I too thought that would be a good way to go. Unfortunately I have found that they do not agree with each other. Either age or indifferent original calibration makes them useless. Your luck may be better.
Just giving you a heads up that they sell pharmaceutical 'apothecary' weights measured in grains on that popular auction site.
I had a set for £10 as opposed to nearly £50 for a dedicated, purpose-specific item.
I too thought that would be a good way to go. Unfortunately I have found that they do not agree with each other. Either age or indifferent original calibration makes them useless. Your luck may be better.
True freedom includes the freedom to make mistakes or do foolish things and bear the consequences.
TANSTAAFL
I use a balance scale so there's nothing to calibrate
"Shooters, regardless of their preferred quarry, enjoy their sport for its ability to transfer them from their day-to-day life into a world where they can lose themselves for a few hours". B Potts.
Yes, they should, because there is no mechanism to go wrong, springs to stretch, etc.
A machined weight a certain distance along a bar requires a specific predetermined weight to balance it, about as basic as it gets.
Biennial station "weights & measures testing" was another task I have suffered the "joy" of carrying out while in the RAF.
While I agree that there will be little change over time (I can think of some but they are small by comparison to the level of accuracy needed for reloading), they were never 100% accurate in the first place!. Calibration can be done in two ways:
1) Adjust the instrument to agree with known standard values. (and very time consuming that can be when calibrating over the entire range of an instrument)
2) Where the instrument has no adjustment, record the error when measuring known values, plot a graph of multiple points, and thus have a range of correction values for that instrument.
Reloading scales will have errors in the actual weights of the sliders, errors in the measurement of the slider position, errors in the bearings, all of which can be calibrated by method 2).
That said, no-one is particularly interested in the exact weight of powder for reloading (within reason) - repeatability is the key to making that magic load time and again and I don't much care if my scales indicate 2.9 grains when the actual weight is 2.84 grains, provided that they do so consistently.
True freedom includes the freedom to make mistakes or do foolish things and bear the consequences.
TANSTAAFL
Ah! We're talking just a standard reloading scale then. - Always a good idea to have a set of grain check weights and use them regularly, especially if, your developing loads or working towards the top end of loads.
Even basic beam scales can sometimes give false readings - friction in the knife edge bearings, friction in the knife edge pivot points, agate bearing misaligned, friction in the panhanger stirrup bearing, loose damper blade etc. etc.
Plus the old favourite of the bar weight not quite seated properly in the slider notch.
"Shooters, regardless of their preferred quarry, enjoy their sport for its ability to transfer them from their day-to-day life into a world where they can lose themselves for a few hours". B Potts.
Cant for the life of me understand why my RCBS scales have a small compartment under where the pan sits to put shot into....
A balance is a balance. If for some reason it no longer balances, it needs calibration.
I occasionally cross check my beam and electronic balance with a 50gr weight I have and the odd bullet just to see if the coincide, just in case the electronic ones go tits up...thankfully they do.
I'm a maggot in another life you know