Reloading scale question

I have an old RCBS beam scale, I guess it's the 510...it goes to 500 grains on the beam and the tenths area goes up to 10 grains. It has been sitting in its box in the top of a closet for years, and when I got it out I could not get it to zero in. I polished the discoloration off of the magnetic damper on the beam, cleaned off the knife edge things that set in the balance groove, and cleaned the groove out with a Q tip. It was still 3 grains off...would bottom out like the magnetic damper end was too heavy. I tried adjusting the leg all the way up, and even got out a level and leveled the scale itself. And yes, I did have the powder charge pan in it.

My question is have any of you fixed one that had this problem?

I took a paper clip and snipped off some small pieces at a time and put them in the powder pan until I could get it to zero out. I then took the screw out of the thingy do hickey below the powder pan, where the shot type counterweigh stuff is, and dumped them in there and put the top back on.

I then weighed three different 158 grain coated bullets and all three came out to 159.3 grains. I then weighed two bullets, that should weight 318.6 grains, and they came out weighing 318.5 grains. I then weighed all three bullets, wich should have came out to 477.9 grains, and they came out to 477.5 grains. I then took the bullets out and moved all the adjustments back to zero, and the scale popped right back to zero.

Also, does anyone have any suggestions for something I might have around the house that I could use as a check weight?

I think I'm going to order a new digital scale just to compare the weights between the two scales, and see if I like the digital one any better than the beam.

Get a small digital scale from Amazon, they cost not very much and work just perfect.

Thanks Rudy. I've looked at the RCBS RangeMaster 2000 for $99.99 at Midway that looks good.

I also looked up the weights on the U.S. Mint's site for how much a penny (2.5 grams) and a nickel (5 grams) weigh. Converted to grains that's 38.5809 grains for the penny and 77.1618 grains for a nickel. My scale weighed the penny at 38.6 grains and the nickel at 77.1 grain. Looks like the scale is still accurate.

A set of check weights from midway would be much cheaper than a new scale.

FWIW-bullets rarely weigh what their advertised.

With the scale zeroed, weigh a bullet, take it out and let the scale return to zero, then weigh it again. If it weighs the same both times and the scale returns to actual zero, you'll be good.

I MUCH prefer a beam for reloading. When running max loads, and loads for my ultra-acurate rifles, I hand weigh & trickle each load. I own three electronic scales and they are great for unknown weights, but all three are extremely sensitive to drafts, a Lyman 1200 DPS (auto powder system) is so bad it can sit and the weight drifts back and forth - 58.5 58.6 58.7 58.6 58.5 58.4 58.3 58.4 - even after warming 30+ minutes and being careful about drafts.

No matter what scale I'm using, I have a RCBS check weight set I verify myself and the scale with to ensure I really set the beam for what I wanted or the electronic is reading correctly.

I've heard that the digital ones can be very sensitive to drafts, fans, temperature, etc. I guess it wouldn't hurt if I did get a digital one though. I've never had a digital, but in looking around today I saw where you should let them warm up for 30 minutes or so...bummer.

As for the check weights I may get a set...but the penny and nickel were cheaper.

I do think the check weights would be better and give me more piece of mind.

Get a digital scale that comes with a check weight...two birds, one stone.

Wait, I mean, two birds, one bullet.

No, no, I mean, two birds, one purchase.

O.K., that's two bullets equal one stone.

No, two scales equals one bird.

No, no...two bullets equals one scale.

Oh no, now I'm confusedicated.

quietmike said:

A set of check weights from midway would be much cheaper than a new scale.

FWIW-bullets rarely weigh what their advertised.

With the scale zeroed, weigh a bullet, take it out and let the scale return to zero, then weigh it again. If it weighs the same both times and the scale returns to actual zero, you'll be good.

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I just did that Mike...thanks a bunch for another test to try. I zeroed the scale and pulled a random bullet out of the box and it also weighed 159.3 grains. Re-zeroed and weighed it again...still right on 159.3 grains.

It surprised me that the first three bullets, and the random one, were all the same. It's a house branded brand of bullets but they must have some good quality control.

This makes me feel better, but I think I'll still order a set of check weights...just to quadruple hunnerd times check before I throw a powder charge.

I don't know how that excellent Ohaus scale got off of zero. When I went to take the screw out of the counterweight pan I noticed it was loose. I wonder if some of the counterweight shot had slipped out through a gap or something with the me having a screw loose. I didn't see a gap in the lid of the counterweight pan but those shot weights are tiny. I'm guessing that's what happened.

Mechanical scales are why I bought a Dillon electronic.

They aren't perfect and can be off off by a little bit due to weather if you reload outside but it's usually very consistent and you can account for it.

If you're loading for long range precision rifle then use your mechanical. If I understand your problem correctly though, it sounds like your scale is off by the same amount every time .03? If that's the case then just subtract or add .03 when you weigh, problem solved.

Clausewitz said:

If I understand your problem correctly though, it sounds like your scale is off by the same amount every time .03? If that's the case then just subtract or add .03 when you weigh, problem solved.

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Nope, it was a FULL 3.0 grains off. I hadn't used the scale in...well, more than a decade is all I'm gonna say.

Sorry, I didn't say how much the scale was off in earlier posts. I checked it five times by running the tenths roller back behind the zero mark to see how much it was off.

Looking at the tenths roller when I pulled it out of the closet it appears that I had already dialed it back behind the zero mark to compensate for that, but I really don't feel comfortable doing that...guess it had worked though.

Now that I've kinda figured out what's wrong, I think I'll replace the paper clip snippings with some shot. I have some CCI .38 shotshells that I think are #9 shot and I'll dissect one of those. The only thing else I have are some #7 1/2 shot shotgun shells.

Just loading pistol rounds though, not long range rifle. But I do load some maxed heavy caliber magnum rounds at times. Although I've never had any signs of excessive pressure in my reloads, I'd hate to have a max load of 20.0 grains of H-110 behind a 220 grain bullet in my .41 mag. end up being 23.0 grains of H-110 and not know it. That load may be okay in my Blackhawk but I'd like to work up to it knowing what is going on. If I have to use a punch and a hammer to get the case out of the cylinder I think something might be wrong.

I am honestly confused, in your first post you say 3 gr off, then later in post when weighing bullets you say 0.3 and 0.4 gr off, that's differing by a factor of 10 . Then in another post you mention weighing pennies and nickels, referencing US treasury weights, where the difference is 0.06 gr. If you are actually 3 gr off I would worry, especially if using small charges of some very fast burning powders, or approaching max loads in rifles. Most of those scales are supposed to e accurate to + or- 0.1 gr.

If you really want to test it you need a proper set of weights, not bullets or coins. Coin weight is probably for new, unused, freshly minted coins. In pharmacy for our double beam balances we use calibrated weight sets which are stored in a fitted box when not in use, and after years of use they will tarnish and the weight will vary. Some of the better weight sets were chrome plated and had little removable handles with a cavity that could contain small lead shot to adjust the weight( done at time of manufacture). Even using a torsion balance, a balance that uses opposing torsion rods instead of a knife edge, 0.1 gr is pretty good accuracy.

Cheap digital scale, but weight-test/verify before each session with gram weights.

I'm a devoted Lee scoop user anyways, but I gotta know. And check. Twice. And keep a notebook. Because You Can Only Blow Up Once.


AA

I have several scales, to include the RCBS 1010 scale, a Pact electronic scale, the RCBS LoadMaster (?) and a high end Sartorius electronic scale. All work for their intended purposes. The "better" the electronic scale, the more it will frustrate you in it's sensitivity and wandering weight readings. Temperature, air movement and even electronic interference can play havoc with readings. Fluorescent lighting and electric heaters can mess with some electronic scales. My Sartorius is very accurate but very sensitive to electronic interference. Once I plugged it into a Triplite Isobar Ultra powerstrip/surge suppressor the electronic interference disappeared as well as the wandering weight readings.

jkingrph said:

I am honestly confused, in your first post you say 3 gr off, then later in post when weighing bullets you say 0.3 and 0.4 gr off, that's differing by a factor of 10 . Then in another post you mention weighing pennies and nickels, referencing US treasury weights, where the difference is 0.06 gr. If you are actually 3 gr off I would worry, especially if using small charges of some very fast burning powders, or approaching max loads in rifles. Most of those scales are supposed to e accurate to + or- 0.1 gr.

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Sorry I wasn't real clear on explaining.

When I first pulled the scale out of the closet it was 3.0 grains off of zero. Once I added some counterweight to it and got it to zero out I then weighed the bullets. All three were 159.3 grains each. I then weighed two bullets, which should have weighed 318.6 grains, but the scale read 318.5 grains which is 0.1 grain off...pretty good. When I weighed 3 bullets, which should have weighed 477.9 grains, the scale read them as 477.5 grains, which is 0.4 grains from what it should have been. That's getting pretty close to maxing out the 500 grains on the beam. I'm not going to be weighing 400 grains of powder anyway. Once I got the scale to zero out it seems to be working fine.

I'm getting ready to order some check weights in a bit just to make sure of things. Thanks for the tip on weights tarnishing...I was wondering about that concerning the coins but they came up weighing right at what the Mint gave the weights at. Going to check the scale with check weights before I load any rounds though.

Just ordered a set of these. Since we have a little threat of rain the next few days they'll probably get here before I get the next 2 to 4 coats of polyurethane stain put on my little loading bench I put together.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/612694/lyman-scale-weight-check-set

simon1 said:

I've heard that the digital ones can be very sensitive to drafts, fans, temperature, etc. I guess it wouldn't hurt if I did get a digital one though. I've never had a digital, but in looking around today I saw where you should let them warm up for 30 minutes or so...bummer.

As for the check weights I may get a set...but the penny and nickel were cheaper.

I do think the check weights would be better and give me more piece of mind.

Click to expand...

Any scale, if mechanical or digital is sensitive to drafts, fans, temperature!
I have checked my cheap digital scale with our analytical balances at work. Not any problem I detected.
Several items were weighed on both scales and the cheapo from Amazon was right on with a several K$ analytical scale.
Any scale needs to be protected from drafts etc, so best is to place it in a box or so that is only open on the front.
At work we have special plexiglass "boxes", but a simple card board box helps a lot as well.
It is also very important that the scale is placed on an even, non-flexible, hard surface. For precision weighing purposes, we had special stone, concrete or marble tables at work (so-called weighing table). But these are from the days of the mechanical balances that were much more sensitive to the table where it was placed on; and when I started to work in the lab some 45 years ago, all the analytical balances were placed on stone tables, in a weighing room with constant climate (temp, humidity etc). When digital came around, they were much less sensible to environmental influences. I remember we could even take a digital scale on business trips, impossible with a mechanical scale.

simon1 said:

O.K., that's two bullets equal one stone.

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1 Stone is 14 pounds. Those bullets must be for a Howitzer or something!

captaincaveman said:

1 Stone is 14 pounds. Those bullets must be for a Howitzer or something!

Click to expand...

simon1 said:

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I would like to see the scale for weighing the powder charge for that.

jkingrph said:

I would like to see the scale for weighing the powder charge for that.

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Okay...but you do know that black powder is measured by volume and not weight?

This one even has a powder trickler built in.