best powder measure for LEE turret?

[Buckshot Bill]

I have a 4 hole lee turret, and while I like the loader, the auto disk powder measure they sell for it leaves a lot to be desired. I am looking for a reliable measure that will drop within .1-.2 grains. The way it is set up now is to drop 41 grains of benchmark, it will drop anywhere between 40.8 grains and 43.2 grains which is FAR too inconsistent for me. I can charge them individually by hand within .1 grain but was hoping I could get the machine set up to charge during the cycle on the machine. If I wanted to batch load I would have bought a single stage. That being said my setups for .44 special and .45 acp do the same thing but they never fluctuate more than .3 grains and i'm well below max and they are basically plinker loads so I'm not too concerned with 100% consistancy but I can't have the measure fluctuating up to 2.4 grains when I'm loading .308 and 30-06 at fairly close to max. Was I hoping for too much that I would be able to load bottlenecks in the same succession as I do my straightwall cases on this machine?

[Mike Kerr]

was I hoping for too much that I would be able to load bottlenecks in the same succession as I do my straightwall cases on this machine?

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In my opinon Yes.

I have had great results with the Lee Pro Auto disk in Pistol calibers depending on the powder and load selected. Loads with .1 to .2 grain variance are very obtainable and acceptable to most.

You are apparently utilizing the double disk kit, which works but requires a lot of attention to detail in choosing the correct powder for your disk. The double disk kit also places more emphasis on the operator making a consistent lever pull or throw and on maintaining a consistent timing if you are using the auto advance.

I personally advanced the turret by hand and slowed down enough to make sure everything was as consistent as I could make it. Still faster than a single stage but the Auto advance is less adaptable to stacked disks and a Riser if you are trying to use one. Then I switched over to doing the powder drop in batches on the Perfect Powder Measure - then finally to using my Dillon 550 (But that requires proper set up for bottleneck also).

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

To answer your question effectively, we would need to know which Lee Turret you have and which auto disk, the pro or the standard.

If you have the Lee Classic Turret, you can use the Pro Auto disk for many powders, but it doesn't handle extruded rifle powders particularly well. For that task, you can add an RCBS Uniflow powder measure with a Hornady case activated powder drop mechanism. The combination balances well on the Lee Classic Turret and clears the other dies.

[joec]

I use the Lee Pro Auto Disk often with double to help get close measurements on powders for pistol loads. Now my rifle calibers I use more stick powders such as 3031 etc. For this I actually use the Lee Perfect Powder measure mounted on the press through the powder thru die. It works well for stick and large flake powders but does slow it down a bit due to the fact you have to turn the powder dispenser handle. It also doesn't clear the primer system so I remove the index rod and work in batches as I would with a single stage press or most other manual operated Turret presses on the market.

[joec]

I use the Lee Pro Auto Disk often with double to help get close measurements on powders for pistol loads. Now my rifle calibers I use more stick powders such as 3031 etc. For this I actually use the Lee Perfect Powder measure mounted on the press through the powder thru die. It works well for stick and large flake powders but does slow it down a bit due to the fact you have to turn the powder dispenser handle. It also doesn't clear the primer system so I remove the index rod and work in batches as I would with a single stage press or most other manual operated Turret presses on the market.

With that said for really close measurement I use a scope, trickier and scale with a funnel on the powder thru die.

[44Vaquero]

I participate in another Forum dedicated to Lee Reloading and Casting products and several members have had great success with the Hornady Case activated Powder Drop unit! As mentioned earlier the unit fits on the 4 position head and clears the primer feed with no problems.

It is a somewhat pricey solution in comparison to Lee's offerings but it will deliver the accuracy you desire.

[blikseme300]

I actually prefer the Lee Pro Auto Disk over the Hornady units for most reloading tasks. Some powders don't work well with volumetric dispensing and I try and avoid these whenever possible.

[Rebel Dave]

44vaquaro
What is the Lee Forum you speak of, equiring minds want to know.

Rebel Dave

[44Vaquero]

Rebel Dave, it's a small FB page (Almost 400 members) called "LEE Reloading & Casting Equipment Group".
The mission was stated like this:

This group is a group dedicated to those who use LEE Precision Reloading and Casting Equipment. We can discuss issues we may be having share secrets and modifications to our equipment. We can discuss our reloading techniques and secrets with each other. We can talk about LEE casting equipment and casting in general. Please no political discussions, lets keep this about reloading and casting.

Lots of really new re-loaders and the more seasoned ones are kept busy answering questions. Overall a very well behaved page as FB pages go.

It is a private group and you need to PM Mark Compton or Juddie David Burgess for an invite.