The RCBS 505 Scale is not worth the volume of air it takes up.

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WOT?!?!? Nobody taps their mechanical scales?

Yeah. It makes a difference of no more than .3 of a grain on my old Redding whatever scales (have two), but about 1 out of 5 weighings will shift a bit if I tap the base with my fingernail when it's settled to less than +/- .1 grain in the swing...or it's just stopped.

I also advocate the weigh 5 or 10 and divide to get the average approach. Many of my load stickers go to two decimal places..well, I used to.

When the weather warms up and I actually have time to set up a chrono/accuracy/sandbags lineup on 100- or 200-yard targets, I just may chrono those 4064 loads that I threw with an old Lyman Ideal measure, then marked each case...41.6, 41.4, even the 41.1s I'm going to see whether the weight variations on volumetrically-equal charges is more important for velocity than barrel heating. I might have a set of 10-15 that were tricked to be within .1 or .2 grains on extreme spread, too. That would establish the "noise" of random variation as far as the pure mass of the powder charge.

Other variables might affect velocity more. But the bullets are also +/- .1 or .2 grain right out of the box and the brass is once-fired and all primers are from the same lot...

But if 200-yard accuracy is the same with the most extreme-spread batch of ammo, I'm going to quit even thinking about worrying about it. Already had a large batch of Dillon 550 ammo using 748 that shot a smitdge less than 1 MOA at 200 yards, with iron sights.

If I ever get around to it, I'll report...
 
nice thread. thanks, guys. next visit to the reloading room with some free time i b'lieve i'll get out the 505 scale and the powder trickler and study the scale as powder is added and then balanced - particularly passing the 1 and 10 gr intervals.

i keep the 505 scale out on the bench (rather than move it in and out of storage) and covered with a folded piece of legal size paper (dust cover) when not in use. also have a set of check-weights.

i find the rcbs uniflow measure to be remarkably consistent. favor a smart WHACK - WHACK when cycling the handle to vibrate the hopper a bit.

having set the scale for the prescribed weight, and adjusted the powder measure to the selected weight, i rarely tinker with the powder measure during the run - believing that chasing observed variations will actually result in widening the distribution. (see w. edwards deming's book "out of the crisis")
 
Is there some common object, like coins, that can be used to check the scale?
Click to expand...

I think (without having checked it, I admit) that coins are going to vary too much on account of different ammounts of wear.

A check weight set is inexpensive, and good peace of mind.
 
If you have a known good scale, you can grab a box of good bullets and weigh them one at a time until you find one that's exactly what you want.
 
I had a 10-10 scale and used to get similarly frustrated...quit and went digital
and checked the 10-10 with the digital...then got a third digital from RCBS to check the first Dillon digital...the two digitals agreed...but the 10-10 turned out to be subject to error...so I go rid of it...just as you should and get a digital or two to content yourself that you are on the button...I am keen on
precise loads also...so should you be...continue your pursuit...
 
One commonly overlooked "friction" point on beam scales are the ends of the pivots rubbing against the brackets securing the agate bearings.

Setting the beam in the center removes the contact and will allow the arm to swing freely.
 
I used to trickle for my match loads. I load a lot of 308 and 223 for High Power. After the beam scale gave me a hard time one night I bought a Lyman DPS 1200. Works great. I still use the Uniflow to get the charge close and finsh it off with the DPS. If I had it to do over I believe I would go with a RCBS Chargemaster.
 
I just got a used 5-0-5 off eBay (I know, I know), and it doesn't work half as well as the Lee scale I got it to replace. Something is wrong with it, because the beam will not move smoothly when weight is added or subtracted. It almost looks like the large poise is rubbing when set at zero, which will be always since the loads I use are all below 10 gr. I was able to weigh a 158gr. bullet, which weighed out to 160 gr. on this scale, but anything under 10 gr. would not move the beam. I'm almost tempted to buy a new one, just to see if it is different. Frustrated! :cuss:
 
Have you cleaned the Agate bearings, with a toothpick and compressed air? Have you sharpened the knife points that sit in the agate bearings with a small Arkansas stone? I have an old Ohaus 1010 and I swear by it, not at it! Very accurate, consistent, and pretty speedy too, and I always check it with check weights before starting a reloading session.
 
I have been using my Ohaus built 5-0-5 RCBS scale over 25 years now and it just keeps on a ticking with no trouble. Do you keep the scale covered when not in use? You can buy weights to check for accuracy.
 
- Notice -

Once again we have a resurrected thread. The original post is about 1 1/2 years old. I would imagine the problem is either solved by now or the scale has long since gone to the trash dump.
 
I`ve a RCBS 10-10, 505 of my fathers, a 5-10 I picked up from a garage sale because the $ was right and a Pact digital. All will vary a tenth "LIGHT" if you trickle a charge and pick the pan up and replace it. The scale should though give the same wgt every time you then pick up and replace the pan! I can trickle say 25.5 grs on my pan lift it and replace it to find 25.6grs If I then lift and replace it I get 25.6 gr every time thereafter until I dump it and trickle another charge. I also always find the original wgt read to be the same for each charge weighed. The variation is very consistant.
I believe the problem is hystasis, the very small wgt increments don`t over come inertia very well and the last little bit of wgt doesn`t register properly.

If your scale changes every time you lift and replace the pan with the same starting charge on it there definately is a problem with the scale and the advice to give RCBS a call is what I`d do. They are very good about customer service and will make it right or replace it.
 
I was a consistency freak when I first started reloading. Soon after i realized that for the most part .1 grain of powder makes almost no difference whatsoever.
 
I'm about to send this scale on a high speed adventure towards my wall because watching it explode will be of more value to me than using this piece of trash to measure powder charges.
Click to expand...

This made me laugh out loud! :)
 
The RCBS 505 cale is an excellent, high quality, precision tool. If it's zeroed with check weights, and doesn't work well, send it back to RCBS and they will replace it.

BTW, have you ever considered dumping Varget, and the other 19th century "stick" powders, and using ball powder so that you won't have any reason to weigh individual charges?:confused:

I figured that one out about 40 years ago!:D
 
If it worked well last time, and it doesn't work worth a darn now probably means something is sticking... either the knife edge is off the bearing, lint or other crap contaminating (powder granules and lube??) the bearing fulcrum.

I've also miss-assembled them in the past and it also created same type of problems. as silly as it sounds, reassemble it and make sure nothing got bent in storage

It's nonsense to weigh each load! Get a powder measure and use the scale to adjust the cavity and just spot check the throw every 20 or so rounds...

Eventually, you might look into a GOOD digital scale- they are well worth it.

The variation between thrown measures of powder are essentially inconsequential. Just use the same technique every time- if you "slap" the lever on the upstroke stop, do it every time. Any inconsistancies WILL make a difference in thrown loads weights.
 
"The variation between thrown measures of powder are essentially inconsequential. Just use the same technique every time- if you "slap" the lever on the upstroke stop, do it every time. Any inconsistancies WILL make a difference in thrown loads weights.

what I mean to say is that the variation between throws in a PROPERLY SET UP and LOCKED IN powder measure is pretty inconsequential.... as long as consistant technique is followed.
 
My 505 gets a mind of its own once in a while. I have used it so much I recognize it and start over. Wierd though...:)
 
BTW, have you ever considered dumping Varget, and the other 19th century "stick" powders, and using ball powder so that you won't have any reason to weigh individual charges?
Click to expand...

Bah! Ball powder! :p Most people haven't figured out that weighing individual charges doesn't really add much.

Ty
 
use the check set of weights every now and then. the scale is OK but i upgraded after a year.
 
Bah! Ball powder! :p Most people haven't figured out that weighing individual charges doesn't really add much.

Ty
Click to expand...

:D:D Yeah, I figured that one out a long time ago also. My "mentor" when I first started reloading was a benchrest competitor, and he taught me that it's a waste of time to weigh individual charges REGARDLESS of the powder used.:D:D

According to him, and some of his friends who shot bench also, volumetric consistency is more important to accuracy than weight consistency.

Maybe so, maybe no, but it's always worked for me!:)
 
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