I am finally done with my LEE powder measure

[Riomouse911]

I have had my LEE powder measure for many years. Over the past few reloading sessions and range trips I started noticing charge levels varying a bit while reloading, recoil varying a bit, etc. I habitually weigh every charge thrown until it is where I need it, then once it hits the same number 5 in a row I measure every 5 thereafter. I tap the measure on the handle up and the downstroke to prevent bridging and I don’t use a progressive press. It’s all loaded one round at a time.

Well today I finally stuck a bullet after 28 years of reloading. I was shooting 148 gr plated DEWC over 2.8 gr Bullseye through my Colt Officer Model Heavy Barrel target gun when I had a “Plop!” rather than a BANG! I immediately popped open the cylinder, unloaded the unfired rounds. Then using a chamber flag, I felt the obstruction about 1.5” from the end of the 6” barrel.

Dammit!

I put that gun away and finished my shooting session with the flattop Blackhawk .44 Spl. and CZ Shadow 2.

The .44 Spl. was shooting well today, these are at 10 yds. with a black bull that measures about 1”. These aren’t full Skeeter loads, but run with 6.9 gr Unique under a 240 gr plated HP (top 2) a 215 SWC (center and bottom left) and a 200 gr RNFP (bottom right).


The Shadow 2 was ok, tried two-shot taps at 15 yds with mixed 115 and 124 gr fmj ammo. The heavy gun makes staying close on the target pretty easy.

When I got home I put the Colt in my bench vise with leather and cloth padding on the jaws. Using a brass rod and hammer I tapped the stuck wadcutter out.


The bullet showed 50/50 powder burn and copper on the base, leading me to believe it was short-charged and a minimal amount of powder was in the case.



I ordered an RCBS competition powder measure today and intend to send the now-unreliable LEE to the scrapyard.

The old adage “If it doesn’t sound right or feel right, STOP SHOOTING!” kicked in. I am glad that I have fired enough rounds over the decades to feel that something was wrong, but I am still bummed that I loaded a round that wasn’t acceptable.

Lessons learned!

Stay safe.

 

[MarshallDodge]

Are you sure it was the Lee? What has caused it to throw varying charges?

I'm not a big Lee fanboi but I have been happy with my PPP, since 1991.

 

[Blue68f100]

I have had my LEE powder measure for many years. Over the past few reloading sessions and range trips I started noticing charge levels varying a bit while reloading, recoil varying a bit, etc. I habitually weigh every charge thrown until it is where I need it, then once it hits the same number 5 in a row I measure every 5 thereafter. I tap the measure on the handle up and the downstroke to prevent bridging and I don’t use a progressive press. It’s all loaded one round at a time.

Well today I finally stuck a bullet after 28 years of reloading. I was shooting 148 gr plated DEWC over 2.8 gr Bullseye through my Colt Officer Model Heavy Barrel target gun when I had a “Plop!” rather than a BANG! I immediately popped open the cylinder, unloaded the unfired rounds. Then using a chamber flag, I felt the obstruction about 1.5” from the end of the 6” barrel.

Dammit!

I put that gun away and finished my shooting session with the flattop Blackhawk .44 Spl. and CZ Shadow 2.

The .44 Spl. was shooting well today, these are at 10 yds. with a black bull that measures about 1”. These aren’t full Skeeter loads, but run with 6.9 gr Unique under a 240 gr plated HP (top 2) a 215 SWC (center lad bottom left) and a 200 gr RNFP (bottom right).

View attachment 1166132
The Shadow 2 was ok, tried two-shot taps at 15 yds with mixed 115 and 124 gr fmj ammo. The heavy gun makes staying close on the target pretty easy. View attachment 1166135

When I got home I put the Colt in my bench vise with leather and cloth padding on the jaws. Using a brass rod and hammer I tapped the stuck wadcutter out.
View attachment 1166133

The bullet showed 50/50 powder burn and copper on the base, leading me to believe it was short-charged and a minimal amount of powder was in the case.

View attachment 1166134

I ordered an RCBS competition powder measure today and intend to send the now-unreliable LEE to the scrapyard.

The old adage “If it doesn’t sound right or feel right, STOP SHOOTING!” kicked in. I am glad that I have fired enough rounds over the decades to feel that something was wrong, but I am still bummed that I loaded a round that wasn’t acceptable.

Lessons learned!

Stay safe.

Glad you stopped. Nothing good comes out of shooting a round behind a squib.

I always carry a squib rod in my gun bag when I shot at a public range. I never needed it, but a few others at the range did. Saved their day so they could continue shooting.

 

[Riomouse911]

Are you sure it was the Lee? What has caused it to throw varying charges?

I'm not a big Lee fanboi but I have been happy with my PPP, since 1991.

It seems to have started recently, and is especially noticeable with light charges like these BE loads. I have loaded a literal ton of ammo with it, I think the plastic internal parts have finally worn to the point of inconsistency.

Stay safe.

 

[Riomouse911]

Glad you stopped. Nothing good comes out of shooting a round behind a squib.

I always carry a squib rod in my gun bag when I shot at a public range. I never needed it, but a few others at the range did. Saved their day so they could continue shooting.

I keep a .22 sized rod for stuck cases, it is a good idea to have one along.
This one took quite a bit of tapping to shove it all the way back down the barrel. I hope I don’t have to do that again.

Stay safe.

 

[Click_Here]

It seems to have started recently, and is especially noticeable with light charges like these BE loads. I have loaded a literal ton of ammo with it, I think the plastic internal parts have finally worn to the point of inconsistency.

Stay safe.

Plastic internal gears, after years and thousands of rounds the plastic gear teeth are probably so worn it skipped/jumped on a drop. My guess.

 

[Rule3]

Which powder measure ?
Lee has several
One squib could be something else

 

[JohnB-40]

I use a Lee PAD which so far has been accurate;the problem is with operator in my near-squib incident. I check my load on every 10th throw with a 505. I loaded 100 rounds and was packing up the the kit and when I got to the scale there was powder still in the pan. Luckily the finished rounds hadn't been moved in the MTM case and I always fill the case in the same sequence. I counted back 10 rounds,pulled the bullet and sure enough no powder. I usually peak in the case before seating....Guess I spaced out.

 

[mdi]

I have a Lee PPM, for maybe 20+ years, still use it for some powders (small granule) and my CH 502 for other powders. Like any tool "preventative/regular maintenance" is necessary. Occasionally I have disassembled my Lee and cleaned it. I have had zero problems with mine. Still holds +/- .5 to .75 grains if W321...

 

[Hooda Thunkit]

A couple years ago I had a squib whilst shooting 32 ACP factory Winchester ammo. Same symptom - a 'pooof' instead of a bang, had to manually drive the bullet out of the barrel.

I contacted Winchester, they sent a call tag and a coupon for a fresh replacement box of ammo.

I wonder if they scrapped the powder measuring machine at the Winchester factory.

 

[mdi]

It seems to have started recently, and is especially noticeable with light charges like these BE loads. I have loaded a literal ton of ammo with it, I think the plastic internal parts have finally worn to the point of inconsistency.

Stay safe.

My Lee powder measure has no gears. What Lee powder measure do you mean?

 

[Show Me]

One dud in 28 years. Hope you buy lottery tickets. I have static problems with some powders. Some lock and key graphite makes it stop sticking to the bottle so then it falls out the measure. But measures have been a trouble shooting challenge over the years. Adapt and overcome like the Marines.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

I wonder if they scrapped the powder measuring machine at the Winchester factory.

They may have checked it but they wouldn't scrap it. In fact, I doubt they did anything about it at the factory unless they had more than one call about the same thing. It's really hard to blame one instant on a machine when it's been running fine for quite a while. More like a person was involved in the process somewhere.
Those kind of machines are on a whole other level than a 25 year old Lee plastic powder measure that's been used a lot.
My 40 year old Pro Auto Disc measure is still doing well and puts powder in all my .357 brass. Hope it never wears out.

 

[Show Me]

They may have checked it but they wouldn't scrap it. In fact, I doubt they did anything about it at the factory unless they had more than one call about the same thing. It's really hard to blame one instant on a machine when it's been running fine for quite a while. More like a person was involved in the process somewhere.
Those kind of machines are on a whole other level than a 25 year old Lee plastic powder measure that's been used a lot.
My 40 year old Pro Auto Disc measure is still doing well and puts powder in all my .357 brass. Hope it never wears out.

Just a tube that tips down to fill then tips up to dump. Figure out why. Take it apart and study how it works. Check your powder for static cling

 

[Steve51]

Over the years, I have had two squibs. Both times with Winchester factory white box ammo (.38 spl.). Both times the bullet stopped exiting the cylinder and partially in the forcing cone, locking the cylinder.
I am pretty sure the cases did not get loaded with powder and the only pressure was from the primer. I always carry various size wooden dowel rods approx 12" long & a small hammer when shooting at the range.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

It seems to have started recently, and is especially noticeable with light charges like these BE loads. I have loaded a literal ton of ammo with it, I think the plastic internal parts have finally worn to the point of inconsistency.

Stay safe.

I agree with your logic. Don’t use a tool you don’t trust. It doesn’t matter what other people experience, you have to trust your equipment and, if you don’t, then replace it.

 

[jmorris]

The old adage “If it doesn’t sound right or feel right, STOP SHOOTING!” kicked in.

+ 1,000,000, you don’t get the money when you die, someone else does.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

I no longer trust my lee auto-drums for rifle. I still use them for pistol.

 

[Mark_Mark]

My Dillion is a killer powde drop. My Kit RCBS has been ROCK solid with throws. I’m not going to comment about Lee Drop, get what you pay for kinda thing.

I’m going to dedicate my Lee to Black Powder! Can’t mess it up there! lol

 

[Zygodactyl]

On light loads some powder is positional sensitive, especially in long cases like .38, and 45 Colt.. It looks like the powder was spread along the side of the case and not against the primer. I stopped using W231 for that reason for creating light loads. I switched to Tightgroup and the problem went away. Tightgroup is advertised as not being positional sensitive.

 

[Riomouse911]

On light loads some powder is positional sensitive, especially in long cases like .38, and 45 Colt.. It looks like the powder was spread along the side of the case and not against the primer. I stopped using W231 for that reason for creating light loads. I switched to Tightgroup and the problem went away. Tightgroup is advertised as not being positional sensitive.

Thanks, but not a Titegroup fan. I had an issue with that powder and light .38 Spl loads about 15 years ago and don’t like it. I have a half dozen powders good for .38’s on the shelf, so I can swap later if I want to.

I have probably loaded and fired six or seven .30 cal ammo cans full of the DEWC/2.8 gr Bullseye loads over the years. This was my first, and hopefully last, “Poof!” round.

My Lee powder measure has no gears. What Lee powder measure do you mean?

I don’t see a name or model on it, but it’s this one.
With ball powder it leaks around the drum like a sieve, with flake powders like BE or Unique it doesn’t leak. I don’t think it had gears either, but there is something going on with it now and it isn’t throwing consistently anymore. I could feel the difference in recoil and hear it in the report with the few .38’s I shot before it stuck the squib.

I am hoping it’s just affecting this most recently loaded box of light-charge DEWC, with the heavier charges in my .44 Spl loads I loaded at a similar time didn’t notice a difference shot to shot.

I figure I will go with a somewhat higher dollar RCBS measure now that I have lost faith in this one. Since I hand-throw all my charges anyway it shouldn’t change the time it takes me to reload once I get it set for the charge weight I want.

Again, if it doesn’t look, sound or feel right, stop shooting, unload and check your firearm!

Stay safe.

 

[JSneezy]

I have a Lee PPM, brand new in the box, where it's been sitting for the last 3 years. While I was working on getting my bench set up, I started ordering a bunch of Lee stuff because of the price. As I started researching, I came across a Christmas deal on the RCBS Competition measure, and ordered one. As soon as I got it and felt the difference compared to the Lee, I ended up sticking with the RCBS. After I started using it, I can't see myself using anything else for pistol loading. The micrometer adjustment makes it easy to repeat a load, and it seems like every drop is within .15 of my intended load.

I also made a mistake and got sidetracked and walked away with about half a hopper full of Titegroup, and came back a week later to find it was clouded over pretty badly, and some granules of powder were permanently stuck to it. Over time, it ended up cracking. I ended up calling RCBS to try to buy a replacement hopper, and they wanted absolutely nothing to do with my credit card. I figured it was my fault, I should pay for it. Since then, I've added some more RCBS stuff to my bench, and I don't see that changing any time soon.

Once you have the Competition measure cleaned and set up, open the micrometer up all the way, fill the hopper, and just start cycling it. I think I ran a pound through it twice to get a good coating of graphite on it. After that, I've kept pretty meticulous notes about what micrometer setting gives me a certain powder charge for each powder I use. Now I just set it, drop 10 charges, weigh it, and average it over 10 drops, then weigh 10 individual drops, and after that I'll weigh every 5th drop while charging cases.

 

[JerkyFreak]

Have you perhaps cleaned the powder measure recently?

One mistake a number of people make is to clean powder measuring equipment. Then you tend to end up with a lot of static on the olastic bits. This is felt at the worst with flake type powder. Specially with the mostly plastic design of the Lee powder measure.

Only other reasons I can think of for an 'economy load' is the hopper getting very low or not completing the up or down stroke. The Lee measure is literally that simple.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Thanks, but not a Titegroup fan. I had an issue with that powder and light .38 Spl loads about 15 years ago and don’t like it. I have a half dozen powders good for .38’s on the shelf, so I can swap later if I want to.

I have probably loaded and fired six or seven .30 cal ammo cans full of the DEWC/2.8 gr Bullseye loads over the years. This was my first, and hopefully last, “Poof!” round.


I don’t see a name or model on it, but it’s this one. View attachment 1166182
With ball powder it leaks around the drum like a sieve, with flake powders like BE or Unique it doesn’t leak. I don’t think it had gears either, but there is something going on with it now and it isn’t throwing consistently anymore. I could feel the difference in recoil and hear it in the report with the few .38’s I shot before it stuck the squib.

I am hoping it’s just affecting this most recently loaded box of light-charge DEWC, with the heavier charges in my .44 Spl loads I loaded at a similar time didn’t notice a difference shot to shot.

I figure I will go with a somewhat higher dollar RCBS measure now that I have lost faith in this one. Since I hand-throw all my charges anyway it shouldn’t change the time it takes me to reload once I get it set for the charge weight I want.

Again, if it doesn’t look, sound or feel right, stop shooting, unload and check your firearm!

Stay safe.

If you’re using the quick change drums - one drum per load weight/powder, or swapping drums for each caliber, you’re probably okay. If only that one drum is the problem. If you don’t quick change and you use the same drum for everything, I would be suspicious of anything dropped since it started having problems.

 

[Megawatt maker]

This is why I always take the time to weigh sort all my brass and bullets into close weight lots.

I've gotten a lot of flak for doing this on lots of forums and groups...some call it a waste of time, others say just use a powder check die...Yada Yada yada...

My granddad taught me to do this when I was a young pup learning the hobby..and after 30+ years of reloading pistol and rifle..I've never once had a scrib that I had to knock out of the barrel.

You can trust powder measures if you wish. I don't. I don't care who made it. They all will fail at some point. I go by the old "trust but verify" saying. I weigh check each round on completion. If you sort all your bass into similar weight lots..along with the bullets..you can get a very close idea of what a completed round should weigh. By rule..I sort my brass into "same grain" weight...as in..if a lot weighs 180 grains..than all brass from 180-180.9 goes into that lot. All bullets get weight and sorted into the same weight.

So..if you know the total of the brass and bullet (and primer..but those are almost always the same weight)..and powder...you have what your final weight should be within .9 grain at most...anything outside that range gets separated, pulled, or otherwise investigated.

It's a slower process...and a pita...but it also ensures both a very safe final product AND a better quality, more accurate round.