Please recommend a good value digital reloading scale

[jandmtv]

Sorry but no such thing as a good value scale. When it comes to scales they fall into two categories. Those that use magnetic force restoration and those that don’t. The cheapest scale I’d recommend you get is the A&D EJ-123. Same technology in it as the more expensive lab scales that cost 2-3 times as much. Stable as it gets! Only have to calibrate it once. Buy once cry once.

https://www.oldwillknottscales.com/and-newton-ej-123.html

[Burbur]

Gem pro 250 is where you want to be.

https://www.amazon.com/My-Weigh-SCGEMPRO250-GemPro-0-001g/dp/B004C3I3AA?th=1

Value is found in quality.

[kcstott]

Gem pro for sure.

All the other scales mention are only good to +/-.1 Grain at best. the Gem pro 500 is half that and the 250 is even better. Not all digital scales are created equal and i'd never own a Lyman, RCBS, Dillon, Hornady or any other rebranded scale. When a scale manufacturer can not produce calibration specs for their product it makes you wonder... Sorry i want something NIST traceable.

[mjmagee67]

I've been very happy with my RCBS digital. I got it years ago and it still works fine..

One thing about drifting, all scales drift with temp changes. The best thing I have found is to keep the scale out and sitting on the reloading bench. This keeps it temp stabilized with the room and has kept drifting to a minimum.

[silvertriple]

Gem pro for sure.

All the other scales mention are only good to +/-.1 Grain at best. the Gem pro 500 is half that and the 250 is even better. Not all digital scales are created equal and i'd never own a Lyman, RCBS, Dillon, Hornady or any other rebranded scale. When a scale manufacturer can not produce calibration specs for their product it makes you wonder... Sorry i want something NIST traceable.

Would be interested in trying a gem pro. Where's the best place to get one? Got a link? Thanks.

[JagerDog]

Gem pro for sure.

All the other scales mention are only good to +/-.1 Grain at best. the Gem pro 500 is half that and the 250 is even better. Not all digital scales are created equal and i'd never own a Lyman, RCBS, Dillon, Hornady or any other rebranded scale. When a scale manufacturer can not produce calibration specs for their product it makes you wonder... Sorry i want something NIST traceable.

IMHO 0.1 gr is fine for the bulk of reloading. If I need to see which side of the line I'm on, I use the beam scale. Generally, that's trickling my best rifle charges.

NIST traceable doesn't really mean much when you don't have a recall system. How often do you send it for calibration? Do you have a record of every use? If it comes back and some error is found can you recall all the ammo it was used on since the previous NIST calibration? What's your corrective action program? That's what traceability means. You can go back through the line, to the mfg of the scale, to the mfg of the parts that went in the scale, to the parts that went in the parts, to the mfg of the test weights used at the 3rd party lab and their corresponding QC program. Pretty ridiculous for personal use.

Some cheap test weights tells all you might need to know. And no, I don't send them out for calibration either. Nor do I send my calipers out for calibration and have an SPC pack installed. I don't record lot numbers and what equipment was used with what lot. This isn't ISO 9000 work. I don't have written procedures for every step of the process with a circle and cross checksheet.

[jandmtv]

Gem pro is a piece of Chinese crap. You’ll pull your hair out when it starts walking on you and doesn’t stop. Severely sensitive to static also. Same your time, frustration and money and get a A&D EJ-123.

[JagerDog]

My $25 Ballistiscale has never walked.

But a little grunge in the pivot points of my beam scale has thrown it off a grain plus.

[kcstott]

IMHO 0.1 gr is fine for the bulk of reloading. If I need to see which side of the line I'm on, I use the beam scale. Generally, that's trickling my best rifle charges.

NIST traceable doesn't really mean much when you don't have a recall system. How often do you send it for calibration? Do you have a record of every use? If it comes back and some error is found can you recall all the ammo it was used on since the previous NIST calibration? What's your corrective action program? That's what traceability means. You can go back through the line, to the mfg of the scale, to the mfg of the parts that went in the scale, to the parts that went in the parts, to the mfg of the test weights used at the 3rd party lab and their corresponding QC program. Pretty ridiculous for personal use.

Some cheap test weights tells all you might need to know. And no, I don't send them out for calibration either. Nor do I send my calipers out for calibration and have an SPC pack installed. I don't record lot numbers and what equipment was used with what lot. This isn't ISO 9000 work. I don't have written procedures for every step of the process with a circle and cross checksheet.

[Red9]

Imho.
I trust my 1010. Digital is fine for checking bullet weights but I noticed the digital isn't as accurate as my 1010. Jmho

Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk

[JagerDog]

Thats if you’re a commercial ammo manufacture. I calibrate my scale to my certified test weights before each use and variety that readind throughout the load process.
Now I did say what I want. I want a scale that read within .1gr not plus or minus.
I’ve yet to see any reloading scale print it’s accuracy and repeatability limits in the manual. The Gempro even as cheep as it is at least says what it can and can’t do.
The standards they use to calibrate and the standards I use to maintain that calibration are Certified. I don’t recall my class of certification but I bought high enough class to not to worry about error

That said that scale is only used for my comp loads. All my other stuff is dropped from a Dillon or a uniflow.

Your NIST cert expresses what it was at the factory. If you don't recertify on some recurrent basis, your program is no longer traceable. Traceable is continuing the chain to include your QC program (as briefly outlined above). Traceable just means it can be backtracked to the point it got to you.

Your test weights tell you all you need to know as to the accuracy of the scale and are available at point of use. Beats any piece of paper which came with the scale. Though your weight certs are likely expired they'll never change enough to be consequential in reloading. Best practices call for the device being calibrated to be calibrated with a standard 4X as accurate as itself. Your test weights are more on the order of 10X or even 100X.

My little Ballistiscale with a single cal point of 100 grams, is accurate within 0.1 grain of nominal through it's range (10 point check by me). If for some reason it wasn't, I would document the offset as would a calibration cert from a 3rd party lab.

[kcstott]

Your NIST cert expresses what it was at the factory. If you don't recertify on some recurrent basis, your program is no longer traceable. Traceable is continuing the chain to include your QC program (as briefly outlined above). Traceable just means it can be backtracked to the point it got to you.

Your test weights tell you all you need to know as to the accuracy of the scale and are available at point of use. Beats any piece of paper which came with the scale. Though your weight certs are likely expired they'll never change enough to be consequential in reloading. Best practices call for the device being calibrated to be calibrated with a standard 4X as accurate as itself. Your test weights are more on the order of 10X or even 100X.

My little Ballistiscale with a single cal point of 100 grams, is accurate within 0.1 grain of nominal through it's range (10 point check by me). If for some reason it wasn't, I would document the offset as would a calibration cert from a 3rd party lab.

You really like beating a dead horse don't you.

My point is the Gempro being at the very low end of reloading scales at least went through the trouble to publish their tolerances. You won't see that with RCBS Lyman or Hornady all you will get from them is "you scale is accurate to plus of minus one increment of the last digit which is usually .1 and again +/-.1 grain is not good enough for me.

Now as to Nist traceability. You are also preaching to the choir I was the Metrology dept along with a myriad of other tasks at my last job. The company needed to maintain CE, UL, FM, ISO, along with others.
The fact that you come off so authoritative to what I do in my garage is laughable. If you've ever bought precision tools you know they come with an NIST traceable cert, that cert expires when you fail to calibrate to NIST standards. My QC in my garage has nothing to do with the tools ability to meet NIST standards. I never once said my ammo was going to meet NIST traceability. which would be the only reason i'd need to have a program in place.

So I'll say it again. I want a scale that is NIST traceable (whether i maintain that level of traceability is irrelevant) with a published spec sheet. Not an NIST cert of calibration. Something else you don't understand No one will calibrate a scale that is sent in. Scales, especially lab grade scales are required to be calibrated and certified in the point of use, if they are relocated they are out of calibration and must be recalibrated or rezeroed based on the companies requirements to maintain their cert. Be it ASME, NIST, ISO or anything else

So with all do respect, Bugger off or go pound sand whichever is to your liking but I don't have time to argue with someone over a procedure in my garage. You sir are not my auditor. Have a nice day.

[JagerDog]

You really like beating a dead horse don't you.

My point is the Gempro being at the very low end of reloading scales at least went through the trouble to publish their tolerances. You won't see that with RCBS Lyman or Hornady all you will get from them is "you scale is accurate to plus of minus one increment of the last digit which is usually .1 and again +/-.1 grain is not good enough for me.

Now as to Nist traceability. You are also preaching to the choir I was the Metrology dept along with a myriad of other tasks at my last job. The company needed to maintain CE, UL, FM, ISO, along with others.
The fact that you come off so authoritative to what I do in my garage is laughable. If you've ever bought precision tools you know they come with an NIST traceable cert, that cert expires when you fail to calibrate to NIST standards. My QC in my garage has nothing to do with the tools ability to meet NIST standards. I never once said my ammo was going to meet NIST traceability. which would be the only reason i'd need to have a program in place.

So I'll say it again. I want a scale that is NIST traceable (whether i maintain that level of traceability is irrelevant) with a published spec sheet. Not an NIST cert of calibration. Something else you don't understand No one will calibrate a scale that is sent in. Scales, especially lab grade scales are required to be calibrated and certified in the point of use, if they are relocated they are out of calibration and must be recalibrated or rezeroed based on the companies requirements to maintain their cert. Be it ASME, NIST, ISO or anything else

So with all do respect, Bugger off or go pound sand whichever is to your liking but I don't have time to argue with someone over a procedure in my garage. You sir are not my auditor. Have a nice day.

Triggered?

You required an NIST traceability, but use no function of that. And no one in this room will use any function of that. You've conflated traceability with accuracy specifications. Yet you and anyone else with a cheap set of test weights can provide their own calibration and offsets if required.

Perhaps there's a reason you've never seen a reloading specific scale with NIST traceable certification. Hmmmm.

Have a happy new year.