howdy Im new to this and don't want to blow anything up so I am asking first

[gamestalker]

My sincere apology Tex, I didn't mean to make you feel like a fool, or embarrass you what so ever, that would be far from my intended purpose, as there would be nothing to be gained by such conduct. I thought I had clearly projected that sentiment, again I am very sorry. Mine, and everyone else's only intention here at THR is to try and save you from experiencing a disaster right from the get go. Nothing could be more disappointing than for a brand new reloader, than to have something really bad happen the very first time they pull the trigger with their first loads. I hope we are good, and that all that emotion can be set aside for the sake of remaining productive. Again, I am sincerely sorry for offending you, it was not intended. Now, how about we get down to some reloading, as you've just entered into what can be a very enjoyable and productive hobby.

Now, back to one of my concerns, and I hope I can be clear with my question. I may have misunderstood your original post in this respect, so please bear with me, I have read your post multiple several times, but I'm not always the sharpest tool in the shed when it regards reading comprehension, as you've already noticed. So, are you throwing your charges into a single designated piece of brass that the scale has been zeroed to? Or, are you re-zeroing the scale with each new piece of brass you place on the scale? Again, the concern here is that brass is not consistent enough in weight to be used in this manner, nor would this be a particularly good practice, as charges would most certainly vary significantly.

I hope I stated that with some clarity, I sometimes have difficulty getting my message out clearly. If anyone here is mentally challenged, it would be me Tex.

GS

 

[ShadyTex]

I agree a lot of times text does not come out right been there done that. No hard feelings and I do thank you for your input.

all testing was done with the same piece of brass with a primer. All I was doing was testing and trying to set up the press.

I am currently waiting for delivery of a proper scale before moving on to the next step.

 

[gamestalker]

Awesome, with input from the rest of the members, and especially so with the input of others here, as I am only a single stage loader, but none the less, we should have you shooting your own in no time!

And I'm so glad we have moved past the misunderstandings, it's all good.

And welcome to THR Shady Tex

GS

 

[ProfessorX]

I have read with interest (I have less than a year of reloading and consider myself also a newcomer). My first impression of ShadyTex's first post was very positive. Why? BECAUSE HE ASKED FIRST. Anyone who asks FIRST in these situations impresses me as someone who, inspite of being new, is on the ball and very smart. My advice is to keep reading and learning get a better scale (yeah, I know, we're all sounding like a broken record about that LOL), but you're smart enough to keep on reloading because you were smart enough to stop and ask.
I also read Gamestalker's "mea culpa" and am very impressed with that. As I read the discussion between ShadyTex and Gamestalker I thought "Here is a great example of two gentleman acting like we all should". You both are "Class Acts".

 

[Kuyong_Chuin]

Just a note since I am a perfectionist, 1 gram = 15.4323584 grains

 

[1SOW]

RussellC, actually, I didn't say to measure every load.

Actually, I get very consistant results from the LEE Pro-Powder Disc system and don't weigh very many loads at all. When I change discs, I DO carefully dump the powder back into the hopper for a number of drops. This allows everything to settle and get consistent. Then I do carefully measure a few drops individually and dump them back into the hopper. Once I've seen consistency, I'm off to the races with pumping out 9mm cartridges. I do have a case light so I can SEE the drop clearly. If anything looks off, I'll weigh again to check. rarely does anything look 'off' with the powders I choose to load: Small ball & small rod mostly. With these powders the system is amazingly consistent. With a new-to-me powder, I often do 5 or ten drops and weigh all at one time and then divide for the average weight drop. Then a few individual drops for individual consistency then start reloading.
I chrono all my new loads and usually look for about 134 PF for comp. loads.

I load a lot of 9mm . I have modified disc holes to be able to drop in .1 gr increments in the ranges I normally load. Some Examples: hole # 49, + hole #49.1, hole #49.5 hole #46, #46.1, #47.5 These re-numbered holes still work using the chart with any powder used.
I also have the adjustable disk that I don't care for, but can use for load work-ups, until I find the load I like.

The 'scale' sets this all up to work reliably. It's essential.


I

 

[lckdnldd]

Just an FYI . I found the Lee Auto Disks to be very consistent but they are known for giving a lighter powder charge for any particular hole number than what the Lee Auto Disk Capacity Chart says it will drop. I found I had to move up a number or two to get close to what Lee states it will drop. For example, for my .45 ACP starting load of 6.3 grains the Lee Auto Disk Capacity Chart recommends the .66 Auto Disk but the weighed charge from that disk was way below 6.3 grains. I moved up to the .76 Auto Disk and got a weighed charge of 6.4 grains. That was as close as I could get to the recommended starting load. I did not like the fact that there was no setting on the Lee Auto Disks where I could get 6.3 grains. So, even though the Lee Auto Disks are very consistent they are not that good for a fined tuned powder charge without some modification. I purchased the Lee Adjustable Charge Bar and use it now. For me it did the trick. Now I am able to dial in the charge to whatever I need. I must add though that from what I have read around the forums the Lee Adjustable Charge Bar does not work well for very small charges. So, if you think you might want to pick one up do some research on it first. Good luck and be safe.

 

[gamestalker]

Indeed, Shady was spot on by asking, and with such a humble and sincere demeanor. Only fools rush in, and Shady Tex did no such thing, indeed a trait of someone displaying common sense and intellect.

ProfessorX, you as well bring good ethics and manner to this forum, and as well, are an example of gentleman like conduct.

OK, now back to reloading GENTLEMAN!:

GS

 

[Reefinmike]

Is a group hug in order?

 

[gamestalker]

Is a group hug in order?

I'd rather just get on with reloading, if that would be ok with everyone else.

Ya, I've used powder measures years back, still due on occasion, Lee particularly, and they almost always needed tweaking to get the charge I needed. With some really temperamental powders or those with very short charge tables, I can see where weighing each charge, or at least checking them, can be a smart move. But with fluffy powders that either provide very good case fill, and, or those that have a decent amount of wriggle room in the tables, it's not necessary to weigh every charge, just checking every 10th charge or so is plenty safe.

But visual inspection of each and every case with a good light, that is absolutely necessary, this right here is what eliminates almost all KB's and squibs from the equation.

GS

 

[maxxhavoc]

In my opinion (which is usually not popular ) You made good choices, the Lee 1000 is a fine press. You may outgrow it after awhile, but I still am using them after 20+ years.

I would also recommend you get a Frankford Arsenal Digital scale, or any of the other inexpensive digitals with grain readout. I like to have 2 scales on hand for sanity checks. As a matter of fact, what scale do you already have? If it was intended for reloading it will probably switch units to grains.

With the Lee, it will be a little picky, and the instructions will be confusing since there are like 20 instruction pamphlets in the box. The most important ones are for the autodisk (for the cavity sizes) and the die set. The die set will go in depth on how to set up the dies on each station in detail.

My rules for the Pro 1000:
1. Always keep the primer chute at least 3/4 of the way full.
2. Always go all the way up, all the way down while loading. The only exception is when a primer does not seat with the normal amount of force.
3. If something feels "wrong" or "different"...stop, clear the press and check it out.
4. Never force the shellplate to rotate. If you raise the ram about halfway, you can rotate the shellplate easily.
5. When you get ANY powder on the shellplate, get it off. If it ends up in the primer feed, they will flip and jam until you clean it.
6. Put a light so you can see into the charged cases on the bullet station ( a flex head light works well.) Glance into EVERY case. If one seems lower or higher, stop, clear the press and weigh it. This goes for ANY press without a die made for the purpose.
7. Make sure the press is securely mounted, with little to no rocking when you cycle it.
8. Keep the powder hopper full.
9. Make sure you have a ball chain junction on hand for when the ball chain snaps. It will snap. There should be one in your press kit.
10. No matter how much you want to, do not replace the ball chain with a spring. Breaking the chain is annoying. An accidental double-charge will ruin your day. And your gun. Probably your hand too.
11. CCIs and Federal primers slide better than Winchester. After the press is broken in all will work.
12. If you have issues, there are folks who can keep any 1000 running forever. Feel free to ask and ignore the folks who may own other brands of presses. Ammo out of a blue press shoots exactly the same as the ones out of a red one.

Get Lee Modern Reloading book. It has the Auto-Disk tables in it, and the book is hard to lose. It also has more load data than just about any other book. Be warned - it is also full of Lee's opinions, which can be rather egotistical.

Be safe, and keep shooting.

 

[sauer1911]

I still like the mechanical beam scale over battery/electric powered digital scales.

They give you pause of a minute or so to sort of stop and look over what your doing and to keep you focused on the job of reloading.

Dont need batteries, or power, it just works good, every single time.

I can only go so fast, and my Dillon 650xl fits perfectly.

be safe.

 

[MEHavey]

...I filled it with powder and weighed it 10 times each time it came out .30-.313 and after the first few it was usually right at .31. but thats way to low compared to the data I found. So I moved to the 57 disc and got an average of .35 moved to the 66 and averaged .42 ...on the 71 disc I got a range of .443 - .457.

...it reads in grams to 3 places. So when it says 0.123 it means 1.23 grains.

Holy Mac'kel der Kingfish !
Scare me to death. :-(

Grams-to-Grains
0.30 grams = 4.6 grains (your original target from the manual)
0.35 grams = 5.4 grains (already waaaaay over max)
0.42 grams = 6.5 grains (and possible kaboom)
0.46 grams = 7.1 grains (and likely kaboom)
(and if “0.123” really meant 1.23 grains -- which would equal 19grains -- you’d have powder all over the floor from an overflowing case.

- As others have noted here, get a good simple powder scale ASAP.
- Trust that when the book says grains, it hasn't misspelled something
- Don't convert units of measure and/or have to deal with tare weights. Get things that read correct units directly
- Trust that when the book gives you a "disc" or a "dipper" number to measure with, it's not going to be far off.
- Trust, but verify at regular intervals.
- Trust also that if it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't.

Finally, get someone you trust to look over your shoulder at the start -- even if he's a neophyte too. Two sets of eyes will catch things that one set will miss (!)

And oh yeah... WELCOME to an avocation that never quits changing, never grows old, and NEVER lets you get complacent.

 

[ProfessorX]

forgot to mention this earlier, but I have a 5 station press (hornady LnL) so I usually use a powder cop die. makes it easy to check at a glance.