What's up with my scale.

I've got a Lyman 1500 electronic scale. Had it for a month or so. It's supposed to be accurate to .1 grain.

Tonight I was weighing 139g SST bullets.

The weights were all over the place....and that was with a single bullet. 138.8, then 139.2, oops, up to 139.3 now. Lift bullet off and sit it down again...now it's 139.0 or 139.1, slowly switching back and forth. Over and over again one pill and different weights.

That's not .1 grain accurate as advertised. Any suggestions? Are they all like this? Do I need to drop more coin.

After measuring about 50 bullets the distribution was visible. Lots hovering around 139g give or take .1 and fewer out at the margins, ranging from 138.6 through to 139.4. Strangely not many at 139g. Twice as many were .1 higher or lower.

Is it close to anything like a 12v/18v battery.

Were you using it in a room with fluoro lights.

Have you zeroed it with the test weight.

welcome to electronic scales :thumbsup:

they wander...

some things to try for better consistency:

- keep the scale plugged in
- let it "warm up" if you have switched it off
- work in an environment where you don't have a lot of draughts

bullets do vary quite a bit. best thing to do is get a "check weight" and use that to see that the scale is reading correctly

Also the instructions will detail the procedure to remove any static charge.
Failing that and the above advice, you should give it a few sharp smacks with a piece of firewood.

Thanks for input. Nothing near it is powered. I don't know what these new fangled lights are. Not flouro tubes certainly. I do zero. But may well have a drought issue.

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Originally Posted by YosemiteSam

I've got a Lyman 1500 electronic scale. Had it for a month or so. It's supposed to be accurate to .1 grain. ......

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I have noted this with electronic scales, which are often out of the same small number of factories but re badged with minor flossies. AS has been suggested earlier in your thread a standard "calibration check weight set " available for less than $20NZ may remove the puzzlement.

Here is a link to a set i have ........... https://tinyurl.com/y42ufgtp

Failing that, and excluding drafty winds, have you thought of emailing Lyman and asking them why? a link to their "customer service" contact us email.

https://tinyurl.com/y6l9wsqv

I have to close the door and windows in the room to get consistent results and move my florescent desk light further away.

I am back to the beam scale powder measure and tickler!!!!!!

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Originally Posted by xtightg

I have to close the door and windows in the room to get consistent results and move my florescent desk light further away.

I am back to the beam scale powder measure and tickler!!!!!!

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I don't use fluoro lights when reloading, at all. They mess with your scales, I am told.

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Originally Posted by YosemiteSam

I've got a Lyman 1500 electronic scale. Had it for a month or so. It's supposed to be accurate to .1 grain.

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Also make sure your Wifi router and mobile phone is far away from where you work with your scale.



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Don't have those scales myself, but are you using it on battery power or on mains? Line power is noisy and would worry me far more than a nearby fluoro light in terms of interference spikes.

Placing the bullets softly and on the same place in the pan each time will help a bit with consistency, beam scales come into their own in this regard.

Have you replaced that batteries? I have a similar scale (Hornady) and the once the batts get a wee bit old they start to drift. Fresh batteries fix it.

As others have said they need to warm up. Mine have an auto switch off feature built in which makes the warming up period a PITA.

I have 3 different sized stainless nuts that I have weighed on 2 different highly accurate laboratory scales to use as check weights. Give me a shout if you want to borrow them to check your scales through a range of weights.

I would say it has been Zeroed just out of the .1 grain and it's moving between the 2 read outs ( 1 above and 1 below). Probably a biy of a breeze when you tared/zeroed it. Try zeroing again

I don't have those scales but I've found with mine that the threads of the adjustable feet were very sloppy.
A bit of plumbers thread tape to tighten them up at all extension ranges when levelling the scale.
Keeps the read out a lot steadier on mine.

Mates one is terrible. I have the Chargemaster Lite. Well within 0.1 Gr when double checked with Scientific balance scales.
Blackwatch reloading getting some bloody impressive results with them as well.

Thanks for all the advice. I've ordered test weights. And will build a Faraday cage tonight to keep the electro-smog out (-: Level is a very good point, I know mine isn't quite level. And yes, have been on mains power but will try batteries tonight.

I run the sane scales. I just throw close then trickle on the beam to get bang on. Speedier than just loading the beam

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Originally Posted by Gibo

I run the sane scales. I just throw close then trickle on the beam to get bang on. Speedier than just loading the beam

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That’s a great trick.

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Originally Posted by Gibo

I run the sane scales. I just throw close then trickle on the beam to get bang on. Speedier than just loading the beam

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Could just get one of these https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JvF3bA1U7s Works with pretty much any beam scale. Surprised someone isn't making a version locally.. @gadgetman @stretch perhaps

Excuse my ignorance but what is a Faraday cage? :O_O:

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Originally Posted by winaa

Excuse my ignorance but what is a Faraday cage? :O_O:

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage

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Originally Posted by Tommy

Could just get one of these https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JvF3bA1U7s Works with pretty much any beam scale. Surprised someone isn't making a version locally.. @gadgetman @stretch perhaps

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I have different sized spoons for dumping powder. Pretty quick system. Just put my powder in a small bowl and scoop and pinch :D

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Originally Posted by Gibo

I have different sized spoons for dumping powder. Pretty quick system. Just put my powder in a small bowl and scoop and pinch :D

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For dispensing a rough amount before trickling the rest on, you could use a gunpowder horn or an old sugar dispenser.

Attachment 115671

No point spending more money for no gain imo. Good idea though.

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Originally Posted by Gibo

No point spending more money for no gain imo. Good idea though.

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Next time you see one in the charity shop window you'll "just know" it's meant for you... placed there by a great benevolent cosmic entity.

Like has been said already, electronic balances are quite sensitive to a number of things. Big factors in my soils laboratory environment are; keeping it level, drafts and vibrations. We use an isolated bench to keep the balance on and the more precise ones have a wee case to keep any draft off the sample and weighing pan.

Having a check weight to see how much it wanders is good habit to have too. Can be a projectile or something as long as it's the same one every time. What these chaps have said is all really good advise.

Decent scales with magnetic dampeners are much better at not ‘wandering’

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Originally Posted by Gibo

No point spending more money for no gain imo. Good idea though.

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Depends on how many you load ;)

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Originally Posted by Cordite

Next time you see one in the charity shop window you'll "just know" it's meant for you... placed there by a great benevolent cosmic entity.

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Thats what I thought when I saw my last Wife...and look how that turned-out...bloody Cosmos

I dont do more then 50 in a stint, and thats usually prep 1 night, load the next

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Originally Posted by Gibo

I dont do more then 50 in a stint, and thats usually prep 1 night, load the next

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Same, my reloading is always over a couple nights

I even bring all the weighing gear inside on the dinning table to keep warm, then shoot out and seat them in the shed

I do all mine in the shed 100m from the house. Had some scum come and take 10k worth of shit out of that shed though so havnt done any reloading this year

Ratshit.

I have a lyman scale/dispenser.
It will wander off of zero if just given the compulsory 2 or 3 min warm up.
If I turn it on half an hour or so before using it and calibrate then zero its mint and doesn't appear to wander at all.
Drafts/wobbly benches/breathing near scale will all give inconsistent results.
Flouro tubes are sopost to be bad for making the power dirty or something but I reload underneath two big double tube ones and mine works fine as long as it has plenty of warm up time.

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Like others, prep one day, throw onto beam-scales and dribble to weight, 40-ish at a time, I have a robust table I bring into the lounge. My Partner grew-up around a keen hunting family (Zimbabwe), so this is totally acceptable to her. She even reminds me I need more components ! (when we are flush) I have to remind myself how lucky I am..