Thought I Was Losing My Mind

[Silver Jack Hammer]

I was getting ready to load 13 grains of 2400 on my Dillon 550. My single beam Ohaus scale read 13 grains. As always, I threw 10 charges to confirm the setting on the Dillon. 13 x 10 should be 130 grains. The Ohaus single beam scale indicated only 105 grains. So I weighed each charge at 13 grains and dumped all 10 on the Ohaus single beam scale and again they weighed 105 grains. This is impossible! I weighed a 130 grain .270 bullet and it weighed 130 grains.

I pulled out the RCBS Chargemaster and 10 loads of 13 grains weighed 105. Now the demons are messing with my mind.

So I threw one load from the Dillon and weighed it on the Chargemaster. 10.5 grains.

OK. The error is mine. I looked at the single beam Ohaus scale and instead of setting it to 13 grains I set it to 10.3 grains. Ugh. I have been loading a lot lately due to a stay at home order, and I have loaded for years, 35 tubes of lube in 10 years, and I have used this Ohaus single beam scale since 1978!

Hope you find my bone headed stumper entertaining.

[Winger Ed.]

Its easy to do.
I'm at the point of- I can read without my glasses, but can read faster with them.

After a similar experience-- and unloading a couple hundred under charged 5.56:
Now, I make sure I'm wearing them when using a powder scale.

[Binky]

Stuff Happens! Especially when we get a little stressed. And staying at home when you would rather be doing other things can be stressful.

[Walks]

Why I use 2 scales when setting a powder measure.
My Dad always did. Maybe he had the problem you discovered.

Scale weight check set is your friend.

[georgerkahn]

Imho, you would have NOT either been concerned re weight accuracy, or, just ignored it! Your actions definitely indicate you are NOT losing your mind -- (at least, perhaps in loading ).
Your mistake could have easily gone the other way -- e.g., twenty-five grains over!
Re my loading last several days -- I have been extra-extra watchful vis powder. (I'm loading 200 .25acp's where the minimum, listed, and maximum charge are ALL exactly the same (1.6 gns Bullseye)).
BEST! ...and again congrats re finding/correcting your oversight!
geo

[3006guns]

Welcome to the club...........I think a lot of us are getting a little impatient with this quarantine thing. Kind of like being snowed in for the winter....without the snow.

I had a similar problem with my RCBS powder measure throwing oddball charges, until I discovered the small spout was installed and was bridging every other throw.........DOH!

[sharps4590]

You caught it. That's all that's required.

[Outer Rondacker]

The end results are all that matter. No one got hurt and you figured it out yourself. Kinda have to feel good about that.

[Baltimoreed]

Attachment 259766
I had my optometrist build me a pair of glasses that dont have the upper half of the bifocal. But they’re not actually readers as they are clearest at 3 ft. I can read my eye level single beam perfectly but can see what I’m doing fine.

[Froogal]

Its easy to do.
I'm at the point of- I can read without my glasses, but can read faster with them.

After a similar experience-- and unloading a couple hundred under charged 5.56:
Now, I make sure I'm wearing them when using a powder scale.

I am just the opposite. I wear tri-focals, but I can see close-up much better WITHOUT my glasses.

[Land Owner]

Write it down! Lesson Learned. Refer to those often.

Glad you caught it BEFORE it made a mess. That what Trial and Error dictates. You are using excellent technique to wrest SAFETY from the jaws of Failure.

[ioon44]

I placed a 2"x 3" 2x magnifier in front of the pointer of my RCBS 505 scale, makes it easy to read with out having to get close.

[Three44s]

The safety measure, throwing ten and reweighing caught your original error. Your mind is working perfectly fine!

Best regards and stay safe!

Three44s

[Three44s]

For forty years I used a Oahu’s 505. My issue with them is the little “tenth’s” tab jumping when I lift the scale pan off the scale to our into a case.

Tired of the BS I bought a used RCBS 510 and no sooner said, a 1010 jumped outa the bushes, grabbed that one.

Now I should of been satisfied, RIGHT?

NO!

I was on a mission now, go figure!

I kept getting that itch, you know like climbing a taller mountain!

My “sights” were set on getting a RCBS 304!

Got one, love it!

Three44s

[Bmi48219]

A few years ago I was single stage loading 9 mm target ammo. I used a Redding #2 beam scale to set my powder measure to 4.6 grains. Then I leave the scale on 4.6 and check every tenth charge. After charging, seating & crimping a couple 100 round batches my checked weights started to vary up & down a lot. Couldn’t get the indicator to level out. Tried several more times with same results. So I emptied the measure to make sure it wasn’t partially plugged. Refilled it and the charge weights were still all over. I dropped one more charge in the pan and as I was putting the pan on the scale I saw something move behind the pan cradle. It was a small spider busy building a web. His position on the web changed the balance but it wasn’t noticeable unless there was a charge in the scale pan and the pan was on the scale. After evicting the squatter the problem went away.

[Scrounge]

Its easy to do.
I'm at the point of- I can read without my glasses, but can read faster with them.

After a similar experience-- and unloading a couple hundred under charged 5.56:
Now, I make sure I'm wearing them when using a powder scale.

You might try increasing the lighting in your reloading shack. I'm 65 next month, and have been working as an industrial mechanic. Having more and more trouble seeing in the less well lighted areas of the plant I worked in. I have the Honeywell LED worklights that Sam's Club (among other) sells, and they make it much easier to see to do fine detail work. I've been nearsighted since the sixth grade, and I'm learning to be a machinist. I usually have a flashlight with me at work and in class to help with the vision. Lighting things up helps a lot. I'm also starting to develop cataracts, which ain't helping any!

[Silver Jack Hammer]

I turned 60 a while ago, and I’ve never had great eyesight. I just purchased this house I’m living in, and set up my loading benches in the new loading room, only to find the lighting was woefully inadequate. I had to cut the sheet rock out of the ceiling to re-wire for 4 new 4’ workshop lights. Yep, you are right Scrounge, the LED workshop lights are the best.

[Walks]

My 10-10 is about 45yrs old. Learned about bumping the 10th "tab" while learning on a Redding #1.
RCBS 10-10 was a Christmas gift from My Dad. He had already given me the old Redding.
Back in those days, nobody gave you anything New unless it was your Birthday or Christmas.

Got one of the 1st RCBS Electronic Scales about 20 odd years ago. Made in AMERICA.

[gwpercle]

As we age ...the first thing that starts to go is ...the young 20/20 eyesight .
I now have to double check and triple check where the settings are ...I wanted 10.5 but had set the beam scale to ...15 .
I didn't realize it but my vision was getting poor ... the eye doctor called it Glaucoma !
So if your getting older ...double check, add light and if needed use a magnifying glass and/or new glasses . Medicare covered some of the cost...don't put it off .
Gary

[Land Owner]

I saw that some of the guys here have set up and used their cell phones, tablets, and digital cameras to shoot close ups of their beam scale's micrometer. Pretty good idea.

I purchased a rheostat control, illuminated, 3mm, "bore scope" with its 15 feet of cable for LESS THAN $13.00 shipped. I open an App on the tablet, put the bore scope in proximity of the "looky lou" and see a close up on the tablet. Works for me...