Scales, down range accuracy

[Ffjmoore]

I have a gempro 250 that started acting up right before I was developing a load for a new 308 rifle. So I pulled out my cheap amazon battery power scale and reloaded 20 rnds. Four 5 round groups. I did the same using my Scott Parker tuned 10-10 scale. While the results were acceptable for both, the cheap scale got me .5 moa at 100yrds and a standard deviation of 3!

Once fired brass pmc, shoulders bumped, varget, br2 primer, 178 eldm

Scale is $20 on Amazon

 

[Steel head]

I use a Hornandy electronic powder measure
My loads do pretty damn decent at a mile+.

Scales really have little effect on short range group size and if you do a decent load work up their effect at long range is minimized.

 

[Deleted member 113831]

On another accurate shooting site there are a couple threads about the surprising performance of another cheap battery powered scale, the Smart Weigh GEM20.

It has some quirks, but was proven repeatedly to be within +/- 0.02 grains.

I had my first one for a little over a year before it shit the bed, but I killed it by weighing 4,000 pcs of 308 and 223 brass.

My second is still soldiering on, though not seeing heavy use. My cost for each was $23 shipped.

 

[spife7980]

I was pleased with my beam scale, I was unpleased with my frankford pocket scale, I was pleased with the chargemaster, I am pleased with the auto throw.

Im sure that the auto throw gives much better performance than the pocket scale, everything did. I gave the pocket away.
I dont have a direct comparison in accuracy from the beam to the chargemaster or from the chargemaster to the auto throw. But each was an appreciable savings in time, something the pocket scale did the opposite of.
I do know that my chargemaster would keep my SD below 10, the auto throw keeps it below 8. So marginal improvement but it does so 2x as fast as the chargemaster.

The pocket scale just wouldnt give the same result as it did 5 minutes before. Tarring and rezeroing as often as I was weighing anything. Took just as long as the beam scale with more frustrations.




I read a long about the gem20 on accurateshooter but I what I took away from it was him saying that though it gave decent measurements that it was still more trouble than it was worth and to get a better scale. Going to refresh on it now.

Edit: wasnt too far off, accurate readings under 50 grains but slow and aggravating to actually use for a full session.

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[b2lee]

I like to load to a Satterlee load using velocity nodes...so if I throw 2 tenths either way...it's all good vertically at 1000+

 

[Steel head]

I was pleased with my beam scale, I was unpleased with my frankford pocket scale, I was pleased with the chargemaster, I am pleased with the auto throw.

Im sure that the auto throw gives much better performance than the pocket scale, everything did. I gave the pocket away.
I dont have a direct comparison in accuracy from the beam to the chargemaster or from the chargemaster to the auto throw. But each was an appreciable savings in time, something the pocket scale did the opposite of.
I do know that my chargemaster would keep my SD below 10, the auto throw keeps it below 8. So marginal improvement but it does so 2x as fast as the chargemaster.

The pocket scale just wouldnt give the same result as it did 5 minutes before. Tarring and rezeroing as often as I was weighing anything. Took just as long as the beam scale with more frustrations.




I read a long about the gem200 on accurateshooter but I what I took away from it was him saying that though it gave decent measurements that it was still more trouble than it was worth and to get a better scale. Going to refresh on it now.

I’d spend money on time savings far more readily than more accuracy at this point.
A V3 gets you both and is probably in my near future.

 

[Ffjmoore]

I use a combination of methods. I did a ladder test with a chrono so kinda like a satterlee. Took what I thought was a good range and loaded 42.3, 42.4, 42.5 and 42.6
5 rounds of each from the digital scale and another set from the beam. The beam seemed to be .05 grains more each load in comparison. .5moa was the best but .1 grain either direction was still sub moa. Plus I'm not the best shooter in the world.

 

[spife7980]

I’d spend money on time savings far more readily than more accuracy at this point.
A V3 gets you both and is probably in my near future.

Like with everything it follows the cheap, fast and good rules.