Light charges of Li'l Gun and W296 through Lee PAD

Whut's a PAD??¿¿

Pro Auto Disk powder measure.

Pro Auto Disk powder measure.

Click to expand...

OIC--but wouldn't that then be a PADPM?¿ Don't you just love abbreviations with no clue as to what they mean?

Do you have a baffle in the hopper?? Mine has no issue with W 296 or H110, I do not use L Gun.

Are both screws tight?

Without the hopper in the unit, put a case in the holder and watch and see if the disc (hole) goes completely over the drop hole. Need some light to see.

If you have loaded 20,000 rounds or so with your Lee powder measure, I doubt static would be an issue unless you recently cleaned/washed the powder measure with water/soap or some kind of solvent.

The residue, which is mostly graphite, left by the powder, coating the plastic surfaces of a powder measure is excellent at reducing static problems.

You might make sure the powder measure is full stroking every time it is supposed to drop powder. Sometimes, this can get out of adjustment.

Possibly the case is not moving the disk hole far enough over the drop hole.
(don't ask how I know this), move the die down a little bit.

Going "fast" can make this worse. Just for fun try inserting a short pause at the bottom of the lever stroke to give the powder more time to fall.

This can also be caused by short stroking the press. (I doubt you are doing this but a possible cause)

Lee pro auto disk

Try wiping everything with a used dryer sheet, the softener will help dissipate static. In the dark ages we used to wipe out workbenches with fabric softener to help with static damage to IC Chips

I've sent 4# of 296 and a pounder of lilgun through my pro auto disk this month without any issue. I load the same way as well- primed brass and just flip the turret between the powder and seating die. Check for static.

Only other idea would be as dudedog suggested. Maybe your disk isn't fully going over the drop tube. Shorter or thinner brass can cause this- especially if you are using a powder thru flare die and going for no expansion.

I have the same problem with Bullseye.
It'll drop the correct amount (2.2gr)80% of the time.
The other 20% it drops about .6gr.
Any other powder that I use in it, works OK.
(Tite Group, Universal, 2400, W231)

This is for 32 S&W Long.
Ya, it's a pain, but the only recourse is to weigh every load.

By the way, I'm using an adjustable charge bar fixed by a super nice member here.

Reefinmike said:

I've sent 4# of 296 and a pounder of lilgun through my pro auto disk this month without any issue. I load the same way as well- primed brass and just flip the turret between the powder and seating die. Check for static.

Only other idea would be as dudedog suggested. Maybe your disk isn't fully going over the drop tube. Shorter or thinner brass can cause this- especially if you are using a powder thru flare die and going for no expansion.

Click to expand...

I was thinking drop tube alignment as well.

1Kperday,
Are you using the disks or the charge bar? The charge bar is sensitive to drop tube alignment, much more so than the disks.

When you get a light charge measure the brass to see if it's shorter than the rest. Short brass will not move the disk as far over the hole and may be hanging some powder

Maybe the PAD is a POS? Just a thought. Lee isn't known for having the finest craftsmanship in powder measures anyway.

Respectfully, you don't know what you're talking about.

My guess is 'short stroking' for whatever reason.
Slow down, make full and deliberate strokes, all the way up and down, each cycle.

Also, FIGMO and NRTS and BEMs.... I just love quirky acronyms. (X-it I got my orders) and (Not reparable this station) and (Bugger eating morons).
The other way around is also good; Going like a flying mammal at high speed from the underworld... Going like a bat out of hell.

...lots of good suggestions already.
Just a thought but the Lee measure and most any other measure is pretty sensitive to variations in vibration of the press. An extra bump on the press or a change in cadence will cause more variation than you would think.

One thing I have done in the past with Lee PAD's to minimize leakage/variability, beyond the items mentioned, is to "tune" the measure.

Tuning the measure can be done with any brand of measure. In this case, I'm talking about lapping/polishing the individual disks to eliminate plastic flashing from their molding operation, polishing the metal parts of the measure's base to eliminate machine marks and to correct any bad machining in the area the disks ride in to eliminate hangups, bumping, etc. Polish all metal parts the powder falls through. Yes, make/buy a powder baffle and install it in your measure, regardless of press provided vibration. Look at how your measure operates and after watching it a bit, you'll begin to notice where you can improve it with tuning.

You should also make an effort to strengthen your bench and mount your press as solid as you can get it in order to eliminate vibration of the press. Generally speaking, you want to minimize press vibration so you can control the amount of vibration introduced to the powder measure. The more solid the press is, the easier it is for you to monitor the motions of you operating to press to make them more consistent.

Finally, have a look at your powder die and expander insert sitting below the powder measure and make sure they are handling the brass as smoothly as possible. Tune as necessary.

One other thing, make sure your hopper is on in the correct direction. Turning it around changes where the chute is, at least on my units - they are not centered.

Put it together empty, shine a light in the hopper, and work the powder unit manually. See if the disk is doing anything funny. Usually if there is a problem, it is obvious.

You said you are skipping two steps are you sizing on the press?If not since your cases are primed put the sizing die back in without the decapper and try it..Most powder measures work best solidly mounted the Lee seems to work better with some movement of the powder.I've used Lil gun 110/296 in mine without problems I never prime on the press but use unsized primed cases.If you are just moving the turret ahead by hand do it by the handle that might be enough movement to get better charges.

I would suggest either getting an auto drum measure (very nice and only $40!) or tapping on the side of the measure with wrench every throw to settle the powder.