Before giving up on the Lee I have a few suggestions. I've found with mine that the old rule of consistency applies to the scale also. What I do to get consistent readings is as follows.

1. Make sure the beam and pivot point are clean and dust free. This is important here in NM where the dust seeps in with the wind.

2. Verify the beam is properly seated on the pivot point. Seems simple enough but I've had mine jump off of it with a slight bump when removing the pan.

3. I push the beam back toward the rear of the base at the pivot point as a repeatable point of consistency. This also helps keep the metal dampener from rubbing anything and keeps it free to move up and down.

4. When you adjust for zero always ensure the beam is positioned as in steps 2 and 3 for consistency.

If you have any suspitions, lightly touch the end of the beam and verify it has full range of motion and is not binding.

A check weight is definately a nice thing to have to verify the scale and give your mind a little confidence in the process.

Good luck and be consistent.

I forgot to mention that when I follow the listed steps it consistently reads within .1 grains of the older Redding scale I have. Good luck.