two scales not reading the same...

I say chunk the digital..my view on this has changed quickly-those things are crap (the cheap ones anyway)..

Someone here said small pistol primers weigh 3.3 grains. I would imagine they would be consistent too??

Stole this from another member:

Penny = 2.500 grams = 38.58 grains
Nickel = 5.000 grams = 77.16 grains
Dime = 2.268 grams = 35.00 grains
Quarter = 5.670 grams = 87.50 grains
Half Dollar = 11.340 grams = 175.00 grains
Presidential $1 = 8.100 grams = 125.00 grains

I use an RCBS 505 beam scale. It is nat's eye precise. I still use check weights before setting up a charge to check my work. It is really easy to accidentally set it on 8 grains when you mean 7. My procedure is 1) zero the scale; 2) set the scale to the charge weight desired; 3) verify that charge weight with check weights.

It was with check weights that I determined that my friend's digital scale was not precise or repeatable. He was having inconsistent groups at the range. Funny thing is that he assumed the digital scale was more precise and showed his 505 to be "all over the place." So he had given up on the beam scale and used only the digital scale. He was convinced that because he used a 100 grain "calibration weight" that the digital had to be precise. Just because a scale is calibrated at 100 grains, does not necessarily mean it will track precisely down to the tenths of grains we measure our pistol ammo -- especially if the weights are not repeatable.

1 carat = 3.08647167 grains,

hhmmm do I know where to find something that weighs one carat...

two scales not reading the same...

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Well heck, that's easy. You just run out and buy a third scale and see which of the existing scales agree with the third scale. Now if all three read different just get a fourth scale and see if it agrees. What this really comes down to is keep adding scales till at least two agree. C'mon, pretty simple really.

Seriously, you use check weights as has been well covered. It's best to have a good range of check weights with weights around the ranges of powder weights you plan to measure. You don't need stainless steel or a high end precision weight set, a good brass weight set available from a vendor like McMaster Carr Supply will do just fine.

Dime = 2.268 grams = 35.00 grains

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Well I have two nice looking dimes here with pretty sharp crisp edges. Using a good calibrated scale one weighs 34.8 grains and the other weighs 35.2 grains. Using a coin or any unknown weight to check a scale that should be accurate to +/- 0.1 grain seems a bit foolish. Especially considering you don't know the actual weight of the coin. Now if you have a coin of known weight then fine but just a random coin like a dime is not a known weight.

Any good scale be it a balance or electronic digital should include a calibration method and procedure. When you place a known weight on the scale and the scale reads incorrect you should be able to calibrate the scale.

Ron

Most digital scales have a calibration procedure using their calibration weight. If your digital scale has one, follow its directions to use it.

Calibration of digital scales makes them show the correct value for its calibration weight. Most all such scales have a small error that creepes in and it gets bigger with more weight on it. It needs to be calibrated so a given weight on it makes it read correctly.

Mechanical beam scales rarely, if ever, need calibrated. They don't change over the years to any error over .0001 grain. My 1966 Redding beam scale still reads exact for three different check weights.

Which FA scale are you using?

The Micro is pure crap. As the battery voltage drops it will read farther and farther wrong and it has no voltage indicator:

The DS-750 is pretty good and comes with a check weight:

Hondo 60 said:

Stole this from another member:

Penny = 2.500 grams = 38.58 grains
Nickel = 5.000 grams = 77.16 grains
Dime = 2.268 grams = 35.00 grains
Quarter = 5.670 grams = 87.50 grains
Half Dollar = 11.340 grams = 175.00 grains
Presidential $1 = 8.100 grams = 125.00 grains

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The problem with those numbers, as the coins are circulated they wear and the weight changes.

Well heck, that's easy. You just run out and buy a third scale and see which of the existing scales agree with the third scale. Now if all three read different just get a fourth scale and see if it agrees. What this really comes down to is keep adding scales till at least two agree. C'mon, pretty simple really.

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This made me laugh out loud! I imagined a guy in a room up to his eyeballs in scales, just barely peeping over.

My DS750 seems to work well as long as the batteries are fresh. Seems to pretty much agree with my RCBS 5-0-5