Lee auto disk

[tylenol9999]

I loaded up about 100 9mm using 4.5 grains unique, and used the disk that would throw 4.5 grains of unique according to Lee, well it was no where near 4.5, and had to hand trickle up each charge!

I would say each charge was more like 4 grains (don't know exactly, have a beam scale, so that's just a guess).

At least I know the charges are right though I guess.



Does anyone have any tips to get more accurate throws from it? Besides a progressive press lol



I'm guessing part of the problem is the flakey powder of unique?

What I ended up doing was to enlarge the cavity of the disk using sandpaper until it was throwing the right amount. Obviously you should only do this once you have determined your proper load after testing, as you can't make the cavity smaller.

[at_liberty]

I loaded up about 100 9mm using 4.5 grains unique, and used the disk that would throw 4.5 grains of unique according to Lee, well it was no where near 4.5, and had to hand trickle up each charge!
I would say each charge was more like 4 grains (don't know exactly, have a beam scale, so that's just a guess).
At least I know the charges are right though I guess.

Does anyone have any tips to get more accurate throws from it? Besides a progressive press lol

I'm guessing part of the problem is the flakey powder of unique?

The seasoned Lee user knows that one should always start with the next larger size disk aperture than the chart calls for. Also, if insisting upon a load to the nearest tenth of a grain, especially under 5.0 grains of anything, the Lee disk system is not the right equipment. The whole concept is one of "close enough". It would be a mistake to impose the standards of precision rifle on small handgun loads. That said, consistency is still important.

[klewan]

What I ended up doing was to enlarge the cavity of the disk using sandpaper until it was throwing the right amount. Obviously you should only do this once you have determined your proper load after testing, as you can't make the cavity smaller.

They do make them smaller; drill and tap for a set screw that pokes into the cavity. Then wind the screw in or out to fine tune the weight. If you're the inventive type, Lee equipment is great to modify. Somebody, somewhere, has come up with interesting tweeks.

[Cowboy T]

+1 for buffyb
Lee autodisk likes compact powder (Winchester, VV, alliant). Step up one disk measure and see how your Unique weighs out. It will probably be lighter than the load stated in the lee reloading manual, but heavier than your 4.5. You'll have some load varience with IMR powders too. Some guys have drilled out their auto disks to get the weight of their desired powder.

Gotta agree here. Unique's always been a little bit of an issue, especially with the smaller charges, due to the powder's large, flaky nature. Oddly enough, Trail Boss (even bigger flakes) has been a breeze to work with.

And Lee's chart does result in, um, "conservative" actual powder throws. Looks like a CYA move that Lee did to keep people from overcharging their "max loads" due to differing powder lots. With a couple of my loads, I had to go up two cavity sizes to get the throw I wanted. That said, once you get the powder measure set up, it tends to be remarkably, even boringly, consistent.

[Scottie15]

The lesson you and anyone else reloading is:

NEVER TRUST CHARTS

There are lots of things that are "supposed" to be correct, but the only thing you can ever do is not believe what is "supposed" to be, and check it yourself!

Always always always check the first few powder throws on your scale to confirm you are throwing the correct amount of powder. Once you are satisfied you are throwing consistently and dropping the correct weight, check every 10th or 25th cartridge. Once you have satisfied yourself that you are getting consistent throws of the correct weight, go to town. Again - don't count on some table created as a one-size fits all solution. Verify all charge weights yourself!

[FromTheGrave]

I remember seeing inserts for the larger cavities that make them to a smaller custom size. The are simple and removeable. Can't seem to find a link right now but will update if I find it.

[cgates]

nothing wrong with the auto disk pro - you just need to step it up on the cavity size a bit. With small charges of flake powder you will definitely have to be ok with a small variation. Its the powder, not the equipment.

Ddon't even think about the adjustable bar with a setup like yours. it will suck worse. Its non-uniform cavity will cause bigger issues. Powder feeds from a round opening on the auto disk. it just makes sense that the regular disks with round cavities will fill more uniformly.

use the lee charts as a starting point and go to the next larger size if you need more. low tech solution to tweak the volume a bit is to cut a small piece of tape (I use blue painters tape) and stick it inside the disk to displace some volume. Obviously this only works if you need to drop the charge a bit. Also, if you have bear paws for hands, or unclear vision, this trick will be harder than it sounds.

[09cs]

Thanks everyone, I'll try upping the disk to the next larger one next time and see what kind of results I get. I wish I had a digital scale so I could see exactly how low it was to what I was aiming for.

I got an Auto Disk with my turret press and used it to load 9mm. I used Winchester 231 and it pretty much sucked. So I bought an Auto Disk Pro and the micro adjustable bar. That sucked just as much as the regular Auto Disk. I've been told the micro bar just doesn't throw sub 6 grain loads very well, regardless of the powder.

I figured I'd keep it around for when I load rifle rounds. I replaced it with a Hornady powder measure and case activated drop linkage. No issues with messes and inconsistent throws.

Mind posting/sending links to the set up?

[TomReloaded]

I loaded up a few hundred rounds with 700x (looks similar to unique) and was getting 0.1 variance, which is perfect. Few weeks later I loaded up 100 and was getting 0.4 variance, which is just too far off for me.

I didnt change or do anything different. Didnt even take apart the auto disk (pro)! Anyone having that kind of consistency issue with it?

[CityHunt3r]

Use the disk with .71 itll get you to 5.5 ish

[stilly]

I loaded up about 100 9mm using 4.5 grains unique, and used the disk that would throw 4.5 grains of unique according to Lee, well it was no where near 4.5, and had to hand trickle up each charge!
I would say each charge was more like 4 grains (don't know exactly, have a beam scale, so that's just a guess).
At least I know the charges are right though I guess.

Does anyone have any tips to get more accurate throws from it? Besides a progressive press lol

I'm guessing part of the problem is the flakey powder of unique?

Progressive press has NOTHING to do with it.

In time you will learn that certain powder droppers are better with certain powders.

In this case, the Lee dropper gives you a smaller charge then what it says because they want you to be UNDER the max charge...

Learn to use your tools properly. Then if you are on a turret, get a LNL Powder Dropper with case activated linkage. That should fit you nicely. But I dunno how Unique meters.

[Justintoxicated]

solution: Buy a Hornady powder drop.

[wilit]

Mind posting/sending links to the set up?

Powder measure
Case activated drop linkage
Powder through expanding dies

Personally, I think the Lee powder/expanding die does a better job, but at this point no one has made an adapter to attach the Hornady case activator to a Lee die. I honestly think that would be the best combo.

[stilly]

Powder measure
Case activated drop linkage
Powder through expanding dies

Personally, I think the Lee powder/expanding die does a better job, but at this point no one has made an adapter to attach the Hornady case activator to a Lee die. I honestly think that would be the best combo.

You do not need the Lee die if you get a hornady setup. You use the BASE of the case activated linkage (or QC die) and then you can go here:
http://www.powderfunnels.com/ and you can buy one of their MULTICALIBER bushings that will take you from .25 to .50 and use it for about $35 or so

OR you can buy each hornady PTX bushing for the LNL dropper.

Sorry about being late to the party. :\

When you are done you can have something that looks like this:

[Grunt81]

Plenty of good anwers here. I own and am happy with the Lee Pro Auto Disk Powder Measure. Like all powder measures, it is most consistent with ball powders. I'm on my third pound of CFE Pistol. I've seen that powder measure weighg out the same exact charge 10/10 times in a row. To whoever was getting a discrepency of 0.4 grains, it could be that the scale wasn't calibrated or the powder wasn't settled properly.

It's a little naive to think their chart is going to be spot on, but it's not your fault for wanting to use the information they provided with it. I agree with figuring out what throw each disk spits out. With CFE Pistol, the smallest disk throws 3.9 gr, then 4.2, then 4.6, then 4.8, then 5.. I've never seen an increment between disks that is larger than 0.3 grains. You should be able to find a load you like with this system. Unique meters like corn flakes in a can so I wouldn't get it again if you can help it. Still, you shouldn't be getting more of a fluctation than +/- 0.1 grains with Unique. Try tapping your turret press to help the powder settle in the disk the same way, every time.

I have the charge bar but have never used it. I'vd had no problem finding an accurate load with a variety of powders and bullets using this powder measure. I agree that it doesn't line up perfectly with the hopper for charges less than 6 grains.