What, if any scales?

[lead-1]

OK, what scales do you folks use the check your cast boolit weights? I have weighed a few on my Lyman and LEE balance beam scales but that is a major pain in the butt moving the weights an waiting for the beam to stop. Has anyone tried the Frankford Arsenal or MTM digital scales?

[Bret4207]

There are moderate quality, inexpensive ($25-40.00) digital scales made by Hornady and most of the other big names now. For weighing boolits they should be fine. Many folks also find they work good for powder. I'm not quite up to speed on this new fangled stuff, but they do look faster.

[kbstenberg]

If you look in the stickie section. There is a thread on electric scales.
Kevin

[qajaq59]

I haven't tried either of those scales, but you sure are right about going nuts trying to weigh them on a balance scale. I've been doing it, but I'm going to get some kind of elctronic scale. Any kind has to be easier then this is!!

[Calamity Jake]

Yep get one of the cheap electronics, it'll work just fine.

[lead-1]

I did a search and sometimes they're just a little too generalized, like a four page thread on reloading presses and one sentence mentioning scales comes up. I did find a couple mentions of the MTM and FA units so I thought I would bring up the question as of recently, the one that were mentioned were over a year old threads. I am a little leary of getting one of the units that the local gas station sells to the "pipe" smokers of the community but they might actually be as good, who knows. LOL

:groner:

[MakeMineA10mm]

:holysheep

Yes, by all means, quit raising the stress and strain and get a cheap electronic. MidwayUSA often puts a "portable" digital scale on sale every could months. I haven't use it, but it is so cheap that the risk to get your feet wet is very low. If, by now, you're convinced electric/digital is the way to go, then check out the stickied thread to help choose a better one.

[Rocky Raab]

Most of the scales sold to druggies measure only in ounces and grams. Either read the instructions carefully to make sure the scale will display in grains avoirdupois, or get a scale from a reloading supply place.

The greatest advantage of a digital scale over a beam besides speed is the fact that it is easy to "misplace" a beam poise in the wrong notch, but it's darn difficult to misread an inch-high numeral display. Beam scales can balance perfectly - at the wrong weight.

[MakeMineA10mm]

LOL -- We were posting at the same time...

In that case, I'd recommend the Dillon. It has a large capacity. (When measuring powder charges, any electronic scale will handle that - hardly a cartridge I can think of that uses more than 100grs of powder, except maybe the 50BMG. But, when you're weighing boolits, you need one that can handle a lot of grain-weight.) I think the Dillon's capacity is 1500grs. I usually weigh five cast boolits at a time and then divide to come up with an average weight. Then, I check the boolits individually to see if the trend line goes above or below the original average. That's what I work towards when I segregate my rifle boolits. The large capacity lets me take a quick averaging measurement. It also means I can weigh things like shotgun slugs and loads of buckshot, and other heavy things...

Another couple nice things about the Dillon is that it has their same lifetime warranty as their other products.

A couple other possibilities that may be intriguing, is that if you ever think you might want to upgrade to one of those digital/electronic powder dispensors, you want to look at the Lyman or RCBS, as their units work with their powder dispensors.

HTH.

[cajun shooter]

Look on flea-bay under digital scales. You will see plenty of offers that include free shipping. I just purchased my second using the Buy Now option. Both of them are Digi-Weigh DW-100AS models. I paid about $27 each for them. They come with check weights and batteries. I bought the second one for my casting shop after using the first one in my reloading room for about 8 months. These scales are dead on and fast. It's hard to believe that much precision can be purchased for so little money. I also have a RCBS Micro-Pro that I paid over $100 for that does not do any better. Make sure that the person you buy from is in the USA. They also sell the same scale( different sellers) for as much as $20 difference so be careful there also. The one I have is only about 5x3. Later david

[Shiloh]

There are moderate quality, inexpensive ($25-40.00) digital scales made by Hornady and most of the other big names now. For weighing boolits they should be fine. Many folks also find they work good for powder. I'm not quite up to speed on this new fangled stuff, but they do look faster.

This is the way to go. A lot more convenient than what I am currently using.

I use a jewels digital scale. It weighs in pennyweight, troy grams, troy oz. and carats. I use the carat mode, the smallest measurement, and convert to grains.
I divide carats by .324 to get grains.

http://www.unitconversion.org/unit_converter/weight.html

Shiloh

[lead-1]

The local that my friend dubbed Habbibs Sell-mart and Fuel has two of his four units do "grains". About 10 years ago I bought an RCBS unit and I couldn't get rid of that thing fast enough but that was 10 years ago and a lot has changed that even the cheaper stuff is at least as good if not better. I will be only using this for boolits and will stick to my Lyman balance beam for powder.

[mooman76]

If you go to midwayusa and some other sites tha sell scales they have feedback on them to tell you how good they are.

[mike in co]

there are a couple of ways to do this.
one pick a desired boolit weight, and then what ever plus or minus you want.

so if one has the 314299 and decides a bare boolit is around 206.3 and you want a range of plus or minus 0.5 that is 206.8 down to 205.8. search till you find a 206.8 and a 205.8. with the scale set at 206.3 add either boolit.....and mark on the beam zero scale where each is.
now you no longer have to wait for the scale to stop...as long as the beam is moving between the hi mark(206.8) and the low mark(205.8) it does not have to stop.....

you can do sorta the same with an electornic scale....zero on the desired weight, and as long as the scale is between +/- .5 you are good to go..it does not have to stop....


buy the best you can afford.... i use a scale that is sensitive to .02 of a grain......

mike in co

[Archer]

I have a US-100 digital scale made by US Bowhunting.
It works fine for Boolets. It weighs in Grains,Grams,
Ounces, and Pennyweight. I haven't tried it to weigh
powder yet. Still using my ballence beam scale for that.
I gave 39.00 for this one, but you can find them cheaper
then that.

[HammerMTB]

I recently got the Frankford Arsenal unit from Midway for $25 on sale. I should go there and give feedback, but in a nutshell, I love it!
I'd been using an RCBS 10-10 for years, but waiting for the beam to stop was torture.
The FA scale is just what I needed. I have checked it against the 10-10 and it is spot on. Couldn't ask for more. Well, I could- if it didn't shut off after 60 sec it might be nice when I develop a load. Then I could b!+ch when I forgot and the battery went dead.

[dromia]

I have the Pact scales and separate powder dispenser, both have worked flawlessly for the four or so years I've had them.

Electronic scales certainly make boolit weighing a lot easier.

[MT Gianni]

Lyman DPS 1200. It dispenses powder as well.

[Rusty Parker]

I made a similar decision recently and after reading a lot here and elsewhere, settled on the RCBS 750 model (Rangemaster I think?). I wanted it primarily for weighing bullets, and needed to be able to weigh 500+ grains for .577 and .580 minies. Midway had it for right around $100, and that was the best price I found. This seemed like the best compromise between price, quality, and what I needed. I'd read a bit too many negative things about the $40-level scales, and RCBS seemed to have the best reputation for customer service if the thing does crap out. I've had it for about a month now and so far so good, I'm very satisfied with it.

[snuffy]

The local that my friend dubbed Habbibs Sell-mart and Fuel has two of his four units do "grains". About 10 years ago I bought an RCBS unit and I couldn't get rid of that thing fast enough but that was 10 years ago and a lot has changed that even the cheaper stuff is at least as good if not better. I will be only using this for boolits and will stick to my Lyman balance beam for powder.

Not pickin on you lead-1, but I wonder why the bias some people have AGAINST electronic digital scales? Is it age? I'm 63, I've had a RCBS powder pro for at least 10 years, more like 15. I used it for powder, shot, boolits, even measuring postage! Then I found out it would partner with the pact dispenser,(being as how they're both made by pact). So I bought the pact dispenser.

The most important feature of the digital scales is the tare feature. That means you can use ANY pan you want to measure powder OR boolits. Putting lubed boolits in the pan I usually use for powder, means I have to clean the lube out first. So I got a cheap funnel pan that I use solely for boolits. Try that with a balance beam scale! Or try weighing a letter to see if it's overweight!

I've heard that the dillon scale won't work for trickling powder. It won't react to gradually increasing increments of weight. Maybe they got that fixed now, that was several years ago.

Oh, I got one of those FA scales at Midway. I should have sent it right back! It drifts upward while it has something in the pan. Maybe the air above the pan gets heavier?[smilie=s:

[mold maker]

Same here, with the pact scale, but mine was bought before the interaction with the dispenser was available. I sent it back to have it upgraded for free and added the dispenser.
It's done a great job on everything I have ask of it.
By the way Pact makes/made, RCBS and several others scales, and their Pact models are somewhat cheaper.
As with balance beams, any air currents will mess with your mind.

[lead-1]

No not age bias snuffy, I was only about 35 when I bought the RCBS unit and I now think it was more than likely lack of patients. There was air going to and from the furnace in the loading area and that was probably making my readings go all over the spectrum and didn't realize that back then, I never tried another digital after that.

[JSnover]

The beam scales aren't difficult to use but for your first scale, you may as well go electronic.

[fredj338]

Like most things, you will get what you pay for. The cheap FA scales are crap, really. If you want a good scale for reloading then IMO, you have to pay more than $40. For weighing bullets to the nearest grain, a cheap digital will work fine, way faster than a beam scale. Best digital on the market IMO is the Dillon. Very repeatable, relaible & if you do break it or it does crap on you, they will replace it for 50% of a new one. Most companies will not replace their elec. stuff at all after the 1yr warranty.

[1874Sharps]

I started out over thirty years ago with a good ol' RCBS 510 balance made by Ohaus and am still using it. That is quality, but it is not exactly fast and efficient compared to modern electronic scales. If you have the money for it, I would go with a high quality electronic scale as some have stated. I too bought a Frankford Arsenal el cheapo scale for $30 or so and wound up sending it back because it just did not perform well or consistently. Fortunately Midway USA has customer feedback reports that you can read (perhaps with a grain of salt) and therefore see what the experience of other reloaders has been.

[mdi]

When I weigh boolits on my beam scale I set the scale at the weight the booltis should be. I then weigh boolits and have two piles; over and under (actually three; over, under, and close enough). Then If I need a more accurate weight I'll do the same to the "light" or "heavy" boolits.

[mike in co]

if ya gots the money....
mx-123 lab scale
just over 300 dollars....and never look back.
typical beam powder scales are not as consistant as most think.
being off a tenth or a tenth and half on a medium rifle round is not hard to see at 100 with cast boolits, and in a small rifle it will destroy groups.

mike in co

[Echo]

I've used my 10-10 for about 40 years, more or less, and have no issue with the slow oscillation getting to rest. Takes only a few seconds, and I may be turning the poise while the beam is trying to settle down. And I also have a 5-10 that I find I am using more than the 10-10.
That said, I got a small digital scale and it is crap. Won't give the same weight for successive trials with the same object. I bought another, different make, and it is swell - reliable is what we are after, and this one is reliable. The first is called a Point Weight, and is made in the PRC. The second is called a US-250, made in China, doesn't say PRC< so may be Taiwan.

[AZ-Stew]

I have used a Lyman beam scale in the past with acceptable results. Weigh a few and find out where the median is. Set the scale for that and note the number of marks above or below center of the beam pointer when it settles. The beam is magnetically damped, so it only swings a couple of times. Easy enough.

A year or so ago I bought a Lyman DPS-1200 and the upgrade conversion for it that speeds dispensing time and aids cleaning. One of the pluses of the upgrade kit is that it comes with a new scale pan. Why, I don't know. The one that came with the dispenser was perfectly adequate. That aside, the fresh scale pan allows me to mark one with a large "B", noting that it is the one I use for weighing boolits. That way I don't have to clean the pan after weighing boolits. In the end, even that doesn't matter. I bought one of Lyman's plastic scale pans with the integrated funnel for pouring a powder charge directly from the pan into the case.

Last weekend my son loaded about 30-40 rounds of .300 Win Mag using the DPS-1200, throwing a 70 (+/-) grain powder charge. We checked the charge at the beginning and at the end with my balance beam Lyman scale and it was spot on each time. I have not had the same results with smaller powder charges. Up to about 35 grains you have to check the charges frequently. According to the Lyman rep at the NRA convention, static charges may have something to do with the inconsistencies. I have an extremely well grounded electrical system in my shop, but the DPS-1200 uses a wall-wart power supply to reduce the 120VAC from the wall to 15VAC to power the unit. Using the wall-wart eliminates the ground connection and isolates the Lyman unit. I need to disassemble the DPS-1200 and find a way to ground the electronics and the scale pan seat to see if I can eliminate the static buildup.

Otherwise, it's a good tool that does pretty much what I need with regard to dispensing powder charges, and in addition, it makes a great boolit scale.

Regards,

Stew

[Down South]

I use an Elcheapo electronic jewelry scale that I got off of Flebay for about 20 bucks. It works great for weighing boolits. I’m impressed with it’s accuracy but I would not trust it with weighing powder.

[mike in co]

it all gets down to what level of "tolerance" is acceptable to you. if +/- .1 is ok then most anything will do(that means .2 variance)
that is not acceptable to me, so i bought a scale that is sub .05( it is .02 sensitive/.03 readable)
yes it cost money but it works.

beams scales will often not respond to very small changes( histerious...spell, resisting change ??)

so ya must constantly tip the beam to let it resettle..and hope it does not "stick".....

i have one cheap electronic bought here, its tolerance is way to high..useless in reloading. my dillon is fine for bullet/brass sorting, but my mx-123 is better.

spends your money and accept thier tollerance for your reloading.

mike in co

[Lutzy48]

Snuffy,

I had a similar experience:

I had purchased one of the small Frankford Arsenal electronic scales from Midway. It always seemed to be a bit off from my RCBS balance beam scale, so I bought a one of the Cabelas units. I discovered last week that it will not work trickling powder. It just doesn't respond to the weight change. You need to remove the pan and let it re-establish the weight. In comaring the two scales, the Cabelas unit was in exact agreement with the balance scale and the FA was off by .2 grains. But, if someone just wanted a scale to weigh bullets, I think the FA would be fne.

[lead-1]

I will probably go with the MTM unit because between the two, MTM and Frankfort Arsenal, the AAA's in the MTM should last longer. I've never had much luck with the 2032 batteries and durability. As far as 1-3 tenths in accuracy, I am used to plinking around with pulled military bullets that are 147 grain +/- .3 which could be a .6 tenths spread. Even the Dillon unit is rated at +/- .1 and it cost $140.

[badgeredd]

I simply don't trust the electronic scale for powder charges. They may be fine, but I'm not comfortable with them. I have used an Ohaus for years and I recently picked up a cheapie electronic to weigh boolits that is (in my mind) perfectly fit for the job I intended for it. I've checked it against my Ohause several times and it is consistently withing a +/- .01 tolerance as advertised.

Edd

[Dan Cash]

Check this:
http://www.myweigh.com/scales/medium-scales/ibalance-101

I have had one for about 6 years. It has completly replaced my balance beams.

[lead-1]

This scale will only be used for weighing and sorting my cast boolits, I am really satisfied with my Lyman balance beam for powder charges. I still have my LEE safety scale for that matter and it has never let me down.

[jsizemore]

Try; www.oldwillknottscales.com

The sight has table to help with the various features that are available on scales including price. I bought a shipping scale that weighs up to 75 lbs that I have checked against the certified scale at the post office. It cost the princely sum of $19.56 and that included shipping. I've had the scale for 3 years and it has worked flawless and am still on the original set of batteries.

[fredj338]

if ya gots the money....
mx-123 lab scale
just over 300 dollars....and never look back.
typical beam powder scales are not as consistant as most think.
being off a tenth or a tenth and half on a medium rifle round is not hard to see at 100 with cast boolits, and in a small rifle it will destroy groups.

mike in co

You would have to define "destroy groups" but I have not found 1/10gr diff in powder charge to make much diff. The other variables of case volumn & bullet wt. can be greater than 4/10gr even in small rifle rounds. IMO, trying to weigh anything for reloading to the 100th grain is just chasing your tail.[smilie=w:

[AZ-Stew]

it all gets down to what level of "tolerance" is acceptable to you. if +/- .1 is ok then most anything will do(that means .2 variance)
that is not acceptable to me, so i bought a scale that is sub .05( it is .02 sensitive/.03 readable)
yes it cost money but it works.

beams scales will often not respond to very small changes( histerious...spell, resisting change ??)

so ya must constantly tip the beam to let it resettle..and hope it does not "stick".....

i have one cheap electronic bought here, its tolerance is way to high..useless in reloading. my dillon is fine for bullet/brass sorting, but my mx-123 is better.

spends your money and accept thier tollerance for your reloading.

mike in co

My Lyman balance beam scale is perfect. That statement is as relevant as your first statement, above.

Now I'll explain why my scale is "perfect". If I'm loading for my .223 bolt gun and use H-335 powder, a charge of 25.0 gr works well with a 52 gr HPBT bullet. That's 25.0 gr on my Lyman balance beam scale. Works perfectly. Is the charge accurate? I don't know. I'd have to take a sample charge to the National Bureau of Standards and Technology and have them weigh it. For all I know, the charge might actually weigh 24.8, or even 25.2 grains, or any place in between. It doesn't matter. When I use H-335 on my scale, a 25.0 grain charge will work well in my rifle. THAT matters. And my scale is very repeatable. I can take my pan full of 25.0 grains of H-335 off the scale and put it back 100 times. It will ALWAYS read 25.0 grains. I've used it enough over the last 35+ years to have great confidence in it. As far as I'm concerned, though the accuracy might be as bad as +/- 0.2 grains (don't know, never compared it against a calibrated standard), since the repeatability (precision) is +/- 0.0, and the same charge weight gives the same accuracy in my rifle each time, the scale is perfect, even though it was never guaranteed to have accuracy better than +/- 0.1 gr.

As far as it's ability to respond to small changes, I know that almost any stick-type powder will change the scale measurement by 0.1 grain if I add or subtract four kernels (particles) of powder. The scale has been doing this for 35+ years.

I forget what I paid for it. In todays $$ it was probably quite a bit because I bought it retail, but it was worth it. And the results I get from it wouldn't have been any different, whether I paid twice or half as much for it, or whether it had a guaranteed accuracy of half (numerically) what it actually has. As I said, it's already perfect.

And I guess you could say my Lyman #55 powder measure is perfect, too. If I load it up with ball or flake powder, I can throw consistent charges with it all day, as long as the reservoir stays at least 1/4 full. I can MAKE it throw an odd charge by manipulating the measure inconsistently, but as long as I do everything the same way, I can throw 100 charges and have full confidence that the last will weigh exactly the same as the first (using my "perfect" scale, of course).

I have one as a convenience, but how did we ever survive before electronic scales?

Regards,

Stew

[lead-1]

Well I had to go pay a couple of utility bills today so I swung over to a shop that sells just about any hunting and fishing goods that you would want without having an FFL. While brousing I walked right past three scales, the owner was making some arrows for a guy and right in front of me he started weighing the arrows. Another guy came in and started talking bullets with the owner and he wanted to know how consistant the reloading bullets were compared to the one in assembled ammo so the owner breaks out a box of Hornady 150 grain .270 bullets and started weighing them for the guy. The bullets were just as advertised and after watching a few minutes of this I asked the guy if he had another set of those for sale, he did and I bought a set for $29 and they have answered the call already, after about 100 boolits I think they will be OK scales. A net search shows them selling in the 24.95-39.99 range, they weigh grams, grains, ounces and carats and the display light can be turned off. Oh Yeah, they are US Balance US-100-XR model.

[armyrat1970]

If you want to go digital, don't go with a cheapie. Go with the best. The balance beam is good enough for my needs but may not be for yours. I feel no need for a digital scale. Bought one of the cheap Frankford Arsenal digital scales from Midway and it is a piece of crap. Hard to set up and will not hold calibration. I will swear by my balance beam scale.

[TAWILDCATT]

I have read all the posts and I still am puzzled.I have 5/6 balance beam scales.also couple electronic.I load for pistol.and rifle.I set my powder measure
with scale and go I never check again.the measure throws the charge I set it for.
I do the same for my rifle loads.my rifle loads are a job in progress. so I dont load many at a time. I am useing lee disc powder measures.why do you have to check them??after first set.do you measure every rifle load???.the factory loads by machine they will not be exact.and bench rest shooters use powder measures.
I have only been loading since 1937 with the crudest tools. I still have my win tong tool and my Modern Bond loading tool(moving I lost it so this is a replace ment.]also have MB tong tools I bought in 1945.so some ov you confuse me.
my scales are in protective covers and dont take THAT long to come to rest.:coffee::violin:

[lead-1]

TAWILDCATT, I am only weighing the boolits that I cast to sort them by weights. There shouldn't be that much difference when casting from the same pot but I would think that there might be a difference if you add more ingots that may be a little different composition of metals.
Example being that I cast some rifle boolits that should have been in the 160 grain range and as it turned out they are only 130 grain, and some 240 grain boolits that were only 195's. The digitals are just a lot quicker to weigh them.

[soldierbilly1]

all the guys I know have both. They bought the balance beam first and later added an electronic.
Funnily, nobody trusts the electronics! we are always checking the electronic against the beam! go figure!
I have the Pact scale, about $80 most places. does a super job for me! I do not hesitate against using the elec for setting up my meter for rifle loads, not one bit.
billy boy

[qajaq59]

Having 2 scales can be like wearing 2 watches. You're never really sure what time it is.:kidding:

[armyrat1970]

TAWILDCATT, I am only weighing the boolits that I cast to sort them by weights. There shouldn't be that much difference when casting from the same pot but I would think that there might be a difference if you add more ingots that may be a little different composition of metals.
Example being that I cast some rifle boolits that should have been in the 160 grain range and as it turned out they are only 130 grain, and some 240 grain boolits that were only 195's. The digitals are just a lot quicker to weigh them.

You have that much variance in your cast boolits?

[lead-1]

Armyrat1970, I have an unknown alloy.

I am new to this casting game and 20 years ago I melted what I remembered as all wheel weights into scuba weights, I recently turned them into 1 lb. ingots and started casting with them. I couldn't get good fill out and suspected that something was wrong and brought it here for help;

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=58913

This is a different discussion and by weighing the boolits on my new scales, this was what I found. There was 30+ grain weight difference between WW and Unknown alloy for boolits from the same mold.

[qajaq59]

I think your WW years ago may have had a lot of zinc in them. I just put aside about 10lbs of fishing weights that someone had given me because when I tried them they would not fill at all. They will end up back as fishing weights to be given away.

[mike in co]

You would have to define "destroy groups" but I have not found 1/10gr diff in powder charge to make much diff. The other variables of case volumn & bullet wt. can be greater than 4/10gr even in small rifle rounds. IMO, trying to weigh anything for reloading to the 100th grain is just chasing your tail.[smilie=w:


not in my ammo...i have said before i consider my self an ammo crafter, not a reloader......
brass is weight sorted, bullets are weight sorted, powder for match ammo is scaled on the mx123.

yes i have seen the affects of 2/10's grain spread of powder on a castboolit load done with MATCH components.

not to 100, but to a 1/10th...but not 2tenths.....

with a scale that is accurate to .02.....then one has no issues seeing 0.1, a scale that is 0.1 can easily hide another .1.

mike in co

[mike in co]

My Lyman balance beam scale is perfect. That statement is as relevant as your first statement, above.

Now I'll explain why my scale is "perfect". If I'm loading for my .223 bolt gun and use H-335 powder, a charge of 25.0 gr works well with a 52 gr HPBT bullet. That's 25.0 gr on my Lyman balance beam scale. Works perfectly. Is the charge accurate? I don't know. I'd have to take a sample charge to the National Bureau of Standards and Technology and have them weigh it. For all I know, the charge might actually weigh 24.8, or even 25.2 grains, or any place in between. It doesn't matter. When I use H-335 on my scale, a 25.0 grain charge will work well in my rifle. THAT matters. And my scale is very repeatable. I can take my pan full of 25.0 grains of H-335 off the scale and put it back 100 times. It will ALWAYS read 25.0 grains. I've used it enough over the last 35+ years to have great confidence in it. As far as I'm concerned, though the accuracy might be as bad as +/- 0.2 grains (don't know, never compared it against a calibrated standard), since the repeatability (precision) is +/- 0.0, and the same charge weight gives the same accuracy in my rifle each time, the scale is perfect, even though it was never guaranteed to have accuracy better than +/- 0.1 gr.

As far as it's ability to respond to small changes, I know that almost any stick-type powder will change the scale measurement by 0.1 grain if I add or subtract four kernels (particles) of powder. The scale has been doing this for 35+ years.

I forget what I paid for it. In todays $$ it was probably quite a bit because I bought it retail, but it was worth it. And the results I get from it wouldn't have been any different, whether I paid twice or half as much for it, or whether it had a guaranteed accuracy of half (numerically) what it actually has. As I said, it's already perfect.

And I guess you could say my Lyman #55 powder measure is perfect, too. If I load it up with ball or flake powder, I can throw consistent charges with it all day, as long as the reservoir stays at least 1/4 full. I can MAKE it throw an odd charge by manipulating the measure inconsistently, but as long as I do everything the same way, I can throw 100 charges and have full confidence that the last will weigh exactly the same as the first (using my "perfect" scale, of course).

I have one as a convenience, but how did we ever survive before electronic scales?

Regards,

Stew

yep repeatability is a must.....even if it aint the "correct" number. me i like both.

mike in co

[mike in co]

I have read all the posts and I still am puzzled.I have 5/6 balance beam scales.also couple electronic.I load for pistol.and rifle.I set my powder measure
with scale and go I never check again.the measure throws the charge I set it for.
I do the same for my rifle loads.my rifle loads are a job in progress. so I dont load many at a time. I am useing lee disc powder measures.why do you have to check them??after first set.do you measure every rifle load???.the factory loads by machine they will not be exact.and bench rest shooters use powder measures.
I have only been loading since 1937 with the crudest tools. I still have my win tong tool and my Modern Bond loading tool(moving I lost it so this is a replace ment.]also have MB tong tools I bought in 1945.so some ov you confuse me.
my scales are in protective covers and dont take THAT long to come to rest.:coffee::violin:

an rcbs powder mesure will vary the charge around .3/.4 from a full to the top hopper to the last 1/4 or so...

so setting the measure and then using some of the powder column reduces "head"/changes the fill. setting with the hopper at 3/4 and refilling at 1/2 reduces this to about 1/10...add a powder baffle and its nearly gone.


set and use is not accurate...for a typical drum measure. the wiper style( lee/dillon) will retain accuracy as the hopper empties( just above the baffle in the dillon).



mike in co

[armyrat1970]

Armyrat1970, I have an unknown alloy.

I am new to this casting game and 20 years ago I melted what I remembered as all wheel weights into scuba weights, I recently turned them into 1 lb. ingots and started casting with them. I couldn't get good fill out and suspected that something was wrong and brought it here for help;

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=58913

This is a different discussion and by weighing the boolits on my new scales, this was what I found. There was 30+ grain weight difference between WW and Unknown alloy for boolits from the same mold.

Unknown alloy is a PITA to deal with if you are looking for correct BHN. Even known alloy can be a pain if trying to mix to get a certain BHN. If you had older WWS you should have had good alloy without any Zinc. I would throw all of it into a mix. Smelt your alloy in a seperate pot like a Dutch Oven. Keep your temps around 700 and if you have any zinc you can clean it off the top of your melt. Of course flux while smelting. Zinc melts around 785 so any should float to the top as a form of, some say, oatmeal. Once you feel you have all zinc or other contaminants out of the melt laddle pour your ingots. Use your ingots in your furnace along with fluxing during the process because I don't believe you will ever get all of the trash out.
WWS also have a low tin percentage. You may need to add a little more tin to get a better fill out. Solder is a good additive for tin. You don't need much but then again talking about mixing alloys. 3% tin is all you really need in your alloy. Anything over is just a waste and tin does not add greatly to the hardness of the alloy. Of course WWS have changed over the years but basic, good WWS have only 0.5% tin content. That is a rough estimate of course.
Keep your temps low (for smelting) and clean off any waste. Add a little more tin and crank your temps up (when casting) and see if that helps.
Also make sure your mold is hot enough. A cold mold will not drop good boolits.