About scales... good to keep a Lee or go with another

Mobeasto

Mobeasto

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Hi there,

I was thinking that I could hcange my Lee safety scale for another one but I want to know If it is worth the pain.. I think that my Lee is somewhat doing a great job but having hard time to keep zero with it... I had to put it on a big block to be sure that when I make some change on it it doesn't move and it still loose the zero from time to time.. I was thinking about a RCBS 5-0-5 or a lyman pro 500 .. Do you think It would be better and also are they quicker to steady the beam and are they more or less sensitive to wind drift than the lee..

Thanks in advance.
 
Keep the Lee, it's great to check the accuracy of other scales.
The Lee, however is a right pain in the butt when you want to find the weight of various things, it also is a bit slower to use. The RCBS or the Lyman scale would probably make you equally happy.
But keep the Lee, after all, it's what, $30 new, so you'd get about $10 for it now? Keep it as a back-up.
 
I've had my LEE scale for a good 25 year's now, tried an RCBS electronic one for awhile but it crapped out after a couple year's.
Have you tried filling the hollow underneith with epoxy and birdshot mix?
I find after using mine for this long it settle's down a lot quicker.
It's not that the LEE is crap, it's just TOO accurate, and even a 1-2 grain extra make's a big difference.
 
I bought the Lee Anniversary kit many years ago and immediately replaced the scale with a Hornady balance beam. It has been a great pc of kit. I would never think of replacing it. Most loaders don't require a digital scale and the balance types are very reliable.


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zuke said:
I've had my LEE scale for a good 25 year's now, tried an RCBS electronic one for awhile but it crapped out after a couple year's.
Have you tried filling the hollow underneith with epoxy and birdshot mix?
I find after using mine for this long it settle's down a lot quicker.
It's not that the LEE is crap, it's just TOO accurate, and even a 1-2 grain extra make's a big difference.
Click to expand...


Zuke's fix is the easiest. I've had all three mentioned above. The magnetically dampened Lyman was my favorite but I made the mistake of giving it to my brother thinking the new RCBS 5-0-5 would be better than the Lee or Lyman. Wrong!!! As Zuke suggested, I'd added some weight to the Lee and, quite frankly, it works as well as the RCBS at a fraction of the price.

Oh - and if you're looking for a great little powder measure, buy the Lee Perfect. It lives up to its name. I've had three of these also. Sold the expensive RCBS and Pacific ones, kept the Lee and never regretted the choice.
 
My Lee scale is a very good back up to double check, the Hornady digital scale is easy and very accurate, a joy to operate... JP.
 
my first was an ohaus 505- fell off the table one day and broke the point off the beam- found out the beam was made of POT METAL- and wouldn't take a fix- went with a BONANZA plastic thing we got down in the states for 20 bucks- well, that is still my go-to scale- inresting thing- while the body itself is plastic, all the poises and beam are STEEL- they don't make them like that anymore
 
The LEE scale balance arm is made of a certain plastic for a reason.
If it drop's hard enough to bend it WILL break, as a safety feature.
That way if it ain't broke after a mishap it's still accurate.
If it hit's hard enough to break, then you know it was hard enough to knock it out of whack.
 
I have a Dillon branded ohaus scale,and an RCBS I do not use them as I have my Lee Safety Scale.
The thing is great, I've weighed literally thousands of charges out on mine, never a hiccup.The plastic beam is ingenious and economical, as is the whole scale. I like that if it isn't broken, it's not bent and is good to go.It's finest feature, IMO.I sold the rest of the anniversary kit, and kept that.

The one complaint.......if you are not EXACTLY on the same shading of lines on the .10 of a grain, you can be out just a touch.I.E. it is not 100% repeatable on the 1-9 gr. and .10 gr settings as others are. This comes in when checking zero of scale, as there is no "notch" for an indicator to sit in the exact spot every time, rather a three white line system that really depends on lighting to get precisely set. And that is called nit picking... it's not enough to realistically affect a load more than .1 of a grain.
 
I've weighed thousands of charges with my Lee scale that came with the Lee Anniversary kit, with no problems. But I also bought a RCBS 505 scale for weighing heavier stuff like cast leads, or if I want to weigh empty brass for some picky reason. If you have 25 or more different cast leads and jacketed bullets around, it is reassuring to be able to weigh one just to be sure what you are working with.
 
I would be a hypocrite if I said, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" as I will buy the newest and latest reloading crap at the first opportunity. If your scale is doing what you want from it, I guess a person really doesn't need to replace it, but, if you don't mind having something newer and better and shelling out the money ... fill your boots.
 
I use a digital scale all the time, saves alot of time and hassel. Doubble triple check every 15 or 20 rounds or so to be sure.
 
chucked the Lee scale and the Lee Powder measure in a box. Would not give that crap to anyone, and I am a huge Lee proponent. My scale was a 2nd-hand Lyman 500, but it was in grams and converting was a pain. Then I got a Lee kit for sh!ts and giggles. Scale was far too sensitive. took longer to settle and the beam was forever hanging up and sticking to the magnet sides.
I tossed it and went back to the Lyman. Last year I bought an RCBS rangemaster 750 and I have to say that I have never used a better scale.

As for the powder measure, both my Lyman 55 asnd my Pacific measures work far better than the Lee and when I got no satisfaction, I chucked it.

Maybe I will add some weight to the scale and try it again...but the measure...NOT A CHANCE!
 
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