Hey guys looking for recommendations on a powder scale that read down to at least .01 of a grain. Thanks
.01 powder scales?
- Thread starter Boisblancboy
- Start date
Or any scale that measures in the hundredth, even at .02 incriments. I guess I want to see if there is anything out there practical.
DeltaBravo
Gold $$ Contributor
I've got a Gemini 20 from American Weigh that measures to 1 milligram - I think that's 0.02 grains. Got it from Amazon for under $30. It's a little hard to use because the weighing "platform" is so small, but it works well enuf for what I do with it.
Dennis
Dennis
I use a Prometheus Gen2.
Well here, along with my first question: What scale are you using that you are very confident in its accuracy?
I have an RCBS chargemaster and I know it's not the best. So I would like to hear of the very accurate scales even down to the hundredth place. I just want to be sure my loads are consistent.
I have an RCBS chargemaster and I know it's not the best. So I would like to hear of the very accurate scales even down to the hundredth place. I just want to be sure my loads are consistent.
There are a bunch of strain gauge scales out there in the $250-$350 range that will read in that range. Practicle? Reliable? Good question.
Most of the strain gauge scales are suseptable to various issues. Many have been on threads on this site. Do a search for scales such as Acculab 123 and such. Threads are interesting reading.
Define practical? Cost? Portability?
If you want to reliably read to .01 grain, everytime with no drift or diviation, you are going to spend some cash.
The Prometheus Gen II right now is approx. $3000 with a yrs wait. My shooting partner has one and it is fast and accurate. Not sure how many decimal places it goes down to but his ammo performance is beyond reproach.
A Sartorius GD503 is a little over $1150 and goes to .001gr reliably.
Couple that with an Omega powder trickler and you have a very accurate and reasonably fast setup. It also lightened your wallet up a bunch.
You might look into one of the balance beam scales that has been reworked (Scott Parker I believe). Couple that with a good trickler (like the Omega) and you might have a moderately priced and very repeatable combination.
Everybody is looking for the low priced, better mouse trap.
Bob
Most of the strain gauge scales are suseptable to various issues. Many have been on threads on this site. Do a search for scales such as Acculab 123 and such. Threads are interesting reading.
Define practical? Cost? Portability?
If you want to reliably read to .01 grain, everytime with no drift or diviation, you are going to spend some cash.
The Prometheus Gen II right now is approx. $3000 with a yrs wait. My shooting partner has one and it is fast and accurate. Not sure how many decimal places it goes down to but his ammo performance is beyond reproach.
A Sartorius GD503 is a little over $1150 and goes to .001gr reliably.
Couple that with an Omega powder trickler and you have a very accurate and reasonably fast setup. It also lightened your wallet up a bunch.
You might look into one of the balance beam scales that has been reworked (Scott Parker I believe). Couple that with a good trickler (like the Omega) and you might have a moderately priced and very repeatable combination.
Everybody is looking for the low priced, better mouse trap.
Bob
BoydAllen
Gold $$ Contributor
I have played with a Gem Pro 250 and it was as good, if not as well built, as a $350 scale that another friend has. If you have the budget (around $800) from what I have seen a magnetic force restoration scale is a whole lot better than any strain gauge scale. I have seen video on you tube demonstrating this.
You have 2 options in my opinion
If you want a good reliable scale either get a scott parker tuned scale or a sartorius gd-503
Now if you really want the best get a Prometheus 2, but I wanted to give you options for less than over $3k, but if you want the best then to me its the one to own. I would rather own a gen 2 than have an extra rifle in the safe.
I started with a Chargemaster, then went to a Sartorius for a year and finally the gen 2. I personally have no time behind a parker scale but based upon reviews of trusted friends i would recomend one.
Once i started weighing to a kernel i saw vertical go away and my groups get more consistent. I shot over the chrono yesterday and had a 4.5fps es too. the only question is how much do you want to spend to get there.
for the money the 503 is a great scale, i also still have the gem pro, its a piece of garbage compared to the 503. You just have to throw and trickle up with it, it works but it takes more time and full attention, while the gen 2 it does its thing fast and hands free.
to me you get what you pay for and after using the 503 any other lesser $ digital is crap compared to it. they dont hold zero, drift and dont pick up as fast.
If you want a good reliable scale either get a scott parker tuned scale or a sartorius gd-503
Now if you really want the best get a Prometheus 2, but I wanted to give you options for less than over $3k, but if you want the best then to me its the one to own. I would rather own a gen 2 than have an extra rifle in the safe.
I started with a Chargemaster, then went to a Sartorius for a year and finally the gen 2. I personally have no time behind a parker scale but based upon reviews of trusted friends i would recomend one.
Once i started weighing to a kernel i saw vertical go away and my groups get more consistent. I shot over the chrono yesterday and had a 4.5fps es too. the only question is how much do you want to spend to get there.
for the money the 503 is a great scale, i also still have the gem pro, its a piece of garbage compared to the 503. You just have to throw and trickle up with it, it works but it takes more time and full attention, while the gen 2 it does its thing fast and hands free.
to me you get what you pay for and after using the 503 any other lesser $ digital is crap compared to it. they dont hold zero, drift and dont pick up as fast.
The A&D FX 120i measures at 0.02 grain increments which is a little less than one kernel of Varget. I use one and its the scale I use when measuring loads for long range.
Details here: http://balance.balances.com/scales/1223/
Ian
Details here: http://balance.balances.com/scales/1223/
Ian
Killshot
X's matter....but 10s win (but damn, Xs feel good)
I bought both an Acculab and the GemPro 250.
Loaded with them both and shot groups over the chrono.
I sold the Acculab.
Hard to beat the value in the GemPro, even if you had $3K laying around for a Prometheus.
Low spreads start at the scale.
Loaded with them both and shot groups over the chrono.
I sold the Acculab.
Hard to beat the value in the GemPro, even if you had $3K laying around for a Prometheus.
Low spreads start at the scale.
Thanks, fixed the post to read 0.02 grain, still less, (only just) than one kernel of Varget powder. The FX-120i is a 1 milligram (0.001 gram) scale or 0.02 grains!CJ6 said:
Ian
I can't speak for any of the higher priced digitals, at least not yet. My budget just hasn't got to that point lately. However, I just recently delved into digital scales from my Lee safety scale. I acquired a Hornady, and I can say that I am less than impressed with it's performance. Yes, I know it's on the lower end, but then again, I bought it mainly to see if it would speed up my measuring chores any faster. What I noticed right off the bat is that when trickling, it seems to take far more granules to net a change in weight than the little Lee scale. Plus, the drifting sucks. On the Lee, I could see a response from the scale with virtual every granule that landed in the pan, as as simple a scale it is, it is quite sensitive, and it seems to be fairly consistant. The only problem is disruption of balance from even the slightest of breeze or "stray" breath, which is quite annoying. And Lord forbid if you accidently bump the beam while placing the pan during loading a string! This will sometimes move its position on the blade it balances on and change the zero. I can not get myself to continue loading after that, and dump the entire string I'm working on and start over. Geez!
Anyway, I can appreciate that you get what you pay for. For now, I will use the digital for loading bulk rifle, or QC on pistol ammo that I dump from the measure. Until I can drop the cash on something of quality, I'll load my match ammo with a balance. Just my two cents
Anyway, I can appreciate that you get what you pay for. For now, I will use the digital for loading bulk rifle, or QC on pistol ammo that I dump from the measure. Until I can drop the cash on something of quality, I'll load my match ammo with a balance. Just my two cents
I use a Chargemaster for .1 under and a GD503 and Omega trickler for weight. Weigh ten or twenty kernels with the GD503 before you start and get an average kernel weight. Then, you know whether to trickle another kernel to bracket your target weight. The three together are not cheap but represent a fast and reliable system.
memilanuk
Gold $$ Contributor
Steve,
Replace that Chargemaster with a Lee PPM set ~0.2-0.3gn low, and you'll likely increase your speed considerably.
I think my old Chargemaster was a bit slow, as my new one goes a bit faster... but even with various settings tweaks and the straw mod, etc. the Chargemaster + Sartorius GD-503 + Omega 2-speed trickler was taking me ~50 minutes per tray of 50 cases (as opposed to 60-65 minutes before with the old one and hand-trickling with a spoon...).
Using the Lee PPM I'm down to about 30 min per tray of 50... sometimes a little more, but rarely more than 35 minutes.
Between the Mk1 Mod0 eyeball and the wet-ware between your ears, you can trickle up faster with fewer over shoots using the Omega over that last 0.2-0.5gn than the Chargemaster with its final slow down to 0.1gn low and then using the Omega. If the Lee over-throws, its still faster to pick off a couple kernels, or just toss it back and throw again.
That said, I would sometimes use the spare seconds while waiting on the Chargemaster to seat bullets, so it may be a case of save some time here, spend some time there. Given that weighing charges is the most mind-numbing and tedious portion, dang near anything I can do to get it over with quicker is better. If I had a spare $3000 I'd seriously consider a Prometheus...
Replace that Chargemaster with a Lee PPM set ~0.2-0.3gn low, and you'll likely increase your speed considerably.
I think my old Chargemaster was a bit slow, as my new one goes a bit faster... but even with various settings tweaks and the straw mod, etc. the Chargemaster + Sartorius GD-503 + Omega 2-speed trickler was taking me ~50 minutes per tray of 50 cases (as opposed to 60-65 minutes before with the old one and hand-trickling with a spoon...).
Using the Lee PPM I'm down to about 30 min per tray of 50... sometimes a little more, but rarely more than 35 minutes.
Between the Mk1 Mod0 eyeball and the wet-ware between your ears, you can trickle up faster with fewer over shoots using the Omega over that last 0.2-0.5gn than the Chargemaster with its final slow down to 0.1gn low and then using the Omega. If the Lee over-throws, its still faster to pick off a couple kernels, or just toss it back and throw again.
That said, I would sometimes use the spare seconds while waiting on the Chargemaster to seat bullets, so it may be a case of save some time here, spend some time there. Given that weighing charges is the most mind-numbing and tedious portion, dang near anything I can do to get it over with quicker is better. If I had a spare $3000 I'd seriously consider a Prometheus...
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