I have been using the hornady GS-1500 electonic scale and hace noticed two quirks with it.

1) I can't get it to read odd numbers it will read 20.0, 20.2, 20.4, 20.6 etc but not 20.1, 20.3, 20.5 etc.

2) When powder trickling into the scale, I have to lift the pan off the scale after I trickle to get a new reading, otherwise it will jump .2-.4grains before giving a new reading.

Has anyone experienced these problems with electonic scales, is there a better scale I should replace it with, or am I fine just carrying on the way I am and if a load calls for 20.9 grains I only throw 20.8

I'd call Hornady and see what they have to say. I know some postal scales are only accurate to within .2 oz's and do the same thing regarding even readings.
RE the other problem I have one of the new hornady powder dispensers and an older pact e scale. Both are pretty fussy and slightly inconsistant until warmed up. Seems like they can both do funny things till they've been on for about a 15 min warmup.

Hornady is my favorite reloading company but they do not make a great beam scale or half ways decent trickler.

It is really hard to beat the 1010

My lyman also does the .4 grain jump. I've seen it off a full gain after weighing just 20 charges.

AS, have you tried wiping it down with an anti-static cloth?? Like you put in the dryer. Mine was acting kinda squirrely and that's what the lady at the factory had me do and it cleared right up.
Sometimes on certain loads it seems to make one extra bump right as the weight comes up that puts it .1 over. If it does that consistantly, I just set the weight at .1 less and then if it doesn't give me the right amount, I just tap the little powder snout with a pencil and it drops the needed .1.
As someone else posted, the Lyman just seems to have certain weights that it doesn't like.

Sad to hear about your Scale woes.

Try an Anti-static cloth the entire scale and the pan as well.

Are you operating a Tumbler close by or other electonic equipment or flourescent lighting?

All play havoc with electronic scales when in use nearby.

Thanks for the replies, I'll try the anti static cloth.

No eltrical near by there is an incadescent bulb above and behind about 5-6 feet away, the nearest outlet is 15 feet away where I do my tumbling.

I sort of figured it was just a cheap scale and wasn't sensitive enough, I'm use of using much better scales in Chemistry class that were inside hoods because a breeze would cause them to go crazy!

Kracky this scale has a battery saving time-out if there is no activity in 3-5 minutes it shuts itself off. so a warm up isn't feasible

My reloading bench used to be in a room with a freezer. It had a conventional floor. If the Lyman was actually dumping a load when the freezer kicked in or off, it would give me a bad load. If the freezer was running, it didn't seem to bother it.

I have had exactly the same problem. I have emailed Hornady twice but my emails have just been ignored. It is such a shame that this once proud Americam Company has got so big it no longer needs to worry about its customers. They would rather fill the market with sub standard product manufactured by the Yang Fang Electronic Scale and Christmas cracker company

Thanks for the suggestion Beewan. I just wiped it down with the cloth and tested it. It's seemed a little better just weighing a few bullets, but still wandered when powder was slowly poured into it.

Thanks for the reply JB11,...looks like I will have to add a 1010 scale to the bench. Is it just me,...or,... isn't getting accurate charge weights kind of critical in the handloading process?

I have had more than my share of problems with Hornady reloading products. I suggest you get an RCBS scale. I have had mine for a number of years now and it always works, every time, with never a hiccup.

Bigbird,
I have a GS 1500 scale and have no problems with it reading in tenths, odd or even numbers. But as you say, I have to lift the pan off the scale to get a "new" accurate reading. If I trickle powder into it, it seems to hang and then jump up a bit. The only thing I really use it for is when loading pistol powder like Unique where small powder increments make a LOT of difference, or to verify some of my powder dumps from time to time.
In reality, a beam scale is all that is necessary for loading rifles, and powder weights are only relevant to each load for a given firearm.

Yo Big-bird,

Before you give up completely on your Hornady Scale; try a coupla more "could-be" solutions.

I've a Lyman 1200 Dispenser unit.

It doesn't like drafts of ANY kind.

It also doesn't like being near anything electric; especially electrical motors, such as Drills and Tumblers, the Freezer is in a corner; far enough away.

Flourescent lights are a No-No, too.

I put a soft plastic Place Mat under it to help absorb vibrations and that seemed to help considerably. I actually pushed the plastic feet into the mat and it now has it'sown sorta "dents" to sit in. It likes it's permanent "home".

I wash the pan occaisionally in the Dishwasher and then wipe it real good with an Anti-Cling Cloth from Mrs. Gerry's Clothesdryer cloth repository.

I always tip the unit sidweways when I'm finished with it to ensure there's nothing untowards underneath it or the pan.

I leave it On all the time - it obviously likes to be warm, too.

Good Luck.

quote:

Originally posted by RobertD:
I have had more than my share of problems with Hornady reloading products. I suggest you get an RCBS scale. I have had mine for a number of years now and it always works, every time, with never a hiccup.

x2

I read every thread on multiple forums about electronic powder measures and the RCBS 1500 users rave about dependability, accuracy and ease of use (with the occasional rare problem) and the users of all the others are continually talking about problems. IOW I have not had a single hiccup in 4 years with the RCBS 1500 and no longer even own a balance beam (gave it to a kid starting reloading).

YMMV

What'cha gonna do if the electric goes out?? You can reload using a balance beam scale and a lantern don'tchaknow.

Precise powder loads are important in reloading. Especially when doing load development. Once you've properly centered your load in the accuracy node, then you have a bit of plus and minus to work with. A lot of reloaders use their scale to develope their loads and then they will dump charges direct from the hopper, depending on the powder.
And too, the size of the cartridge can help determine the amount of error you are allowed. A one grain difference in say a .222 can result in serious over pressure, whilst a 1 grain variance in say a .338WM would be insignificant.

It's proably overkill but I set my powder dispenser 1 grain under then trickle every load to the weight I want,...so I use the scale a lot,... It is battery operated, so I can reload in the dark if I want Wasbeeman , well as long as the batteries hold out anyhow.

I leveled the bench when I first set it up, it has adjusters on it, would that greatly effect the scale if it were out of level?

Bought the hornady kit and that is what came with it,...overall I'm pleased with the majority of it, but being a little bit of a perfectionist a .2 grain sensitvity doesn't seem conductive to precision reloading.

After years in ham radio and electronics I have decovered that if you make a metal plate to sit the scale on and ground it, that it will help reduce the static charge. Copper or similar material works best. Good luck.

I tried wiping down with the anti static cloth, re-calibrated the scale and it still is acting the same can't get an Odd number reading, or to adjust if I trickle powder into without lifting the pan off.

Looks like I'll have to live with it until the budget allows me to upgrade.

quote:

Originally posted by Rae59:
Bigbird,
I have a GS 1500 scale and have no problems with it reading in tenths, odd or even numbers. But as you say, I have to lift the pan off the scale to get a "new" accurate reading. If I trickle powder into it, it seems to hang and then jump up a bit. The only thing I really use it for is when loading pistol powder like Unique where small powder increments make a LOT of difference, or to verify some of my powder dumps from time to time.
In reality, a beam scale is all that is necessary for loading rifles, and powder weights are only relevant to each load for a given firearm.

I Second the motion, my GS1500 gives excellent readings in 1/10ths verified against my balance beam.

BB, give the factory a call. I might be a simple fix or maybe they can work with you on a refurb or replacement.
Surely it'd be worth a phone call/

Well I finally was able to get through to Hornady customer service this afternoon. Basically they said the older first run scales were set up to only measure .2 grain increments. They said send it in and they will replace it with a newer run that goes to .1 grains. Good information for anyone else experience similiar problems.

I have a Pact scale with the dispenser. I bought them when they first came out. Must be 10 or 15 years ago. Has never given me any trouble. My loading room is only about 6x7 feet. I share the water heater and softener. the central vac. And fluorescent overhead. No problems. And it is made in the USA.
Lyle

I am not sure many of you load as much as we do here. So we always try to find ways of getting teh right charges as quickly as possible.

I have tried a number of so called automatic powder dispensers.

Sadly, none had worked well enough for us. Each had its own little quirks, which made me weighing charges much faster.

A little while ago, we got the Hornady LocnLoad auto powder measure.

I set it up to see how it works.

It would throw 2 or 3 charges right. Then it would pour powder out after I have taken the powder pan off to charge the case. Sometimes it would go over, then give an error, which locked it up. There was no way we could get it to change, except by turning it off and back on again.

So it was packed and put away as NO GOOD.

When charging a number of cases - I loaded our hunting ammo for this year's safari then.

I set the powder measure to drop the right charge.
I charge all the cases with powder.
I empty each case into an electronic scale, if the charge is right - example, I was loading 88 grains of H4831 in our 375/404. My own tolerance is 79.9 - 88.1. Anything charge that is dropped like these goes back into the case, ready for a bullet to be seated.

Any change, and I adjust the charge by either adding to it, or taking some off.

I find that this system works very well, and beats any automatic offering I have tried.

No drafts, no cold, no electric motors, no flourescent light, anti-static oh my. How did our military reload in the field for so long. Heck with a surplus rifle and field loads they could knock your socks off. Aren't we getting too many thingys, whatchmacallits, that need special care and circumstances to use them? If a scale needs special circumstances to use, pitch it. What do you use outdoors if you take a press to the range?

Good point. What about the old buffalo hunters, reloading around the camp fire at night using scopes and such.