Aggieddad02 Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Guys, I need help with my digital scale. Been working up a load and deterrmined what it needs to be to make major PF. Got the powder throw down to the right weight and proceeded to load up 200 rounds. Last night before loading some more rounds decided to check the powder throw again. Threw 5 charges before checking the first weight and the weight is off by about .16 gr (point 16). Now I ain't gonna lie I am anal about over-charging / under-charging a case. This is my second digital scale, a Gem Pro 250, and from what I have read before ordering it has been used quite often for reloading. It has got to be something that I, a newbie to reloading, am doing but I just do not know what that might be. Open to any suggestions you may have. Son has already suggested / told me to use a beam scale but these 58 year old eyes just don't see the hash marks that well any more. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38SuperDub Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Son also told you to use a magnifying glass with the balance scale....one of these days you will listen to my wonderful suggestions :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98sr20ve Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Unless your running MAX, .16 is nothing to worry about. One thing you might want to do is make your own little calibration weight. Snip a piece of wire. Cut it till it's the weight you want. Check using the wire on occasion to insure the scale is still reading the same as it always has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Smith Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 (edited) 1. It sounds to me as if you are assuming that the scale is wrong. 2. 0.16 isn't a lot of difference but it can change your PF some 3. If you are so close to the border between major and minor that 0.16 does make a difference, then your PF may be too low. Edited April 18, 2012 by Graham Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classic_jon Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 If you powder pan is big enough, throw 10 powder drops and then divide that number by 10 to get your average per drop. Then do that a second time and you should be able to see if there is a pattern to it being overcharged and can make small adjustments from there. As a rule of thumb for myself, I don't start weighing till I have made 10 powder drops out of the measure. 5 drops will usually take out any variances if you have changed a setting but 10 seems to even things out and make them consistent for me and the powder I use. As others have said, unless you are using a really fast powder or are running close to the max load, .1 is not something to get exceedingly worked up over. As usual though, you reload at your risk, so take proper precautions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torogi Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 something i learned from school about weighing scales.. make sure its on flat surface, check battery, temperature, humidity can change values always tare each weigh for the XL650, I can manually drop powder anytime. I dump 20, weigh, dump another 10, weigh. Sometimes it depends on which powder you are using too like others have said. W231 powder meters well, not perfect but im okay with 0.04gr variances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38SuperDub Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 He's using VV N320 - not sure how this meters as I haven't used it yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggieddad02 Posted April 18, 2012 Author Share Posted April 18, 2012 What about this scenario - turn the scale on with nothing on the platform, scale -0- out and I hit the Tare button and then place the powder pan on the scale. The empty powder pan will either weigh 59.38 or 59.40. And whatever of these 2 weights it starts with it stays with for a while then after weighing several charges and placing the empty powder pan on the scale it may weigh 59.44 or 59.46 for some strange reason. I always press the Tare button between charge weighing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdphotoguy Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Here is my procedure, but my scale only measures to a tenth of a grain, not a one hundredth like yours. turn on the scale and leave it warm up for no less then 15 minute calibrate the scale using method described in manual throw 10 charges and empty them back into the powder tube throw 10 charges and weight them, divide by 10, if the resulting number is not dead on to my desired weight, adjust powder measure and go back to step 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powder Finger Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=125101 get where you need and leave it alone. scales will change readings daily or more. powder gains/looses moisture. I'll bet if you speed check that batch then take a few that your scale says are off by .16 they will all go the same speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlmiller1 Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Just a side note, of sorts, my flourescent lights give feedback into the scale & cause me small headaches occasionally. Also, the smallest breeze can give you plus or minus a couple tenths of a grain. I'm not sure pressing tare each time is that good of an idea. I only zero mine with the pan if it shows some weight other than zero. I normally follow somewhat the suggestions JDPhotoguy put up. 16/100 grain is a tiny variation in the overall scheme of things. It may cause you a problem but odds are you will never be able to tell. MLM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggieddad02 Posted April 18, 2012 Author Share Posted April 18, 2012 (edited) Thanks guys. I guess you can tell the newbie fear of over/under charging a round. Just finished following your instructions of throwing 10 charges and then averaging 10 and it was spot on what I thought it was. Gotta love the forum and the members who keep it going - Thanks Everyone for taking the time to respond Edited April 19, 2012 by Aggieddad02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalaur Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 Big +1 to dumping more than one charge in the pan and dividing it out. I use this same method, but with 5 charges at a time. I find with WST over 5 charges my weights only vary about +/- .02gr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinj308 Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 Guys, I need help with my digital scale. Been working up a load and deterrmined what it needs to be to make major PF. Got the powder throw down to the right weight and proceeded to load up 200 rounds. Last night before loading some more rounds decided to check the powder throw again. Threw 5 charges before checking the first weight and the weight is off by about .16 gr (point 16). Now I ain't gonna lie I am anal about over-charging / under-charging a case. This is my second digital scale, a Gem Pro 250, and from what I have read before ordering it has been used quite often for reloading. It has got to be something that I, a newbie to reloading, am doing but I just do not know what that might be. Open to any suggestions you may have. Son has already suggested / told me to use a beam scale but these 58 year old eyes just don't see the hash marks that well any more. Thanks Easy to mount a magnifying glass. This isn't my scale, but I'm thinking more about it as my eyes get worse too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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