powder scale

[deadeye dick]

Fairly new to reloading and have been away from the bench for awhile due to the unusually cold weather here in S.C.
I have a Lee turret press and load .32's .45's and 9mm at the present time. My problem is i'm having trouble measuring out consistant powder weights with the Lee scale (they don't match the caveties in the disk for that weight powder,(using green dot and titegroup) I also have a hard time setting the slide for the 1/10 grain setting.
Just got the Feb. Midway flier and saw on the front page a add for Frankford Arsenal DS-750 electronic powder scale for 19.99 (reg.36.99) Has anyone had any experience with this make or model. I figure going electronic might make the task more accurate. I shoot targets but don't want to forfit accuracy by not being consistent. Any help would be appreciated. Howie

 

[JimKirk]

Two problems in one...

The charges thrown by the powder measure does not match what the chart calls for... right? That is normal, a cavity chart is an average of what someone somewhere got when they tried the same thing you are. Rarely do they match exactly what you will get, the chart should be close, but not exact.

The Lee scale, while a good value for the $$, is not a well refined scale as far as scales go. You would be much better served by one of the beam type scales made by Ohaus... RCBS, Redding, Lyman and others. The FA scale is an electronic match for the Lee scale, neither is well refined but are good for what you invest. If you want a good electronic scale be prepared to pay quite a bit more than $19.99 or even $36.99.

Jimmy K

 

[mbruce]

Don't take this sarcastically as it may sound.......stick to powders that drop consistently. 231 drops wonderfully in my Lee disks....

I'm not a competitive shooter or bullseye chaser....I just like having fun with the wife and a few friends...if I hit paper I'm pumped. If 231 isn't the most accurate powder for my gun -- I don't care....i'm happy regardless. and 231 drops within .1 each and everytime.

I really avoid giving one advice to go spend more money...but I walked the talk myself. I bought a RCBS 5-0-5 beam scale and a RCBS 750electronic. For me it was well worth it -- the Lee scale wasnt as "plain as day" as I would like with measuring of powders.

If you're asking about a better power drop rather than a better scale -- you may not need it -- may just need to use friendlier powders and work on consistent strokes. There are Lee bashers on the forum....but the product has been tested, tested, and retested...it works.

Below is a link to a thread where Mr. Walkalong lists the powders that drop the best for him.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=568748

 

[Steve C]

Any of the Lee set volume measuring devices be they dippers or powder measure will inevitably deliver lower charges than the chart indicates. The reason is they most likely list the maximum charge weight possible while powder fills the cavities differently.

You can use the measure to determine the real amount of powder being dispensed and go to larger cavities to increase your actual charge throws or get an adjustable charge bar for the powder measure from Lee. Another option would be to get a different measure by RCBS, Lyman, Hornady or a host of other people that offer adjustable powder measures where you set the volume and determine the charge.

 

[Gadzooks Mike]

I also have a hard time setting the slide for the 1/10 grain setting.

I've seen this on THR several times and for the life of me just can't understand it. You simply life the beam off the base, set the proper weight including tenths of a grain, and then push in the lock button. It's very simple and easy. Heck even I can do it!

 

[gregj]

The documented powder charge per disk is lower than what is actually dropped. One of the first things I did when I got my Lee Classic Turret setup, was to create an excel spreadsheet of each powder I would be using, measured several drops per disk, thew out the high and low, and the result was the drop for that disk. This made it sooooo much easier when trying new loads - just look up in my spreadsheet for the size disk I need for the drop I wanted.

The Lee scale is very accurate, but a big PITA. I had picked up a new RCBS 5-0-5 scale, and the difference was like night and day. It was so much easier. Then my son gave me an RSCBS 1500 scale for Chrismas, and there is absolute no comparision. I LOVE this scale!!!! You can go with a cheap one, and it may last a while, and it may not. Suggest you pay a little extra and get top end one with a power outlet (no battery). You'll be glad you did.

 

[GP100man]

I always check what the disc is droppin , to help consistentcy ya can take the sharp wdges off the hopper under the bridge inside the hopper & treat the hopper with powdered graphite, & take a#2 pencil & cover the cavities of the discs .

I`ll always have a dependable beam scale on my bench & check weights , cheap peace of mind !!!

 

[cfullgraf]

Just confirming what others have said. fixed cavity powder measures rarely throw what the charts say. With my MEC shot shell loaders and RCBS Little Dandy powder measure i frequently would use a cavity larger or smaller than what the chart says.

I have one of the Frankfort scales. Purchased on sale several years ago. Seems they are always on sale. That should tell you something. Mine weighs adequately but is a pain to use. It shuts off after a brief time to save batteries, but the period is too short for setting up a powder measure. Also, the calibration mode is not user friendly.

Get a better beam scale or spend the cash on a good electronic one.

 

[cheygriz]

Just get a Redding or RCBS powder measure and be done with it. For life!

 

[[email protected]]

I have this scale and it seems ok. I use it primarly for weighting cast bullets. I have also used the lee pro auto disk on my lee classic turret and it does drop consistant charges, but you have to determine wich one to use. titegroup seems to drop consistantly in my measure, but greendot is larger and it is not as consistant. In my expierence the lee safety scale is a pain to weigh unknown charges therefore i bought the scale youre looking at. I also bought it on sale. For the money it is a good scale. It agrees with my rcbs beam scale on measurements. for what its worth I paid 19.99 for the scale,but I won the rcbs scale on ebay for 15.49, so shop around.

 

[1SOW]

The LEE scale is very accurate, but as others have said, it has to be carefully set up and adjusted. It will measure a 5/16" x 5/16" piece of computer paper as adding .1 gr to your charge.

The scale is not intuitive. Very carefully set zero following the instructions to the gnats @##. The instructions won't show your load, but it does show some load with X.1grs. Make sure your slide is set with 2 bars showing on the far right and one bar showing on the far left for the .1gr setting. Once it's set, you are good to go. Keep it out of any air movement/'drafts'.

The Lee powder Disc system is very consistent with many powders such as Win 231/HP38, Titegroup, Vit n320 and many more ball, small spherical and small rod powders, but not so good with larger flake powders. The disk holes are "volumetric"/a given size. Powders that fill the holes evenly measure really well. Tapping the drop tube when using the bigger powders will help to evenly fill the holes.

Hope this helps

 

[LiveLife]

You know, I will defend the virtues of Pro 1000 but I lost my patience with the Lee scale. It is accurate, but it took too much time for me.

In comparison, RCBS 5-0-5/Dillon Eliminator are so much faster/easier to use and is what I recommend for new reloaders. I personally like the Ohaus 10-10 I have and you can still buy it as RCBS 10-10.

As to Frankford Arsenal DS-750, I do not have experience with it. I have used the older 750 model that MidwayUSA is phasing out for the past 16 years with good results and have recommended to new reloaders for faster weight checks in addition to the beam balance. You just need to keep it in the operating temperature range it specifies (59F - 95F). Maybe I'll try the DS 750 scale with my next Midway order.