New scale

[feelinducky]

Currently have a RCBS 505 scale and am thinking about buying a new one. It seems to be .1-.3 grains off at the higher weight charges. I'm looking at the RCBS 10-10 or the Redding Model 2. Does anyone favor one or the other and why.

Thanks

 

[Kennibear]

Try taking the beam off and carefully clean the agate bearings in the body and the knife edge pivots on the pivot. I find I have to clean the dust off of everything, even the little notches that the weights rest in. Also, I built a base that has three leveling screws on it and use a torpedo level to set the beam itself level. Do that after a thorough cleaning and it involves changing the weight in the pan holder. When my old Ohaus 505 (same scale) goes out of spec this proceedure brings it right back.

 

[Nimrodmar10]

I've had a 10-10 for years and love it. I like the micrometer type adjustments for less than 10 grain increments. I also love the magnetic dampening on the beam. I could go on and on. I even use it with my RCBS Chargemaster electronic scale system. I use the 10-10 powder pan on the electronic scale then put it on the 10-10 to verify the charge weight.

 

[boomtube]

"(505) seems to be .1-.3 grains off at the higher weight charges."

Perhaps, but I have no clue what you mean "at higher weight charges"; how high is that? And what makes you think it "seems" to be off at all?

IF you just want a new scale, go for it; either of your choices will be fine. The 1010 has a higher capacity but it's rarely used above the basic range. The Redding has a much heavier body for better stability. The only leveler a beam scale needs is the "zero" balance adjustment screw. No one has made a powder scale without magnetic damping for at least 50 years so that's no issue.

Anyway, reloaders really don't need extreme scale accuracy, if the accuracy is reasonable it's good enough, and your's is. It hardly matters if your properly developed 'higher charge' is 76.4 gr. or 76.7 gr., what you need is extremely precise repeatability. So long as you can precisely duplicate a charge tomorrow or ten years from now you have all you need for precision reloading; I'd bet if you keep your present 505 scale properly cleaned and the pivots undamaged it will do exactly that.

I'll note that I read a lot of people saying they use a beam scale to confirm their digital but I never heard of anyone doing the reverse; there's a message in that.

 

[feelinducky]

Thanks for the replies, I should have stated that I have the small check weights from RCBS that I use to check the accuracy. 2 are 20 grains 1 is 10 grains. I then have other small bent pieces from RCBS I'm not sure their actual weights at the moment .I usually have to go back and look those up.

I prefer the beam scale, I just think that those cheap electronic ones don't have the repeatablility.

What is the best way to clean it? What do you use to clean the bearings?

 

[Kennibear]

Zero liquids!
All my holey gym socks get a "sanitize" wash setting and drying on high- twice on the dry cycle. The all cotton fabric is then clean, very clean.
Then I just wipe everything down. Women buy Q-Tips that are pointy to do their makeup. Don't tell my wife some of her's are missing. Those will reach into the crevice of the agate bearings to clean them.
Buy a can of compressed air used to blow out computers and give everything a good final shot. Reassemble.
My 505 has been bullet proof for 40+ years. I took it into the desert south of Boise for many years (my long range target range back then) and getting there was a paint shaker ride. In that time I learned something about repeatability. I took a check weight measured on my bench set about the same as the powder charge I was working with. The scale foot levels the balance beam pointer to pan but not side to side. If the scale is not level side to side (the desert looks flat, its just not level) the asymmetric load on the knife bearings will cause fluctuating readings. That's why my scale rides on a three legged platform with line levels glued @ a right angle to each other for leveling it.
About two years ago during another cleaning I took my torpedo level out and checked the beam, it was riding pointer high. Zeroed yes but not level. I checked to see if the pointer moved the same + or - 0.1 gr and discovered that + moved the pointer more than -. After leveling the beam by removing a tiny amount of counter balance weight the differential weight readings were symmetric.
Boomtube is spot on about the electronic scales. You check them against a known weight EVERY TIME! My son's seems to prefer a level surface for repeatability. But every now and the in the same weighing session it indicates a whopper.

So we check it with the 40 year old Ohaus.