jeweler's scale?

flying pig

flying pig

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Hey guys I'm loading 223 for long range. I really need to upgrade my scale, I'm seeing lots of vertical impact change at all ranges, and I'm positive its an inconsistant charge. I've been thinking about using a Jewelers digital scale. I know others on here have used them, wondering which one I should look into? I use a cheap dispenser and trickle up to weight with a redding trickler, so no need to improve there imo. What do you guys think?
 
I run a gempro 250. Works good. More accuracy than needed for shooting really(hundredth of a grain...likely in real values 0.02-0.04gr) but I already owned it. That said when it comes to scales you can equate them to optics. You don't get anything worthwhile for a steal. So if you want an opinion on a specific scale you might want to give a model or price range. That said any of the powder scales from major companies should work accurately enough.

Just make sure to let any electronic scale warm up for a while as the load cell needs to stabilize to be accurate. Using an electronic scale immediately after firing it up gives you drift regardless of how expensive it is. This is the reason lab scales are generally plugged in and on full time.

*edit*

I recall I think it's RCBS or someone is advertising a new scale that doesn't need warm up. Best I can figure is it keeps the load cell warm while it's 'off'. That is unless they have something fancy and new in load cell technology as it's not really something I keep up to date on.
 
I use one from time to time when I want something quick and not necessarily accurate. Digital scales are notorious for being inaccurate unless they are a higher priced model ($100+). I get better accuracy with my $17 Lee powder scale than with the $30 digital jewellery scale. A lot of people hate on the Lee scale but it's quite accurate (I've compared it to others with test weights), just a huge PITA to use.
 
Unless the scale you are using is damaged I don't think another or digital scale will improve accruacy. If of course the scale you have is broken then another properly working scale will be an improvement. Digitals, even pricey ones can have their quirks too, cheap ones more so.
 
The most accurate and repeatable scale I own is electronic. My pacific works very well, and is accurate within a specific range, but when over or under that range, it is repeatable but inaccurate. I like knowing the true weight, along with repeatability.

The chargemaster I use doesn't need much warm up, I have never noticed any difference when I checked it with weights between after being on for 5 minutes or 30 minutes. Maybe the older ones were more picky?
 
Cleftwynd said:
The most accurate and repeatable scale I own is electronic. My pacific works very well, and is accurate within a specific range, but when over or under that range, it is repeatable but inaccurate. I like knowing the true weight, along with repeatability.

The chargemaster I use doesn't need much warm up, I have never noticed any difference when I checked it with weights between after being on for 5 minutes or 30 minutes. Maybe the older ones were more picky?
Click to expand...

Sorry I screwed up. It was Lyman's new one. Here's the shotshow link where I was reading about it.

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...OW-2013-New-Lyman-Automatic-Powder-Dispensers

Some quick background reading I just did off google indicates that load cells should be warmed up a minimum of 15 minutes before use(various engineering sites). As I said above it's likely that these units keep the cell warm as long as they're plugged in. I'd be curious as to whether or not there is an initial warm up period when it first gets plugged in.
 
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I want something infinitely repeatable. I'm using a bottom of the barrel Lee scale. I went super cheap when I got into reloading a year ago with the anniversary kit just to see if I would like it and I sure do. Also at the time I was planning on only loading for milsurps, but now I find I'm getting addicted to shooting longer ranges and quite often only take my 223 to my shooting spot.

I'm looking for a high quality scale, I'm not rich enough to keep buying stuff I'm not going to be satisfied with in the long run. That gempro 250 looks nice, so does the chargemaster. I don't care about speed, just accuracy. If it takes me an hour a day for a week to build 100rds of nice accurate ammunition it is very worth it in my eyes. Something fast is ok for plinking but I want groups that hit the target repeatedly at the same elevation every shot. A foot of elevation difference at 600m is not good enough considering my horizontal drift is always about 3".

It could be the powder to a certain degree (my mv is down a lot from what was expected on paper), but I find the Lee scale extremely suspect. I've checked and re-checked loads with it and found them to be out as much as 3/10's. I take really good care of all of my equipment so its not just a defective scale, its a $5 scale you get what you pay for.
 
Get a good Lyman or RCBS bean scale and keep it clean!!!!! Clean off the pivots with a small paint brush and also clean the bearings.
A digital scale is of no value unless you check it for calibration and "repeatability" which you will not find on the cheaper digital scales.
Get a decent beam scale, learn how to use it and just keep it clean.
If you are really that concerned about consistency, check Ebay or one of the auction sites and get yourself a small OHAUS weight set. You might have to look for one in grains, as most are metric (grams) but you can substitute and convert the grams to grains then check for repeatability.....this is the important thing with a scale.
Also, a "correct" jewelers scale will be in TROY ounces which are different than avoirdupois ounces or carats which again are different.
 
RCBS 750 Rangemaster
Picked one up for $150 about a year ago and it's been good so far. Very little drift that I've seen and works well with the trickler.
 
Lots of opinions here guys, thanks. No I don't have a chrony yet either. I'm just trying to go after the most obvious weak link here. Its not me (I'm consistent left/right), and its not the bullets, if it was I should be seeing a consistent horizontal/vertical dispersion in the group should I not? I don't really care how fast they are going so long as they all are landing at the same elevation every shot. Only thing I'm not doing yet that has been suggested is turning my necks. I will be using my mini lathe for that but I need to get it dialed in first and don't have time to play with it a bunch yet.

My ballistics calculator tells me they are quite slow 65gr Sierra spitzers @ average 2750. I figured that number using real world bullet drop in the calculator, could be a bit off but don't see it being miles off.

I want to eliminate my scale before I start over using different powder. Just want to eliminate doubt in my equipment first.
 
The gempro 250 is repeatable to under 0.1gr during a loading session if you let it warm up. As I stated earlier in the thread load cells need a minimum of 15 min to stabilize(longer is better). Using a cheap scale like the gempro 250 requires some working knowledge of scales as you will have to re-zero it a few times throughout the loading session.

If you want exact repeatability start looking at lab scales in the $400+ range.

If you want easy to use look at the major reloading manufacturers' scales.
 
My procedure is dispense powder with the RCBS charge master and then verify with the gempro. Works excellent when you want to be super picky like with long range ammo. I trust the RCBS enough for my hunting rounds and big bore rifles.
 
I use an old RCBS scale with a new Lee scale as a backup, with never a problem. I do have a jewelers scale to double check but my powder scales do the job just as they should.
 
'Boo's got it. Minor variations in powder charge generally do not result in significant vertical dispersion at 600yds. A chrony will give you real feedback on variations in velocity, which, by the way, will also give lateral spread, since it is most unlikely that your rifle is resonating only in the veertical plane!

Remembering that before the advent of portable electronic scales, (and for all I know, after the advent of portable electronic scales) bench rest competitors were shooting bits of MOA - .175'ish,- using consistent powder scooping, or simple powder measures. Look for another casue of vertical dispersion.
 
I have a RCBS 10-10 and Gempro 250. My first Gempro pooped out but warranty is lifetime and the replacement works great. I spent way too much time researching affordable digital scales but decided the Gempro 250 was the best value. iWeigh has some comparable products as well but the Gempro had the most "resolution" for money.

To put it in context, the Gempro will measure to 1/5th of 1/10th grain and measure in .02 increments for a range of 2/5th's of 1/10th grain (0.04gr). I don't shoot too much so prefer to spend the time and use the Gempro - I have yet to reconcile the same charge between the two scales to test accuracy, but repeatable measurements on both products are perfect.
 
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