Lee AutoDrum failure!

Lee will give you a new one. Looks like the gears locked up, jammed it, and the pressure popped it loose from the base splitting the case. I have one that is spreading at those ears, but I have 5,000 rounds or more through it and it was "loose" when I got it

Mine was flexing at the bottom in the same area , put a small tie wrap around it and solved the problem , now works great but I have a small thin worm gear clamp just in case .Love this powder thrower ,and is very consistant at throwing charges, but I stlll check weight every 4th or 5th throw ,kind of anal that way,Can't be to carefull..Lee will replace it for you just call them . A great company to do bussiness with....

Hmmmm, these things tend to be a little loose where those ears spread.

Russellc

I have one but don't use it much and thought the spring was kind of stiff for the application, maybe it's needed for stick powder.
You can set it up too deep, "bottom out" the Auto-drum, and put a lot of pressure on it too.

I own 10 Auto Drums, about half of them are too stiff (spring) the other half just right. I spotted this early and started using the lighter springs on handgun turrets.

I have always been a loyal "green machine" advocate. However, this thread has captured my acute interest. I have even went to the Midwest site and reviewed some 50 or so reviews on this powder measure. I must say, I am impressed with what reviewers have said about this Lee
Auto Drum measure. Even though I have the micrometer adjustment on my uniflo,, sometimes it is frustrating to try and throw consistent charges using flake powders such as Unique and 800-X. Sometimes during a loading session it works flawlessly, and other times it can vary as much as + or - 0.3 grains. And yes, I have a baffle in hopper. I am thinking of getting one of these Lee Auto Drums just to play with it and see if it works as great as many have stated. (By the way, not doubting what any of you have posted)

drband said:

My trusty Lee AutoDrum PM failed yesterday. One minute, I was loading 45acp on my LCT and in an instant, powder flew everywhere while I was charging a case. Pics attached.
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Duct tape should take care of that!!!

drband, thanks for posting that failure. My Auto-drum is packed away for a move at this moment. But when I dig it out, I'll have to inspect mine and keep an eye on that area of the casting.

Question: Before it broke, did you notice any oddities? Such as less bell mouth on the charged cases? Or was it sudden failure?

drband said:

If only it would! LOL!

Hope the replacement comes soon!

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I'm sure Lee will take care of you and replace it. Your unit may have had a casting fault that caused it. Just want to point out if the powder through die is set too low that this will put stress on the Auto Drum and can cause it to fail in a like manner.

This video shows how adjusting the die controls total travel of the drum. You don't want to allow the the Auto Drum to bottom out. Let us know how Lee does with your service ticket.

That metal looks like pot metal, zinc. If this is the case it's very weak and may be an occurring thing. Do what you can to reinforce it, but a poor choice in materials.

drband, good to hear that they are taking care of that.

Thanks for your response in post #14. Hopefully the failure you had was an isolated incendent. None the less, I will be keeping an eye on mine. (Nobody likes a powder toss surprise)

Perhaps I will put one of those "worm clamp" deals like holds on radiator hoses around that sucker. Mine has always been a little wobbly in that area...

russellc

Id buy another, they are inexpensive enough, then when Lee fixes the old one, you have 2.

Good product though. Lee could build them out of slightly better materials, but honestly, if 1 in 100 fails like this, Lee can replace it, and its no skin off them. You just figure approximate failure rates into the cost of what you are selling.

SARuger said:

I own 10 Auto Drums, about half of them are too stiff (spring) the other half just right. I spotted this early and started using the lighter springs on handgun turrets.

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When adjusted per the video in post #15, that is, without the black plastic tab hitting the top of the slot, the Auto Drum depends solely on spring pressure to flare pistol case mouths. At least, that's how mine works. Wouldn't different strength springs give you different amounts of flare?

drband said:

I think you are mistaken. If you take the pm off the die and run a case through a cycle, the powder thru die will bell the case, just the same. At least that is the way my pistol caliber does work. If you note pistol caliber setup instructions, they can be set up to bell the case and used without an automatic powder measure at all. A funnel is all that's needed to drop powder through the die.
However, I expect a stiff actuation spring could cause case damage on a .380 case during cycling since the case walls are relatively thin. Mine have escaped unscathed.

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It depends on how you use the PTX die. What you say is true if you use the PTX die with the funnel adapter installed or with the riser inserted between the PTX die and the Auto Drum. But, if you don’t need the riser and just screw the Auto Drum directly into the PTX die, as shown in the video, what I said in post #22 is true.