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I probably need two scales, but for now.....
I need a recommendation for a scale that will measure, say, up to 10 #s +/- accurately. I'm ordering a case of bullets and need to weight them by the 1000/500. Just some ideas would be good.

Thank you
 
Kitchen scales usually max out at 5 or 10 pounds.

I'd say go to Home Depot or Ace. They have shipping scales that usually go much higher.

There is always Amazon or Walmart online too. They should have a plethora of Chinese goods to order.
 
You're not going to count them out by hand? Lazy... :p

What you're really looking for is a counting scale. They have them in all sorts of weight ranges, such as this 0.0005 - 6 lb capacity, or 0.001-60 lb version:

Buy Intelligent Weighing OAC-2.4 OAC Series Counting / Inventory Scale for $314.5000

Buy Intelligent Weighing SHC-60 SHC Series Counting / Inventory Scale for $434.3500

Probably a bit more scale than you were looking for, but these things are amazing! For example, just count out 100, weigh them, set the scale for 100 pcs, and then just pour them in! As long you picked the right weight range of scale for what you are weighing, and a decent sample quantity, these things are pretty accurate. I've used them for inventory at work, and they save a ton of time!

I believe there are places that rent them, but that's probably not worth it for such a small amount. I just wanted to let you know what's out there, in case you decide to make this a hobby. ;)

I've hand counted 4,000 55gr FMJ bullets before for the same reason, and what I found works best (if counting by hand) is to bag them up in groups of 100. This prevents you from losing count at 1,324 and having to start over again! :p

I find that bags of 100 helps for keeping inventory at the loading bench, too. The easiest way I've found to count large quantities is to pour some out on a bench or a table, count out a group of 5 and then just scrape them into the bag. 5 is really quick to count at a glance, and easier to count to 100 as you fill the bag.

Another option, if you have the table space, is to quickly separate them into multiple groups of 5, so you can easily recount them before dumping into a bag. You might find a better method that works for you, but this is my experience from a decade of doing 3 months of inventory every year. Trying to count one or two at a time takes too much effort.

Hope this helps!
 
Last Edited:
You're not going to count them out by hand? Lazy... :p

What you're really looking for is a counting scale. They have them in all sorts of weight ranges, such as this 0.0005 - 6 lb capacity, or 0.001-60 lb version:

Buy Intelligent Weighing OAC-2.4 OAC Series Counting / Inventory Scale for $314.5000

Buy Intelligent Weighing SHC-60 SHC Series Counting / Inventory Scale for $434.3500

Probably a bit more scale than you were looking for, but these things are amazing! For example, just count out 100, weigh them, set the scale for 100 pcs, and then just pour them in! As long you picked the right weight range of scale for what you are weighing, and a decent sample quantity, these things are pretty accurate. I've used them for inventory at work, and they save a ton of time!

I believe there are places that rent them, but that's probably not worth it for such a small amount. I just wanted to let you know what's out there, in case you decide to make this a hobby. ;)

I've hand counted 4,000 55gr FMJ bullets before for the same reason, and what I found works best (if counting by hand) is to bag them up in groups of 100. This prevents you from losing count at 1,324 and having to start over again! :p

I find that bags of 100 helps for keeping inventory at the loading bench, too. The easiest way I've found to count large quantities is to pour some out on a bench or a table, count out a group of 5 and then just scrape them into the bag. 5 is really quick to count at a glance, and easier to count to 100 as you fill the bag.

Another option, if you have the table space, is to quickly separate them into multiple groups of 5, so you can quickly recount them before dumping into a bag. You might find a better method that works for you, but this is my experience from a decade of doing 3 months of inventory every year. Trying to count one or two at a time takes too much effort.

Hope this helps!

OR....


Zero the scale with a bowl.

Weigh one bullet.

Grab calculator and multiply bullet weight times the number of bullets you want in a batch.

Fill bowl until the calculated weight is reached.

Done.

It ain't rocket science and you don't need a fancy scale unless your going to make a business out of it;)
 
OR....


Zero the scale with a bowl.

Weigh one bullet.

Grab calculator and multiply bullet weight times the number of bullets you want in a batch.

Fill bowl until the calculated weight is reached.

Done.

It ain't rocket science and you don't need a fancy scale unless your going to make a business out of it;)
That really depends on the resolution of your scale. The lower the weight of the item you are counting, the higher the resolution needs to be. Additionally, using only a sample size of one could throw your count off considerably, especially if combined with low scale resolution. It's best to average the weight of a larger sample size for more consistent results.

The counting scales are incredibly accurate for higher volumes of parts, and faster for counting multiple different types of parts. They would be perfect for someone intending to do this frequently, but for a batch this size I would personally just count and bag them by hand, for accuracy reasons.
 
Mr Jbett98 was kind enough to swing by my area and loan me a scale. Playing with it a bit and it looks like it should work fine. I'll just do a conversion from grains to ounces to pounds and weigh batches of 250, or something like that. As far as being accurate to to 1000 even, i'll throw in an extra 500 grains or something. I'm pretty sure the 1000 bags I've bought from members here weren't counted individually. Nor were the 1000 bags of range brass.
 
OR....


Zero the scale with a bowl.

Weigh one bullet.

Grab calculator and multiply bullet weight times the number of bullets you want in a batch.

Fill bowl until the calculated weight is reached.

Done.

It ain't rocket science and you don't need a fancy scale unless your going to make a business out of it;)



The best thing about this method is that afterwards you can put the bowl over your head and give yourself a stylish haircut so you can safely walk the streets of PDX.... ;):D
 
Am I the only jaded/cynical person who automatically thinks any scale that maxes out under 20# is for weighing dope?

:s0113: That would be just like you. ;) For me, I trust a balance beam scale more than electronic. For weighing GUN powder anyway.
 
Kitchen scale would work fine. Just weigh one round and multiply by 500, 1000 or whatever. Easy peasy.
Weighing only one round is a good way to get errors in your count. Bullets tend to be fairly consistent in weight, usually within +/- 0.2gr or so, but those variances can add up with larger quantites. With heavier bullets it's not so noticeable, as it's a smaller percentage of bullet weight, but if your sample round has a 0.2gr variance, that could be a 200-400 grain variance over 1,000 rounds.

I know that being a few bullets off is no big deal, as most people always go slightly heavy just to be safe and err on the customer's side. I just hate seeing people advise poor practices, when just a little more effort can help increase count accuracy.

If weighing a sample for measuring quantities by weight, it's always best to take the average weight of 10-20 samples for your base weight.

Again, not a big deal in this case, as count should still be within 2-3 bullets, but it's always best to get into good habits from the start.

FWIW, I actually use this method for adjusting my powder measure. Weighing one or two individual charges can easily be 0.1-0.2gr off, but the average of 10 powder charges helps dial it in a lot closer.

Just food for thought.
 
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Mr Jbett98 was kind enough to swing by my area and loan me a scale. Playing with it a bit and it looks like it should work fine. I'll just do a conversion from grains to ounces to pounds and weigh batches of 250, or something like that. As far as being accurate to to 1000 even, i'll throw in an extra 500 grains or something. I'm pretty sure the 1000 bags I've bought from members here weren't counted individually. Nor were the 1000 bags of range brass.
Mike, it looks like you've got this well under control, so I'll see my anal-retentive accuracy-obsessed self out of your thread, and let you guys get back to discussing dope scales... :p

Sorry for the hijack! :oops:
 

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