Thread: New to reloading - to what fraction of a grain do you test new loads? 0.5gr, 0.3gr...

Originally Posted by ebf

Hey @Pav, this is the same advice I give to anyone about measuring powder...

Scales come in 3 broad categories - beam scales, strain gauge electronic, and force restoration balance scales.

Strain gauge (aka load cell) electronic scales are the cheaper ones. These drift. You can reduce the drift by letting it warm up, keeping it connected to a stable power source etc.

Electromagnetic force restoration balances cost well over $ 1 K. If you want repeatable accuracy down to 0.1 gr, then this is what you need to look at.

Lastly, the humble beam scale can by surprisingly accurate. One trick with them is to raise the scale to eye level, so that your view of the needle is consistent.

Do some reading about "nodes" and try to find the middle of a node, that way minor errors in powder dispensing will not have a drastic effect.

Thanks @ebf for the lowdown on scales. I have been looking at different reloading kit options or deciding whether to piece together my own kit with various components from different manufacturers... so from what you've said I would be better going for say a Redding model #2 beam scale over a Hornady g2-1500 or equivalent lyman electronic scale?