Scales - worth changing??

[Oly]

Just wondering if its worthwhile changing my Redding beam scales to another set of beam scales...RCBS 10-10 maybe??

 

Thoughts & comments??

[tartinjock]

If it's not broke, don't fix it!! Is it going to achieve anything?

[eldon]

Quite happy with my beam scales.

I have some electronic ones and actually prefer the beam type.

 

What are you trying to acheive?

[Oly]

Having not tried other types of beam scales I was just wondering if better accuracy of measuring powder can be achieved by better sclaes - but are any better than the Redding ones I already have??

[eldon]

I have the RCBS 505 and they do everything I want, there probably similar to what you have now.

Why do you feel the need to change?

 

If I was looking to change my set up I might opt for a powder measure to speed it up.

[Oly]

It's just I know some people don't rate the basic Redding beam scales - hence the feeling that maybe there is better out there.

[craigyboy]

Eldon if you are gonna buy a meausre make sure you buy a harrel I got one about 6 months ago and it changed everything, I have done so much more shooting since Its brilliant and it throws vhit133 within 0.1g, it throws BL-C2 with virtually no variance and throws benchmark at 0.1g max variance, its bloody good. On the subject of scales, I had RCBS 505 scales and upgraded to RCBS1010 scales I have no tools that could meausre accuarte enought to say weather the 1010 scales are better but they do look nice though since I got the harrel they hardly see the light of day. Any decnet set of scales will meausre accuratley enough to do the job, I have noted that in some ladder tests with powder weight variances of 0.3g steps the difference can not be seen at 100 yards and good powder bullet combos will fire 15 shots down one hole no matter what weight of powder behind it (within reason) there is more to reloading accuracy than measuring powder to the nth degree, even at 300 yards a 0.3g charge variance will barely show if the combo is right. the right powder/bullet combo is not just the bullet and powder that shoots well at one of maybe two different charge weights, you need something that works well in a wide range of charge weights so you know its not sensitive to slight pressure variances or that the laod is gonna mess you about on hot/cold days.

 

On a side note I have found the best way to fine good powder bullet combos is to do ladder tests, I was jsut out load testing today for a 22-250 in this was I will give you a run down.

 

I loaded 12 rounds for each bullet with 0.3g steps, I tested

 

40g nosler bt, it shot very spratic in the lower weights but did tighten up in the mid range but only for 3 steps and then spread out again, what this tells me is that the nosler 40g with benchmark is a bit load/pressure sensitive and there is only a very small accuracy node as this is even showing up at 100 yards so maybe its not the best to use as I use a powder meausre where variances are inivatable and also I might need to adjust it depending on the time of year as in the cold it might not perform in its accuracy node.

 

Next I tried the 52g berger this was completely differnt the first shot and the last were the only 2 that were out of the group this tells me that the load is very flexiable to variances and I could use it winter or summer and it will perfom well, definatley a bullet/powder combo that has alot of potential.

 

Lastly I tried the 52g a-max this dotted a few clusters with 2 or 3 shots but again seemed a bit sensitive to pressure and might not perfom so well when tiny variances come into play.

 

hope this helps.

[eldon]

Cheers craigyboy for the tip.