Need a new scale that wont break the bank

Just upgraded to a Chargemaster Lite and I'm happy.

300 rounds so far, lots of checking in between rounds with check weights at 42.5 gr and double checking against my 5-0-5. So far so good. Maybe half a dozen over pours but I'm happy
 
I use a Lyman Micro Touch 1500 digital scale, not an expensive one, but easy to use. I weigh every rifle charge, not because I am a fussy target shooter, but because it is much simpler - weigh the charge and dump it in the case.
 
Take a look at the cheap little Hornady digital scale. Around $60. It's small enough to fit in your pocket and it actually very accurate, if you rezero it every time you turn it on.

Rezeroing digital scales should be done whenever they're turned on anyway.
 
bearhunter said:
Take a look at the cheap little Hornady digital scale. Around $60. It's small enough to fit in your pocket and it actually very accurate, if you rezero it every time you turn it on.

Rezeroing digital scales should be done whenever they're turned on anyway.
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X2. These are a decent scale for the money. There are a few milligram scales on amazon and eBay that get decent reviews. In the end, you always get what you pay for.
 
I would skip the cheaper digital scales. To get a quality one, you're looking at $300. Look at upgrading your balance scale instead, you can get a nice ones for half the price of a quality digital scale.
 
Stick with the Lee scale.
I have 2 Redding #1 scales, one oil damped, one with no damping, and an RCBS 505, and really prefer the Lee scale.
I would not mess with digital scale, hell i’m old and old school. Especially a cheap one, there’s a lot at stake. Accuracy and safety.

All the above mentioned scales are for sale if anyone is interested. Except the Lee.
 
I currently use a Gem Pro 250, today I'd buy the GP 300. This scale has proven to be accurate and repeatable. If it has a downside, its that the small size and weight make it easy to bump out of position, and when ever this happens I take the time to re-calibrate it, as well as when I am about to use it. The scale requires an hour of warm-up time, so I just leave mine on 24/7. A scale that indicates 2 decimal points can be a bit slower to use, but means you can have confidence when weighing tenth of a grain increments. A scale that offers +/- a tenth of a grain can't accurately weigh amounts less than a quarter of a grain. Scale accuracy is often a topic hotly debated, with some steadfastly maintaining that you don't need to weigh each individual molecule, therefore +/- a tenth of a grain has always been, and will continue to be, quite sufficient to meet the needs of handloaders. IMHO, the advantage of a 2 decimal point scale is the faith you can have in the tenth of a grain reading.
 
I was given one of the less expensive Hornady digital scales as a gift. It used to frustrate the hell out of me! I'd calibrate it, set it up, throw maybe one of two charges, and when i put the empty pan back on the scale, I'd get a reading of .2-.4 gr.! Now I'm not shooting benchrest accuracy BUT I do strive to be as accurate as I can when I reload. I finally went back to my balance beam scale. I've done some reading and research since then, and found my problem was not an uncommon one. Personally, I find the electronic scales too finicky.
 
Boomer said:
I currently use a Gem Pro 250, today I'd buy the GP 300. This scale has proven to be accurate and repeatable. If it has a downside, its that the small size and weight make it easy to bump out of position, and when ever this happens I take the time to re-calibrate it, as well as when I am about to use it. The scale requires an hour of warm-up time, so I just leave mine on 24/7. A scale that indicates 2 decimal points can be a bit slower to use, but means you can have confidence when weighing tenth of a grain increments. A scale that offers +/- a tenth of a grain can't accurately weigh amounts less than a quarter of a grain. Scale accuracy is often a topic hotly debated, with some steadfastly maintaining that you don't need to weigh each individual molecule, therefore +/- a tenth of a grain has always been, and will continue to be, quite sufficient to meet the needs of handloaders. IMHO, the advantage of a 2 decimal point scale is the faith you can have in the tenth of a grain reading.
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The GP300 works very well for me but you need to trickle with the pan off the scale. Takes a little more time. Otherwise the scale tries to stabilise and the reading can be wrong. I have been using a mechanical scale (RCBS) for years and using the GP300 just shown me how you can be off 0.1-0.2gn just by a small misalignement of your eye when reading the bar and arrow. Not a big deal for hunting and plinking loads, but for sigle digits SD's and ES's,
 
Fastestmanalive said:
The GP300 works very well for me but you need to trickle with the pan off the scale. Takes a little more time. Otherwise the scale tries to stabilise and the reading can be wrong. I have been using a mechanical scale (RCBS) for years and using the GP300 just shown me how you can be off 0.1-0.2gn just by a small misalignement of your eye when reading the bar and arrow. Not a big deal for hunting and plinking loads, but for sigle digits SD's and ES's,
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That is why you put the beam scale on a shelf or stand at eye level.
 
M1-Garand said:
Mine does not seem consistent,wanders by several 10s of a grain.
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Make sure you are using a quality battery in your scale. I have found that digital scales will wander considerably as the battery declines or if you use a cheap battery. They can also be affected by RF so make sure your phone or any electronic device isn't too close and finally, make sure you calibrate it frequently.
 
Myself have tried a bunch of beam scales and digital scales.
Digital I tried, Dillon, RCBS, Gempro, FX120, Lyman...

If going digital, i'd only use GemPro or FX120, all the other may as well be using a beam scale, in my opinion, the RCBS 5-0-5 beam beats them all except gempro and fx120.
Since owning the FX120, I do not want anything else anymore it's very pleasant to use.
And thread is titled that won't break the bank... I believe the answer you want is GemPro 250.
 
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