Good practice or no? Frustrated.

[LeeMax]

So I finally managed to get the Lee turret press I bought at Christmas set up and purchased the powder, primers and bullets to load 38SP. I bought Win231 powder, Remington primers and 148Gr WC bullets made by a local company in Lebanon, PA.

I had a heck of a time getting the auto disk powder measure to give anything close to a consistent charge until I realized I had the hopper mounted backwards (duh!). I'm using the micrometer adjustable charge bar instead of the disk. Even when I figured out the problem and got it set up the right way, the charges still fluctuate, sometimes by .5 grains or more.

What I started doing is, I put a primed case on the digital scale, tare it, then charge it and check the weight. If it's within .1 gr, I put it back in the press and continue. Otherwise I dump it and charge it again.

My question is, is this a good practice? Would I get better results using the auto disk instead of the adjustable charge bar? I'm totally green at reloading, so any suggestions are welcome.

 

[max]

I wouldn't do this as case weight can vary considerably. I would use the disc after I checked it with a scale.

 

[LeeMax]

I guess I wasn't completely clear. I tare each case on the scale before charging.

 

[nicky4968]

If OP is tare'ing the individual cases before priming, nothing wrong there.
.5 grains is a lot. Make sure you don't have anything else wrong with your measure.
Adjustable disk should work. If you have a correct hole on the fixed disk, try using that .

 

[rwsmith]

Do you have........

Do you have a baffle in the hopper? Knock the chamber a couple of times when it is filling?

Leave the cases out of it until you get the powder throwing consistently.

 

[springer99]

Two things about the Lee adjustable charge bar I've found.

1 - make sure that you have the powder riser tube adapter mounted with only one rubber o-ring between it and the flow-thru die. If it's not installed right, you won't get enough movement on the press down-stroke to fully open the powder drop with small drop weights.

2 - I've found that trying to measure very small charges of W231/HP-38 with the adjustable bar to be "iffy" at best. Below 4.0gr. drops, I just use the fixed drop bars that come with the measure.

 

[LeeMax]

Do you have a baffle in the hopper? Knock the chamber a couple of times when it is filling?

Leave the cases out of it until you get the powder throwing consistently.

Nope, no baffle. I took the hopper off, disassembled it and gave it a good washing and drying to make sure there is no oil residue that might be gumming things up. I'll give it another try tonight and see how things go.

 

[LeeMax]

Two things about the Lee adjustable charge bar I've found.

1 - make sure that you have the powder riser tube adapter mounted with only one rubber o-ring between it and the flow-thru die. If it's not installed right, you won't get enough movement on the press down-stroke to fully open the powder drop with small drop weights.

2 - I've found that trying to measure very small charges of W231/HP-38 with the adjustable bar to be "iffy" at best. Below 4.0gr. drops, I just use the fixed drop bars that come with the measure.

I only have one o-ring in there. I'll give the disk a try later tonight.

 

[slickracer]

Try wiping the inside of the hopper with a dryer sheet. My auto disk drops Clays very consistent, I'm surprised that W231 isn't spot on every time.

 

[johngalt]

Lee recommends running a bunch (1 lb?) of powder through the thrower to get everything coated in graphite to eliminate the static cling. I don't recall W231 being a problem, but Bullseye sticks to everything if there is a static charge.

 

[Clovishound]

I used the adjustable charge bar for a while. I got too frustrated with it and gave up on it. It particularly doesn't work consistently at lower weights, such as you would use with lead bullets in .38 spcl. I just used the disks until I ended up getting the new auto drum. I much prefer the auto drum. Infinitely adjustable, more consistent than the auto disc, easier to set up, easier to dump at the end of the session. The only down side is it takes quite a few throws to empty the chamber after turning the hopper off. I can live with that compared to dealing with those brass nuts on the auto disc, as well as the adjustability.

As to the practice of taring the case to weigh powder throws, It's what I do.

 

[LeeMax]

I used the adjustable charge bar for a while. I got too frustrated with it and gave up on it. It particularly doesn't work consistently at lower weights, such as you would use with lead bullets in .38 spcl. I just used the disks until I ended up getting the new auto drum. I much prefer the auto drum. Infinitely adjustable, more consistent than the auto disc, easier to set up, easier to dump at the end of the session. The only down side is it takes quite a few throws to empty the chamber after turning the hopper off. I can live with that compared to dealing with those brass nuts on the auto disc, as well as the adjustability.

As to the practice of taring the case to weigh powder throws, It's what I do.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll fool with it some more tonight and try the disk.

I'll have to check with the gun shop I found over the weekend if they carry the auto drum. They have more reloading equipment and components than anyplace I've been and most of the equipment I saw on the shelves was Lee.

 

[Rule3]

Step away from the charge Bar!

Use the disc that is closest to what powder weight you want. If you want say 5.0 gr and it drops 4.8 then use that or whatever.

Don't mess with taring every case, use a powder pan and tare that once and dump the powder into it. You will find the disc is very accurate with Hp 38/.W231,

Better yet spend $35 and get the new Auto Drum Measure and you can dial it to whatever you want,

LEE AUTO-DRUM POWDER MEASURE

Whatever one you use you need to get everything coated with powder "dust" so fill up the hopper and dump it out a few times, run a bunch of powder through it, If you keep the hopper almost full you do not need a baffle. With the auto drum no baffle is needed as powder stays in the unit,

Even double more better is get a decent balance beam scale and avoid all the fluctuations of a electronic scale.

To empty the AUTO DRUM, simply turn off the hopper and remove it, dump out hopper, Now just remove the whole turret from the press and dump out the powder measure unit, You do not have to cycle it 10 times.

Get one of these powder pans, funnel It is the handiest little thin since sliced bread!

Lyman Electronic Scale Powder Funnel Pan

 

[Bosquebass]

Did you take your flaring/charging die apart and clean it? New dies are usually oiled at the factory to prevent rust and that oil will cause just what you are describing with your charge weights.

 

[Will2]

I could not get the adjustable bar to work for me. I gave up and used the discs, they work just fine, very consistent.

Will

 

[springer99]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll fool with it some more tonight and try the disk.

I'll have to check with the gun shop I found over the weekend if they carry the auto drum. They have more reloading equipment and components than anyplace I've been and most of the equipment I saw on the shelves was Lee.

For the charges you probably are using for 38Spl with W231/HP-38, I've found the following Lee discs to drop the following:

.34cc autodisk = 3.5gr. HP-38/W231
.37cc autodisk = 3.7gr. HP-38/W231
.40cc autodisk = 4.0gr. HP-38/W231
.43cc autodisk = 4.5gr. HP-38/W231
.46cc autodisk = 4.8gr. HP-38/W231

The drops are very consistent using them

 

[Rule3]

For the charges you probably are using for 38Spl with W231/HP-38, I've found the following Lee discs to drop the following:

.34cc autodisk = 3.5gr. HP-38/W231
.37cc autodisk = 3.7gr. HP-38/W231
.40cc autodisk = 4.0gr. HP-38/W231
.43cc autodisk = 4.5gr. HP-38/W231
.46cc autodisk = 4.8gr. HP-38/W231

The drops are very consistent using them

For the OP please bear in mind that these values may/will vary a lot depending on YOUR powder, lot number, temperature, humidity and other factors.

Just like looking at the LEE "chart", some powders are close. some are so far off it's dangerous.

 

[Ole Joe Clark]

I also found the adjustable charge bar to be inconsistent with small charges. I think that the powder bridges across the opening. I have pulled it out and put an autodisk in it's place. I have also received adapters that will allow me to use the RCBS Little Dandy and the Pacific pistol powder measure with the Lee through the die powder drop. They are tried and true.

 

[MyDads38]

I have the Lee Auto Disk powder measure installed on all my pistol dies. I've found that with consistent operation of the press, my powder charges are +/- .1 grain. Even with Red Dot I still get consistent results!
Never tried the adjustable charge bar, just using the standard disks.

 

[Speedo2]

I've been following the discussions on the Lee Classic Turret since around Christmas and in fact went out and bought one; have been using it since mid-January. With the auto-discs I'm finding its consistency to be within +/- 0.2 grains, which really isn't so good. With use it does seem to be getting better; maybe its just not had enough powder through it; I've only processed around 1,000 rounds of various calibers through it. Mine seems to be more accurate with flake powder (Clays @ +/- 0.1 grain) rather than ball (W231 @ +/- 0.2 grain). All-in-all I'm finding it to be better (less time consuming and more accurate) than my old Bair single stage set-up.


I've also recently acquired a chronograph and today I tested the velocity of a few 38SPL and 9mm loads, both from the LCT and some from my old single stage. The standard deviations of my new LCT home-rolled were generally better than the store-bought stuff; my best was SD @ 10 FPS. Some of my earlier stuff was waayyy off, and some was good (SD less than 20 FPS). -S2