Lee Auto disk powder Measure

[dj454]

I have 2 Lee autodisks I have been using for 5 years now. I wouldn't take anything for mine. I have loaded thousands of .40,9mm.10mm,38 spl, and 357 magnum with no issues. Once set up I can load 50 rounds in 5-6 minutes. I do size and prime in a seperate step just my preferance. I have found some powders you will have to use a larger hole than whats on the chart but the auto disk is very accurate and consistent after it's set up. Bullseye meters better than anything I have tried followed by unique and power pistol. You just have to make sure that it is set up and makes a full stroke. I honestly am getting ready to order 2 more so I don't have to change the set up when changing cartridges. I will try the adjustable charge bar on my next one just so I can work down some target loads. I know Lee is cheaper than other brands but I think it gets a bum rap sometimes. My loads are just as accurate and reliable as the guys I shoot with that use Dillon.

[Solus]

This thread started me thinking of an  EOTWAWKI reloading setup....

I'll start another thread to see what I can learn.

[nosimij]

I just wanted to throw out an update since I am still tracking and doing 100% inspection on every load I make.

I have now loaded 514 9mm rounds using 3 different loads.  I have switched to the adjustable charge bar in the powder measure. Running the screws in and out of the plastic to set my powder is not, in my opinion, a way to see that my powder measure last tens of years.

I have just spent some time reviewing the data I have collected.  

13 reloading sessions
514 rounds reloaded
0.12 grains deviation from average for that loading session
0.39 Grains Maximum deviation from the average of that loading session
0.14 average Standard Deviation

I do know that there are some out of tolerance loads that did not make it into these calculations.  I am doing a 100% measurement on all of my loads so no high or low charge goes through, because of the monitoring.

Looking closely at the data and the measurement process I do see that there is likely some errors that are appearing as a result of them.  I noted that for some reason there were no 0.10 differences form the average however there were 42 for .09 and 28 for 0.11.  There is a similar anomaly around 0.20 which is bracketed by 17 and 13.  These are the only 2 0s in the first 1/4 of a grain difference from average.  The most common difference by far is 0.8 Grains.

It looks like I can count on my powder measure, press and loading processes to create loads that are within 0.4 grains of powder.  A total variation of 0.8 grains of powder must be considered in the selection of my target powder weight.



I must clarify that my measurement method is a calculation/measurement of my powder weight.

I measure the primed brass.
I measure the case with powder and then subtract the two to get the powder weight.  This is to avoid spillage or powder sticking to the case as I dump it into the sale.
The same process is followed, out of laziness this time, to get the bullet weight.  The weight of the case with powder is then subtracted for the weight of the completed round.

I am using a Lee turret press with the auto index removed so it operates like a single stage press.  Until I am sure I will not get out of spec loads I will continue to do it this way.

 
After drafting this i decided to go back and look at my scale.  I did an abbreviated gauge R&R and I see that my measurements are only consistent to .2 or .3 grains.  I measured the weight of 20 115gr bullets 5 times each in a random order.  I am not please looking at my results.  I have a second digital scale, which eats button batteries, I can try.

Learn a lesson from me check your equipment for consistency.

[JoeG]

After drafting this i decided to go back and look at my scale.  I did an abbreviated gauge R&R and I see that my measurements are only consistent to .2 or .3 grains.  I measured the weight of 20 115gr bullets 5 times each in a random order.  I am not please looking at my results.  I have a second digital scale, which eats button batteries, I can try.

Learn a lesson from me check your equipment for consistency.

Yes I have been struggling with loading some 556 and weighing every round. After a while I decided my inexpensive franklin electronic scale was the culprit. It would run fine for a while and then start to drift on the tare weight. Of course I assumed it was all the other equipment first and so I got some great troubleshooting experience with the powder system.

I now have the following scale procedure.

Swapped out the batteries.
keep the scale in the house between sessions to keep it warm.
Turn off the blue LED light to reduce power draw (yes i know it is minimal)
If I get an odd result I recheck zero and span.

I got much better results doing this.

The problem is that cheap scales are cheap! The strain gauges they use are good but not great and they likely have some drift as they warm up. Looking at the options on Midway left me thinking that even the $300 units are probably about the same. High quality lab scales are about 20X these prices depending on the features and tolerances.

Buying a second scale leaves you with the classic problem of which number to believe.

[JC5123]

http://www.hornady.com/store/Lock-N-Load-Auto-Charge-dispenser/

Picked up one of these yesterday for $200!

Tried it out last night on 20 rounds of .308 Match. I couldn't be happier!

[Sponsor]

[nosimij]

Just a bump for any one following this as a troubleshooting tool.

I was speaking to another reloader at the club over the holiday and he advised me to check the spring on the through die powder measure.  I loaded some on Sunday night and I watched the powder measure sliding.  It did not return all the way all the time.  I have applied a layer of graphite to the sliding surfaces to reduce the friction.  I wanted to avoid a liquid so that it does not collect dust in my basment and make things worse.

JoeG
I do a simular thing with my scales I pull ethe battery out completely between usages.  I also do that with my calapers.  There is a great differance in battery life.  I used to go through a set of batteries every time I went to reload now they go 6 months or so.