Extremely frustrated with my Lee Auto Disk Loader

[xxxleafybugxxx]

After a VERY frustrating loading session, I'm not sure what to do/think of my Lee auto disk loader. I'll start the rounds of with 4.1 gr of WST, and by the end, its dispensing 4.6 gr of WST. Before I start filling the casings, I'm running the turret around and doing multiple trial runs to attempt to get it warmed up, but it doesn't seem to matter. Also, I was filling other casings up with 5.1 gr's of Universal, and by the end, it was much higher. Here I have 15 rounds of 45 acp with God knows how much powder in them. Its very frustrating. Who's got some advice? Switch to the RCBS dispenser?

 

[Ram48]

Been there done that and went to RCBS

I had the same problem and even tried the micro disc thing to no avail.
I returned the complete kit and die sets and , got my refund and purchased an RCBS turret press and Quick change powder dispenser and RCBS dies. What a difference, well worth the extra cost.

 

[DanTheFarmer]

Good Evening All,

When I first started using my Lee auto disk loader I remember having the same issue of the weight of powder thrown getting larger the longer the loading session when on.

The good news is that I haven't noticed it being a problem lately. I check every 10th round and the weights are now consistant from round 1 through 50 or 100 or whatever I'm loading that evening. In fact it is so consistant now I've recently switched from checking every 5th round to every 10th. One tip, when I start a loading session I cycle 10 loads through the auto disk and dump the powder back into the hopper. I think this helps settle the powder making the amount thrown more equal.

The bad news is that I don't know why the problem you posted has gone away. Perhaps it is a simple as the parts fitting together better after a bit of use. Perhaps cycling the first 10 is actually very important.

I've been having good luck with consistancy of charge thrown for Bullseye, Power Pistol, and Titegroup. I experimented with Blue Dot (I wanted some BIG FLASH for an evening shoot!) and the consistancy was so bad I had to load it like rifle; go below then trickle up to the desired weight.

So this isn't the best answer for you but don't give up hope yet. It may get better as the parts wear in and some powders may work better than others. Try discarding the first 10 or so powder charges and see if that helps.

Good Luck and I hope some else has a more definative answer.

Dan

 

[res7s]

Try the RCBS or a LNL. Other than money what's to loose? Just remember to get a baffle with it. A baffle might work for your Auto Disk too.

I've never tried WST at all, but both of my Lee's are more accurate than either my Uniflow or LNL with flake and extruded powders. They're about the same with ball powder though. FWIW nothing I've seen with throw accurately with 800x.

 

[joecil]

I've not had a problem with the powders I use with 4 different units I own. Mine meter most powders once I get the correct disk. The only powders I have had this problem with is Accurate #2 and #5. The others from Unique, Bullseye, TiteGroup, BP-38, Trailboss, as well as Rifle rounds using Reloader and 3031. I have found the disks sheet which comes with them is about 1 or 2 sizes below what you actually need. I also run 10 without measuring, dumping back into the hopper then start measuring each load for the first 25. Most have been either dead on or +- .01 grains.

 

[xxxleafybugxxx]

Could it possibly be my scale??? I have the hornaday $30 scale and could that be the issue, and not the dispenser itself? Regardless, when I see a deviation of .4-.5 gr, it makes me wonder...

 

[Beat-tu]

I've had two issues with my auto disk loader that ~may~ be of interest.
1) Once I didn't have my through powder expanding die set properly, and I was "gingerly" raising the ram in order to not over expand the mouth of the brass. Result was inconsistent powder drops.
2) I was going along merrily the the other night, and my classic turret press actually un-screwed the auto disk, causing short drops.
I use an RCBS lockout die in stage 2 so each problem was caught.

Dont know what's happening with your set up, but anything is possible...

Good luck
Tom

 

[Twmaster]

I cannot speak for the Lee regular auto disk, I can speak for the Auto-Disk Pro. I love the thing. It throws consistent charges with only .1 grain variation ever even with flake powders.

 

[joecil]

Could it possibly be my scale??? I have the hornaday $30 scale and could that be the issue, and not the dispenser itself? Regardless, when I see a deviation of .4-.5 gr, it makes me wonder...

It could be however I have a Hornady Scale and a RCBS beam both read exactly the same but the GS-1500 electronic needs new batteries when it starts reading wonky.

 

[BSA1]

The only way to accurately weigh your powder charge is to throw 10 of them into the loading pan, weight and divide by ten.

I never get consistant readings for single charges on my scale.

 

[RustyFN]

Could it possibly be my scale??? I have the hornaday $30 scale and could that be the issue, and not the dispenser itself? Regardless, when I see a deviation of .4-.5 gr, it makes me wonder...

Could be. I don't know what's wrong but on my classic turret with the pro auto disk I can throw WST, Titegroup, Bullseye and HS-6 all day long and never be off more than .1.

 

[xxxleafybugxxx]

Well I do have some good news... I just got back from my garage, with some more testing. I was able to pretty consistently measure 4.9 gr of universal with my disk dispenser.. I think the problem was my scale. I was reading .2 gr off one of the times I made my 15 measurements just now, so I recalibrated it, and it was back to 4.9. Looks like I'll be able to sleep tonight after all... Oh, and this is way off topic, but instead of creating another thread (which I tend to do quite often ), I need some load data for my missouri bullets for my .45. They are 200 gr lrnfp's. I havn't found data anywhere for these types of bullets. Can I just use data for 200 gr swc's?

 

[Lost Sheep]

The only way to accurately weigh your powder charge is to throw 10 of them into the loading pan, weight and divide by ten.

I never get consistant readings for single charges on my scale.

I beg to differ.

Sure, that will tell you VERY accurately what your average powder charge is. But it will very effectively hide charge-to-charge variation (which will inevitably translate to shot-to-shot variation).

Are you named for the Motorcycle or for Birmingham Small Arms or something else?

Lost Sheep

 

[dickttx]

I assume you are using the Pro Auto Disk. Mine is VERY consistent, from the first powder drop to the last, but I only use HP38, so I am not familiar with the characteristics of your powder. I never bang it around, or throw practice drops, etc.
First, puff the base with graphite, then puff the top of the disk with graphite. I do this every time i have it apart. Then tighten the brass nuts FIRMLY, but not over tight.
Next, screw it tightly directly into the die--don't use a riser. This keeps it from swinging around and loosening as the turret turns.
I weigh the first five drops as I am loading the cartridges. I then weigh # 10, #20, #40, #60 etc. Never more than the width of the scale marker off.
I have a small $30 electronic scale, but would not use it for weighing powder, as it (as I think are most) is only accurate to .2 grains. I believe the cheapest beam reloading scale would be much more accurate. Try weighing the same charge on yours several times, over a period of a few minutes. You may find that it does not weigh the same every time.
As to the MBC 200gn RNFP, 5 to 5.5gn of HP38 is very accurate and easy shooting.

I agree with Lost Sheep, if your powder measure is dropping varying weights, and average of 10, or 20, etc. will tell you nothing.

 

[xxxleafybugxxx]

Thanks dick. I do use the riser, I thought it was necessary. Also, im using Wst and universal .. is there another bullet load I can follow for that? Same bullet weight, different shape? Thanks!!

 

[dragon813gt]

I have no doubt it's the scale. The manufacturers are doing us a disservice by selling them. I had the same scale and had the same problems. Just take an empty case and place it on different parts of the scale. I will bet that the weight will vary. I also think that scale is only accurate to .2 grains.

The auto-disk is extremely consistent. Throw about 10 charges beforehand and try to keep the hopper at least half full. I haven't had issues running it lower but it's not like it takes a lot to keep it half full.

Get a beam scale no matter what. If you want a digital get one that is AC powered.


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[dickttx]

I don't recall exactly, but I don't believe there is a published load for the RNFP, I think that I probably used the 200gn SWC as a starting point.

 

[xxxleafybugxxx]

What do you have it set OAL wise? I run my 230 gr's about 1.27 and that chambers fine in the XD, but seeing as its a different shape from the SWC, I don't know if I can rely on the same data in that aspect.

 

[dickttx]

I seat to the top of the crimp groove.--1.195" OAL. After the first 200 rounds of hardball, these are all I have ever shot in my Colt Rail Gun. Never a failure to feed.
Recently received the free 500 185gn XTP's from Hornady and need to work up a load with those when it cools off enough to shoot and reload.

 

[warnerwh]

Sometimes you have to flare more than you want to so the disk moves fully out. I've had this happen myself. After that though with Unique will easily stay within plus or minus .2 with the larger majority within .1.

 

[Lost Sheep]

Sometimes you have to flare more than you want to so the disk moves fully out. I've had this happen myself. After that though with Unique will easily stay within plus or minus .2 with the larger majority within .1.

The case-mouth belling mandrel should stop hard against a shoulder inside the die to give you full travel on the disk and precise belling on the case mouth. I suspect the inside of the die may benefit from some cleaning. If there is gunk in there, you may need extra force (and extra belling) to get full travel.

A clean die will give full travel, a firm stop and be precisely the same every time (unless your brass varies in length, in which case there is a completely different problem).

If you take the spring off, remove the powder hopper and disk and with the measure still on the die, stick a hand-held case into the die. The thing should stop with a firm, clean "clack".

If it passes that test, I opine that something is dragging on the disk or your return spring is too strong. Try operating the measure without the return spring in place and if the disk moves freely, gently stretch the spring a little.

You may be able to test either solution by belling and charging a few cases without the spring in place and returning the disk to starting position by hand.

Lost Sheep

 

[Lost Sheep]

Thanks dick. I do use the riser, I thought it was necessary. Also, im using Wst and universal .. is there another bullet load I can follow for that? Same bullet weight, different shape? Thanks!!

The riser is necessary if the powder measure hits the primer feeding device as the turret rotates around. If you are going batch style, it is probably not necessary. If your measure clears the primer feed (and any tall other dies you may be using) it is probably not necessary.

If you have interference problems, it probably is necessary.

Note: The swivel adapter makes it easier to position the measure to clear obstacles, thus perhaps making the riser unnecessary.

Not that the riser is a problem. They can even be stacked. As long as they are on tight.

Lost Sheep

 

[dickttx]

I have only used the PAD with no riser to load 9mm, 38 Super, and 45 ACP. The powder measure interacts with the primer magazine a little differently on each of these, but all work OK. Keeping the measure tight and turned into the center of the turret, it barely kisses the edge of the primer magazine as it goes around. MUCH easier to keep the measure tight this way. Even with a riser the measure would still kiss the magazine, just at a higher spot. The first photo shows this.

The adjustment of the powder drop/expander/flare die controls where the powder disk is when the ram is at the top of the stroke. The die should be screwed into the turret so that the disk hole is directly over the drop hole in the base of the measure at the top of the stroke. If it is not, there will be a ledge that powder could hang up on. As a rough starting point, the front edge of the disk should be about even with the front edge of the base, at the top of the stroke. The second photo, though out of focus, shows this.

 

[dragon813gt]

The auto-disk will not hit the safety prime when using a riser. You have to have the auto-disk turned just right and it barely clears. But it will not hit it.


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[dickttx]

If it stays in the same place it will not, but with the riser the momentum of the turret turning constantly loosened the connection, letting it swing over to kiss the magazine.