My Lee Turret is setup, but have a question...

[rono]

I adjusted all my dies last night for the 45acp. Everything looks good so far. I setup the Auto disk powder measure at the .66 to give 6 grains of Unique. Ended up with 5.6. Did some searching and found Unique doesn't measure correctly on Lee's charts. Went to change disks, unscrewed the powder holder to change disks. WHat a mess. I think I had grains of powder everywhere. Any tips to this? there's no shutoff on the standard auto disk setup. Maybe a pro auto disk is better??

Ron

 

[JDGray]

Thats why I got the Pro Did you run a hopper of powder through it, this helps with the static cling. I washed my hopper & disc, and let them air dry, then ran a hopper full of powder through it, than it started throwing consistant loads. You can get the update kit, to make yours a Pro.

 

[rono]

I did not run a entire hopper through it. I ran 5 loads to see if any change was present. Then was going to try a different disk. Ended up making a mess. Will try again tonight.

Ron

 

[benedict1]

Don't feel bad about the powder--I have even done it with the Autodisk Pro when I forget to turn off the powder flow!!! Duh. :banghead:

Get the Pro--the brass knobs to attach it are a better deal as there is no chance to strip the threads for the screws in the hopper as there is on the old one.

Always weigh your powder charge when switching cavities--none of the flake powders can be trusted to weigh the same from lot to lot. They vary widely in density and will be affected more by humidity. Ball powders are better, but still check.

Oh, and never use the vacuum to pick up spilled powder--your're making a big bomb when you suck up 3-4 oz of powder into the vacuum bag. All it takes is one unnoticed live primer on the floor going into that bag and you have a serious problem.

I use a little hand sweeper I got from Wal-Mart for about $30. It's made by Dirt Devil and has a battery powered motor and brushes. It is really slick and does the job very well.

Take your time and think your way through things. I never have a problem unless I'm hurrying or preoccupied--most griping about reloading equipment is really operator error based on disconnect between brain and hand.

 

[ATAShooter]

I change discs and never remove springs, screws , ect. First, take the turret out and dump out the powder. Then put the turret back in, make sure it indexes, then lift up on the assembly ( as if it were being pushed up by a hull ), it will go up and stop. At this time the little black slide arm is disengaged from the disc and it can be slid out. To install: reverse proceedure, making sure the slide arm is in the slot up under the disc that it is supposed to be engaged in....TADA, done. Advice,... I found that the disc chart v.s. actual dump is always off . Measure your drop on a scale and increase - decrease disc hole size as needed, the measure again.

 

[tbeb]

My reply would be the same as ATAShooter.

Also,
I've used a Lee Turrent Press for at least 15 years. I like Unique powder but I quit using it because it didn't meter worth a dang. For what it's worth, you might want to try Winchester 231 with your Auto-Disk powder measure. I use Winchester 231 for .380 ACP, .38 Special, light .357 magnum loads, and .45 ACP. If you use the disk hole for 3.2 grs. or 4.3 grs. or whatever, your measure will throw that or very close to that every time. Maybe you know this, but it's a good practice to weigh a charge every now and then while reloading. I do this every 10 rounds or so.

 

[RustyFN]

I have heard a lot of good things about Power Pistol powder. Has anybody tried useing this in a pro auto disk and how does it meter?
Rusty


Edit: Rono congratulations on your new press.

 

[Rico567]

To dump the powder from the original (NOT Pro) Auto-Disk powder measure, just unlock the turret, dies, measure & all, take it out of the press and dump the powder back in the can. That's all I ever did with my Lee. Never a mess.

 

[trickyasafox]

i find the disks are almost one whole disk off. ie you want 6.0 grains with unique, you almost always have to go up to whatever disk is the next listed higher.

TEST THIS FOR YOUR SET UP it works for me, i checked against my scale, but i wasn't going for a 6.0 gr charge.

 

[JDGray]

Rusty, Power pistol meters great through my Pro, as does HS6

 

[RustyFN]

Thanks JD. I have had good luck with HS-6 also but I like Titegroup a little better as far as shooting.
Rusty

 

[rono]

Never even thought about removing the entire turret to dump the powder. Wow, my mind is working a little slow the last couple days..:banghead:

Lee recommends the .66 disc. I tried the .71 disc it is almost exactly 6 grains. (From the paper with the dies and the Lee Modern reloading book.)

Ron

 

[Lennyjoe]

The Lee powder chart is off. You should select a disc, pour in a little powder, index and then drop a charge. Dump the charge in a scale and weigh. If its the right amount then press on, if not, drain and move up/down a bushing and re-weigh.

 

[countertop]

As to the the static - just wipe it down with a clothes dryer sheet. It worked well for me . . . and I had mountain fresh ammo for a few hundren rounds

Regarding the powder spill, I usually lift the whole turret plate out and dump the powder out when I want to change discs.

Other commentators are right - Unique doesn't meter worth c&$p.

 

[rono]

Loaded 15 rounds last night. Didn't want to load too many before testing. Took a good while, I measured the powder in every other load from the Auto disc. The loads were weighing in at 5.8 gr.
45acp
Berry's 230gr FMJ
CCI Primer
5.8 gr Unique
OAL 1.265

Trying them out today.

Ron

 

[Lennyjoe]

Just make sure you keep a running log on your reloads and powder disc numbers.

 

[Old Time Hunter]

From my experience, and I load thousands of cartridges with Unique utilizing the Lee Pro Auto Disk, the charts sent out by Lee are about 10% off. I always start at on disk cavity greater than it calls for, weigh it on my scale and adjust accordingly. You are correct in assuming that the "flake" powders like Unique do not meter consistantly, but they generally do not deviate more than 'bout a couple of percent. If you want 6.5 grains of Unique, I use a .82 disk, and after fifty loaded rounds generally run between 6.3 and 6.7. Not noticable at the range.

 

[DMF38]

I have a Lee Classic Cast turret press and I love it. I got the Pro auto disk - you really need that. The auto disk measures from the Lee chart are always off though. For 8 grains of Unique the Lee chart says to use the .82 hole on the Auto disk - and that's not even close. But the 1.02 hole is right on at 8 grains, and it stays pretty consistent around 8. You have to experiment with different Auto Disk settings and weigh your charges before you decide what works. Don't trust the charts - trust the scale. And scale check weights are a must! Don't let any oil get on the inside of the powder-through expanding die, or the charge hole in the Auto disk. Keep them cleaned out with clean, dry cotton patches.

 

[dafitch]

I have the same experience with the discs included with the Lee dispenser. Using Unique all charges ended up light. For the .66cc disc, I'd consistantly see 5.6 grains powder. I recently purchased the Lee adjustable charge bar that replaces the discs in the dispenser. I think it works better and is much easier to adjust. Although I think the initial kit should include the adjustable charge bar, the extra $10 it costs to upgrade is fair.

I find the Lee charts relatively conservative. The other reloading books I read (Speer, Lyman) allow much lower starting charges for .45 ACP. I think for .451 230 grain FMJ Lee starting and max loads are the same. My .45 ACPs run very well with 5.6-5.7 grains Unique behing 230 grain FMJ bullets.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Quote by Lennyjoe..."The Lee powder chart is off". I don't know of any powder chart that is right on. Even Lee's chart is dead on once in a while and so are the other charts. Most of the time they are off. A lot has to do with humidity and barrametric pressure. You adjust for it. That's why you have a selection of cavities. The Lee powder chart and all the rest are to give you a ball park place to start. I usually pick the one that is closest to what I want only a little under and trickle up to that charge (I weigh every charge). Or you can pick the one that is closest to what you want. A little low isn't going to make that much difference as long as you aren't at the very bottom of the charge weight. And a little high isn't going to make that much difference either unless you are at the top of the charge (Do not exceed maximum).

I re-iterated some of Lennyjoe's post. Some things are worthy of repeating.

 

[rono]

Ran the new rounds through my 1911 yesterday. All rounds ran great. Even my buddies said the rounds had less recoil but seemed louder for some reason. Looks like I will have to adjust my sights for these rounds also. I'm going to reload more this week to check next weekend. Since these loads were right at 5.8 gr. I want to try 5.5 and 6.0 to see what the different is.

Ron

ps. Also ordered the Pro Auto disk and adjustable charge bar.

 

[Lennyjoe]

Why thank you Mr. Bushie for the kind words...........

 

[Sisco]

I've never used the discs, I bought an adjustable charge bar when I got the press. The only problem I've had with it was when loading light charges like 3.0gr of Bullseye for 38 special HBCW's.