Lee turret press question

I have not had a problem with the Pro Auto-Disk over the past 11/12 years and have had fairly good success even with powders which are considered difficult to meter.

Just use it and see for yourself.

All of my Auto Drums measure very good. Some powders do better than others of course.

I honestly think folks just aren't getting them set up properly and when setting the initial charge. I will drop a load to measure then either auto index the turret around a full rotation, or give the powder measure three light taps with my fingers, to help settle the powder into the charge meter. I also bump the handle three times while the casing is rammed into the charging die to insure the whole charge dropped.

Consistency is key to these press activated measures if you want repeatable results.

I think some people get frustrated with the LCT powder drops when they do their test throws (to initially set the disk or drum to reach desired charge weight) while the turret is still; as soon as they start revolving the turret and jiggling the press through all 4 stations, the drop gets a few tenths heavier. IME, the best thing to do is do your test throws in as similar a fashion to your actual throws as possible.... cycle the press around, run the ram up and down to agitate/settle the powder, and do about 5 throws before you even start measuring them.

Then check your first few "live" throws and don't be shocked to see them creep up another tenth or two, as the agitation of actually sizing, priming, seating, etc., gets even more powder into the drum/disk between drops. Once you've done that, my experience is that your drops will be the same at round 500 as they were at round 10 or 20.

Phlier said:

Doh.. that's not good to hear. Mine arrives today. I watched a few videos about the Auto-Drum, and after hearing good things about it, decided to go with it instead of one of the Auto-Disks.

What is it you don't like about it?

I realize that it's made out of pot metal and plastic, but even so, the price just can't be beat, and guys are saying that with fine powders it delivers very consistent charging, with no powder seeping out of it like with the auto-disks.

Click to expand...

I just got it out of the box to remind myself why I prefer the autodisk.

The thing is not easy at all to take completely apart to clean. When I first got it, the excess oil and static inside the measure and the drums caused powder to stick all over. Dont attempt to push a used dryer sheet up through the drop tube. I did and it got terribly terribly stuck and I ended up having to drive the bits and pieces out with a punch and hammer.

Also using my lee ptx dies and lee powder measure riser, the powder measure applies way too much flare and wont fully cycle the powder drum. I believe I remedied this with a washer between the die and riser or maybe it was between the riser and the auto drum?

The measure operates a little too smooth for my use. I like the distinct feel of the autodisk measure and it bumps around the turret a little more which I feel leads to more consistent charges. and yes I've tested this theory. Being consistently bumpy with your powder measure leads to much more consistent charges than being as slow and smooth. I like to start with sized primed brass and simply just thumb back and forth between powder and seat/crimp die. The autodrum may be more consistent when you auto index through 4 different dies.

I saw no improvement in consistency at higher charge weights so I stuck with the autodisk. My heavier 35-45gr charges get thrown with a lee perfect powder measure. It meters aa1680 and W296 surprisingly well within .1gr at 35gr and within .2gr at 45gr.

It's not a bad measure, I just prefer the autodisk for the way i use my press.

Reefinmike, thanks for the info... Great heads up for when I get started with mine. Lee stuff is so inexpensive, I might just spring for an auto-disk, too, and give them both a try. Would be nice to set one up for .44 mag, and the other for .38 Special, too.

I've been thinking about mounting an old RCBS Uniflow powder measure to the LCT, using either this or this as this guy did here.

I was about to pull the trigger on one of the case activated linkage kits linked above, but for the price of one of those kits, I could just about buy both an Auto-Disk and an Auto-Drum. I like the way my old Uniflow measures my favorite powders so well that if the Auto-Drum doesn't cut it, I might still end up getting one of those linkage kits so I can use the Uniflow.

Thanks for the heads up, Reefinmike, much appreciated. Now I just wish UPS would show up so I can set up my LCT and Auto-Drum.

I've loaded up every empty case I have in .223 and 9mm on the 1050, so now I'm going through reloading withdrawal until the LCT shows up today.

Edit: I'm a firm believer in rattling the powder measure around a bit to get more consistent powder throws, too. My Dad had/has an ancient Redding drum style powder measure that had a heavy piece of lead attached to a hinge, mounted on top of the drum. You would flip the lead weight several times, letting it bang on the drum several times before each throw. Man, that was a consistent powder measure.

Regardless of powder measure I use (C-H/Dillon/Lee), after I pour powder into the hopper, I lightly tap the hopper around 10 times with my finger tips to settle powder before I start dropping charges to weigh for consistency.

Phlier, I just set up my Lee Auto-Drum on my XL650 to load some small .380 loads. It worked perfectly, and was very consistent. No double taps or anything else required. Just a steady rhythm.

What ATLdave said in post #28 is spot on IME.

And check out bds in post #2 http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=795770

Lee powder measures are great. Little polishing here and there, and the screw mod gives you an accurate/easy to use powder measure.

@alexcue - Good to hear.

Got busy assembling the second reloading bench today, so didn't get a chance to try the Auto-Drum yet. Hoping to get it going tomorrow on some .38 Special and .44 Mag loads.

I use the Lee Classic Turret as my primary press. I've recently moved back to hand priming, meaning I do decap step separately. I've also recently went back to single stage loading (using the Turret without the indexer). I think I actually like it better. I don't shoot massive quantities so it really doesn't matter that much. I like that it breaks up the reloading process. YMMV.

As for your initial question: When I start reloading for rifle (probably next year), I'll switch to the Auto Drum. Auto Disk is OK, but it's a bit of a PITA when you're trying to set up, not to mention the lack of precision adjustability.

I use my one Auto Disc for my 9mm loads. I use the same load by the hundreds so it makes sense to use it for that. My other loads for other calibers change with bullet weight so the infinite adjustment of the Auto Drum makes sense.

I use a trickler for my ladder tests as I have found its much faster than any other method. I use to use the Auto Drum but it actually takes longer than the trickler does when your only loading 5-7 rounds at one powder charge at a time.

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=194119&stc=1&d=1390774547

^^^^^^^This^^^^^^^^^

Great mod for your disk.