Lee pro auto disk accuracy?

[JOLLYROGER]

anyone out there using this product..using it to load .45 acp using bullseye powder 230grain fmj bullets and the .53 hole in the disk..paperwork says that should be 5 grains of powder...should i just trust it i weighed some finished ammo and got some variations ...should i worry? looking for some advice

[CalTeacher]

Always weigh to verify...always! Lee's chart is usually high for the charge weights per disc cavity. I know with Unique I have to go up two cavity sizes to get the powder charge (or close to it) that is listed on Lee's chart. I suppose this discrepancy is to help prevent blown up guns for people who start loading blind without weighing their charges.

[JOLLYROGER]

mabey ill try stepping up a hole and see what the drop weighs i weighed one from the .53 and it was low..ill probably get a better scale too..

[JOLLYROGER]

how about the the lee adjustable charge bar that you can upgrade with. is that any better?

[357shooter]

I use the lee pro also and it is right on, been using it for over two years with B.E
some times you need to try a few different holes no big deal once you find it
mark.

[Bill Steele]

My records for Bullseye and the .53 cavity shows 4.8gr +/- .1gr.

That should yield a really nice shooting load using a 230gr bullet in 45 auto.

I preferred using the disk cavities over the adjustable charge bar as once you got your cavity selected for a given load, setup was really quick, just verify the charge for the first and last round of a batch.

If you are loading using a standard Auto Disk, the upgrade to the AD Pro (like $20) is really worth it (that upgrade also comes with the charge bar).

Good luck, have fun

[delisle]

Yea my experience has been shaky with that equipment. So much though that I went to single stage and rcbs powder measure. YMMV

[Cowboy T]

Once I set it up, I'm getting a 0.1gr variance with the following powders:

- Bullseye
- Titegroup
- 2400
- Clays
- H322

Unique, I haven't tried yet, but I've heard both good and bad due to Unique's large-flaky nature.

As others have said, Lee's chart is a little on the conservative side, and they do say it's for safety. The chart will get you in the ballpark. I've had to go up a cavity or two to get exactly the charge that I wanted, but once it's set, it's consistent.

[jwc]

I had high hopes for the adjustable charge bar with Winchester 231 and was disappointed. I filed open one of the fixed holes that did not drop quite enough powder and it has been VERY accurate for 10's of thousands of rounds.

[Fishslayer]

anyone out there using this product..using it to load .45 acp using bullseye powder 230grain fmj bullets and the .53 hole in the disk..paperwork says that should be 5 grains of powder...should i just trust it i weighed some finished ammo and got some variations ...should i worry? looking for some advice

The spread sheet provided by Lee is just a guideline to get you in the ballpark. You will still need to weigh some charges untill you find the cavity you need. Too many variables that Lee cannot control to provide a hard & fast number. Even the powder itself is allowed to vary (IIRC) 10% weight/volume. So it's a good idea to also verify when you start a new can of powder.

FWIW I don't get an even 5gr of Bullseye out of a cavity. I bought an adjustable charge bar specifically for that. You could also ream a cavity if you wanted to. I've only used the ACB with Bullseye & 2400 & it works well with both.

Ummm.... if you don't have a scale you need to get one pronto. And weighing finished ammo will tell you nothing. Too much variation in the weights of the bullets and cases.

[sofbak]

With the charge bar and the published VMD for each powder, here is what I get from it by weight:

Trailboss: +4.3% to 6.5% (5.6 gr to 6.0 gr)
Unique: +13% to 25% (8.9 gr to 9.5 gr)
W231: +5.3% to 5.6% (4.4 gr to 5.0 gr)
Titegroup: -12.7% to 13.5% (4.8 gr to 5.2 gr)


I've never been able to get Unique to meter well in the auto-disc. With either the disc or the adjustable bar, it is always all over the range. Privately I think that's why they call it "unique" but YMMV.

I can't explain why W231 would over charge, and TG under charged. The bar settings were very close for each powder, but W231 worked very well, and TG just didn't flow as well.

But for all of these, once I got the bar set to deliver the targeted weight, it was very consistent throw to throw with everything but "unique".

[Fishslayer]

I've never been able to get Unique to meter well in the auto-disc. With either the disc or the adjustable bar, it is always all over the range. Privately I think that's why they call it "unique" but YMMV.

Unique has been known to meter poorly since I first read about it. That would be about... ummm

...it was a long time ago. People seem to like it though. And it's a midrange powder so unlikely .2 or .3 gr will make much difference.

[bill_k_lopez]

Once I set it up, I'm getting a 0.1gr variance with the following powders:

- Bullseye
- Titegroup
- 2400
- Clays
- H322

Unique, I haven't tried yet, but I've heard both good and bad due to Unique's large-flaky nature.

As others have said, Lee's chart is a little on the conservative side, and they do say it's for safety. The chart will get you in the ballpark. I've had to go up a cavity or two to get exactly the charge that I wanted, but once it's set, it's consistent.

I just did 300 rounds of 44 mag using unique and the discs - 100 rounds each of 8.5, 9.5 and 10.5 grains - all fairly consistent drops +/- .2. I don't usually use the discs, I usually only load W231 & W296 for my 44 mag & I have two charge bars that I keep set for the two loads. I ran a couple of drops with the discs until I found the right ones for each load then just ran off a 100 rounds.

Unique has now become one of my favorite powders to load with - I use it for my 45-70 rounds and now for the 44 mags. The 9.5 with a 240 swc is a accurate and easy shooting round out of my 24" lever action and shoots easy out of my handguns.

Anyway - the discs worked great with Unique.. just my .02

[mjmagee67]

I get plus/minus .1gr with most powders and plus/minus .2 with Unique. So for me the Lee Pro Auto Disk is plenty accurate. One thing I find that helps with consistency is to tap the powder reservoir when you fill it. This settles the powder and it loads better. I use the Auto Disk to load 38SPC, 9mm, 40S&W, 45ACP & 223 Rem,