aliengravy Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 Hi guys, Just started re-loading, and i'm currently using a set of eBay chinese digital scales. They say they are accurate to 0.01 of a gram. Which seems to be accurate to 0.2 of a grain. Is this OK for shot gun reloading? Or should I be looking at other scales? I have half debated buying the Lee safety scales. Do you guys think they will be better? Are they worth the £35 over my chinese digital ones? Or are you all using the cheap digital ones? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy H Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 See if you can pick up a set of rcbs scales on the bay , The cheap digitals can be ok to use but you need to watch them like a hawk and use a calibration weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy. Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 You get what you pay for. If I were you, I'd invest in proper gear, especially when it comes to something as crucial as measuring the weight of an explosive. A couple of grains can equate to an extra 1000psi. That's quite a lot of pressure you're entrusting with a cheapo set of Chinese scales Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliengravy Posted January 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 A couple of grains I wasn't talking about a couple of grains, I was talking about + or - 0.2 grains! maybe + or - 0.5 grains worst case scenario I suppose.... The lee safety scales reckon they are accurate to 0.1 grains, anyone had any experience of them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy. Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 I wasn't talking about a couple of grains, I was talking about + or - 0.2 grains! maybe + or - 0.5 grains worst case scenario I suppose.... The lee safety scales reckon they are accurate to 0.1 grains, anyone had any experience of them? Yeah, I know what you said. I was saying - Can you actually trust a set of scales that was constructed by a five year old child, forced to work 15 hours a day? It might be accurate to .2 of a grain, but it could be off by several grains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckyshot Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 I wasn't talking about a couple of grains, I was talking about + or - 0.2 grains! maybe + or - 0.5 grains worst case scenario I suppose.... The lee safety scales reckon they are accurate to 0.1 grains, anyone had any experience of them? Just my opinion but I wouldnt touch a pair of Lee scales as they fluctuate far too much and take an age to settle down. As said above look out for some second hand rcbs ones although they wont be that cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redgum Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 Just my opinion but I wouldnt touch a pair of Lee scales as they fluctuate far too much and take an age to settle down. As said above look out for some second hand rcbs ones although they wont be that cheap. I fight the lee equipment corner everytime its slammed on here but your right about the scales, safety scale is a bit of a joke really. The set I have are great accuracy wise but the setting up is a nightmare, saying that I had a look at a mates set and they were absolute cxxp. For shotgun use you need something to check what the bushings throw ( surely your not going to weight each load?) I check mine if I use a differant powder with shotgun but thats it. Loading rifle ammunition is more critical, the Rcbs 502 are a cracking little scale, about £90ish new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckyshot Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 I fight the lee equipment corner everytime its slammed on here but your right about the scales, safety scale is a bit of a joke really. The set I have are great accuracy wise but the setting up is a nightmare, saying that I had a look at a mates set and they were absolute cxxp. For shotgun use you need something to check what the bushings throw ( surely your not going to weight each load?) I check mine if I use a differant powder with shotgun but thats it. Loading rifle ammunition is more critical, the Rcbs 502 are a cracking little scale, about £90ish new. I know what you mean all of my reloading equipment is Lee apart from the scales which are rcbs as the Lee ones were s****. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy H Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 There's a set of lyman scale's on e*** in sporting catagory at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redgum Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 If they are the 130's I wouldnt bother, save up for the Rcbs 502 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activeviii Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 I bought the same type from ebay, .001gram. and i bought a set of lee balance scales. i get on well with the lee scales. i throw the powder to within o.5grains with the lee powder thrower and then trickle the last .5grains with a homemade ticklers. i can test all my powers on the digi scales and their bang on so im happy either way. i only use the lees now as its how i have it set up. £20 on a set of lee's then see how you get on, if you dont like then someone will take them off you for the same money so you havent lost anything. Phil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dougy Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Just a tip, with each load you throw check the scales after using a bullet of your choice that you use for loading, i keep a 50grn nosler next to the scales and check now and again Cheap scales can be that, if your lucky then fine, but as stated if for some reason its showing incorrect weights then it could be more costly that a few £ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imperfection Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 I wasn't talking about a couple of grains, I was talking about + or - 0.2 grains! maybe + or - 0.5 grains worst case scenario I suppose.... The lee safety scales reckon they are accurate to 0.1 grains, anyone had any experience of them? I use the Lee beam scale and have no problem with it at all.Good price,accurate and does what i want it to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Hi guys, Just started re-loading, and i'm currently using a set of eBay chinese digital scales. They say they are accurate to 0.01 of a gram. Which seems to be accurate to 0.2 of a grain. Is this OK for shot gun reloading? Or should I be looking at other scales? I have half debated buying the Lee safety scales. Do you guys think they will be better? Are they worth the £35 over my chinese digital ones? Or are you all using the cheap digital ones? for shotgun loading you should be fine rifles then I wouldn't trust them as it is more critical Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 for shotgun loading you should be fine rifles then I wouldn't trust them as it is more critical Really? The scales are either accurate or they aren't. I bought a set from ebay when I started reloading and they are probably the same as yours. Just get something you know the weight of or check with a set of chemists scales and then try yours. Mine were spot on with 2, 5 an 10 gram weights. They may be put together by a 5 year old chinese lad working 15 hours a day but at least he knows what he is doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 if as he says they are within 0.2 of a grain then they will be fine as that much variation with shotgun reloading is fine it won't affect in the same way as that much variation when loading a rifle round where POI may change. There are degrees of accuracy and absolute accuracy is highly unlikely unless you spend an awful lot of money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliengravy Posted January 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Well i took them into work yesterday, and i compared them with the very expensive 0.0001g accuracy scales we have in the test cabinets. They seemed to be .03 grams out. So I used the 100gram calibration weight and calibrated them and they seem to be spot on now I will pick up a better pair in time, but i have seen even "expensive" ones with 0.2grain resolution, so I was just wondering if it was good enough! I am very tempted by a set of Lee scales though to be honest! If anyone has a set they would like to sell (or any "better" scales for that matter) then I would love to hear! Thanks again guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redgum Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Just a tip, with each load you throw check the scales after using a bullet of your choice that you use for loading, i keep a 50grn nosler next to the scales and check now and again Cheap scales can be that, if your lucky then fine, but as stated if for some reason its showing incorrect weights then it could be more costly that a few £ Thats a good tip, using a bullet as a check weight,I decided to weigh some 100gr sierra prohunters on my Lee scales,checked 10 bullets and they all weighed 0.2gr light,I then worked out the weight of a 5p coin into grains from the net and yes my lees,when zeroed empty are 0.2 gr out. Not a great worry as I work up to the most accurate load before getting into pressure territory,from now on I will zero with check weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliengravy Posted January 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 http://www.kern-sohn.com/en/shop/catalogue-139.html The 1000-2 model! Just picked up a set of these to use as my main scales! I'll use the eBay ones as backup! Hopefully these will do the trick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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