E-scales

[John L. Lucci]

What scales are everyone using? Does anyone use a all-in-one powder dispenser scale combo???

[p246]

IMG_1252.jpgRight now I'm using a Gempro 250 with a Dandy Trickler. I've had good luck with both. I've only had them six months but have used the heck out of them. The Gempro has only walked on me a couple times. I leave it turned on and never shut it off.

[psteinmayer]

I use an inexpensive digital scale (under $40, can't recall the brand off the top of my head), and back it up with a beam scale to verify every tenth load or so. So far, it's yet to fail me or be off more than .01 grain. I did find though that it would go all batty and I had a heck of a time figuring out why... until I discovered it was my cell phone messing with it. Keep the cell phone at least ten feet away from the scale!!!

I have a trickler, but I rarely use it because I've found that I can do better and faster just tapping in or digging out with my powder spoon. I'm now using a powder drop also, and I still weigh each and every charge!

A word of advice about tricklers or powder measure/scale units: You must be very diligent in cleaning them when switching from one powder to another! A couple of accidental grains of Bullseye in a charge of 4895 in your 30-06 and you have the recipe for disaster!

[BlitzKrieg]

Digital scales can be problematic and variances wander. Talking for rifle hand loads, not pistol

My RCBS Chargemaster drops on the money..and it can be 1/10 under or over desired charge weight when I cross check that weight on my 1010 RCBS scale. The waZOOOO Chargemaster window reading when dropping stick powder can be very misleading. Its slow to dump powder and after 4 yrs using it, it sits as an ornament on my reloading bench. I just dump the charge out of my measure and check it on my beam scale and trickle to make charge correct weight. Some may find the Chargemaster good for ball powder and have less variance, suspect this is the case.

Now...does a 1/10 variance Plus or Minus from your desired weight make any difference: yes for long distance and probably not if you are shooting 300 yd and below. What about 600 yds ...well, maybe not in a NRA/CMP match like Service rifle with that big bullseye and generous 10 ring ...if you are a great shooter with an accurate rifle. I know there are lots of folks using Chargemasters (and clones) for Garand matches, XTC etc etc where bulls are generous and have no issue with these powder dumper/scale combo.

Powder weight: I prefer it to be exact for what I want for rifle accuracy results. I use a beam scale.

Pistol: Forget Chargemaster (you can use it but its slow) and just use a ball powder in powder measure and once set, it throws good enuff for normal 50 yd and below match shooting . If I am shooting magnum calibers and mega stiff loads, I use the beam scale to validate that powder charge thrown by powder measure. Flake powders ? Drop and validate with beam scale.

Last shot: digital scales can be unreliable and in this day and age, I fail to see why. The technology is not new and we should be able to buy super accurate digital scales for cheap prices. Calculators came in expensive and you can get them for pennies these days. I think the reason we don't have digital scales that are bloody accurate is we import them off shore and don't make them here in USA.

[p246]

Blitzkrieg I'd agree with 99% of what you said. I have noted over the years the smaller the hole your using .223 vs 6.5...6.5 vs .338 the more a 1/10th of a grain matter. In the 223 loads we throw the charge on the E scale and check it on a balance beam. The Gempro is pretty good at being within a 1/10th but the 700P likes very identical powder charges using CFE in .223. The Winmag loads using Retumbo we throw just using the E scale. The 1/10th grain does not seem to bother it much. We shoot the Winmags out to max of 1320 most of the time as that's where the field ends. We have good luck getting hits as long as spotter calls wind right. The big guns generally shoot 1/2 minute at 100 yards with hand loads. The little guns were getting flyers until we started beaming every load. Curious to see if anyone else sees this.

As far as the Gempro goes some important parts made in Germany rest China. You either get a great one or a turd. Customer support is very hit and miss. Just like most E scales you have to judge the one you got. The handy trickled works very well, I wish the E scales were as good as it has been. It has a big bump button to run a lot and a little bump button that drops a kernel or two per bump.

I wish RCBS still made the 10 10 scale. I haven't been as impressed with their new one I think it's a M1000 but can't recall.

[AZshooter]

I got the Chargemaster several years ago & wish I had gotten one years earlier. It keeps zero, nevertheless, I pull several from my loading block and weigh them on my beam balance scale - rarely any problems.

[milboltnut]

Hornady GS1500 checked against RCBS 502 beam scale...is fine.