Are the Auto disk powder measures that come with Lee turret presses accurate and reliable. I'm thinking of getting a 4 hole turret to load 9mm and wonder it would be accurate enough for that cartridge, or would it be better to manual load thru the powder thru expander die?
Auto disk powder measure
- Thread starter Satch
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bfox
Member
Buy the adjustable charge bar for it then you can get the
charges you want .
Good Luck , Bill
charges you want .
Good Luck , Bill
wanderinwalker
Member
The adjustable charge bar will get you exactly where you want. However...
I use the discs and don't have any issues. With the Double-Disc kit on a Pro1000 I can load .223 loads for my AR that are accurate enough to shoot MOA out to at least 300 yards. So I will say that the setup is reliable enough for 9mm ammo! (Yes, I load 9mm as well. Lots of it. It is plenty accurate for my abilities and reliable.)
I use the discs and don't have any issues. With the Double-Disc kit on a Pro1000 I can load .223 loads for my AR that are accurate enough to shoot MOA out to at least 300 yards. So I will say that the setup is reliable enough for 9mm ammo! (Yes, I load 9mm as well. Lots of it. It is plenty accurate for my abilities and reliable.)
WhoKnowsWho
Member
I have the Pro Upgrade for the Auto Disk, had some "spillage" early on with ball powder, but some tape to reduce the gap between the disk and the frame solved that. Other than that, it has worked very good for it's price.
HogRider
Member
I use the Auto Disk exclusively and it works well. If you loading Magnum calibers I highly recommend buying that "Double Disk Kit".
wally
Member
I have the Pro and the old regular styles. Forget about the Pro. Not an improvement and the powder cut off -- why I wanted it, to change disks without removing it from the press to empty -- always leaks a bit when you remove the disk.
--wally.
--wally.
racenutz
Member
IMO, I’d get the Pro model as you will eventually wear out the hopper retaining screws on the regular model.
Here's an Excel spreadsheet I came up with while I was laid up from surgery (I was going nuts from not having anything to do
) It lists all the powder charges available with all the different single, double, micro & adjustable disc combinations. This one is set up for Accurate #5 but all you have to do to figure any other powder is to change the Powder VMD to the correct one for your powder (Chart available from Lee here )
Here's an Excel spreadsheet I came up with while I was laid up from surgery (I was going nuts from not having anything to do
) It lists all the powder charges available with all the different single, double, micro & adjustable disc combinations. This one is set up for Accurate #5 but all you have to do to figure any other powder is to change the Powder VMD to the correct one for your powder (Chart available from Lee here )
wally
Member
The regular model is cheaper by enough to make it faster to have two and not mess with the screws if needing the double disk kit.
Other than the bigger powder hopper IMHO eveything else about the "pro" is inferior to the elegant simplicity of the original.
--wally.
Other than the bigger powder hopper IMHO eveything else about the "pro" is inferior to the elegant simplicity of the original.
--wally.
If the discs happen to coincide with the load you want, you're all set. In my case (a sample size of 'one'), the .43 disc drops 4.2 gr. of Accurate #2 without any adjustment. Since this was the load I was looking for, case closed (so to speak).
As racenutz suggested, the retaining screws do look a bit fragile. Instead of unscrewing 'em each time, I grab the expander die real firm-like and unscrew the entire powder measure from the die when I'm not going to be loading for a few days. Then it can be emptied from the top, and re-screwed in (with a similar claw-like grasp on the expander, to prevent changing its setting).
It seems to clean out rather well. I keep a fired case to catch any leftovers, and run it through the expand-and-charge cycle a few times before rotating the turret to the seating die. So far, so clean. I haven't been surprised yet by a full case, or even any scatterings of powder. YMMV, but so far, I'm a happy camper.
As racenutz suggested, the retaining screws do look a bit fragile. Instead of unscrewing 'em each time, I grab the expander die real firm-like and unscrew the entire powder measure from the die when I'm not going to be loading for a few days. Then it can be emptied from the top, and re-screwed in (with a similar claw-like grasp on the expander, to prevent changing its setting).
It seems to clean out rather well. I keep a fired case to catch any leftovers, and run it through the expand-and-charge cycle a few times before rotating the turret to the seating die. So far, so clean. I haven't been surprised yet by a full case, or even any scatterings of powder. YMMV, but so far, I'm a happy camper.
mtnbkr
Member
The discs are accurate and reliable. I didn't get that sort of performance from the adjustable charge bar. I got variances as high as half a grain with the adjustable bar. Variance with the discs run less than 2 tenths of a grain, often much less. Most recently, when using that system for my 32acp loads and Power Pistol, I had variations of less than 1 tenth of a grain. That's a small flake powder.
I haven't used my adjustable charge bar in nearly 4 years.
Chris
I haven't used my adjustable charge bar in nearly 4 years.
Chris
If the discs happen to coincide with the load you want, you're all set. In my case (a sample size of 'one'), the .43 disc drops 4.2 gr. of Accurate #2 without any adjustment. Since this was the load I was looking for, case closed (so to speak).
As racenutz noted, the retaining screws' ears do look a bit fragile. Not a big deal once you've settled on a disc, but something to note while you're trying them out.
As racenutz noted, the retaining screws' ears do look a bit fragile. Not a big deal once you've settled on a disc, but something to note while you're trying them out.
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