jim6918 Posted September 21, 2018 Share Posted September 21, 2018 (edited) So, I am probably going to be humiliated by the responses, but... I have a Hornady Lock n Load Bench Scale. I posted in the Newby section my questioning whether the powder drop on my 550C was inconsistent, but now I am wondering the consistency of the scale. I already know that electronic scales can be effected by the environment; for Pete;s sake, I can sneeze or fart and the scale will register +/- .1 grain. My scale came with two calibration weights, a 10 gr. and a 50 gr. I follow the directions for calibration and get the scale to pass. My question is Shouldn't the calibration weights actually weigh 10 and 50 gr's respectively? The 10 gr. weighs 154.3 and the 50 weighs 771.6. Even that is off a little. 154.3 gr. times 5 equals 771.5. I was going to buy a set of check weights to verify the scale, but now wonder the worth of that. Yes, I know balance scales work great for many people, but I don't trust myself to use one any better than the electronic scale due to a very slight hand tremor issue. I am considering putting some rubber bumpers on the bottom of the scale to cushion it from bench vibrations. Edited September 21, 2018 by jim6918 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanks Posted September 21, 2018 Share Posted September 21, 2018 22 minutes ago, jim6918 said: So, I am probably going to be humiliated by the responses, but... ,,, My scale came with two calibration weights, a 10 gr. and a 50 gr. I follow the directions for calibration and get the scale to pass. My question is Shouldn't the calibration weights actually weigh 10 and 50 gr's respectively? The 10 gr. weighs 154.3 and the 50 weighs 771.6. Even that is off a little. 154.3 gr. times 5 equals 771.5. ... Rounding errors, and it is not off a little at all. First the calibration weights are in grams. 10 grams = 154.324 grains 50 grams = 771.618 grains So, it is NOT off by a little. Rounded to one significant digit 10 grams is 154.3 grains 50 grams is 771.6 grains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim6918 Posted September 21, 2018 Author Share Posted September 21, 2018 7 minutes ago, tanks said: Rounding errors, and it is not off a little at all. First the calibration weights are in grams. 10 grams = 154.324 grains 50 grams = 771.618 grains So, it is NOT off by a little. Rounded to one significant digit 10 grams is 154.3 grains 50 grams is 771.6 grains. Thanks for pointing it out. gr. = gr. = grrrrrrrrrrrrrr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanks Posted September 21, 2018 Share Posted September 21, 2018 Also, most reloading manufacturer's electronic scales are accurate to +/- 0.1 grains. So, they are not as precise as lab scales that can measure to a +/- 0.002 grams. Unless one is doing benchrest loading though, that type of accuracy is not needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim6918 Posted September 21, 2018 Author Share Posted September 21, 2018 42 minutes ago, tanks said: Also, most reloading manufacturer's electronic scales are accurate to +/- 0.1 grains. So, they are not as precise as lab scales that can measure to a +/- 0.002 grams. Unless one is doing benchrest loading though, that type of accuracy is not needed. The only bench resting I will be doing is when the breakfast burrito I had before heading to the range starts backing up on me. Seriously, I am trying to find a good load for my son's S&W Shield .380 EZ, , so I am currently loading 4 test loads including the max, so I don't want to overclock anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MemphisMechanic Posted September 21, 2018 Share Posted September 21, 2018 When setting up your powder drop, dump five to ten charges on the scale and take an average. One three-ish grain powder charge is beyond the resolution of your $20-100ish digital scale to measure with laboratory accuracy, as @tanks mentioned. 30ish grains of powder? Not so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim6918 Posted September 21, 2018 Author Share Posted September 21, 2018 3 minutes ago, MemphisMechanic said: When setting up your powder drop, dump five to ten charges on the scale and take an average. One three-ish grain powder charge is beyond the resolution of your $20-100ish digital scale to measure with laboratory accuracy, as @tanks mentioned. 30ish grains of powder? Not so much. I do just this thing. Usually 10 loads for an average. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted September 21, 2018 Share Posted September 21, 2018 3 hours ago, MemphisMechanic said: When setting up your powder drop, dump five to ten charges on the scale and take an average. Great way to do it, BUT before you dump the 10 drops - drop about 5 drops and then put them back into the hopper. THEN, take your 5-10 drops for measuring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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