Author Topic: lee balance beam powder measure (Read 897 times)

josebd · « **on:** December 10, 2003, 01:48:02 PM »

i was using this scale on my .223. wasn't grouping good,thought it was me flinching, got a rcbs partner scale,electronic and i measured 26.0 grains in the lee,then put it in the rcbs it showed 29.5 i set the lee at zero and did what it said to do,didnt bump it around,and it was level,no air moving around it. is this why my bullets are not grouping?

jgalar · « **Reply #1 on:** December 10, 2003, 02:19:58 PM »

I had concerns about my Lee scale and checked it agains a lyman balance beam and they both were the same. If you center it before using, it should be accurate. There is nothing to bend or get out of wack on the Lee scale. I would doubt the readings on the electronic scale more than a balance beam as electronics need to be calibrated. One of your scales is lieing to you.

Are you weighing every charge? If not, the difference between the two scales wont necessarily have anything to do with your groups, but I would be concerned about what type of pressure your rounds are hitting since you are not sure of how much powder you are using.
Personally I don't weigh my charges but go by volume. To each his own.

Are you a new reloader? If so you shouldn't be loading any hotter than 10% under the maximum load listed.

josebd · « **Reply #2 on:** December 10, 2003, 02:24:16 PM »

yes i weighed every round,how do you do it by volume?how would you check to see which one is off?

jgalar · « **Reply #3 on:** December 10, 2003, 02:35:11 PM »

Some folks weigh every charge some will use a powder measure. You set your powder measure to drop the weight you want. You can actually get very good loads using the cheap Lee dippers, but you will be limited as to the weight charges you drop unless you use more than one. If you want to start a good arguement bring up weighed charges compared to volume charges. Like I said to each his own.

What is your setup? What dies etc. and what bullet and powder are you trying to load?

josebd · « **Reply #4 on:** December 10, 2003, 02:39:02 PM »

i have a lee press,lee collet neck resizer,lee balance beam,winchester 748 powder,hornady 55 grain v-max, 26.0 grains cci 450 primers

jgalar · « **Reply #5 on:** December 10, 2003, 02:39:34 PM »

If you send either scale back to the manufacturer they will check it. The best bet is to find another scale (another reloader) and compare. You can just give someone something like a paperclip to weigh.

Its real easy to bump a balance beam while weighing individual loads. Even a electronic should be rechecked occasionally while loading.

jgalar · « **Reply #6 on:** December 10, 2003, 02:43:47 PM »

what size dipper came with your dies

josebd · « **Reply #7 on:** December 10, 2003, 02:49:28 PM »

i dont know,i could fill the dipper pour it in then have to add a little more to get 26.0

jgalar · « **Reply #8 on:** December 10, 2003, 02:58:04 PM »

its marked. see what size it is.

josebd · « **Reply #9 on:** December 10, 2003, 02:58:52 PM »

jgalar · « **Reply #10 on:** December 10, 2003, 03:22:01 PM »

Cool, I have Lee's manual here and for a .223 55 grain bullet they show a starting load using the 1.6 dipper and win748. They claim it drops 24.4 grains, but I have always found the actual weights to be less than they claim.

Put powder in a small container. Press the dipper bottom end first into the powder, so that the powder flows into it over the edge. Without bumping it pull it out of the powder and wipe off excess powder across the top of the dipper with a business card or similar. Doing this you should get very consistant charges by volume - weight may also be very consistant. Doing it this way is exactly how a powder measure works.

The charge will not be near full power, but it will be safe and may be very accurate.

According to my Hornady manual they list a starting load as 23 grains giving 2800 fps with a 24" barrel. I think as a new reloader you should stay on the lite side of powder for awhile. 26 grains is to much to start when they list 27.7 as the max for that powder and bullet.

josebd · « **Reply #11 on:** December 10, 2003, 03:46:24 PM »

well a friend of mine was reloading this same recipe for me,hes the one i got the rifle from,so he knows what it will shoot. he loaded me 100 rounds and they were very accurate,then i got my on reloading stuff. can i put a 55 grain bullet in the lee balance beam and see if its accurate that way?

jgalar · « **Reply #12 on:** December 10, 2003, 03:56:58 PM »

Well its 55 grain plus or minus ?

josebd · « **Reply #13 on:** December 10, 2003, 04:00:40 PM »

jgalar · « **Reply #14 on:** December 10, 2003, 04:06:41 PM »

He reloaded them for you and he probably knows what he's doing and you got good groups. You reloaded to the same recipe and your groups are not so good. You are doing something different then he did. Drop back on the powder charge for safety.

josebd · « **Reply #15 on:** December 10, 2003, 04:10:38 PM »

so why does my scale not read right? i know how to use it

jgalar · « **Reply #16 on:** December 10, 2003, 04:10:57 PM »

Try the dipper. At least you will be able to shoot until you get the scale problems figured out.

jgalar · « **Reply #17 on:** December 10, 2003, 04:18:04 PM »

46 is low, Ihave had good readings with mine, but its an imperfect world.

Contact Lee www.leeprecision.com or call them. They will take care of any problems with the scale.

Give the dipper a try. Its a hell of a lot more convenient to use than weighing every charge. When you get the scale problems taken care of get a powder measure. The Lee precision works well for me.

old06 · « **Reply #18 on:** December 10, 2003, 04:56:33 PM »

Scales are like other things in life you ger what you pay for 29 dollar scales don't preform like 290 dollar scales that is why you work up loads slow whaen I get a new set of scales I rethink my loads and verifiy my scales ect :eek:

Rum River · « **Reply #19 on:** December 11, 2003, 06:37:53 PM »

Josebd,

The best way to verify scale readings is to use a set of check weights. These come from the manufacturer and are a VERY specific weight. Try them on both of the scales you mention to see which one is correct.

It's only a guess on my part, but the scale showing a 55gr. bullet to weigh only 46grs. could be the one in error. I've had bullets that have varied a couple of grains from nominal, but 9grs. is out of the ordinary.

Also, as was mentioned previously, it's important that electronic scales are properly calibrated before use. The steps required are listed in the owner's manual.

Good Luck.

Black Jaque Janaviac · « **Reply #20 on:** December 15, 2003, 11:08:14 AM »

I would weigh a bunch of those 55 grain bullets. If they all seem to ball-park around 46 grains then the scale is in question.

NUMERO UNO. Did you zero the scale first? I mean empty everything and make certain that the balance is precisely on zero.

Number two. Is there anything ferrous (made of iron) near your balance? The balances often have magnetic dampening which prevent the arm from oscillating back and forth too long. A nearby wrench, screwdriver, press, or even steel parts on the table can affect it.

Number three. Look for styrofoam near the balance. Styrofoam shell holders from factory ammo boxes. The styrofoam can hold a static charge which can throw off a balance.

jgalar · « **Reply #21 on:** December 15, 2003, 11:16:40 AM »

The other scale you used (the electronic) was 3.5 grains higher than the balance beam. It would give under 50 grains for the 55 grain bullet also. I think you need to practice more with your scales.

josebd · « **Reply #22 on:** December 15, 2003, 12:30:18 PM »

thanks for the advice but i have done all the things listed above,and sometimes the beam is on,sometimesnot, not consistant enough. been using the electronic scale, no problems,love it!!!

Possum · « **Reply #23 on:** December 15, 2003, 03:46:12 PM »

I am not an expert, but I started with the Lee scale. It is accurate and a good scale. The only problem I had was it took to long to quit bobbing up and down and it was hard to calibrate. When I got a RCBS I was in hog heaven. Two bobs and it locks down to the correct measurement. I like it and it cut my reloading time by 200%.