Thread: Balance scale calibration

Ok so I know this is an old thread.......but.....
Was checking some loads today and my lee scales read different to my Hornady ones
The lee is a pain in the ass to use.... but the Hornady seems to be out by a fair bit 9.1 out!
I know the instructions say don't touch the locking nuts but..... need to try this bullet trick as above.
They both read zero fine. Any suggestions guys cheers

Didn't Tussock or Gimp film themselves shooting their Lee balance scales?
I was tempted to do the same to mine, I think I gave them away for free in the end.

Have you checked both against another set?

My ohaus came with 500,250, and 25 grain tare weights. They are brass so tarnished now even so the 25 gr now weight 25.2. You can buy calibrated weights but projectiles especially sierra seem an excellent idea. Sierra smk appear to be so consistent in weight.

Originally Posted by dogmatix

Didn't Tussock or Gimp film themselves shooting their Lee balance scales?
I was tempted to do the same to mine, I think I gave them away for free in the end.

Have you checked both against another set?

No but not a bad idea thanks!

Originally Posted by Marty Henry

My ohaus came with 500,250, and 25 grain tare weights. They are brass so tarnished now even so the 25 gr now weight 25.2. You can buy calibrated weights but projectiles especially sierra seem an excellent idea. Sierra smk appear to be so consistent in weight.

Yep @Marty Henry looks like I may just have to do this

NZ $1 coin 8 grams
NZ $2 coin 10 grams

You can average out the error by weighing 10 $2 coins and dividing by ten, but the main thing is to use the same calibration weight each time - it's less about how super precisely exactly 10.00 gram it is, but do ask your local pharmacist to weigh out your $2 coin of choice.

The issue in reloading is consistency in everything, including weighing and dispensing - not so much ultimate accuracy as to exact weight in grains in perfect keeping with an official reference standard. Should you discover your powder charges were 15.1 grains rather than 15.0 grains, this may be an irritating discovery but not a shooting accuracy problem... as long as they were all 15.1 grains.

I agree with whats been said but due to the difference between my electric and beam scales I've ordered a set of test weights. My been scales did slightly alter ( not as bad as electric do)but an email to rcbs and a free set of agate bearings are on there way. apparently they wear and mine is a very old set. Great customer service. What I also do once I settle on a load I search my boxes of nuts and bolts until I find a nut close to that weight and then without altering the scales from the loads weighed I file the nut until it matches the powder weight and use this each time for calibration of that load for that caliber or bullet weight. I write on each with a marker so I know what each one weighs. As has been said it doesn't matter if your scales read different to another as long as you load the same for each batch

Year I get all that....but frustrating if the book says load 26.5 of such and such and your loading 23.8 if ya know what I mean.
Being fussy as dose not help

Ok I'm a little OCD just don't tell the wife

Benchrest shooters nearly all dispense straight from a powder thrower such as a Harrell's. Most of them seem happy with up to .2 grain variation accepting that it won't make the slightest bit of difference up to about 200 metres. There are too many other factors involved.

Long range shooting is a different matter.