We're all family, right? Which means we can share with each other our acts of inattentiveness, recklessness and just sheer stupidity without fear of ridicule? Right??
Loaded up some ammo today for the .270 Win [HVA, 4100 lightweight, 20.5" bbl, small ring mauser]. Got to go kill Bambi next week. Shooting 140 grain Nosler accubonds. Figured I'd load 8-10 rounds with a stiff load of Reloader 22---59 grains [near max in some books, but the HVA action is hecka strong and I knew from shooting previous HVAs in .270 Win that 59 grains was ball park for a good load.]
Got over 3100 fps average [pretty good out of a 20.5" tube], but noticed two primers fell out of ejected Win cases. When I went to reprime, all pockets were very loose. Cases were completely unuseable.
Could'nt figure what was going on. The charge was not that heavy, was it? I knew from memory I'd used 59-60 grains of Rel 22 in the .270 Win w/o problems. Decided to back down the load some. It was then that I noticed that the heavy scale weight on my Redding scale [the one that moves in 10 grain increments] was not perfectly seated in the "50" [grain] notch. Fixed that little over-sight!!
And, so what was my actual charge weight on that first batch? Not 59 grains but 62. No wonder those cases were full to the top!
negative on the digital scales. with a balance beam, all I have to worry about is my screw-ups. I don't have to worry about power surges, the grimlins that live in electronic gear getting loose nor some drunken Bagladeshi putting it together on monday after a hard week-end.
Posts: 2037 | Location: frametown west virginia usa | Registered: 14 October 2001
Shadow said it all Jordan. I am glad you are in one piece and able to share this.
I also have a digital scale and a set of test weights. One I turn it on, I check it and recalibrate for the test weight. I would not use anything else. I do have an electronic balance beam with a feed that I reload from but it is checked on the digital.
BTW, I need to load some 7x57 for my sons first opener on Saturday. Thanks for the reminder.
Posts: 4917 | Location: Wenatchee, WA, USA | Registered: 17 December 2001
This has happened to me, but fortunately I discovered the mis-placed weight slide before I seated the bullets! Now I carefully remove the scale pan and the hanger, then carefully pick up the beam and read it before I put the scale away, just to make sure both weights are where they should be. Then I seat the bulleets after the scale and powder can are put away.
This can happen to anyone, and even if you are extremely careful when setting the scale, a vibration could make either slide skip from the initial setting!
Have only loaded for a little over a year, but I'm sure to check and double check my weights. Paranoia works for me thus far (knock on wood.) I'm very slow at it. Maybe once I get to where I'm trying to produce it'll hit me.
Posts: 2000 | Location: Beaverton OR | Registered: 19 December 2002
Probably the dumbest thing I ever did was pull the trigger of a 7mmRM when a 'dummy' round was inserted into the chamber. You guessed what happened next!
Luckily, there wasn't any damage to anything except my underwear
Posts: 3082 | Location: Pemberton BC Canada | Registered: 08 March 2001
Actually, just last night I nearly over charged by 1 grain. Fortunately for me I always use 2 scales when setting up loads. And this is how I caught my mistake. I measured the charge then put in on the back up scale and saw that it was too heavy by 1.1 grains. Rechecked the main scale to find that I had increased the load by 2 grains, not 1. I always use two scales to check myself. Now as long as I don't make the same mistake on BOTH scales I'll be fine Tyler
Posts: 40 | Location: California, USA | Registered: 24 July 2003
Luddite? Luddite just because my balance beam scale is 40 years old (one trip back to ohaus for a re-furb)and I have a rcbs jr press that is probably older than most of the readers in here and you call me a luddite? Totally unfounded! And, for your information, my wife turns the crank on the generater.
Posts: 2037 | Location: frametown west virginia usa | Registered: 14 October 2001
Actually, just last night I nearly over charged by 1 grain. Fortunately for me I always use 2 scales when setting up loads. And this is how I caught my mistake. I measured the charge then put in on the back up scale and saw that it was too heavy by 1.1 grains. Rechecked the main scale to find that I had increased the load by 2 grains, not 1. I always use two scales to check myself. Now as long as I don't make the same mistake on BOTH scales I'll be fine Tyler Wish I had thought of that. Good idea. Years ago I used to follow the loading criteria of always double checking the scale, which meant re-zeroing it every 10 rounds. Bad deal. Discovered I had re-set 5 grains over my load by not reading the scale properly. Was lucky I didn't have a tragedy on my hands. I went to the range to test loads and had to wait for the bench while someone else was shooting. The person finished shooting and told me he could not get his young son to shoot because he complained about the recoil. He asked what rifle would be OK for his young lad. I said, here, try my .243, if he can't stand the recoil of this caliber then he'll have to grow some more before trying again. The kid took a couple of shots and said the gun kicked too much. They left the range and I proceded to shoot. After two shots I figured I had a problem with the loads. They certainly must have hurt the kid. I went home and pulled bullets. That's when I discovered what I had done with the scale. To this day, once the scale is set and double checked visually, that's where it stays until I'm done loading. Sure hope the young lad was given another chance to shoot and learned to enjoy it.
i use a set of check weights; when loading 48.0 grains i put 48.0 grains of check weights in the pan. i keep them out and weigh them every few charges and when i am finished.
Posts: 107 | Location: alabama | Registered: 18 August 2002
You're in good company with a beam scale. I use one, and prefer it. I have had friends who try to " enlighten me" by letting me borrow their electronic scales. While electronic scales are handy for weighing a bullet real quick or something of the sort, for powder, I will take a beam scale any day.
I have checked loads from an electronic scale, put it on the beam scale and back on the electronic scale and got a different reading.
Old things work. Give me a beam scale any day over an electronic one. Of course give me a 7 x 57 over a 7 STW any day also.
Guys like us aren't old, we are just classic.
Jordan,
Glad to see I am not the only one about ready to admit, that you are not the only guy on the planet that things screw up on. I have seen the results of several times guys putting a total of 10 grains over load in a cartridge with predictable results and outcomes. ( not paying attention on the scale).
Like driving, no matter how careful you may be, a fender bender is going to happen now and then.
Luddites brought back the patched round ball, the Minie' rifle, c&b revolvers, lrbpcr, and other important hand tools. ya can't all shoot the black rifle. ned
Posts: 2374 | Location: Eastern North Carolina | Registered: 27 August 2003
Beeman, Another beam scale user here. It's a 304 Ohaus and it works extremely well, no electronic scale in my future, and my generator doesn't have a crank. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Stepchild
Posts: 1326 | Location: glennie, mi. USA | Registered: 14 July 2003
Been there, done that exactly the same way with the 10 grain balance not centered in the notch. I noticed it when I had the loading block full when I looked in the case mouths (308 Win) and saw it full to the bottom of the neck.
[ 10-08-2003, 06:24: Message edited by: Fjold ]
Posts: 12818 | Location: Kentucky, USA | Registered: 30 December 2002
Been there done that!! My recomendation is to weigh some popular bullet sizes--Like a 22 cal 50 grainer, 60 grainer, 70 grain .243 etc and use them for check wts. Very cheap and reasonable. I use both a balance beam and electronic scale. I still think the balance beam is more accurate because the elec. seems to need about 1/2 hour warmup to be really really consistant--but I do check one against the other for reloading. It can be very very interesting and I would recomend everyone get both and have both on the bench at the "start" of each reloading session!
Posts: 2002 | Location: central wi | Registered: 13 September 2002
quote:Originally posted by Shadow: What is this a Luddinte convention?
Ok, where do you guys buy your supply of HiVel#2, Western Tool and Copper bullets, and mercuric primers, to go along with your beam scales?
I've only been reloading for 30 years, but I do appreciate modern convieniences. Hell, I put in indoor plumbing and electric last year.
Black powder??? Isn't that the stuff that Pyrodex and 777 replaced? Big noise, Big smoke, little push......
Patched round ball? Isn't that a bowling ball with bondo? Color me confused.
Shadow:
Ol buddy, you may be happy feeling High Tech with an Electonic Scale. But some of us other sorts can be just as happy with a beam scale. It is not a cost factor, because we are poor or cheap. It is just my preference to use one. I do so in combination with Lee Powder Dippers. Just a pattern I have developed and that works well for me.
It almost seems like our intelligence is being questioned. I have used Electronic scales, and had friends wanting me to try, power trimmers and Electronic tricklers etc. I can accomplish what I need to twice as quick with just plain old hand tools, and non electronic anything.
I know some people, who have to have a riding mower to mow a lawn that is a quarter or an acre, or have to drive to the store three blocks up the street on a nice sunny blue sky day. They let the car idle until the air conditioner is running and cooling the car etc. Instead I just walk the 3 blocks, and thank God for giving us a beautiful Day. I personally look at the others as lazy by my standards, but I don't knock them, as that is right for them.
Just like NASA that had to spend a million dollars or whatever designing a pen to write reports in space since standard pens did not work in a non gravity environment. Even the dumb ass Russians, were smart enough to just use a pencil.
Personally I am going to spend money on something I can use, instead of accumulating a lot of gizmoes to IMPRESS my buddies. Then again, I drive a 1988 4 Runner with 454,000 miles on it, instead of the new 40,000 dollar one that my neighbor just bought to impress everyone. Yeah so last summer, I invested $2500 overhauling the motor and trany at 430,000 miles.
Guess us beam scale reloaders are just guilty of being practical instead of trying to impress the Joneses.
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