a tare function that is very convenient. Moreover, using two AAA batteries is cheap and this scale doesn’t burn them fast. But make sure to replace old batteries to avoid inaccurate readings.
What we say – This digital reloading scale is great for beginners. It’s also a great option if you do your reloads at home or if you’re saving money. If you like a scale that fits your pockets that you can bring anywhere, then this is an excellent choice.
- Compact, lightweight, and portable
- Batteries required are cheap
- Straightforward to use
- Made of stainless steel
- Has a plastic flip cover
- Overload protection system
- Has no dust cover
Frankford Arsenal Platinum Series Precision Scale
Materials – The Franklin Arsenal Precision Scale is a complete package. It includes a scale, metal powder pan, calibration weights, protective cover, 110V power supply, and 220V adaptor. It also includes a sturdy carry case to keep all the components intact. The case is durable and you can bring it wherever you go. Additionally, the weigh plate is indexed to fit the shaft of an arrow or any other similarly shaped object. There is also a Tare button on this scale that allows you to measure the consistency between loads.
Performance – Any precise measurements and reloading are made possible with this digital reloading scale. Its ability to measure in many units and three-point calibration function make it reliable for the majority of reloading needs. You can see the scale’s measurements in grams, ounces, grains, and carats on its LCD display. The controls are straightforward, and it is quite simple to use. Franklin Precision Scale has an automatic shut-off after 180 seconds and may be powered by either 110V, 220V, or 4 AAA batteries. However, batteries are not included in the package. Lastly, the scale has a 1500 grain capacity stability indicator that is 0.1 grain accurate.
What we say – Whether you’re a novice or an expert reloader, Frankford Arsenal offers all the tools and reloading gear you need. Plus, the price is just right in the middle. The money spent on this fantastic product will be a good investment.
- 1500 grain capacity
- 3 point calibration feature
- Includes a carry case to keep all components
- Battery not included
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Hornady Lock N Load Auto Charge
Materials – The Hornady Lock N Load Auto Charge brings us to the next level of weighing powder. This scale features a compartment for holding large amounts of powder. It has three-speed settings for distributing your powder into the scale, as well as a trickle function. The scale itself is also accurate to 1/10 of a grain, and it can hold up to 1000 grains. The digital screen is backlit for easy reading, and there is a full keypad for maneuvering the scale.
In addition, this scale has a plastic covering to protect your loose powder from flying away during scaling. Covers make a huge difference in your productivity level and your clean-up process. There are also two calibration weights included, and there is a button dedicated to that function. Of course, buttons for switching between units and speeds are also included on the keypad.
Performance – The Hornady Lock N Load Auto Charge is one of the most popular digital powder scales for reloading on the market today. However, you’ll read some mixed reviews between ”this is the best scale ever” and ”t stopped working after ‘x; uses.” In my opinion, as a big fan of this product, the best conclusion I can come to is that when a product is mass-produced, there are bound to be some lemons. Luckily, there’s a one-year warranty included!
This scale has large buttons where you can choose between manual and automatic dispensing options. It also has a trickler with three different speed options, allowing you to choose the best speed based on your gun powder’s characteristics. Moreover, this scale is consistently accurate. It’s one of the best digital scales
What we say – The Hornady Lock N Load Auto Charge is the electronic powder scale for those who intend to work with a larger amount of powder. Perhaps you are fully invested in recycling your shells, or you provide this service for a close circle of like-minded gun owners. However, it is pricey so for occasional use look elsewhere.
- Scales up to 1000 grains
- Backlit digital reader
- Protects loose powder
- Comes with a 1-year warranty
- Mixed reviews
- High price
Lyman Gen 6 Touch Screen
Materials – The Lyman Gen 6 Touch Screen is for the serious at-home gunsmith and professionals alike. It holds the largest capacity mentioned within this review, weighing up to 1500 grains at a time. Similar to the others, the scale is capable of up to 1/10 of a grain accuracy. Special technology provides an anti-static feature, so there’s no mess when measuring. In addition, its digital touch screen feature makes it the most advanced style of electronic powder scale on the market. Other features of this scale are: toggle between units, powder distribution speeds, and program the memory to scale a specific weight for up to 100 rounds.
Performance – The Lyman Gen 6 Touch Screen scale could be the best powder scale for reloading. It is, for sure, one of the most innovative and advanced tools you can purchase. However, this scale is more expensive than almost any other scale you can buy online. So this is better for gun owners who are working on a professional level. The entire screen is backlit, so it’s easy to read and use. You can also expect a large investment in this option, which means you’ll be getting very long-lasting use out of it.
What we say – Like I’ve mentioned earlier, the Lyman Gen 6 Touch Screen scale is the best powder scale for those working on a professional level or are working with high amounts of powder at a time. It’s a wonderful product that can be worth the investment to the right buyer.
- Advanced technology, the best of the best
- Fully digital scale and keypad
- Scales up to 1500 grains
- Anti-static feature enables mess-free weighing
- Durable, will last a very long time
- Expensive if you are an occasional user
Our Favorite Digital Powder Scale
Our favorite digital powder scale ended up being the Hornady Lock N Load Auto Charge. Quite often, when it comes to gunsmithing tooling for the everyday gun owner, we will end up siding with a product that is already popular online. This is not because it’s the easy choice, but it’s because good products can usually speak for themselves. The Hornady Lock N Load Auto Charge is a happy medium between scaling powder in your home workshop and working on a professional level. It is on the pricier side, but I think it is worth it for the extra features. This option is versatile and easy to use, and it protects the powder from being blown around or turning into a mess. We can work comfortably and efficiently with this one.
However, if you’re on a budget, our best budget pick is the GGD Compact Digital Reloading Scale with Precision Accuracy. I recommend this to beginners and those who want a portable digital scale. It’s accurate, compact, and comes at an affordable price that’s ideal for new and experienced gun owners.
