Digital Powder Scale for Field Reloading

Jet said:
devcam

I went through the same search as you a year or so ago. My solution was to buy a few hundred small glass vials with screw on caps and preload powder weight charges at home using my FX120I scale. Once loaded I place the vials in plastic 25 rd shotgun cartridge containers and use a sharpie to write the powder type and charge on the top of the box. One weight per container. It takes me an hour or two prior to heading to the range but it sure saves me time once I get to the range.

Good Shooting.

Rich
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I must of read through the post too quick, I missed the model you mentioned, it seems to have some really good reviews, have you been happy with it? any issues or quirks?
 
Jim Pag said:
I have a Satorius GD 503. Great scale, but at $1350.00 a bit pricey. It's a bit on the big side and it is recommend that it be plugged in for 24 hours before using it so taking it to the range is a little far fetched.
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That does seem to be a great scale, a little pricy and if its not suitable for the range than that's out of the question for me. Do you have any experience with the A&D FX120i scale?
 
My point was that for shorter range testing I do not believe that there is any advantage to .02 vs. .05....on the target, and that you could therefore use a stable scale that was good to .05 to good advantage. This also makes the assumption that you tuning nodes have some width. Once a good charge weight has been identified, a better scale could then be used in a more suitable environment to do the necessary preloading for a match. I have never heard of a very sensitive scale that has worked out for at the range loading, have you?
 
I don't use a scale at the range but I see some in use at the range. That said, it depends on the range and on one's circumstance. The barn at Shelby County, Ohio is rock solid, as is the reloading room at Webster City, Iowa. You can use any scale you bring to Kelbly if you are lucky enough to get there early. St. Louis has a tremendous reloading shelter that I have seen scales in. If one sets up properly in a motor home or trailer at many ranges, they can use scale in either.
 
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devcam said:
That does seem to be a great scale, a little pricy and if its not suitable for the range than that's out of the question for me. Do you have any experience with the A&D FX120i scale?
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I was using my A&D FX120i today to load some 30 BR for testing. I used my Chargemaster to dispense the load and then checked it on the A&D. I set up the Omega 2 speed electronic powder trickler over the pan of the A&D to tweak the drop if necessary. I loaded 46 rounds and the chargemaster was high once and the of the time if it was off it was never more than .1 low. The Omega made it easy to trickle up to .0. The A&D would respond to increases of .02 in 2-3 seconds. For testing I figure, why not have it as good as possible. I have not taken the A&D out of my reloading shed yet. I doubt it would do real well int the wind.. I have seen one modification where a guy drilled a hole through one of the side plastic panes of the cover and put the tube of the Omega through that to trickle up. That way you only have to remove the front pane to set the pan on the tray. I may try that locally but not at a match..

However, I am mindful of the old saying,"Why measure with a micrometer if you're going to mark with a grease pencil and cut with an ax"? We seem to do a lot of that in the benchrest game.
 
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devcam said:
That does seem to be a great scale, a little pricy and if its not suitable for the range than that's out of the question for me. Do you have any experience with the A&D FX120i scale?
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No I don't have any experience with the A&D FX120i. . I initially bought a Dillon Dterminator scale, but that was like all the others in that group that use strain gauge technology. It would always float back and forth, and it seems that I always had to recalibrate it. I said the hell with this and opted for a GD 503 that uses magnetic force restoration. It won't float back and forth and will weight a single kernel of powder. It is an awesome scale. It's too bad that Sartorius discontinued making the 503 in 2013. I was one of the last people to get one.
 
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