Which case activated powder system?

[cabezaverde]

I have an older auto indexing press I want to install a case activated powder drop system on. I also have a collection of powder measures including Lyman 55, Redding BR, older Hornady (not L-N-L), RCBS uniflow, and a couple of rotor types.

So, with all that being said, what case activated system is right for me?

[MtGun44]

Depends mostly on how much you want to spend and how fine a control you need
over the charge wt.

The Lee Autodisk is cheap, works well, but has fixed holes in a limited number of measuring
plates. If that would restrict your experimentation, then it would not be good. Also, extremely
fine powders will leak around the edges of the disks, a nuisance.

The Dillon system is pretty good, infinitely adjustable but a lot more expensive. There
is a version for the RCBS and Hornady systems, I think they are addon actuators for
their regular powder measures. I don't know much at all about them, except they are
more expensive and infinitely adjustable.

Bill

[dromia]

I'm a big fan of case activated powder measures as I believe that the mechanical action ensures a more consistent action therefore leading to amore consistent through.

I'm also a big fan of the Lee auto disk measure, one of Lees better handloading items. However it does have the limitations that Bill has outlined but at that price you cannot go wrong.

I have a Hornady case activation set up on my LnL AP ond it works champion too.

I see that RCBS does a similar piece of kit and am going to get one to go with my Uniflow, so if the Auto disc isn't for you then taken your pick 'tween RCBS and Hornady.

[cabezaverde]

Will the Hornady system work on my measure (not L-N-L)?

Does it use an expander setup, or does the expanded case just operate the drop?

[dromia]

I think it should as the mechanism fits onto the threaded part of body and the linkage activation screws into the two screw holes that the handle goes on. The measure looks the same as the standard Hornady which hasn't changed for years as far as I recall.

I would ring or email Hornady though tell them what model measure you have and they will confirm fit or not. Then you will know for certain.

[parson48]

I've used the Lee Pro Auto Disc on my Dillon 550 for several years. I use the adjustable charge bar with it. It throws consistent loads, and I like the case activation feature.

Some of the finer ball powders do leak a little bit, but not enough to ever have been an issue for me.

parson48

[jcw1970]

The Hornady works fine on the older measures. I have 2 old hornady's and one Pacific hooked up to the case activated powder drop.

[cabezaverde]

jcw,

Do you use the case expander with this, or is it just throwing powder?

[cabezaverde]

I've used the Lee Pro Auto Disc on my Dillon 550 for several years. I use the adjustable charge bar with it. It throws consistent loads, and I like the case activation feature.

Some of the finer ball powders do leak a little bit, but not enough to ever have been an issue for me.

parson48

How fine of ball powder are we talking? I would be using W231 and BLC-2 mostly.

[BCall]

My dad uses one of the Hornady ones on his Pro-jector. It will fit more than just the Hornady, as he uses it with a Uniflow. No case expander though, just powder drop. Billy

[sargenv]

I favor the Dillon powder measure.. sure it's more expensive.. my one and only measure lasted for hundreds of thousands of rounds loaded, and just recently had a major part break. I called Dillon and they had the part on the way to me the same day.. I received the part and it was back to working within about 10 mins. Ya get what you pay for.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

The Hornady Case Activated Powder Drop, older style, will work with both the older style Hornady powder measures and the RCBS Uniflow. The latest version, with the powder through expanders for pistol, works best with the newer style Hornady powder measure, which is pretty much the same measure, with a different length on the threads at the bottom of the measure. That said, the newer style CAPD still work with the older style measures, it just won't work as well for pistol (a bit more difficult to adjust).

All that said, if you have Lee pistol dies, I've found the Lee Pro Auto Disk to work as well for pistol powders as any Dillon or Hornady powder measure I have and think it's probably the most bang for the buck. I now only load .45ACP and .380ACP in pistol. I have a Lee Pro Auto Disk with a Lee Universal Charge bar for the Winchester Super Target I use in .45ACP and I have a Lee Pro Auto Disk with a Lee Microdisk (largest hole) setup for the Titegroup I use in .380ACP. I couldn't be more pleased with the performance and yes, I'm using Lee Deluxe Die setups with Lee factory crimp dies for my pistol reloading.

This is all on my Hornady LnL auto progressive.

My question to you would be, what calibers are you wanting to reload and have you already spent money for dies? If so, what dies do you have?

Regards,

Dave

[August]

I really like the Hornady system. However, their through-powder expanders don't seem to be designed with lead bullets in mind. I've had to add a case expander to the line up to get things to work well with lead bullets. Perhaps a person with machining skills could overcome this limitation.

[cabezaverde]

Primary calibers would be 45 ACP and .223. I already have dies, mostly RCBS.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

If you already have dies, then the question becomes how many stations your press has and if you're using a separate crimp die for the pistol cartridge or not. For what you've got, the Hornady or RCBS version, of the case activated powder drop would work well. There's also an aftermarket expander for the Hornady CAPD that works really well, folks say. But I couldn't say, as I don't have those.

On the other hand, for the .45ACP, were I you, I would simply buy a Lee powder through/expander die and get a Pro Auto Disk measure. Then get the basic Hornady CAPD without expander to use with the Uniflow for the .223.

That's all without knowing what press you have.

Dave

[Shiloh]

I favor the Dillon powder measure.. sure it's more expensive.. my one and only measure lasted for hundreds of thousands of rounds loaded, and just recently had a major part break. I called Dillon and they had the part on the way to me the same day.. I received the part and it was back to working within about 10 mins. Ya get what you pay for.

With ball powders, the Dillon unit is spot on every round after it settles in.
Yeah, it's more money, But if its reliability your after.....
Then there is the free no B.S. warranty.

Shiloh

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

"With ball powders, the Dillon unit is spot on every round after it settles in."

The RCBS, Lee and Hornady units being discussed here are spot on as well with ball powders. The RCBS and Hornady units are spot on with extruded powders as well.

"Yeah, it's more money, But if its reliability your after.....
Then there is the free no B.S. warranty."

Nothing free about it. It's paid for when you buy the product. You get the same warranty with the Hornady product. Fact is, the Hornady CAPD with a Hornady LnL powder measure on top of it is a bit more expensive than the Dillon, but is a heavier duty unit, made mostly of steel and cast iron. I've had mine for right at a decade, nothing on it is even remotely showing signs of wearing out, so no need of any warranty service.

I've found the Lee is less expensive, but lasts about as long and the difference in costs allow you to buy the replacement part, get your item up and running and still have money left over, so this warranty thing is a wash.

The lower price of the Lee units allows you to buy about 3 for the cost of a Hornady, RCBS or Dillon unit. This is a real advantage if you're loading pistol and putting these on Dillon toolheads. It means setting up a toolhead once with the powder measure, having it ready to go when you're ready to load that caliber with zero adjustments of any sort, with a reduction of 66% in cost per powder measure. Additionally, since they're not as tall, they store easier on high shelves. The original one I bought 4 years ago to try out, still going strong with no signs of failure. I'm not sure what would break on one, since mine have been bullet proof for me.

And yes, I've owned the Dillon powder measure on a 550, it's not as good a powder measure as the Hornady measure or RCBS measures when it comes to extruded rifle powders. When it comes to pistol powders, the Lee Pro Auto Disk matches it in performance. If it didn't, I wouldn't own one of the Lees, I'd buy the Dillon measure. But as it stands, the combination of the very nice Lee pistol die sets and the Lee Pro Auto Disk has just been impossible to beat both cost and performance wise for pistol reloading.

All that said, I would not buy one of Lee's other two powder measure offerings, either the standard Auto Disk nor the Perfect Powder measure, though I know other folks that are happy with them.

Regards,

Dave

[jmorris]

The Hornady measure doesn't do small charges very well (unless you buy the small "drum"). I too like the Dillon but you would have to modify your machine so you can retain the failsafe rod.
fwtw I haven't used an auto drop that likes extruded powders.

[curiousgeorge]

I have the Lee Pro Auto Disk measure with the adjustable bar and it works very well. Used to have the regular disk unit but this one is much, much better. With the Lee dies, this unit works very slick on about any press. For the money, it really is hard to beat.

I also have 7 Dillon powder measures, an RCBS Uniflow set up on a Piggyback, 3 stationary Uniflows and an old Hollywood measure to use as comparison.

I don't have a lot of Lee stuff, but they DO make products that are excellent values and really worth more than what they cost. The Pro Auto Disk measure is one of them.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

They say pictures are worth a thousand words. Here's a couple pictures of an RCBS Uniflow mounted atop a Hornady LnL case activated powder drop. It was adapted using a lever arm (attaches to the cylinder in place of the handle) I got free from RCBS when I tried to call and order it. The Uniflow was a gift from a friend, rbstearn, when he rescued a big collection of reloading equipment from an estate sale and came with both large and small cylinders. This measure has been very accurate with both extruded rifle and small pistol powders.

Regards,

Dave

Here's the pics, I'm not posting them as images because they're a bit too large:

http://www.zjstech.net/~ddixson/RCBSUniflowMountedToLeeClassicTurretPress%20001.jp g

http://www.zjstech.net/~ddixson/RCBSUniflowMountedToLeeClassicTurretPress%20002.jp g

http://www.zjstech.net/~ddixson/RCBSUniflowMountedToLeeClassicTurretPress%20003.jp g

http://www.zjstech.net/~ddixson/RCBSUniflowMountedToLeeClassicTurretPress%20004.jp g

[jcw1970]

jcw,

Do you use the case expander with this, or is it just throwing powder?

it's just throwing powder. don't want to spend any more money on the expanders when my dies are doing a good job. using bullseye, unique, zip, 2400, and benchmark in the measures. I do have the pistol drum and micro meter insert for the hornadys though

[parson48]

As for leaking, I use a lot of 231 & 296 with no significant problem. AA powders seem to be finer and I do get a little bit more. But nothing has been enough to cause a real problem.

All in all, I have been pleased with the Lee Pro Auto Disk for several years.

parson48

[cabezaverde]

So the Lee auto can be used (case activated) without using Lee brand dies?

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

So the Lee auto can be used (case activated) without using Lee brand dies?

Only if you use one of the Lee rifle/universal case activators. (Check out leeprecision.com to see a pic.) IF you're planning on reloading pistol, you can buy just the Lee powder through expander die without buying their set. But to be honest, as good as their pistol dies are, I'd sell off the RCBS dies and replace them with the Lee sets. I think you'll be happier long term. At least, that's what happened to me. I bought a single Lee die set, found out how good they were with pistol and ended up replacing my Hornady and RCBS dies with the Lee dies.

Just as an aside, I have a Hornady LnL progressive I use the Lee dies on.

Regards,

Dave

[Heavy lead]

Only if you use one of the Lee rifle/universal case activators. (Check out leeprecision.com to see a pic.) IF you're planning on reloading pistol, you can buy just the Lee powder through expander die without buying their set. But to be honest, as good as their pistol dies are, I'd sell off the RCBS dies and replace them with the Lee sets. I think you'll be happier long term. At least, that's what happened to me. I bought a single Lee die set, found out how good they were with pistol and ended up replacing my Hornady and RCBS dies with the Lee dies.

Just as an aside, I have a Hornady LnL progressive I use the Lee dies on.

Regards,

Dave

Plus one on this, I have one non-Lee pistol die set left and it's going as soon as someone gets Lee 45 Colt dies in stock again, it's RCBS set of dies and they work fine, I already bought the powder through expander die from Lee. The Lee bullet seater is so darn much easier to use (along with Hornady dies, my preference for rifle dies) that I'm just sick of the RCBS seater.

[cabezaverde]

How does the Hornady unit "reset" after it has dispensed powder?

I know the lee has the lamp chain, but have not figured out the Hornady.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Cabezaverde,

The Lee lamp chain is for their Lee Perfect Powder Measure, which is used for rifle on Lee progressives. Generally not able to be moved to other presses.

The Lee Pro Auto Disk uses a spring return and works extremely well sitting atop the Lee powder through expander dies that come with their pistol sets.

The Hornady Unit and the RCBS case activated powder drops both use a spring and linkage mechanism to rotate the cylinder back and forth as the press is operated. They never really "reset" as they are cylinders and simply rotate to and fro in their operation. At one end of the rotation, they pick up powder. At the other end of the rotation, they dispense powder. Really quite smoothly.

The CAPD units are self contained and the bases mount to the press exactly like mounting a die. In fact, they look exactly like a die with long threads until you get to the top where the mechanisms attach.

Regards,

Dave

[cabezaverde]

Dave,

I just want to say thanks for all of your help in this thread. All of the answers and points have been good, but you have gone above and beyond.

I have decided to go with the Hornady unit, as that measure has a large capacity and I have both rifle and pistol inserts for it.

[gds]

The chain can also be used on the Lee pro auto disk as well as the perfect powder measure. I use both. I use the standard auto disk or Pro auto disk with the spring return for most pistol applications on turret press. On the Lee loadmaster I use the pro auto disk with the chain for rifle calibers up to the max that the double disk set will use. If I have to go higher i use the perfect powder measure with the chain. I like them all.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

You're sure welcome. When I first bought stuff, I bought it on the suggestion of a friend, who insisted I should buy "this and that stuff" without giving me any real information on how it worked or the features. Subsequently, I purchased equipment I was totally dissatisfied with.

Now, years later, I try not to do that to others, but to provide enough information they can make an informed decision without a lot of bias.

BTW, when you're loading large capacity cartridges, you'll really appreciate having the Hornady measure.

Regards,

Dave

[TAWILDCATT]

one thing nobody has thought of is the lee disks.I have an abundance as I have several lee measures and they are dedicated charges.so I have extra disks. take a rat tail file and open a hole up to get the weight you want.that way you eliminate the problem of incorrect weight.:coffee:[smilie=1: