What small digital scale do you suggest?

[R.Morehouse]

I would consider pre-loading your charges at home in 1 dram vials ( or larger if needed ). I keep 3 gross on hand and keep many filled on the shelf even to just load at home.

Regards
Rick

 

[DLT]

Can your cheap scale do this?

I had one after seeing your findings with the scale. It worked great until it crapped out. I should have replaced it but never did.

 

[BoydAllen]

I had one after seeing your findings with the scale. It worked great until it crapped out. I should have replaced it but never did.

Mine is still working. I like it well enough that for $25 I will just buy another if it dies.

 

[boltfluter]

I had one after seeing your findings with the scale. It worked great until it crapped out. I should have replaced it but never did.

Gonna be hard to beat this little "gem of a scale". You really can't go wrong at this price point. I think I need one for loading some sub-sonic rounds for my suppressed. 223 Tikka. Gonna be fun and the neighbors will be happy!
Paul

 

[BoydAllen]

A tip on the GEM20, with the box top up and the picture right side up, the long edge nearest you is secured with a magnetic latch. All you have to do is to pull slightly on the bottom edge. I still use the box to store the scale in and it survives in perfect condition. It is small enough to pack in my range loading kit. Of course the pan that comes with it is too small for reloading, but your RCBS pan should work as well as mine does. Oh, funny thing, I learned something about the scale after all this time, it will zero with the pan on the platen when you turn it on. The older ones like mine shut off after 40 seconds or so, but all you have to do is tap it lightly to start a new cycle. I am told that the newer ones can be programmed to not do this. but since it requires virtually no warm up, it works fine the way it is.

 

[Rocketvapor]

The little GEM20 is sensitive enough to tickle.
Small, portable, and DELICATE.


If you go back to the Scale on Scale picture a few posts back the 300.000 gram scale is NOT suitable for trickling. Really nice load cell inside though.

 

[jds holler]

Can your cheap scale do this?

Hey! I've got one of those that I haven't even been using. It's just too cheap. I had forgotten all about it -- maybe I should put it into service. jd

 

[Bat Rastard]

I have a Smart Weigh Gem20. It works very well for the cost. As best as I can tell it stays within +/-.02

 

[jxb]

Can your cheap scale do this?

Oh man that's a nice find, certainly beats the DS-750. Thanks!

 

[Dimner]

Oh man that's a nice find, certainly beats the DS-750. Thanks!

This is the exact kind of setup I was envisioning. Using my extra trickler (or even just tapping on an angled spare case full of powder to trickle like I used to back when I started out) and using a few lee dippers in the range I need for the main powder dump.

Keep in mind, this is just for a very basic fun reloading kit. Super portable and not taking up much space. For Use at the cabin or a friends house. Not for load development or testing or anything. I would travel with my lee single stage, spare dies, a couple spare one lb bottles of the basics. 3031, H4895, Unique and Shooters World Buffalo.

Doubt I would be reloading anything more than 223, 30wcf, 30-06, and maybe 7x57 mauser. Mostly mil surplus and cast bullet shooting.

For actual reloading at the range when it counts.... Well, my club has power at the workbenches in the range house. So that's where I would bring all my A-game reloading equipment including the nice Creedmoor scale using pre-measured tubes of powder.

 

[Dimner]

for those of you with the GEM20. Do you think this pan will work with it? One less thing I have to carry in the bag (pan and funnel)

 

[RCE1]

for those of you with the GEM20. Do you think this pan will work with it? One less thing I have to carry in the bag (pan and funnel)


View attachment 1585441

I don't see why not

 

[AlNyhus]

The Jennings VS-VG20 would do a good job for you.

 

[BoydAllen]

for those of you with the GEM20. Do you think this pan will work with it? One less thing I have to carry in the bag (pan and funnel)


View attachment 1585441

I have one and it works just fine.

 

[AlNyhus]

I just ordered one of the Smart Weigh 20's. We'll see how it shakes out. -Al

 

[Rat Rifle]

I just ordered one of the Smart Weigh 20's. We'll see how it shakes out. -Al

It works for Me. I keep it away from Fluorescent Lights and Drafts. Tare often. It holds its own right next to a 120i. And of course at a much reduced price

 

[Rocketvapor]

I also just ordered an AWS Gemini 20 scale.
Why? Just because

 

[AlNyhus]

Works for Me. I keep it away from Fluorescent Lights and Drafts. Tare often. It holds its own right next to a 120i. And of course at a much reduced price

I weigh small amounts of lube used in the bullet making process. We'll see how it compares to the Tanita I normally use.

 

[chop house]

I set the small one on the large one, Tared, and checked a 50 gram cal weight.

clever

 

[Dimner]

Last night i broke out my Frankford Arsenal® DS-750 and a scale I forgot I had purchased. As well as the el-cheapo PL-50 (on Amazon sold under multiple names. Mine is the $17 "Fuzion Milligram Scale 50g/0.001g,". Ran the two small scales through a series of tests.

Both matched perfectly with the trx-925 with the 2g weight. 30.86 grains. So then I did a test where I used the 2g weight on each scale every 60 seconds until I hit 5 minutes and then every 5 minutes for the next half hour. Had to keep the FA scale from timing out, so I nudged it every 2 minutes. I did not tare for this entire test.

Both scales passed with flying colors. Except the FA scale at 25 minutes read 30.6 grains for about 5 seconds and switched to 30.8 right before I picked up the 2gr weight.

So then I tried to force the two scales to drift.
I let the scales warm up for 3 minutes. Tared the scale, then weighed.my 2g weight every 5 seconds for another 3 minutes. Ran this test twice on each scale. One with pushing the tare button before weighing every 5 seconds. 2nd test without any tare button except the very first weigh.

And I tell you, it's hard to force a scale to drift. I know when I'm sorting cast bullets both of these scales drift alot. But my test had hardly any drift.

Test 2a - 5 second 2g weight test with no tare

• FA DS-750 -- 9 out of 36 results were 0.1gr high. 1 out of 36 results were low.
• PL-50 - 3 out of 36 results were 0.08gr high. No results were low.

Test 2b - 5 second 2g weight test with tare.

• FA DS-750 - 4 out of 36 results were 0.1gr high. No results were low.
• PL-50 - all 36 results were perfect.

So far. This gives me confidence in this little PL-50. I have 100 6.5x47L fire forming loads to put together. So I'm going to put the PL-50 through a real use test.

Even with all of this, I'm still tempted to buy that GEM20