Electronic scale

P.Ericson said:
Thinking about buying a electronic scale to be used for weighting charges at the range. Which one is the cheepest one that still does a good (decent) job? Not to slow, able to weight +-0.05grs or so accuratly, and dont drift to much. The Denver instruments scales sure looks nice, but they are a bit do expensive for my taste.

Found this one http://www.oldwillknottscales.com/my-weigh-gempro-250.aspx Have anyone tried it?
Click to expand...


I just went over and looked at that scale P. and By George that does look like a lot of bang for your buck! I sem to recall paying somewhere around this price for My 123 back in the day but it didn't come with all the useful accessories.....

It weighs in grains

it remembers that you like grains

it has a tare feature

and it has 110AC

Looks like something worth trying...

al
 
Has anyone tried the DigiWeigh DW-10PP ? It supposedly weighs to 0.02 grains, and can be found for under $100. It also comes with a transport case and test weight, etc.

Jim
 
I bought a

acculab scale and a Denver at the same time so I could do a side by side test. They both read the same. The acculab needed more warm up time than the Denver. The Denver scale would hold Zero much better than the acculab until I reprogrammed it. After that there was no difference between the two.

Richard
 
Leave it to Richard to reprogram a digital scale, scheech..I can barely change batteries in one. :eek::eek::(:(

Donald
 
I have sold the scale,

but if I remember correctly I changed the stability rating from totally stable to the next level of unstability. That took care of hunting for zero. It would read exactly the same as the denver before and after the change, just no hunting.

Richard
 
CYanchycki said:
I have the same scale but the 40. It works well from the testing I have done. The only drawback I found is that it will not zero a case if it weighs more than 150 grains. That is a case 243 Win and larger. With the PPC and BR cases it will zero fine.

Calvin
Click to expand...

Yes, I noted the difference between the 20 and the 40. The 20 seemed to have another degree of accuracy but limited somewhat to 308 grains or so. Not a problem with the ppc, which is what I wanted it for. How does your 40 hold zero. Does it drift or show a different setting when setting the pan back on the scale? I am looking for stability. And it does seem to have a nice wind cover, with pan and calibration wt. The Lyman 1000 I had was very nice but would not hold a weight. After it set there a few seconds it would drift back and forth about .2 grain. Opinions welcomed.

Donald
 
A&D Orion 120

Donald said:
Yes, I noted the difference between the 20 and the 40. The 20 seemed to have another degree of accuracy but limited somewhat to 308 grains or so. Not a problem with the ppc, which is what I wanted it for. How does your 40 hold zero. Does it drift or show a different setting when setting the pan back on the scale? I am looking for stability. And it does seem to have a nice wind cover, with pan and calibration wt. The Lyman 1000 I had was very nice but would not hold a weight. After it set there a few seconds it would drift back and forth about .2 grain. Opinions welcomed.

Donald
Click to expand...

Opinion.......... Well heck yea I gots opinions:D:D:D

Ya say you need resolution... .002 How's that grab ya..! 1851.0 gr capacity! One that won't drift beyond .01, check...!

http://www.oldwillknottscales.com/and-orion-hr-120.aspx

Now go write a 1500.00 check and ya got's yoursef a REAL LABORATORY PRECISION balance!!!!!!!!:D:)

I know a guy not too far from me (an ex co-worker at Seagate Technology) who has this very scale... VERY accurate!!! I have checked my little Ibalance GemPro250 with his A&D Orion 120.. Yep, mine hits it's advertised .02 resolution... Not to bad..!

cale
 
Donald

I see next to NO drifting. If I see a flicker in the numbers I dump my charge out of the case and redo.

You also must remember this is a small scale and the pans are small. I just put on and leave the pan that looks like a pan used for panning for gold.

This is the process I use and what works for me.

I turn the scale on. After it goes thru its startup ritual I hit zero.
Put a piece of brass on and hit zero to zero the scale.
Dump a powder charge into the case and put it back on the scale to confirm weight of powder charge. For example I want 29.2 grs.
I hit zero after the charges case is removed off of the pan and repeat for the next case.

If I see any flicker in the readout which is FAR and FEW between I discard that charged case and recharge it. I do not accept anything unless it is bang on at 29.2grs. I find I accept more charges than I discard.

You mention if it holds zero when the pan is removed and replaced back. Well I do not remove the pan at all I just use the case.

I have zero'd a case, charged it, weighed it to confirm load, dumped the powder out and reweighed the empty case and it will still say zero.

I hope I gave you what you were wondering.

Calvin
 
Calvin, Yep, thanks, just what I wanted to know.

And Cale........I'll think of something.:D

Donald
 
I own this Jewellery Electronic Scale, it is Simple to operation and easy to read by LCD display, it has a black artifical leather bag for protecting scar. It is a reliable one and it has worked well so far. I'm so happy with it not only because of its simple operation, but its extreme low price that is low more than my budget.
 
Luna01 said:
I own this Jewellery Electronic Scale, it is Simple to operation and easy to read by LCD display, it has a black artifical leather bag for protecting scar. It is a reliable one and it has worked well so far. I'm so happy with it not only because of its simple operation, but its extreme low price that is low more than my budget.
Click to expand...

i dont see grain in the options ??
g is grams ? don't see sensitivity listed.
mike in co
 
This of obviously most scales the fine!

Conversionment from the g to the gr could not be most simple!

Big Asian Value here, and protection also from scar with bag.

Oh yes, if one is desirement of nodular accuracy AND perhaps could use for seating with arbor press??

And for the weighing of the spinel and the aardvark!

MOST fine yes.

al
 
al,

I've kept my mouth shut to date because I don't shoot benchrest, but I have to confess that I am a convert to the cheap asian scales with the AAA battery feed.

Maybe they don't read in grains (actually mine do, but because of their sensitivity or maybe accuracy) so I read them in the gram uinits which gives the most precision. I don't care a damn whether or not they're accurate - I'm only inrterested in loads that work as long as they don't pop primers or stretch heads - so I make a test weight for every load I use regularly.

A while back, I wrote these notes for a fried who is now using the dame $30 scale as I do:

Loading with electronic scales.

Never trust any scales, electronic or balance. Conditions will change their performance. Therefore, make a test weight for every load you use regularly & mark it so you know which is which. I use old .222 projectiles & trim the soft points with a break blade knife until I have the right weight.

I weigh using the milligram scale option, because 1 milligram is pretty close to 1 kernel of N550, meaning I can load to that precision, all else being equal. I can make you more conversion tables if you need them.

Rules:

  • Only remove the pan from the scales to dump the load. If you take it off during the loading process, you’ll have to start again because you will likely lose some precision. Scales use what’s called a floating tare facility, which allows them to adjust their tare weight as conditions change, but you don’t want that flexibility to be part of your loading.
  • Always either measure up to a weight (as you’d normally do), or load down from more than you want – don’t mix. If you drop too much on, take it back under before working to your load.
  • Force the scales to evaluate every addition you make (even one kernel of N550) by “leaning on” the pan after you add powder. Scales have a bit of “fuzziness” in their precision, which can cause them to translate a small change as a tare correction. Gently touching the pan with something like a flexible spill of paper will cause the mechanism to positively evaluate every addition.
  • Give the scales time to settle. On occasion, just one extra kernel can set the load virtually half way between a couple of graduations. Eventually, it will make up its mind & settle on the “correct” value.
  • Keep away from drafts. These are fine scales & can be influenced by zephyrs, but not as much as some, I’ve noticed.
Procedure:

1. Make a powder shovel. I tear a rose leaf shaped piece of paper out of one of those newsagent cheap paper bags & crease it along the centreline right through the point. That stiffens it up ever so slightly & lets me pick up one kernel, 5, a dozen or whatever to toss in the pan – and scoop out some if I overload it. The paper tears with a fuzzy edge that helps picking up powder.

2. Set up powder thrower to toss just under desired load.

3. Set up scales & check with standard weight & test weight. Add pan and tare scales.

4. Check that scale is reading correctly using your test weight.

5. Throw a charge into a separate container (I use a balance pan from my beam scale) & pour it into the scale pan, making sure that you don’t bump the pan or scales.

6. Lean on the pan with your paper roseleaf, wait & read.

7. Add powder with roseleaf, lean & read until correct reading occurs.

8. Remember to check that the scale has returned to tare zero reading before dumping next charge from measure.

Precautions, hints:

  • If ever a load acts abnormally, eg doesn’t increase when you add powder, dump it, retare the scales & test with your test weight.
  • Be careful not to dump powder onto scale balance top. I’ve done it - it’s easy for a kernel to slip past the pan.
  • Occasionally dump an earlier charge back onto the scales (via your separate container of course). As much as anything, this will reassure you that the scales are accurate & repeatable (or at least mine did).
  • The negative reading that you see when you take a full pan off the scales can change during the course of a loading session. If you become uncomfortable, tare the scales without a pan, add the pan & tare them again.
  • Don’t bother to use a trickler. It is a nuisance with powders like N550 which can clump & fall in bunches & besides, when you get practiced with the roseleaf, you’ll be dumping a counted number of kernels on the pan in no time.
  • Precision with N550 is near enough to 1 milligram most of the time. Precision of AR 2206 )You don't import this one) is closer to 2 & 2208 (Varget) would be not much different. Precision is a function of kernel size & weight
.
 
John,

Great post! Thanks for sharing. Anyone wishing to get more utility out of any scale regardless of its sophistication or price point will benefit from understanding (and applying) the listed techniques.

I preload for long range and want my loads to posess maximum practical uniformity (that means my current view of the balanced cosideration of time and agravation vs uniformity for the match I'm preparing for).

To save time and keep from going into a boredom induced coma I drop charges into a 50 round loading block or two in the hopes of greater initial charge uniformity from finding my rhythm on the powder measure handle. From a full loading tray of charged cases I dump the metered charge from the case into the scale pan on the scale, adjust up (usually) with a finger pinch of powder from a shallow tray positioned nearby and then drop the weighed and uniformed charge back into the case and replace it back in the loading tray. It doesn't take very long to learn what a 0.18gr vs. a 0.03 pinch feels like but I'm going to try your little paper shovel approach.

Francis,

If I shot short range (I don't) I might not go to the trouble and time to weigh charges either but I think there is a big payoff in reduced vertical at the longer ranges and the comparatively coarse powders that I shoot demand refining dumped charges for 600 and 1K. When I get unexplained vetical is still wonder if I flubbed the charge weight though.

Greg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top