Lee Auto-disk measure suddenly throwing light(er)

[Detritus]

Figured i'd come on here and share a situation that has me perplexed and a little at a loss for what to do.

so as to have plenty of ammo both to take to a class this weekend, and so as to not have to sit down at the press again for a week or two after the class. I at this time about 220 completed rounds into the batch of aproximately 500 i had intended to make between today and tomorrow night.

I am loading 45acp using a Lee 4-hole turret press, with Auto disk powder measure, and for that 220 rounds each time i checked the powder weight thrown (every 20-40 rounds), i was getting 4.6-4.7grs of IMR 700X. as of the last check the measure in now throwing 4.3grs!!

I've taken everything down repeatedly, tried weighing it on three different scales, checked every piece i know to, wiped the indside of the hopper, the drop tube assembly and expander plug with a dryer sheet to see if it was static build up. no dice

even tried going up to the next size cavity but then it starts thowing 4.9grs which is the MAX load for 230 jacketed bullets. yes i'm getting a half grain difference between a .66cc and .71cc cavity

anyone have any explainations or advice??

P.S. individually weighing and trickling the charges isn't really a viable option since i need to do over 200 more before i'm done.

 

[LiveLife]

Is it Auto Disk or Pro Auto Disk?

 

[Detritus]

Auto-Disk, I haven't gotten around to updating to the "Pro" yet but if this doesn't iron out, that will be my next reloading purchase.

this is the first time i've ever had an issue with it, and i think i've had it close to 10 years now.

 

[LotI]

The discs probably aren't extending completely over the drop tube. My swivel adapter wore a groove in the metal after tens of thousands of rounds and was dropping lite charges with the larger discs like 1.57cc that I used for H335 loading 223.

Once you look closely where the pullback lever touches the actuator(Lees terms), you'll probably find a deep groove. The lever is steel but the actuator is pot metal or maybe aluminum.

 

[res7s]

Mine fluctuates with humidity changes.

 

[krmalin221]

I have mine set up my garage and have noticed as well that as the humidity changes the powder will stick to the hopper.

 

[98Redline]

If I remember correctly, 700X is a flake powder like Unique, and meters pretty crappy to start with.

The key is consistency, not necessarily the exact powder charge.
My Auto Disk will throw different weight charges on different days, depending on the temperature and humidity. Also it is a very rare condition that the printed data of powder vs. cavity size is right on the money.

I would change to the adjustable charge bar and tune your charge weight to the exact weight you want.

One other thing, especially with flake powders, make sure you keep the hopper at least 3/4 full, and tap the side to settle the powder prior to checking charge weights. With the way the lee dies "pop" when the flared case is extracted from the charge die, if you don't have enough powder in the hopper, it can "fluff up" quite a bit when the case pops free.

I have found that if I just fill the hopper and go, during the first 30 or so cases, the charge weight will climb as the powder settles. It will hold steady until the hopper is about 1/2 full, then it will progressively throw lighter and lighter weights as I get closer to empty.

 

[dickttx]

My PAD with the #49 disk throws either 5.0 or 5.2 of HP38, depending on the temp/humidity, I presume. Since either is a good load and neither too mild or too strong I don't worry about it. If I were using an adjustable measure instead, I am not sure I would adjust it each time I used it.

 

[Detritus]

started tapping the protruding portion of base with a screwdriver handle as it comes around to face me each time. back to dropping 4.7gr like it's supposed to.

Yes 700x is a flake powder, and i know the issues flake powders can have in this measure but until last night i'd never had them crop up. It even measured consistently down to the last dregs from the older pound I finishsed off yesterday afternoon. problems came at 100rds into the new pound.

 

[SSN Vet]

I use the pro-autodisk and have found that the charge seems to vary a little if I let the hopper go < 1/2 full.

When I top off the hopper before reaching the half full point, it is an amazingly consistant powder drop.