Lee Safety Scale Trouble

RCBS 10-10 is the last scale you'll need to buy.

LGB

Any of the RCBS ones made by Ohaus.

Jimmy K

+1 on the RCBS scales. I have the original made by Ohaus and got it used years ago and it is still perfect. Keep thinking that it will wear out and the check weights say otherwise.

I have had a RCBS 5-0-5 scale for over 40 years--It has been moved from 3 houses-dropped-bent, etc----it still works fine---511 gr, cap.
I have a Lee scale--can't stand waiting for it to tell me if my powder weight is correct.

Ohaus IS the premier powder scale maker but scales by Redding are just as good. Meaning most any powder scale except the Lee Safety will do fine.

Actually the Lee is quite good too, it's just a bit harder to use by us clumsy folks.

The most common and worst mistake reloaders make is putting their beam scale down on the bench top to use; the only worse place would be under the bench!

Any such device we need to see clearly should be placed near eye level, chin high anyway. Make a shelf or box to set your beam scale up where it should be. Sit it near the powder measure and it will not only be very easy to use it will be virtually as "fast" as any digital.

The RCBS, Lyman, Hornady, & Redding are all excellant scales. The Lee is also a good scale, it does exactly what it was designed to do, weigh stuff, in this case powder. What it does need is more weight to stabilize it, fasten it to a piece of 2 x 4 or 4 x 4 and you might just be much more satisfied.

I agree with Ranger...I need an ergonomic setup that is comfortable on the hand and eye for repetitive work. I prime by hand and use the Lee Classic Turret for "assembly." I drop a little light and then just need to trickle a little to make it spot on. I drop the next load in the pan and put it in the scale while I'm loading the previous case. By the time I get back to it, the needle has settled. I won't set any speed records, but I'm confident when I pull the trigger.

My Lee safety scale had some flaws on the bottom of it from casting. The side where the beam sits had 2 "feet" and the opposite side had one "foot", which made it rock back and forth. I took a file, then stone, to smooth it flat on the one side. Now it sits flat every time and there are zero "zeroing" problems

I've been using the Lee scale since I began loading more than 2 years ago. I have it set on a shelf that is at eye level to make reading it easy. I drilled and set small dowels around the perimeter to keep it in place. I have no problems with it. The only thing I have to do is make sure the ceiling fan is turned off until I have zeroed it out and then set it for my loads. I did buy an electronic scale as a lot of posters convinced me I couldn't live without it; it told me the Lee scale was accurate. I only use the electronic scale occasionally.

"The only thing I have to do is make sure the ceiling fan is turned off until I have zeroed it out and then set it for my loads."

Thing here is, we can't use ANY sensitive scale in the wind!

I started out with the Lee scale. It was very accurate, but way too much of a pain to set and use. Found a good deal a few years ago on an RCBS 5-0-5 on ebay. Never used the Lee again.

I'm a big, big fan of Lee products, but not the scale.

I did what Uncle Sam did: take a piece of 320 or 400 grit wet/dry paper and spray-glue it to the bench. Then lightly rub the scale around until all four "feet" are touching evenly.

That little Lee, while leaving very much to be desired, will be more accurate than your digital. In fact, when my digital doesn;t match the Lee, I check the digital scale. Once in awhile, the Lee beam will find its way too close to one side or the other of the magnet, and will give a false reading. Now that part I don;t like.

With all that said, I'd love to have $100 or so that I could dedicate to an RCBS 10-10 scale, because I surely would.

What Swampboy said (exactly).

The LEE works as advertised, but is touchy to set up correctly.

Mine is on a shelf above the reloading bench at eye-level. Once set up, it is very reliable and accurate.
I made a small box for it, that opens like a garage door. This keeps wind currents and dust out. It will show a change with two pieces of N320 powder--pretty sensitive.

I don't do a lot of different loads, so the LEE works fine for me.
If I did change loads frequently, I'd get something else.