Problems dropping 2.7 Bullseye with Lee Pro measure

[Trooperdan]

I use all Lee equipment. Press is the classic turret with Lee .38/357 dies and the Pro powder measure. I'm trying to load .38 SPL wadcutter for a S&W 52. I just have problems trusting this powder measure. Cycling it dry I can see that the drop hole in the 0.30 disk never completely clears over the drop tube, leaving a little ledge that retains powder. I use the powder through expander die with the riser and the mouth of the die contacts the shellholder but it just doesn't move the disk far enough.
I've also tried the adjustable powder slide but it is just about as bad plus it is very difficult to adjust to such a small amount of powder.

What can I do to insure all the powder gets dropped? Is the Lee drum powder measure better for such small charges of powder? Should I use a different powder that is less dense?

I also want to load some .32 S&W L wadcutter loads, load knows how I could use this set-up for THAT load!

 

[Kiwi cop]

Some people swear by the Lee auto disk. Others swear at it.

I used one for 20 years and had variable results. I found that the "open" system where the powder charge is exposed as the disk moves forward to the drop position resulted in a lot of spilt powder.

Using the individual charge bars helped somewhat, but measuring 10 individual drops with a digital scale could result in a variation of +/- up to .3 grain of powder. And the charge bar always required resetting slightly at the start of every loading session.

The auto drum is a lot better but still has some issues. To start with the system is closed and as long as the locking knob for the drum is done up tight enough very little powder spills from the drum.

Adjustments are easier than the auto disk charge bars with a 1/6th turn of the drum being roughly equal to a .1 gn charge weight, and powder variation is almost non existent. When I first got mine I did my usual 10 weighed charges at the start of every loading session,usually with only one or two .1 gn variations. These days I only bother weighing five. Last night setting up a test load for the chronograph my five drops contained a single .1 gn lower weight and four drops "right on the money".

The drum does not return to the fully upright (loading) position when the locking knob is tight enough to prevent spillage as the reset spring just is not strong enough to do so. The drum can be adjusted to drop the correct weight from this position but my preferred solution is to rotate the drum to the fully up position with my right hand while the left is placing the bullet onto the mouth of the charged case. That way I know that the powder weight is constant.

It seems to take 10-12 powder drops after adjusting the drum for the powder to "settle" to a consistent weight. I always drop 10 charges straight back into the hopper then weigh the next five at the start of every loading session, even if the drum has not been adjusted, just to settle the powder flow in the drop tube.

Also holding the lever fully down for a "one" count allows the powder time to fully drop. If not held down briefly there can be some spilliage as the "last" of the powder column falls as the case is extracting from the die (well that is my experience anyway).

Final thought, someone I know who is a very experienced handloader and is the manager of a local ammunition loading company is adamant that a .1-.2 gn variation in powder is not an issue. And given that in my chronographing increases/decreases in powder weight within this range more often than not do not effect velocity reading, he may be right. It is overcharging with small charges of fast powder that may be the main issue with the Lee auto disk system.

 

[Wise_A]

I use all Lee equipment. Press is the classic turret with Lee .38/357 dies and the Pro powder measure. I'm trying to load .38 SPL wadcutter for a S&W 52. I just have problems trusting this powder measure. Cycling it dry I can see that the drop hole in the 0.30 disk never completely clears over the drop tube, leaving a little ledge that retains powder. I use the powder through expander die with the riser and the mouth of the die contacts the shellholder but it just doesn't move the disk far enough.

First, the adjustable charge bar won't do what you want. You really need to be dropping over 4.0 grains to even begin using those things. I liked it for .44 Mag loads--anywhere from 8 to 20 grains--and have used it for 4.2 gr WST loads, but that's it.

Second--I have the exact same setup as you, and don't have that problem at all. The disc's charge hole is fully out over the drop tube. Unfortunately, I don't have the press currently mounted (playing around with my new Breech Lock Pro), but I'll probably swap back later today and check.

I also got an Auto Drum, and had no problem dropping 2.6-2.8 gr AA#2 loads for .380 Auto, which is in the same .30cc range as 2.7/2.8 gr of Bullseye. Weighed charges were all either right on or +.1gr.

 

[cowboy4evr]

If I remember correctly . the LEE .3cc scoop drops 2.8 grs . of Bullseye powder , close enough for me . It's what I use when loading 38 special 148 gr wadcutters . regards, Paul

 

[Bosquebass]

OP, if the mouth of the die is contacting your shellholder that's the problem.
It's possible that the die is not properly adjusted or the wrong expander is in the die but something there is off. On my press, with a shell in the holder and the ram all the way up there is about an eighth of an inch gap between the holder and the mouth of the die and the disc is moved all the way over the drop hole. This may produce more flair than you think you need but that's what it takes to get the Auto Disc to drop like it should.
I checked mine with Bullseye and the.30 hole and got 2.7 or 2.8 on every throw.

 

[Qc Pistolero]

I tried both systems and had variations larger than I like.Since I use it only for rifle calibers,I simply mounted my trusted Bair Pacific powder dispenser by the press and use it.
The thing was bought brand new in 1975 or '76 for $25.99 and it will dispense even coarse powders like IMR 4350 within 0.1 tenth of a grain.it is a little slower but has the advantage of letting me check if the volume of powder is ok in the case.

 

[caduceus]

I have the drum set up. Cheap looking but it has turned out to be absolutely spot on. I leave it set up for 9mm. Have the disk etc but once drum was setup and I understood how it worked wouldn't trade it for any other. I have yet to catch it throwing a incorrect charge. Check every 10 RDS it's going on 2 ND yr. thanks for

 

[Trooperdan]

Some good advice coming in here now! Today, I used the 0.30 Lee scoop from the measure kit to finish 100 .38 SPL 148 HBWC loads. I'll experiment trying different adjustments of the powder/expanding die without powder and see if I can get further travel of the disk.
I used a .357 case and got a solid 2.8 of powder dropped, went back to .38 brass and barely dropped any powder at all! I also sent off a request for help from Lee.
I think I will order the auto drum as several have said it works well.

 

[MyDads38]

I have an Auto Disk measure mounted on each set of my pistol dies (older, original model), mine work great and never a problem, even with Red Dot. As mentioned above, mine are usually spot on, with only a variation of +/- .1 gr. Powders like Bullseye, W231 and TiteGroup work great with the disks. I have 2 sets of scoops also, and they are just as accurate. Something is amiss, if the cavity doesn't center to drop your powder charge, and hope Lee can help you out. Good luck and let us know what happens...

 

[Trooperdan]

Found the problem! Actually, Bosquebass found it and sent me a PM. I had the wrong expander in the powder die! Actually, there was NO expander, just a small ring spacer. I didn't notice there was no expansion taking place because I have Lyman M die mounted to do the expanding, I prefer the step the M die give over the typical belling that is so easy to over-do. Put in what I think is the correct Lee expander and the charge hole clears the drop hole 100 percent! Feel like an idiot but, thanks so much to Bosquebass for setting me right! I also went back to the disc rather than the adjustable charge bar, just too small of a charge for that tool

 

[Bosquebass]

Glad to help.
The best thing about this forum is the fact that there is always someone around here that can assist with a problem.

 

[AzShooter]

Use a ball powder like Bullseye and you will solve your problem Another good powder is 231. You can get your light loads with little problem. 2.7 grains of bullseye was my standard wadcutter load in my .38s. I loaded on a Dillon, dot a Lee but I had the same experience with variations in charge weight.

The charges were very close to each other and accuracy did not deteriorate with the variations.

Good luck.

 

[GypsmJim]

I have been using a Lee Auto Disc mounted on my powder thru expander die ever since they first introduced that product. I like it so much a few years ago I bought a complete set of replacement parts, just to ensure I could still use it in the event the parts were ever discontinued.

The adjustable charge bar makes the system complete and user friendly. I have generated calibration curves with each powder I use, and then made a best fit curve to build a chart for every setting. The confidence factor for each chart is well over 99.9%. Powders must have quite consistent density batch to batch because whenever I open a new can my charts are still spot on.

For Bullseye, my lowest reliable setting drops 1.9 grains.

I can't say I ever weighed consecutive charges to 2 decimal places on a digital scale, but my level of consistency certainly meets my requirements.