doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Scale(s) for Reloading

I bought a Hornady GS-1500 several years ago ($35) and have been totally satisfied. There are several beam scales, all of which work well, among my reloading tools. Also, among my tools are fine and extensive scale calibration weights (the real thing). As well as the tools, I have the skill to run statistically correct calibrations. That said, my tests of scales indicate that scales intended for reloading are up to the job.

Beam scale technology is relatively old and well understood. Suffice to say, they work. Electronic scale technology is relatively new, but has proven highly reliable. I use the GS-1500 almost exclusively because I find it handy. I would be only mildly annoyed if forced to go back to beam scales.

DDA

I'll cop to being pretty cavalier about weighing stuff. I use a 10-10 and it's nuts on with the check weights. Reading around the net it seems to me that anality rules people are weighing themselves into some kinda self imposed bliss or security that is just close to needing some professional counseling. I never keep track of which bush I use for which powder and always go back to the book for the # and then do some weighing until I find the bush closest and below the weight I want. And then that's it until the jug is empty or I change powder type - every few years maybe.
I think all the weighing incessantly crap comes from the metallic guys who actually DO need to have the load spot on. I pick a V, powder type, load weight and then use whatever cases, wads, primers I have on hand. And I've never flattened a primer like factory loads do and never noticed any difference in observed performance. Not that I expected to anyway.

I mean, it's a shotgun. Get over it. You can weigh powder with a scoop (remember those, the adjustable ones?)and it'll be OK - has been for a century or so.

have another day
Dr.WtS

Thanks very much for the advice and suggestions. Greatly appreciated.

I have a Ohaus 1010 that I have had for 42 years also. The plastic cover has turned yellow, but she still works fine.

Use a beam scale, make a wooden base to make eye alignment (parallax error) comfortable. Check your loads as thrown regularly. Make sure the top of your weigh station is level.

Disregard Wonko's dangerous and idiotic advice.
Not to mention wrong on 100 levels of stupid.
Before all of you light up on me for STRONGLY Condemning Wonko's dangerous and idiotic advice, Read the link to Trapshooter's.com that Drew provided. Then come back and tell me how safe and effective poor reloading technique is.

I have two or three beam scales (RCBS, Ohaus), but I bought a $20 MTM digital scale a couple years back because I had a $10 coupon. Love it. It's quick and easy, and doesn't take up space.

Dang! You make me feel really bad. OK, maybe not. I wonder how many times factories check their powder drops? Every 8-20 million rounds? Think they shuffle an entire line when a new shipment of a couple tons of powder show up at the door? Check every new shipment of empty carts for volume? Check the flame on that last 200million primers?

Do you recal the fuel injection chip every time you buy gas at a different station?

Why is the sky blue?

have another day

Dr.WtS

You have a better chance of blowing the gun w/ a cart half full of air than one full of powder.

I have a 40 year-old RCBS beam and a $30 digital by Frankford Arsenal. I, too, find the digital to be quicker and easier to use. I check calibration before a round of reloading and it's spot on with the calibration weight.

I use an Ohaus 1010 and also have a digital RCBS and both work great and have remained in perfect calibration for years.

Though I've had differences of opinion with Wonko, I have to wonder just how wrong he is. He did say he weighs and verifies his charge when he selects a bushing that throws the correct or slightly under powder charge. From there on, he relies upon volume and it works well. I'd imagine the manufacturers quality control departments do check and verify their process more often than he suggests, just to have a record for possible lawsuits if nothing else. But volume loading with shot and powder dippers has worked well for probably billions of rounds loaded with LEE and other simple hand tools. I wish Wonko hadn't sounded so cavalier about it because that might encourage some dumbass with a tiny fraction of his experience to do something stupid. But even with regular checks of ball powder handgun loads where I rely on the powder measure alone for 95%, I have never found that the measure varied enough in the charge drop to make a difference. It makes me feel better to know I've checked 5 or 10%, but it wouldn't have mattered if I never did once the measure was set, and a small variance there is probably more critical than with my shotgun loading.

As far as changing components, I've always wondered just how much difference there would actually be if I used some leftover Clays wads in place of a AA wad for example. Would there be as much difference in that as in using some 6 year old AA wads that I picked up at a gun show vs. fresh soft AA wads, etc.? Does anyone actually take the time to send to Tom Arbrust, a couple loads that they got from the Lyman book or some reloading website, or do they just accept that information as gospel and go shooting? I do try to verify loads from multiple sources so I'm not the victim of a typo. What about switching to a different brand of 209 primers when the ones in your favorite recipe are unavailable in these times of component shortages? Should I load a couple and send them to Tom when I didn't bother doing that with the original recipe I got from 16ga.com or some other source? Does anyone really send out shells for pressure testing when they go to powder from a different can or lot? I think sloppy reloading techniques like not paying attention and dropping a double charge are what gets people into trouble more than anything.

I've told the story here of being totally blind for about a half hour after having a complete head separation on a .22-250 years ago, so mistakes and accidents can and do happen. I used some old brass that a friend gave me that had been used in a gun with a shorter, but still within headspace tolerance chamber. My first mistake was not wearing shooting glasses while firing a gun and load I had never tried before.

I use a RCBS digital scale. I never had the patience with the beam scale, takes too long for me

On my RMC 16 ga reloads i weigh the powder charge on my RCBS powder measure and ensure a tight average drop.bI then go with that. On the shot I weigh every load.

A little anal, but on it makes me feel good.

That said i use a progressive PW 16 on cheddite hulls and after verifying the shot drop and powder, I just roll with it.