Lee Pro Auto Disk

[nsdread07]

SO, I got my dies adjusted and decided on 9 grains of Unique with a 240 grain hard cast SWC for 44 mag. My problem is that the Lee chart says to use the .95 disk for 8.7 grains of unique, but it throws 7.5 grains. I went up to the 1.18 and only got 8 grains. My question is are the charts that far off? I also used Ranch Dog's VMD calculator and it says to use the same disk as the chart. Am I doing something wrong?

[Ben]

You are not doing anything wrong.
Assuming that you have an accurate scale, continue experimenting with larger disc openings until you are throwing the charge that you desire.

Lee Powder measure charts seem to be conservative in the amount of powder that is actually thrown vs. what they " Say it will throw ".

Ben

[fryboy]

the easiest way to get an "exact charge " is with the adjustable disk , one can modify the standard disk however to fine tune a load , i have to agree with ben , i've never found one that throws at what is stated ( some do come close but more so with ball powder ) and i also have never ever found one to throw heavier than stated , in fact lee states if anyone does find one that throws heavier to please let them know ( and i'd almost wager that that's never happened )

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Yeah, the charts can't be accurate due to different lots of powder and humidity and other such things.

Also, never measure the first couple throws of the powder measure. I also cycle the turret press (assuming you're using one) all the way around similar to when you will actually be reloading, so you get nearly the same amount of settling.
Good Luck.
Jon

[gunoil]

i calibrate my digital scale with a weight i bought, first! Then lead up all poly surfaces that the powder is near with #2 pencil. Including housing of unit and disk, even the metal funnel the powder falls down thru from disk.

[OBIII]

Trial and error. Due to differences in the granularity of powders, this is necessary. There is also another set of disks, micro disks, I think, that can be added to give you more flexibility. Just remember to continue to check powder loads after you get set up and in a "Crank them out" state. I was loading for .357 with an RCBS powder dump, and let me just say that it is a good thing that I had a really strong action. :shock:

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

One thing to remember:

Each batch of powder is slightly different from previous batches and there are variability in the density of powder from different time periods, so you can have variances in weight when the volume is the same.

If that's not enough, manufacturing variation in equipment can run up to 2%, so that can throw off things as well.

Best thing to do is to be patient, don't worry about it and keep moving up until you get what you are looking for or close to it, as long as if you go over a little, you don't put yourself into an over pressure situation.

[joec]

There is also an Excel spread sheet by Ranch Dog that is a must have with Lee equipment called the WMD calculator. I downloaded from his forum rossi-rifleman.com but he might also have it on his Ranch Dog Outdoors site. I use it to check the WMD for every new container of powder I own as their is usually a difference than the stated WMD. Another thing is once you have it, it is easy to change at which point you can pick a single disk, double disk or dipper to get you close. I only wished he also had the micro disk listed but it isn't there however I might add it myself if I get the time to program it a bit. I have found the program gets you very close first time out but you can also get often dead on with a double disk system with some powders.

[kbstenberg]

I use the Lee chart just to get me close to whatever weight I want to through. I've also found the Lee chart to be higher than the actual throwing weight. Unless I have used specific sized disks I always test through before I start loading.
Kevin

[dromia]

I believe Ranch Dogs calculator is called VMD.

It is downloadable here: http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=lee%20powder%20calculator&source=web&cd=16&ved=0CEkQFjAFOAo&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ranchdogoutdoors.com%2Fbin%2F xls%2FVMD_Calculator.xls&ei=4iWrUNPoArKa0QWEgoHABA&usg=AFQjCNGcXJCY0dry_6AVJHkLDUKhSifQpg&sig2=f9PQcotzLiwD6Yw_Omgo-w

[WyrTwister]

Once you get a specific weight from a specific disk with a specific powder , write it down .

From there on out , with that powder , you can calculate , very closely , the cc volume you need to get a desired weight of that powder .

I use Unique , a lot . So I can calculate a disk size / cc for my desired charge weight .

Just do a ratio / proportion algebra problem .

God bless
Wyr

[Gunslinger1911]

When I first started with the autodisk I had the same troubles. Swapping out disks untill I "got close". time consuming !!

I'm with FryBoy - use the adjustable insert instead of disks. Quick and easy, exact throw you want with minimal time spent !!

Now I just need to figure out if I can stack two like with disks - auto disk won't throw 40g of powder for my 454 and 500.

[Moonie]

You should calculate the VMD for each lot of powder you are using, it is very easy to do, once you do you will understand why your loads were light.

I do this for all new lots of powder I purchase, makes it easier to setup your disk measures.

[geargnasher]

Once you get a specific weight from a specific disk with a specific powder , write it down .

From there on out , with that powder , you can calculate , very closely , the cc volume you need to get a desired weight of that powder .

I use Unique , a lot . So I can calculate a disk size / cc for my desired charge weight .

Just do a ratio / proportion algebra problem .

God bless
Wyr

Yes, +1.

Lee is very conservative with their calculations. Often, especially with pistol-caliber loads, I have to go two disc sizes up from what the charts say to get what I want. The double-disc and larger volumes of powder is closer, but still off by about a grain and a half to two grains at around 25-30 grains weight. I use the Autodisc for production work with known good, or "pet" loads, so I always record the ACTUAL discs used in my load data and verify with a scale each time to account for lot variations in the powder.

I think Lee anticipates many of their customers are on a tight budget and/or are beginners and may not have or use a scale (much less a chronograph), so they are erring on the side of caution and many won't notice or care about the reduction. Those of us who do can easily compensate.

Gear

[jethunter]

As a rule of thimb I start with one size larger than what the Lee chart says for Unique, and find it's almost always closer than the recommended size from the chart. Saves time from starting at the recommended size, weighing it, and switching the disk to one size larger in the end anyway.

I started using the adjustable measure with the auto-pro and really like it. No more switching back and forth between disks to find a charge weight.

[RobsTV]

Once you get it figured out for your powder, it usually works very well.

I found the W231/HP38 throws at almost exactly 10 times hole size, so .41 hole throws 4.1gr, etc. Haven't looked at the charts for hole size to powder since the first day I got it. Fairly useless. Just keep notes of your own results with different powders for future reference.

Never could get consistent results with the adjustable measure. Each throw was way off. Guess some powders work better than others with it. Using spare discs from doubling kit with holes drilled to what I need also works well.

[WyrTwister]

When I first started with the autodisk I had the same troubles. Swapping out disks untill I "got close". time consuming !!

I'm with FryBoy - use the adjustable insert instead of disks. Quick and easy, exact throw you want with minimal time spent !!

Now I just need to figure out if I can stack two like with disks - auto disk won't throw 40g of powder for my 454 and 500.


Yes , you can stack 2 ACB's . Hace to do some trimming on the " nib " of one ( top one ? ) .

The single ACB barely throws enough # 2200 for a 55 bullet grain load in .223 .

God bless
Wir