Issue with Lee Auto Disk powder measure

[flyer_55]

Hello All, hoping someone can help me understand this mechanism. I get very good drops on it, but after a while it seems to go light a bit. I weigh when I set up, than after 50-100 rounds do another weigh again, make sure things are going well.

I have noticed it seems to go slightly light after a while. on the order of .2gn.

Now here is something I noticed when looking the mechanism over. It appears that the disk is not getting fully moved over the 'drop hole'. Before the shell is moved up, the volume chamber is fully open under the power reservoir opening however when I bring the shell up to full drop position, the volume chamber is not completely over the drop hole. There is effectively a crescent shaped shelf that could prevent constant drop from the volume chamber into the shell.

I have tried this with and without the riser and it doesn't seem to make a difference. Also I carefully setup the height of the charging die.

The attached picture shows the position of the disk when the shell is fully engaged with the charging die, and the loading handle is pulled down all the way.

Are there any adjustments I should look for? Other than the length of the activation 'tube', I can't see anything that could affect this. It would seem to me that it would be difficult to impossible to get repeatable accurate drops with a shelf for powder to hang up on, so I am assuming my autodisk is busted.

Appreciate any feedback or suggestions.

[1HitaQuita]

Tap on it. That will make sure all the powder is dropped into the case. You also might want to adjust your die so it's completely over the hole.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note II using Tapatalk

[flyer_55]

I understand about your comment re 'tap on it', however with a shelf there, this could still yield unpredictable results. There is no way to adjust the die on this. The AutoDisk system has a fixed plate and a sliding disk. The powder drops into the selected volume chamber in the sliding disk, than when the shell is raised into position, the disk is slid forward so the volume chamber drops the contents into the shell via the hole that can bee seen. In this case the disk does not appear to be moved forward sufficiently to ensure a full and consistent drop.

The only design that would make sense is where there is no 'shelf' but that the volume chamber is slide completely over the opening and drops full contents directly into the shell.

[at_liberty]

If using the cube type hopper, place 240 grit or finer on a dead flat surface and then work the bottom of the powder hopper to ensure it is smooth and free of flash. This will and should remove a little material that may be causing a too tight and imprecise mating of the hopper with the base, when the screws are firmed up.

You can also smooth the sliding surface of the disk or adjustable charge bar, but it needs to be dead flat, not free handed.

Spraying One Shot on the metal base friction surface is good but must be done off the press and allowed to dry in order to avoid clumping powder and obstructing the drop throat. Graphite between the parts works too but be careful of any media for liquid graphite. Use the dry stuff or pencil lead.

The alignment of the disk aperture with the drop throat can be deceptive. Look for the back wall to be in line rather than the front. It is the back that carries the charge.

p.s. I just noticed the picture you included. The disk spurs may be in the wrong position in the base for the disk to get carried all the way forward.

[Fishslayer]

p.s. I just noticed the picture you included. The disk spurs may be in the wrong position in the base to get carried all the way forward.

I went out & had a look at mine. I have the same little crescent ledge.

I haven't had any real issues but now that I know it's there it bugs me. Might explain the mysterious .1 & .2 variations that I've been chalking up to scale drift. When I'd recalibrate voila' I'd be back to where I was.

It doesn't look right. What's happening is the throw is not long enough. At rest the disc lever is at a hard stop. The only two moving parts involved are the lever and the bracket that holds the disc/hopper assembly.

The die body adjustment I don't believe is involved. That sets the flare & if you are out of that window you'll have other problems.

[MR_X]

I had the same issue with mine once. I noticed that the swivel screw down knob came loose and it wasn't going all the way up. Also take a #2 pencil and scribble on the plastic contact area under the disk. The graphite will act like a dry lubricant and make things slide a bit easier. Last thing, make sure the white rubber part that is under the hopper isn't sticking out too far down.

PS: Also keep the hopper full so the weight of the powder itself pushes down and fills the cavity. When you get low on powder that will give you lower grain drop.

[at_liberty]

We should be specific about to which of the two models of powder measures we refer. Mine are the older cube style hoppers. I have the upgrade kit for the cylinder style hopper but chose not to use it. I like the way it works with the adjustable charge bar.

The style of hopper should not matter because the bases are the same, so the issue is how the disk aligns with the base and the drop aperture. What will matter is if there is binding between the hopper and the disk. Treatment of that issue would be more clear if we referred to the type of hopper mating with the disk.

[russt]

my auto disk pro lines up the same as above, i dont have any issues with it not throwing accurately

[flyer_55]

I don't think there is any significant binding involved. I got my AutoDisk second hand, and I'm not sure how much life it had before me. I did notice there was indications of powder on the slide. (Hodgens Titegroup). I'm thinking there could be a number of issues involved, and probably nothing to worry too much about. Since the autodisk is not 'tuneable', there isn't much adjustment, other than making sure you keep the hopper full to get a steady fill.

After verifying everything related to how the charging die was adjusted, I went ahead and machined a small ring (.125 wide) and dropped it into the lifter. Immediately the disk was cycling all the way to a full aperture, with no crescent ledge. I have checked the range of motion and I don't see anything binding, so as far as I can tell I have only succeeded in lifting the transport arm a bit higher without affecting the sizeing and flare.

I will do some careful measurements to see if this helps or hinders the consistency of the drops. It only makes sense that if the volume was satisfied by the drop from the hopper to the disk chamber, you would want a 100% drop from that into the shell with no interference.

Thanks all for the feedback. Sounds like this is a design 'feature', but it bugs me from all I know about dispenser design, which is EXTREAMLY limited

[stilly]

Your die is not coming loose causing the hopper to not get fully moved to the side to dump the powder is it?

[Fishslayer]

After verifying everything related to how the charging die was adjusted, I went ahead and machined a small ring (.125 wide) and dropped it into the lifter. Immediately the disk was cycling all the way to a full aperture, with no crescent ledge. I have checked the range of motion and I don't see anything binding, so as far as I can tell I have only succeeded in lifting the transport arm a bit higher without affecting the sizeing and flare.

LOL... I just did the exact same thing except I bent a piece of wire into a circle that sits where your machined disc does. It took the slop out and I'm getting full travel.

I'm still getting the odd +.1 & +.2 gr variation with Green Dot. It's a fairly large flake powder so I'm thinking that's where it's coming from. +5% in my range fodder isn't gonna make a huge difference. I'm not that good.

I'll see how it does with Bullseye.

[at_liberty]

Okay, but I don't think this explains the variation in drops, except that there is now greater tension on the return spring, masking any friction or interference problem.

[MR_X]

Keep your hopper full.

[dreyna14]

Keep your hopper full.

This! A full hopper will tend to throw more powder as it's more compacted down below. Once it gets to the bottom the powder throw is reduced depending on the type. Maintain a decently consistent level and your throws will be pretty much dead-on balls.

[the led farmer]

LOL... I just did the exact same thing except I bent a piece of wire into a circle that sits where your machined disc does. It took the slop out and I'm getting full travel.



I'm still getting the odd +.1 & +.2 gr variation with Green Dot. It's a fairly large flake powder so I'm thinking that's where it's coming from. +5% in my range fodder isn't gonna make a huge difference. I'm not that good.



I'll see how it does with Bullseye.

Instead of making up the space with bent wire put a shell in the shell holder, loosen up the lock ring and screw the die in more (with the powder hopper attached) until the holes line up, it won't take much.