Recommended powder scale for 1,000 yard loads ?

[memilanuk]

Used to be the MX-123 (and their cousins, the VIC-123) scales were very popular 'budget' milligram scales with many shooters. Some worked pretty well, some did not. The problem is that those scales didn't really use the correct sensor technology (magnetic force restoration) for the application; instead they used strain gauges which are not nearly sensitive enough and had to rely on some software interpolation. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it did not. I finally sold mine, and picked up a Sartorius GD-503 (the equivalent model now would probably be the Entris 64). Night and day difference in the amount of EM sensitivity - a budget scale just does not have the shielding to protect it and stabilize the circuitry that a good scale does. Also, the design of the baffles *under* the platen was markedly improved, and along with the glass hutch, made a *huge* difference in protecting from any stray breezes. The Gempro is probably better than the stock scale on say, a Chargemaster, but if you think a $130 scale is anywhere in the same league as a $500 or $1000 dollar scale... you are sadly mistaken.

 

[johara1]

I use a GD 503 but I only load small cases, BR. family. Those the load Large cases can get away with a little more error and the percentage error is close. but why add an other variable. Buy once and cry once, I have tuned beam scale and they get you close. ..jim

 

[L W P]

i rate the gem pro 250,supprised they have not been mentioned.any reason ?

I too use the GemPro 250 and have great success with it. I calibrated the little scale when I received it (via the calibration instructions) and I leave the scale on all of the time. After 6 months I have never seen it wander off 0.00gn with the cover lid down. I have checked the numbers on it with and with out the metal cover plate, calibration weight, and powder pan and they all show the same numbers now as when I first started using it. Maybe I'm lucky or this little scale works? For the $140 total that I paid for it thru Brownells I believe that it's a great deal. Does it hold up to A&D or Satorious scales, absolutely not. But for the extra $$$ they better well work far more consistently better than a $140 GemPro 250. It's just my 2 cents and to some it's not worth that. I guess it depends on how much you have and want to spend. Good luck

 

[moovin2fast]

Here's my 2 cents worth...... I can vouch for the GemPro 250. I have had 2 of them, and have shot a perfect 600 score at PRGC at 500yds using one in 223 F-TR, and won many matches in Phoenix & Montana while using one. The scale works well. They have a great warranty (send it back, get a new one, or if you live in Phoenix like I do, I went to the business and they exchanged it on the spot for a new one. no questions asked... mine started drifting after I dropped it ...) . I have to be honest though, I upgraded to a Entris 64 a couple years ago and will never go back. Much more precise and repeatable. You get what you pay for with scales, but don't think you can't shoot great scores just because you have a less expensive scale than a $1,000+ scale. I have experienced otherwise.

Justin Bertino

 

[raptor1ronin]

Here's my 2 cents worth...... I can vouch for the GemPro 250. I have had 2 of them, and have shot a perfect 600 score at PRGC at 500yds using one in 223 F-TR, and won many matches in Phoenix & Montana while using one. The scale works well. They have a great warranty (send it back, get a new one, or if you live in Phoenix like I do, I went to the business and they exchanged it on the spot for a new one. no questions asked... mine started drifting after I dropped it ...) . I have to be honest though, I upgraded to a Entris 64 a couple years ago and will never go back. Much more precise and repeatable. You get what you pay for with scales, but don't think you can't shoot great scores just because you have a less expensive scale than a $1,000+ scale. I have experienced otherwise.

Justin Bertino

Agree. I have one and I'm not losing points due to my gem pro 250 that should for sure.

 

[usagi]

gempro 250 is a good scale for the money, but it does not handle trickling at all.

 

[L W P]

gempro 250 is a good scale for the money, but it does not handle trickling at all.

I would have to disagree on not handling trickle charging. My GemPro 250 will measure the powder weight trickling it in up to the desired charge. Now when it comes to measuring the weight of each individual kernel it takes a little finesse. If I drop one kernel into my pan and it is too small to register, I then lift the pan off of the scale momentarily and then set it back on and it will read it. Depending on how small a kernel it is because the scale only measures 0.02 grain resolution.

 

[seymour fish]

i rate the gem pro 250,supprised they have not been mentioned.any reason ?

Drift, lag time, durability, imprecision

 

[SierraCJ5]

I still use my 80s vintage RCBS 5-0-5 scale and was able to achieve Master classification in LR F-tr with it.

 

[Texan]

gempro 250 is a good scale for the money, but it does not handle trickling at all.

Yep...I like my GemPro 250. Very accurate, but have to agree about trickling. If I trickle at all, I have to set the pan back on the scale.

For the price, I'll happily live with it!

 

[JLT]

Yep...I like my GemPro 250. Very accurate, but have to agree about trickling. If I trickle at all, I have to set the pan back on the scale.

For the price, I'll happily live with it!

You can try perturbing the pan lightly after trickling instead of trickle, lift, trickle lift. Take a pair of tweezers or similar object and lightly press down on the weighing pan. The scale will settle accurately after that. It may save you some time.

 

[long40shot]

I like my 250. Turning it on about an hour before you use it helps it.

 

[Mozella]

You can try perturbing the pan lightly after trickling instead of trickle, lift, trickle lift. Take a pair of tweezers or similar object and lightly press down on the weighing pan. The scale will settle accurately after that. It may save you some time.

It will settle accurately sometimes or "kinda". I think you can get charge weight accuracy down to one kernel of Varget using the Gempro 250, but you gotta' learn how to do the little dance. Before I got my FX-120i I used to dump the charge from my Chargemaster into a pan on the Gempro. Shaking the pan to center the powder and re weighing nearly always produced a .02gr increase in indicated weight. If it was short by .02 or .04, adding one or two kernels would do the trick, but usually the scale didn't change readings. Lifting the pan and putting it back usually registered the addition (or subtraction). However, I found the limit to be two re weighings or three at the most. One lift/set routine to center the powder charge and verify the weight and a second to verify any added or subtracted kernels. Usually trying a third check would result in an error not immediately detectable. After dumping the pan, sometimes the scale wouldn't return to zero or if it did, it took longer than normal. If that ever happened, I made sure to re weigh the previous charge. Or if at any time I had to fiddle very much to fine tune the weight, I would dump the pan into the case, re-zero the pan, and dump the charge back into the pan for verification. Usually it was not quite correct.

Bottom line: The Gempro scale is the best bang for the buck and it WILL produce accurate charges. But you must adjust your routine so that you correctly deal with the scale's idiosyncrasies.

Full disclosure: I broke down and bought an FX-120i and an Autotrickler. It is an expensive rig and won't always produce charges to the nearest .02gr either. But it does make accurate charges most of the time rather than some of the time and it is a LOT easier and faster to use than my old combination of Chargemaster and Gempro 250.