does a lee safety scale need to be calibrated
- Thread starter JBD
- Start date
Last edited:
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
I had bad luck with my Lee scale, and I would never buy another - or even accept one as a gift. If the Lee scale I bought is an indication of the quality of the current models, I consider them dangerous. But let's take a step back to find out what I'm talking about.
I bought my Lee scale shortly after they first appeared. When I saw that the beam only measured 100 grs, I though wow, that should make the Lee scale far more accurate than the normal powder scales which typically measure 500 grs on a beam of similar length. So I bought one.
I zeroed the scale as per the instructions, and began checking the scale with my scale check weights. Very often the beam stuck, but if I bumped it, it would properly weigh. As time went by, this sticking became worse and worse, to the point that even when I bumped the pan I could not be sure the scale read a true weight. Sometimes these errors would weigh overloads as true weight, and if you are reloading small capacity cases, this is where the dangerous part comes in. A small case volume is intolerant to even small variences in powder charges, and these variences can create big swings in chamber pressure.
You've bought your Lee scale, so what should you do? Now it's possible that I got a lemon, and the product is actually better than I experienced, and certainly hope this is the case. But, because powder weighing is so important, if I were you I would buy a check weight set, and use these check weights two ways. Firstly, check the scale for repeatability throughout it's range. You might find for example, that the scale is more accurate from 30-60 grs that in lighter or heavier weights. The second way to use the check weights is to make up the same or similar weight with the check weights as the powder charge you intend to load, and see if the scale reads your intended powder charge properly. If the scale does not give you consistent readings with the check weights, consider it lesson learned, dispose of the scale - take a hammer to it, don't sell it, or give it away! Then go out and buy a good scale from RCBS, Lyman, Hornady or who ever. Most of the big outfits now make scales which cost only a few dollars more than the Lee, so you won't have to break the bank to buy one. The check weight set is a good investment to check your scales at regular intervals, to ensure they maintain accuracy, or to recheck them if they are dropped or other wise damaged. I always use the check weights before weighing powder charges, and I have found that this practice is cheap insurance.
I bought my Lee scale shortly after they first appeared. When I saw that the beam only measured 100 grs, I though wow, that should make the Lee scale far more accurate than the normal powder scales which typically measure 500 grs on a beam of similar length. So I bought one.
I zeroed the scale as per the instructions, and began checking the scale with my scale check weights. Very often the beam stuck, but if I bumped it, it would properly weigh. As time went by, this sticking became worse and worse, to the point that even when I bumped the pan I could not be sure the scale read a true weight. Sometimes these errors would weigh overloads as true weight, and if you are reloading small capacity cases, this is where the dangerous part comes in. A small case volume is intolerant to even small variences in powder charges, and these variences can create big swings in chamber pressure.
You've bought your Lee scale, so what should you do? Now it's possible that I got a lemon, and the product is actually better than I experienced, and certainly hope this is the case. But, because powder weighing is so important, if I were you I would buy a check weight set, and use these check weights two ways. Firstly, check the scale for repeatability throughout it's range. You might find for example, that the scale is more accurate from 30-60 grs that in lighter or heavier weights. The second way to use the check weights is to make up the same or similar weight with the check weights as the powder charge you intend to load, and see if the scale reads your intended powder charge properly. If the scale does not give you consistent readings with the check weights, consider it lesson learned, dispose of the scale - take a hammer to it, don't sell it, or give it away! Then go out and buy a good scale from RCBS, Lyman, Hornady or who ever. Most of the big outfits now make scales which cost only a few dollars more than the Lee, so you won't have to break the bank to buy one. The check weight set is a good investment to check your scales at regular intervals, to ensure they maintain accuracy, or to recheck them if they are dropped or other wise damaged. I always use the check weights before weighing powder charges, and I have found that this practice is cheap insurance.
- Location
- Kumankissmyass, BC
Mine always worked well very accurate and reliable..I have an RCBS now ..but kept my Lee.
I took a paper clip and had it weighed at the chem lab at work where they use a scale that costs $20,000 and gives 8 digit readout.
I put it on the Lee scale and it was accurate. My digital scale shows the same readings.
Seems to work as advertised.
I put it on the Lee scale and it was accurate. My digital scale shows the same readings.
Seems to work as advertised.
I've been using a Lee scale for a couple of years and have never experienced the "stiction" that Boomer reported. It seems odd for a knife-edge scale, but nothing is impossible. I do recalibrate mine from time to time by resetting it to zero.
I like the "measured paper clip" idea. My girlfriend is a biology professor at the Univ. of Washington and has just acquired a good laboratory scale. I'll take a small object down this weekend and get her to weigh it.
Stuart
I like the "measured paper clip" idea. My girlfriend is a biology professor at the Univ. of Washington and has just acquired a good laboratory scale. I'll take a small object down this weekend and get her to weigh it.
StuartTo be accurate,I think it's needs to be on a level surface.I use a 5-0-5 now,but when I had the Lee on a surface I had leveled with a machinist level,it was bang on.I liked the sensitivety,a quick glance at the swing,and you knew where you were at with the charge.The 5-0-5 is a wait,and I'm not as sure of the charge.
