CFE 223 Using Lee Turret press and Disks WARNING

[DR296]

Hey guys I was able to get some CFE 223 and was excited to give it a try using my Lee Turret Press and Auto Disk Powder measure. Only to find Lee does not have any Data in the tables for this powder and an internet search was not very helpful either.
I loaded up a bunch of Hornady 55grn FMJ BT. with 26.4 grains of CFE 223 (Hornady book showed this as a medium charge weight)
I got this charge weight using Double Disks #1.02 (bottom) and #.76 (top)
I weighed several charges and all were accurate however when weighing and verifying charge weight the powder measure remained stationary.
Once I started moving forward to the different stages I found the next charge weight to be heavier. So I would check again not moving the turret and the charge was accurate.
Spin the turret and the charge would be heavy. Luckily I weighed every charge. For whatever reason the charge would increase/compress when moving the Turret

[1HitaQuita]

How much heavier was the charge? As long as you don't go over the max charge you will be ok

[Fishslayer]

That's kinda normal for the AutoDisc. The powder settles a bit in the hopper. Did you cycle the turret a few times before starting the measurement?

Is there a cavity between .76 & 1.02? The manual also says to have the cavities as close in size as possible.

EDIT: Went & got a disc. You're at 1.78. .88 x 2 would give 1.76. .82 + .95 would give you 1.77

[roc_my_tims]

So when you get close to the charge with the disk how do.you get exact?

I mean if book says you need 2p grains but disk you use is for 18 gr. How do you get 2p grn. To work

[Fishslayer]

So when you get close to the charge with the disk how do.you get exact?

I mean if book says you need 2p grains but disk you use is for 18 gr. How do you get 2p grn. To work

That's kind of the rub with the auto disc. With pistol ammo I use the adjustable charge bar. I've been kind of dickin' around with it to see if it could be made to work in the double disc setup for rifle.

I think it would depend a lot on the density of the powder itself. .01-.02 cc difference in volume will be more or less % by weight for different powders and would also depend on what caliber/charge weight you're working with. .xxgr will be a larger percentage in .223 than in a .308.

I think most people going for gnat's *** precision are going to be weighing every charge & probably using a trickler anyway.

[Cheep]

I always run the turret through at least one complete cycle before trusting the set up as the powder will settle with each pull of the handle with ALL powders.

[MarkG35]

When I loaded some rounds with CFE.223,I used two .88 for some and .82 +.88 on others. They both worked pretty well.
I always like to stay close to the same size disk when possible.

[roc_my_tims]

That's kind of the rub with the auto disc. With pistol ammo I use the adjustable charge bar. I've been kind of dickin' around with it to see if it could be made to work in the double disc setup for rifle.

I think it would depend a lot on the density of the powder itself. .01-.02 cc difference in volume will be more or less % by weight for different powders and would also depend on what caliber/charge weight you're working with. .xxgr will be a larger percentage in .223 than in a .308.

I think most people going for gnat's *** precision are going to be weighing every charge & probably using a trickler anyway.

thanks i just purchased the charge bar for this same reason, waiting for gander mountain to ship it. i was using unique trying to get i think it was 5.6 grains for 45 acp. the numbers were all over the place . i'll just wait for the charge bar.

[Fishslayer]

thanks i just purchased the charge bar for this same reason, waiting for gander mountain to ship it. i was using unique trying to get i think it was 5.6 grains for 45 acp. the numbers were all over the place . i'll just wait for the charge bar.

Unique is well known for not metering well. I haven't used it in the Auto Disc. Some people don't care for the adjustable bar but it's worked fine for me. I generally just use it for Bullseye & 2400.

How it would work (IF it can actually be made to work in the double disc setup) with a stick type rifle powder... I have no idea.

One solution if a loader is dead set on a given volume and is going to be using it a lot is to buy a couple of extra discs and ream one or both till the exact charge weight is reached. This would only be good for one weight for one powder though.

[sdkevin]

Know your powder flow.

Lap your disks so there is the smallest tolerance between them, helps with flow also.

With the press handle return, make sure to agitate the feeder.

Eyes on each cartridge volume before you seat.

[DR296]

I was just mentioning this cuz it happened. I do appreciate the suggestions. and next time I will try it with smaller/closer cavities. That makes more sense. I did weigh each load and when it weighed heavy I dumped and did it again. Before I seat a bullet I check powder level.
The heavier charge weights took it to 27gr still within range but a little too hot for my comfort

[stilly]

Hey guys I was able to get some CFE 223 and was excited to give it a try using my Lee Turret Press and Auto Disk Powder measure. Only to find Lee does not have any Data in the tables for this powder and an internet search was not very helpful either.
I loaded up a bunch of Hornady 55grn FMJ BT. with 26.4 grains of CFE 223 (Hornady book showed this as a medium charge weight)
I got this charge weight using Double Disks #1.02 (bottom) and #.76 (top)
I weighed several charges and all were accurate however when weighing and verifying charge weight the powder measure remained stationary.
Once I started moving forward to the different stages I found the next charge weight to be heavier. So I would check again not moving the turret and the charge was accurate.
Spin the turret and the charge would be heavy. Luckily I weighed every charge. For whatever reason the charge would increase/compress when moving the Turret

This was why I originally flamed Lee for their product doing this. The response I got from LEE (Peter I think his name was) was that when I MEASURE the thrower, I should cycle the turret all the way around, and THEN measure the powder drop. Doing so WILL settle the contents of the dropper and should give you repeatable and mostly accurate results.

I thought it was stupid, but then again, Yeah whatever Lee. They kinda have their own way of doing things at times. If you have the adjustable charge bar I think you can use it and just adjust your charges a little at a time.

I THINK you can use the adjustable charge bar in the DOUBLE disk kit, but the bar needs to be smaller than the bottom disk and it needs to be on top.

[Shawndiver]

I have stopped using the Auto disks for rifle, I could never get real consistent results for .223, and it was practically unusable for .308. I bought a Lee Chargemaster combo and have never looked back. With a few modifications the Chargemaster dispense time is almost perfect for the time it takes to cycle through to the next round. Even if it is a little slower, the peace of mind of knowing I am putting in the exact amount of powder I am expecting to is more than worth it.

Pistol reloading is a different story, the Autodisk always works well for my 9mm and .45. I've used Titegroup, VV 3N37, and Hi Skor 700x and the drops have always been spot on and repeatable after a little experimentation to find the disk setting I need for the correct weight.

[Bumslie]

I bought a Lee Chargemaster combo and have never looked back..

A what?

[Enfield47]

I've used the Pro Auto disk with the double disk kit for .223 and .30 carbine with reliable results. I used Benchmark for the .223 and Win296 for the .30 carbine. I also recently did some experimentation with 7.5 Swiss using BL-C(2) - it barely fits into the rifle charging die - and 7.62x39 using IMR 4198. I got reliable results with both rounds for the powder drops but I did have to increase the disk size for the IMR stick powder to get to the correct charge weight.