Gem Pro 250?

[bob4]

• 
  Like to know how many have one and like it.

Most all of the reviews I read here and else where made me try a Gem Pro 250. Maybe I just got a bad one but about 1/2 the time it wouldn't return to zero. Then when trying for repeat-ability it weighed what ever the error was in and the amount of error could change and the total could change just by pulling off the tray and placing it back on. Tried it both with batteries and AC, same result. Calibrated it according to instructions 3 times. Sometimes the thing would be off by .04 to as much as .8. Hate to say it but my tiny little Lyman had better repeatably although it doesn't read better than 1/10 of a grain.

• Just bad luck ?

 

[tbrice23]

I use mine constantly. I turn it on and it warm up about 30 min before weighing powder. Turn off all fans or AC, drafts upset it. Thats how sensitive it needs to be to have .02 gr resolution.

Before I weigh powder I zero my pan weight and place the pan gently on the scale a few times to make sure it remembers its tare. Also remember that slight temp changes can cause zero drift.
It is delicate so don't treat it like it's made of steel.

 

[rcoody]

• 
  Like to know how many have one and like it.

Most all of the reviews I read here and else where made me try a Gem Pro 250. Maybe I just got a bad one but about 1/2 the time it wouldn't return to zero. Then when trying for repeat-ability it weighed what ever the error was in and the amount of error could change and the total could change just by pulling off the tray and placing it back on. Tried it both with batteries and AC, same result. Calibrated it according to instructions 3 times. Sometimes the thing would be off by .04 to as much as .8. Hate to say it but my tiny little Lyman had better repeatably although it doesn't read better than 1/10 of a grain.

• Just bad luck ?

I have 3 of them. Always use two. If they both agree I am good to go.

You have to let them warm up. I usually turn them on several hours before I am going to use them

They do drift sometimes. No real reason I can track down. Maybe fluctuations in power or temperature or whatever. I have found that if you just weigh the empty pan it will rezero or if not just tare.

I also use a powder measure for.a lot of.my loads. How accurate do you really need.to be?

Have a charge master too for when I am lazy. Do check loads with a gempro though.

 

[bill123]

I found that it works best if I leave it on all the time and recalibrate w/ the weight every time I use it. As said by others, no fans, dehumidifiers, etc. I've heard fluorescent light can affect them as well.

 

[tbrice23]

I've tested the florescent sensitivity thing, no problems with my unit.

My bench has 90% florescent lights.

 

[FURMAN]

I love mine. Like the others said let it warm up.

 

[bob4]

Well **** I do have an A/C unit( window shaker) in my loading area. Maybe ?

 

[Barrelnut]

Well **** I do have an A/C unit( window shaker) in my loading area. Maybe ?

Probably an issue. I have a GemPro. Like others I let it warm up, keep a stable room temp above 65 degrees and keep air currents away. It's a very accurate scale for the price.

 

[Rick Richard]

No problems with mine and it is very accurate.

 

[ohiohunter]

Either way it has a 30yr warranty. Send it back.

 

[Okanogan]

Mine works well but is slow. I use it to verify/ final trickle Chargemaster loads for precision work. It is powered from a UPS just to eliminate potential variations from power and I try to allow the unit to warm up at least 30 minutes before use.

My reloading area is in a large attic space and I have to close the windows on both ends to avoid air current induced fluctuations because it is very sensitive.

I also find it is slow to settle on a reading so I need to give it time. I have two powder pans/ funnel combos that I have adjusted to match weight so I can go quicker. Weights for these pans are repeatable to with-in +/- 0.02 gr for each reloading session. During reloading, I watch what the negative weight (tare) is when the pans are removed and if it varies from what it should normally read by very much, it usually means I did not give it a chance to stabilize enough. When this happens, I set the pan back down before dumping it and try again after waiting longer. If necessary, I rezero and continue.

 

[ohiohunter]

Early on I quit battling the Tare w/ my pan. Now I just add the charge weight to the pan weight and tare to zero. Way easier IMO, and potentially more accurate. Faster too esp when loading 50+ rounds for Fclass

 

[gotsig]

I set my chargemaster to drop .2 gr light then dump into a different pan on my gem pro and set first pan back on chargemaster. My gem pro is not really slow it just doesn't like trickleing so I can usually look at the weight and know pretty much how many kernels to drop then I'll pick it up and replace it on the scale. Once done I drop into case and replace pan onto gem pro. Before I drop the next charge from the chargemaster I glance at gem pro to confirm it's zeroed. For me this is the fastest most accurate way to run the gem pro.

 

[bob4]

Thanks everyone. Amazing how many different ways we use them. My biggest thing wasn't accuracy but re-peat ability. Just wanted it to do the same thing every time. I'm in Florida and even now in early October my reloading area would be a Sauna without the A/C. So I'll be looking for something different. Not sure what.