Lee Pro Auto Disk question

[ScratchnDent]

Anybody tried using one on a single stage press?

Any reason I couldn't just mount it to my powder-thru die and bump the actuator lever manually at the top of the ram stroke?

I'm thinking this would save me some time over flaring, then charging in two completely separate steps.

 

[snuffy]

No reason it wouldn't work as well on a single stage as it does on a turret. It's case activated, so there's no need to manually bump the actuator.

 

[ScratchnDent]

That's even better!

Thanks!

I've not seen one in person yet, just looked at pics online, so I wasn't sure how it was actuated.

 

[noylj]

It is a great little measure and I often use one on my 1050. It is small, inexpensive, reliable, and doesn't have any adjustments to get out of adjustment.
Personally, when I used a single-stage press, I had my powder measure mounted on the bench and I took the primed case and charged it, inspected, and seated a bullet. Never did like the loading block method.
Just be sure to check powder in each charged case before seating a bullet.

 

[RealGun]

You would need to have the spring loaded disk return rather than the chain pull lever. It's available from Lee, if not from a distributor and may be included when buying the powder measure separately. It is not included when getting a powder measure as part of a press setup. The Pro1000 and Loadmaster use the chain pull. You get all the optional parts when ordering a Pro conversion kit for the regular auto-disk.

 

[snuffy]

You would need to have the spring loaded disk return rather than the chain pull lever. It's available from Lee, if not from a distributor and may be included when buying the powder measure separately.

The pro model comes set-up with the spring loaded return installed, the chain pull is packaged separately.

By all means, get the pro model. The standard does NOT come with a shut-off, you have to dump the powder out of the hopper before changing the disc's. There's something else;

Any reason I couldn't just mount it to my powder-thru die and bump the actuator lever manually at the top of the ram stroke?

You do have the lee dies, right? I assumed that when reading your original post. But ya know what happens when you ASSUME something? If you don't have lee dies, the auto disc will not fit.

 

[ScratchnDent]

Yes, all of my pistol dies are Lee.

 

[WanMan99]

I just ordered one myself for my Lee breech loader. I wanted to combine the flare with the powder load step. It sure will be nice to get it down to three steps instead of four.... I see a turret/progressive in my future.

 

[rtpzwms]

There are two models to choose from the Lee Auto-Disk Powder Measure and the Lee Pro Auto-Disk Powder Measure. The hopper is the main difference but the Lee Auto-Disk Powder Measure uses a spring return instead of the pull chain. You can update the Lee Auto-Disk Powder Measure to use the pro hopper with the Pro Auto-Disk Update Kit for about 22 bucks. So if you have a single stage now you might want the Lee Auto-Disk Powder Measure then if you upgrade to a progressive later than you can add the Pro Auto-Disk Update Kit.

 

[chineseboxer]

It is a great little measure and I often use one on my 1050. It is small, inexpensive, reliable, and doesn't have any adjustments to get out of adjustment.
Personally, when I used a single-stage press, I had my powder measure mounted on the bench and I took the primed case and charged it, inspected, and seated a bullet. Never did like the loading block method.
Just be sure to check powder in each charged case before seating a bullet.

how did you flare your case?? I have wondered about the same set up you are using myslef.

 

[evan price]

My father-in-law has an Auto-Disk that is totally manually operated. No idea where he got it or when; it's got a hand lever that you move yourself to charge the case. I've never seen one like it before. Anyway, a regular Autodisk would be fine on any press it can mount to. Use the Lee powder-thru dies and you are good to go.

 

[noylj]

Never saw an Auto-Disk with a lever. Could it be a Perfect Powder Measure?
Buy the Pro, never look back.
Back in the dark ages of reloading (early '70s), a standard set of handguns dies consisted of:
1) resizing die
2) Expand/Flare and deprime die
3) Seat and crimp die
If you buy a new Hornady set of dies, most that I have seen consist of:
1) size and deprime
2) expand/flare
3) seat and crimp
Thus, there a lot of strictly expander die, including the Lyman M-dies.
This was why, back in the '70s, I would not buy a progressive until someone came out with a 5 stations. At that time, with the dies available, the set-up was:
1)size/decap
2)expand/flare
3)charge case
4)seat bullet
5) crimp bullet
Now, with Hornady, Dillon, and Lee, you combine the expand and charge steps, but I still like 5 stations so I can use an RCBS Lock-Out die.
It took me about 3 weeks in the late '60s to decide that seating and crimping should really be two separate steps and everything went much smoother after that—while the experts kept prattling on about how to set-up your die to do both at the same time...

 

[jcwit]

Never saw an Auto-Disk with a lever.

Look a little closer at both auto disk measures. The black colored part thet activates the disk as in sliding back and forth is what is called the lever. In the case of the Pro model the chain is attached to it.

while the experts kept prattling on about how to set-up your die to do both at the same time...

I must be an expert as I've always seated a bullet and crimped in one step. Dern I'm good, been reloading for over 50 years. Still learning too!

 

[LiveLife]

+1 for combined crimp/seat die. Been happily doing it for 15+ years.

Yeah, still a reloading newbie here and learning everyday.