Zero and Calibrate your scales!!!!!

NavyShooter

NavyShooter

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Holy cow....

I realized tonight why I've been dumping powder out the top of my .223 cases and not making charge weight.

I hadn't properly cal'd my Lyman DPS.

I was trying to throw 24.0 grain charges, and they were coming up past the neck of the case, and overflowing. I should be able to come up to the neck at about 26.0-27-ish.

So I had a thought, and tossed the 20.0 gram cal weight on.....

It weighed in at 17.3 grams.

I was 14% light on all my charge weights!!!!

So my 24.0 was actually 27.3!!!!!!!!!

Moves you from safe range to DANGEROUS area.....

NOT good.

But, all better now, and I'm pleased to report that I had a couple of nice groups with 77 Sierra Match-kings out of my AR today!

NS
 
correct me if I'm wrong,
but don't all digital scales advise you should calibrate before each use?
 
tiriaq said:
Not a bad idea to check beam scales, either.
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They can get dirty somewhere on the pivet, but if they are swinging freely, there can't be much wrong, after they zero properly. After all, the world of commercial commerce ran for what, 200 years, on the beam scale.
I have often checked my scale against bullets, weighing quite a few and averaging. Never found the scale out yet.
 
I have my RCBS 10-10 setup next to my digital. I use them both to confirm charges. As far as precision goes, both beam and digital scales can be problematic.
 
joe-nwt said:
I use my powder pan.
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me too!
on every throw I weigh my charge, zero and put back the pan + charge then substract the weigh of the pan to confirm charge, then rezero as I drop charge into case.
It'd be even greater if it had a round number weigh... as it is, it is 111,2gn

For pistol, well I'll weigh first charge this way, then check every 100 or so
 
If you were using an old fashioned beam scale, this couldn't happen.
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And it can't happen with my electronic scale either,since I can see it return to zero,and I can see the weight of the pan each time I remove the pan to dump the powder into a shell casing.If the weight of the pan remains the same,the scale is holding it's calibration.
 
stubblejumper said:
And it can't happen with my electronic scale either,since I can see it return to zero,and I can see the weight of the pan each time I remove the pan to dump the powder into a shell casing.If the weight of the pan remains the same,the scale is holding it's calibration.
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yes its a good idea to write down..or remember the weight of your pan after your calibration..then you know exactly what it shoud be..when it goes to negative weight.
 
worth noting to, keep that powder pan clean. granted it won't gather so much gritty film to put you into dangerous load territory, but .4 grains can make a difference when you have your load that works!
 
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