Tell me About Scales

S

Swifty Morgan

New member
I have been having some very annoying problems getting my 10mm loads to work, and right now, it looks like the culprit is my old Lyman 1500 something or other scale.

I got the scale in around 2009. It's a small digital job. I thought I was doing the right thing when I got it. It seemed to work fine back then, but now it appears to be giving me undersize loads in spite of calibration.

I figured I would fix the problem by getting another digital. It's 2020. They must be much cheaper and better, right? That was what I thought. I didn't want a balance. I don't want to sit around poking a balance when I can get a digital to give me readings in a second or two.

I read that all the inexpensive ones are unreliable. I also read that "inexpensive" includes scales costing hundreds of dollars.

What do I really need to get accurate weights for both pistols and rifles? I want to know that 12.4 grains doesn't really mean 12.3 or 12.5. I don't care if it's actually 12.37. I just want to be close to the nearest tenth. A scale with an accuracy of +/- one tenth puts you in a two tenths range, and that seems pretty big.

I was surprised to learn how much you have to spend to get accuracy. If I were just throwing .45 ACP practice rounds together, it wouldn't matter, but I would also like to make rounds that are somewhat hot, with less margin for error.

I can get an A&D scale for not much less money than I would pay for a new pistol. I think it would solve my problem forever, but I hate to throw money at a problem if I don't need to.
 
I'd get a medium price beam scale. They're typically repeatable to a half tenth grain which is good enough. Doesn't matter if they're a tenth or so off from exact.

Exact charge weights matching load data you read about isn't important because your powder lot won't need the same charge weight as listed to produce the velocity and pressure stated. Your lot may need a few percent different charge weights. Besides, your barrel is different, too.

Regarding your desire to make loads somewhat hot. Milder loads are more, and easier to shoot, accurate.

What 50 yard accuracy extreme spread do you want?
 
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I have several beam scales and a few digital. I know I can ALWAYS count on the beam scale to be accurate.
I do not trust digital, batteries, and the need to recalibrate. Don't have those issues with a good beam scale.
 
I use both a beam and a digital

The beam is used for verifying the digital scale when I am at the upper range of the load data, or when working with varmint/ accuracy loads. Typically I weigh every charge.

The digital is 'good enough ' to verify every Nth pistol or rifle load when cranking out a decent sized batch or range fodder.
 
I use both type scales, digital to weigh cases and bullets. I will only use a beam scale for powder. One of the hardest things to get in my head is that if I have the correct powder and the correct node for any given firearm, plus or minus .1 grain is not going to change anything.
 
Looking at beam scales, I see that Ohaus quit making decent ones, and they made the good scales sold by Lyman and RCBS, since replaced by imports. So it's Chinese potluck or Ebay.
 
There is a quality difference in inexpensive digital scales, but they are easily determined. I have used a Frankford Arsenal DS-750 for years with satisfaction. It is fast, stable, and accurate. A lot of folks worry about their digitals because they don't have check weights. Put on a one gram standard weight and if your scale says 15.4 grains you are good to go. If it is drifting, you can see that just by watching it for a while. If it is on a good support and there is no breeze but it still drifts, get another scale, My DS-750 has never drifted. I like to put it on a 12x12 ceramic floor tile for stability.
 
If I were just throwing .45 ACP practice rounds together, it wouldn't matter
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Well you just described about 90% of my reloading so I can't really give you much advice except to say I've been quite happy with my RCBS Uniflow powder measure and 5-0-5 beam scale.

I mentioned elsewhere I got a cheap digital scale as a gift and it didn't impress me. I also have read about how they are affected by battery strength, florescent lights, air currents etc. If I were to get another digital I'd spend the money to get a good one but I suspect I'll actually be using the 5-0-5 until it breaks.

Good luck.

P.S. If you want to go the high buck REALLY nice scale route you can take solace in the old "buy once, cry once" bromide.
 
I am thinking of getting a Hornady beam scale. Seems like it's the only current model that doesn't get heinous reviews.

I got a new cheap digital, and it seems to work very well. Problem: it reads in even tenths, like 5.2, 5.4, 5.6, and so on. I'm thinking I may just weigh two charges at a time and divide by two.

Right now, I just want to use a scale for getting pistol charges right in a powder measure, so if I can tell the difference between 12.1 and 12.3, I'll be very happy. Later on, I may want to reload for rifles and be more accurate.
 
I decided to weigh two charges at a time, and it sure looks like it's working. This ought to get me through my pistol problems for the time being, and it will let me keep shooting while I come up with a final solution. I may just give up and blow $465 on an FX-120i. That's about the price of two crates of 7.63x39. Not the end of the world.
 
I am thinking of getting a Hornady beam scale.
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I am an admitted RCBS fanboy but the Hornady scale looks quite good...and it's made in the USA.

My RCBS 5-0-5 was made in the USA but I don't think that's true anymore. HOWEVER if it's made to RCBS standards maybe it shouldn't matter where it's made...(but I still like "Made in USA" on my stuff.)
 
I have several beam scales and a few digital. I know I can ALWAYS count on the beam scale to be accurate.
I do not trust digital, batteries, and the need to recalibrate. Don't have those issues with a good beam scale.
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Same for me; had a digital that even dispensed powder to a preset amount; went south after a few months and I went back to my RCBS 5-10 balance beam. It's been dead-on for almost 40 years.

At one time all of the scales were made by Ohaus in the US; they just changed the color or packaging; not sure where anything is made nowadays............
 
look on Ebay for decent OHaus made scales. Exact same scale will be marketed in green , orange, red, etc. beam scale are all the rage now so expect to pay $50 and up for one. Just looked and someone is trying to sell a new inbox 1967 RCBS for a grand. Still you can find 5-0-5 in various colors and names for less than a hundred in good shape
 
I started with a beam scale and used it for the longest time until last year. An Ohaus, looks like the same design as the Dillon Eliminator. It works fine, but it's slow. It's fine for working up loads but for little chores like: I found this 9mm FMJ on the bench, is it 115 or 124 grain? Nothing beats a digital.

So I got a little Lyman pocket digital scale. I heard they *all* go bad eventually, something about the sensor/tape or some mumbo jumbo. So I bought from Brownells which has an unconditional lifetime warranty. With an account, they store my orders online and if it goes bad I can return it for a refund in the form of a Brownells gift card.
 
The NOS RCBS 505 I bought arrived today. It appears to be a giant step up from my electronic scales.

I stuck a test weight from my old Lyman on it. The weight is supposed to weigh 308.6472 grains (20g), and the reading electronic scales are supposed to register is 308.6. I set the 505 on 308.6, and the indicator was just a hair high. I moved the tenths weight so it was between 0.6 and 0.7, and the indicator lined up correctly.

It sure looks like the accuracy, out of the box, is close to a twentieth of a grain. That will certainly be adequate. Of course, I have no way of checking the Lyman weight, so maybe I'm living in a fantasy world.

I have a set of check weights on the way so I can try it with other (and smaller) weights, but things are looking very good. I'm glad I didn't go with a new Chinese scale.

Of course, now I have to get a powder trickler. I have an idea which I know is stupid, but I can't resist. I want to crank out 50 rounds of very precisely metered pistol ammo and shoot them at 7 yards. I am completely aware that there shouldn't be any observable difference between charges that are within +/- 0.1 grains or +/- 0.2 grains, but I want to do it anyway.

Now I have a question: is it best to remove the beam from the scale when I'm not using it, to protect it from whatever happens when you leave the beam in place, or should I leave the beam in place to protect it from getting banged up from being removed and replaced?
 
Swifty Morgan said:
I stuck a test weight from my old Lyman on it. The weight is supposed to weigh 308.6472 grains (20g), and the reading electronic scales are supposed to register is 308.6. I set the 505 on 308.6, and the indicator was just a hair high. I moved the tenths weight so it was between 0.6 and 0.7, and the indicator lined up correctly.
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But that's NOT the correct way to zero that scale. Here's a link to the instructions:
https://www.rcbs.com/on/demandware....productPdfFiles/Model505ScaleInstructions.pdf

I suggest that you download them and read them. The instructions tell you never to put the three indicators anywhere but in the notches. To zero the scale, put the empty pan on the trapeze, set all three indicators in their respective zero notches, and then use the leveling screw on the left end to raise of lower the left portion of the scale body until the beam aligns with the zero mark. The scale is now zeroed.

Now set the scale to the weight of your check weight, put your check weight in the pan, and see if the scale still reads zero.
 
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