Anyone use Lee adjustable charge bar (powder measure)?

[Rule3]

As I posted in another thread, I was thinking of getting the Lee Classic turret press. Along with that I was also going to get the Pro Auto Disk Powder measure which uses discs to measure volume.
There is also a Adjustable Charge bar available which takes the place of the discs. (part 90792) It only costs around $10 so it will not break the bank.

Anyone use this? It seems easier to adjust but from what I have read, it's a love or hate kind of thing.

Any comments/opinions?

Thanks

 

[Skip Sackett]

Some, not a bunch!

OCD,
I have used this component from time to time but very sparingly. What I do like about it is that it allows for adjustment without disassembly which is a plus. It does have it's limit. Adjustment only goes so far, 1.4CC (I think) and that isn't going to be enough when you load for some of the larger caliber handgun cases or rifles.

I'm not sure if you can double them like you do the disks. For most loads that we load, it will work fine.

Dial it in, check every tenth case until you are confident on the loading and enjoy!

To be honest, I bought it just to try it out. I had no need to use it as I have other methods of charging cases on my Lee Turret Press. It works as advertised from my limited experience with it.

Hope this helps.

 

[Rule3]

Thanks, I just ordered the whole set up and got the charge bar also, it will be fun to experiment with.

 

[66er]

Congrats on the purchase. I have three of them one for each pro 1000 I load alot of pistol with it. Be careful with flake shot shell powders and also extruded. With the lee powder drop keep an eye on it as when they wear a little they tend to stick open and will cause squib loads. They are not real big on longer extruded powders either. They work as well as any powder drop it is just that some powders are harder to regulate than others. good luck with the new equipment hope to hear that you are loading with out any kinks. 66er

 

[Smitty500Mag]

I've got 6 auto powder measures set up separately on dies on extra turret plates with the adjustable charge bar in each of them instead of the disks. Lots easier fine tuning because you don't have to take the hopper off to change out any disks. Just turn the large brass thumb screw to adjust the powder charge. I found a bunch of the auto powder measures on E-bay several years ago in one lot up for auction and I was the high bidder which was only a few bucks.

They won't adjust to drop large powder loads but you can set them on half of the load and pump the press handle twice to double charge the cartridge to get the required weight. It's best to peck on the side of the canister between drops to make sure the charge bar gets the same amount of powder dropped in it each time. Just keep checking it with your scales several times when you first start loading a new batch to make sure it's consistently dropping the correct amount of powder when you're double charging large loads.

Smitty

 

[tomf52]

I found them to be veery inconsistent with most powders when used near the lower range of their capacity.

 

[Smitty500Mag]

I found them to be veery inconsistent with most powders when used near the lower range of their capacity.

Keep the hopper full.

Smitty

 

[Dale53]

I typically use the discs in my several Lee PRO Auto Disc measures. I definitely suggest to go for the Pro Auto disc instead of the less expensive one. The "off and on" plus thumb screw removal makes things simple to change discs.

However, I DO have an adjustable slide and use it when it is within it's range. It works just fine.

I have a couple of Dillon 550B's as well as several of their powder measures (I also use the Lee Pro Auto Disc on my Dillons, when needed). I only use "measure friendly" powders in all of my progressives and auto measures. There are ball powders in nearly all burning ranges and they are generally my first choice (even in rifle cartridges).

However, a number of flake powders also work well for me (Bullseye, Unique, 5066, etc) and I have no problems using those.

There are definitely powders to stay away from as they tend to hang up in ALL powder measures:

4759 is a very large grained powder intended principally for old black powder cartridges (it is bulky, takes up a lot of space, is porous and ignites easily but is VERY hard to measure - often bridges in measures).

700X is a bad offender for bridging in powder measures (this is a shame as it is a very clean burning powder that shoots well in pistol calibers). After several "incidents" experienced by myself and friends (as well as a couple of commercial loaders of my acquaintance), I have taken this powder OFF my list.

Large grain powders such as 4350 and 4831 don't get run through my progressives, either (I use them with a Lee Classic Turret with a conventional measure and inspect each case as loaded).

But, the solution that works well, for me, is to just emphasize the use of ball powders, other than the flake powders that work well.

Dale53

 

[Rule3]

Well, I hope HP38/W 231 goes through it OK as I use a lot of that.??

I bought the extra discs also for rifle loads so between the ones that come with the Pro Measure and the adjustable I should be covered.