Lee powder measure options. Best accuracy?

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  • Cameramonkey

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    I have a Pro1000 that works well. It currently has the pro auto disk powder dispenser installed and its working "OK".

    Currently working up a load with Titegroup and am seeing a variation of up to .3gr in a charge. (HP38 has the same issue) So currently dispensing using the .30 hole and am seeing between 3.3 and 3.6. when I spot check with my scale. Seems a bit wide to me.

    Is the Auto Drum worth the upgrade? Is it more accurate?

    What about upgrading my current unit to use micrometer adjustable charge bar instead of the fixed hole disks?

    I'm shooting things like IDPA, so I dont need absolute zero deviation bullseye accuracy, just reliable charges.

    Or is .3 no big deal for 9mm gaming?
     

    t-squared

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    I bought my set-up seperately and went with the Auto Drum. A bunch of research, and Fortune Cookie's videos about it, helped "seal the deal". I've seen where some folks have issues with them leaking around the drum, but mine has been pretty good for me. There are a couple things you can do to get better results with them though.
    First, "season" the drum, cup, and gears with this...https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000R8983A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    I found that mine settled down a bunch after a hundred or so throws....this will help it settle in right away.


    Second, get one of these....TITAN ROUND POWDER BAFFLE
    This will help even further with throw to throw consistency...It really helped with my HP-38 throws.
     

    Cameramonkey

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    Cool, thanks T.

    I should add this was a paid forward gift from a gracious INGOer. So it is far from new and is well broken in.
     

    t-squared

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    Nice....I'm running a classic turret. 4 pulls to make a round, but I manage to make enough to keep the ammo cans full!!
     

    ckcollins2003

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    I also highly recommend upgrading to the Auto Drum. When I bought my Pro 1000, I bought the Auto Drum with it based on the reviews it had over the Disk measure. Like t-squared, I used a graphite dry lube to lube it up well and once I got it dialed in, 19 out of the 20 that I measured were right where I wanted them to be.
     

    clelaj

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    Just an observation from my Lee Classic 4 Hole Turret with Pro Auto Disk... If I am not careful to keep the ram stoke all the way to top and move the disc all the way forward each time, I can get wider variation in weights thrown. If I keep the stroke consistent, I typically get no more than 0.10 gr total variation. As mentioned already, tap the reservoir several times to settle to powder, throw several trials until weight is constant, store unit with dryer sheet in reservoir to cut down static.
     

    sloughfoot

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    I have been using a Pro 1000 with the auto disc since about 1991. In many handgun calibers and tens of thousands of rounds. For Bullseye, PPC, IDPA, IPSC, steel and just shooting.

    I don't know how much my charge deviation is. I have never checked it. I just load and load.

    I probably am not a good reloader.
     

    throttletony

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    As a matter of follow up, I see .1-.2 grains variation with the pro auto disk.
    Most often though, I only see variation of .0-.1 grains and I'm pleasantly surprised at how consistent it is.
    *This is for plinking handgun ammo, and I'm fine with this amount of variation.
     

    russc2542

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    I also use titegroup and went from the disk to the drum. With the disks, you only have 2...maybe 3 options for load and variation therein. I tried the micrometer bar and had mixed results. The drum gives you much finer control and no worse variation.

    I have found that 231 doesn't like to feed consistently (it'll do 2-15 loads fine then leave one empty or just a sprinkle of powder) from any of the three and have basically gone to single-stage loading with it. Getting squibs out of polygonal barrels sucks balls.
     

    Cameramonkey

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    I also use titegroup and went from the disk to the drum. With the disks, you only have 2...maybe 3 options for load and variation therein. I tried the micrometer bar and had mixed results. The drum gives you much finer control and no worse variation.

    I have found that 231 doesn't like to feed consistently (it'll do 2-15 loads fine then leave one empty or just a sprinkle of powder) from any of the three and have basically gone to single-stage loading with it. Getting squibs out of polygonal barrels sucks balls.

    Thats ok. I dont use 231. I use HP-38. :):
     

    t-squared

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    I remembered one other important thing today concerning the Auto Drum. You can't get too crazy with the drum's attachment screw tension or it will bind up the drum on the return stroke. I believe this is a big cause of some of the inconsistent throws people are getting. I marked my drum and the housing and found if I tightened the screw too much the drum would stop at different places on the return stroke. Running some graphite powder through it helped, but the fix was to back off the screw a little at a time until I found a happy medium of good consistent returns and as little powder leakage as possible. It doesn't seem to matter where the drum ends up on the return, even if the adjustable cavity isn't fully exposed. As long as it stops at the same place every time you can adjust your drops accordingly.
     

    Cameramonkey

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    I stopped and picked one up at Bradis. Off to get some graphite and I'll see how it works tomorrow afternoon.

    Thanks everybody!
     

    EyeCarry

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    I have a Pro1000 that works well. It currently has the pro auto disk powder dispenser installed and its working "OK".

    Currently working up a load with Titegroup and am seeing a variation of up to .3gr in a charge. (HP38 has the same issue) So currently dispensing using the .30 hole and am seeing between 3.3 and 3.6. when I spot check with my scale. Seems a bit wide to me.

    Is the Auto Drum worth the upgrade? Is it more accurate?

    What about upgrading my current unit to use micrometer adjustable charge bar instead of the fixed hole disks?

    I'm shooting things like IDPA, so I dont need absolute zero deviation bullseye accuracy, just reliable charges.

    Or is .3 no big deal for 9mm gaming?
    Camera, I'm running 3.8 with 125 RNCP. My disk usually stays right on or within .1 gr. I wipe down the outside with a dryer sheet from time to time for static control. I have noticed more than once that if Titegroup powder sits overnight(s) it will clump/hang up in the disk and you'll create a squib if you are not watching (Thinking of going back to Accurate #5 as it is spherical). I have also sleeved a disk hole with brass tubing to fine tune charges for .380 acp. That hole has an allen screw threaded into it for additional charge weight control. Hope this helps.
     

    noylj

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    You won't find ANY volumetric measure that will do much better than +/- 0.15gn. Now, if you are getting +/- 0.3gn, you are doing something wrong and should contact Lee.
    I find that all my powder measures will stay within +/- 0.15gn, IF I use them properly.
    For consistency, I rate my measures as:
    1) Lee PPM
    2) Hornady L-N-L
    3) Lee Pro Auto-Disk
    4) Dillon
    That said, they are ALL good enough.
     

    BiscuitsandGravy

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    I'm with t-squared on this. I run a Lee Auto Drum on top of my H-LnL. FurtuneCookie45's videos and research convinced me too. Very consistent throws. You do have to do some tinkering with the setup to get it to cycle smoothly. Set it up for 10g of LiLG for some 220gr 300BO last night. Dialed in the Forster 300BO micrometer die and all was good.


    EDIT: Just ordered one of these. Thanks T-sq. http://www.titanreloading.com/titan-reloading-products/titan-round-powder-baffle
    :ingo:

    [video=youtube;VOWbfGFb3dw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOWbfGFb3dw&t=4s[/video]
     
    Last edited:

    Cameramonkey

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    Still seeing some wild throws on my disc feeder. I ordered a new scraper and one of the 3D printed powder baffles to control the powder pressure.

    I suspect the wiper could be worn out because Im getting a bit of leakage and powder is collecting in the well around the size markings on the disc. So maybe I'm not getting a consistent wipe.
     

    Cameramonkey

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    Still seeing some wild throws on my disc feeder. I ordered a new scraper and one of the 3D printed powder baffles to control the powder pressure.

    I suspect the wiper could be worn out because Im getting a bit of leakage and powder is collecting in the well around the size markings on the disc. So maybe I'm not getting a consistent wipe.

    Well, the wiper WAS worn out, but not the cause of the variation. I still have the swings, but I no longer have a problem with leakage and powder collecting in the size label cutouts on the disks.
     

    BrianT

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    The auto drum is a whole different planet of accuracy, it's worth every penny you pay for it. I'll never go back to the disc. The only negative I've found is the auto shut off doesn't work 100% of the time. It's not a big deal now that I know about it, but it was a shock seeing it return and go to drop another charge when the catch was flipped. I threw away about 20 9mm rounds because of it. Now that I'm aware of it it won't be an issue.
     

    russc2542

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    The auto drum is a whole different planet of accuracy, it's worth every penny you pay for it. I'll never go back to the disc. The only negative I've found is the auto shut off doesn't work 100% of the time. It's not a big deal now that I know about it, but it was a shock seeing it return and go to drop another charge when the catch was flipped. I threw away about 20 9mm rounds because of it. Now that I'm aware of it it won't be an issue.

    Threw away? You need a bullet puller!
     
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