Lee Turret and 2400 powder

[peterk123]

Any else using the Lee turret to load 357mag with Alliant 2400? My metering is all over the place with that stuff. I like to go max load but I just can;t trust it. I tried cleaning, getting rid of static, graphite powder, different tension on the drum; you name it. Finally said to heck with it and ordered the lower powder assembly and few other parts for my Hornady LNL so I can do a quick change and start loadog on that instead. It is just a bummer though because at this point the turret is basically retired. All it will be used for now is to prime my 308 cartridges.

Pete

 

[TrashcanDan]

Is it the disk type or drum type powder measure?
I vaguely remember 1 type handling some powders better than the other

 

[jek]

I use the Lee Classic Turret press with the Lee Autodrum measure. I only load .357 with 2400. Never had metering issues.

 

[peterk123]

It is an autodrum. I have thousands of rounds that have gone through that thing. Never had a problem with BE-86 or HP38, the two other powders I mainly use. I have tried changing the autodisk as well. The throws can vary as much as .4 grains. That is too much of a variance when I am trying to load 14.5g of 2400. I have backed off to 14.0g, so I have room for error. It is fine for plinking but I wanted to try to find an accurate load for my new Henry Big Boy.

 

[jek]

As I mentioned previously, I haven't had issues with the autodrum other than when I first got it. When I first got it the drum was not tight enough and there was some leakage. I seem to recall when I removed the drum, I had to really clean the interior and the plastic piece that acts as a wiper. Since then it meters 2400, CFE Pistol, Bullseye, Unique, Trail Boss, and others without issue. I generally don't let the powder level go below about a 1/3 full in the hopper. I don't use the autodrum for stick powders when loading rifle.

 

[jpm]

what @jek said, make sure the drum is tight and clean. If you've loaded a lot with it, it is possible the drum is worn. Also make sure your hopper has a good amount of powder so you get a consistent dump into the drum. I also use the auto disk with the precision measure thing for small charges and its very consistent.

 

[mac1911]

The auto drum is a vast improvement over the auto disc.
I run 335/2400/h110 with darn near dead nuts accuracy better than my hornady powder drop.
Make sure the drum is not to tight and make sure its adjusted correctly.
The throw of the handle and also the case length can play in the powder drop .

 

[EddieCoyle]

The auto drum is a vast improvement over the auto disc.
I run 335/2400/h110 with darn near dead nuts accuracy better than my hornady powder drop.
Make sure the drum is not to tight and make sure its adjusted correctly.
The throw of the handle and also the case length can play in the powder drop .

Have you modified it? If not, you must've got a really good one.

I've had nothing but problems when using fine-grain ball powder and both the Lee "Perfect" and Autodrum powder measures - and I've used literally dozens of them. I use the Autodrum in my "all equipment included" reloading class, and it works well with flake and coarse ball powder, but when someone tries to run fine stuff like H110 or Lil' Gun through it, it's nothing but trouble. I warn people ahead of time, and let them know that I have a Hornady they can borrow, but I discourage the use of those powders with those measures.

The problem is that the fine grained powders get between the drum and the housing, and bind up the measure. It doesn't seem to matter whether you have it tight, medium tight, or on the loose side. One guy actually broke one in a class.

 

[mac1911]

Have you modified it? If not, you must've got a really good one.

I've had nothing but problems when using fine-grain ball powder and both the Lee "Perfect" and Autodrum powder measures - and I've used literally dozens of them. I use the Autodrum in my "all equipment included" reloading class, and it works well with flake and coarse ball powder, but when someone tries to run fine stuff like H110 or Lil' Gun through it, it's nothing but trouble. I warn people ahead of time, and let them know that I have a Hornady they can borrow, but I discourage the use of those powders with those measures.

The problem is that the fine grained powders get between the drum and the housing, and bind up the measure. It doesn't seem to matter whether you have it tight, medium tight, or on the loose side. One guy actually broke one in a class.

other than the standard lee "modifications" of removing any plastic flashing and smoothing out obvious rough spots.
I use my pro 1000 for 223 with ball powders and 30 carbine with 296 and H110?
Not a issue in 2000+ 223 and just over 1500 30 car. Maybe it will get worse with age but it will a while before I load 223 again. Currently setting up for 45acp

 

[xtry51]

Buy a Lee charge bar for the auto disk. I have two Lee's with charge bars. They throw stick +/-.2gr and ball or flake +/-.1gr.

The disks are garbage. But the rest of the rig is solid long term. It should ship with the charge bar standard.

Also, if you get crafty with a dremel or box cutter, you can open up the throw weight to up to 27.0gr in a single drop.

 

[pastera]

I 3d print specific bars for mine

Lee AutoDisk Customized Disk by pastera

With the standard disks often the charge you want is in between two hole sizes so you have to compromise. If you know what charge your powder drops for a given hole size, this allows you to create a disk with a custom volume in order to get the exact charge you want. Warning - Your printer will...

www.thingiverse.com

I also have another model using printed bushings that are quick to print. If anyone is interested, I'll post the model. Getting the size for an exact drop is relatively straight forward.