two scales not reading the same...

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trigga

trigga

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ok guys, so i got my lee anniversary challenger kit tuesday and some more things today. while my brass was tumbling, i was setting up my powder measure and have figured to tap it both on the up and down stroke. It throws fairly accurate charges according to both the lee beam scale and frankford digital scale. the only problem is that the frankford is constantly reading .5 grains more than the beam scale. I zeroed and checked both devices more than once but they are still reading .5 apart...

kind of frustrated on which one to trust... they both read consistent charges and all but which one is right? something tells me when technology fails, simplicity is best. I was planning on initially weighing on the digital and checking on the lee. what do you guys think?
 
"A man with one watch knows what time it is; a man with two watches is never quite sure."
 
Easy solution...check weights.

Sierra match kings are also within one or two tenths of a grain of their advertised weight on my scale, so I haven't bothered with a set of check weights.

-J.
 
check weights like said are great...... have you checked the lee scale at "0"? It should balance at "0" unless it's not level or the initial offset isn't right.
 
Several thoughts come to mind here!

I own a couple different types of scales myself. A FA digital, a Lee Safety scale, a Ohaus, and a RCBS 10-10 (same basically as the Ohaus as it is made by them). The beam scales are all within .01 grain of each other using a series of other "check" weight items as well as with the FA check weight. The FA scale is NOT. Neither is it repeatable SOMETIMES. This makes it useless for weighing small weights of propellant for me. It is not repeatable to the accuracy of any of the balance beam scales and I have thus relegated it to weighing brass and bullets to group them for loading only.

I feel you get what you pay for these days. The FA scale was only $20 on sale at the time and was worth every penny I paid for it IMHO. The Ohaus was a bit north of $150 and worth that also.

I agree that a set of check weights would be a great idea. I have a FA weight, a screw, a dime, a paperclip, a 63 grain FMJ bullet, and a quarter. I put them in a box with the weight in grains on a piece of paper for reference after I paid the local jeweler to weigh them all on his better quality scale for a refrence. If you have a friend that reloads nearby you could compare your scale readings with your check weights to his and see.

If you spend a reasonable amount on a digital scale then the results would be measurably better IMHO (pun intended:D) There are several posts in this section about different scales along with their good points and bad points referencing both beam and electronic.

Questioning the results show you are a good reloader and you need to resolve the matter just to be able to say that your MAX loads are safe if for no other reason. YMMV
 
What are the procedures for using check weights?
Do you try to duplicate the weight of your load or just check high and low?
If your beam scale (that has been leveled to start) does not agree with the check weight do you adjust the level leg to zero with the weight?
 
*Sigh*

Dig into your box of bullets and pick out three. Take the weight of them off the box * 3 and weigh them on both scales. Write down the result in a "T" array

Now pick out 3 more and repeat the process until the box is empty.

Take the average of both scales and the one with the least variance from the box weight * 3 is the one you can trust.

Just for giggles and grins do the same thing with a box containing a different bullet weight just to be sure.
 
work up and it won't matter

Provided you settle on using just one (1) of those scales (get rid of the other) and that the scale you chose yields reproducible results, you could safely work up a load that is suited to your rifle.

It does not really matter that your scale's readout is 37.5 grains of H380 when the actual load would be 38gr if weighed on a better quality scale, so long as your workup is safe and accurate in that particular rifle.

The checkweight route can easily be done by weighing a dozen different metal objects (clean ones) on a drugstore's pharmaceuticals gram scale. Convert from grams to grains. Note the grain weight of each object (coins, bolts, bullets) on a card and store all in a small box so that dust and grime don't settle onto them which would change their weight. These objects, on their own or in combination, will help you check your scale's accuracy over its full range.
 
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When your using check weights you are not suppose to handle them with your fingers. The oil from your skin will add weight. Always use tweezers to handle the check weights. The good ones have a coating so they do not oxidize.
 
twofifty said:
It does not really matter that your scale's readout is 37.5 grains of H380 when the actual load would be 38gr if weighed on a better quality scale, so long as your workup is safe and accurate in that particular rifle.
Click to expand...


^^^This. One reason we are always advise to start at min and work up.

....a new dime weighs 35gr.
 
Yup. Check weights are to solution and *every* time I fire up my digital scale and let it warm up I start by weighing check weights.

Scales (the electronic ones) do go bad. I'm betting the beam scale is the more accurate one...

VooDoo
 
I've never had any luck with Lee products in regard to precision, however I've never had a problem with some of their reloading dies, and molds etc.I have a Redding Beam Scale, and a Lyman Digital and definitely use the weights to determine the amount of powder especially when approaching maximum loads. Both scales read exactly the same, and I use the digital when I just want to check the loads say every 10 rounds or so again when approaching maximum loads.
 
Get thee some check weights. I had an improperly staked pivot in my Lyman 505 scale. I repaired it but I also bought check weights I use to build and test my load weight every time now. I also have one of those FA pocket digital scales. Most of the time it is pretty close but it has a habit of showing .3g jumps. It is faster to use though.


I would always have more faith in a beam scale in good condition but unless you have a weight reference, you can never be sure it is in good condition.

Szumi
 
I would go with the beam every time.

.5 grain diff you say? Actually I think it doesn't matter that much. What does matter is that you work up your loads and stop short of loads showing high pressure signs. Whichever scale you use. Be safe!
 
A digital scale that costs less than $200 is the likely bad-guy. The LEE beam scale can be a PITA to set up properly, but is very accurate when it is. A typical Gammo .177" LHP pellet is 7.2 grs. A crossman bb is 5.something grs. See which scale is closest using a couple of these as rough check-weights.
The inexpensive digitals may last for a year or sometimes more, but the circuit boards are not high quality reliable electronics. You DO get what you pay for in some things.
 
James2 said:
I would go with the beam every time.

.5 grain diff you say? Actually I think it doesn't matter that much. What does matter is that you work up your loads and stop short of loads showing high pressure signs. Whichever scale you use. Be safe!
Click to expand...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_effect most likely. But right on, it should not matter as long as it is repeatable and as stated you start by building your load from the bottom.
 
Getting scales to agree?

I have 3 sets of test weights, 2 sets have 40 test weights each. I have 12 + scales the oldest is 60 + years old.

I have 2 Ohaus beam type scales. I have one set of test with 4 test weights, all four of the test weights in in the set weight the same because the weight is stamped on the weights. When weighed on the 3 beam Ohaus each weight is different.
The better test weights are made of aluminum and stainless steel. The economy weights are made of brass.

F. Guffey
 
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