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Old December 19, 2000, 01:53 PM   #1
RobW
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Has someone good/bad experiences in using either Winchester W 231, Hodgdon Clays, Alliant Bullseye and Unique with a Lee Auto-Disk Powder Measure?
I want to load .45 ACP and .38 Special and tend to Hodgdon Clays because I heared that it is a very good powder for this handgun-calibers.

My concern is: does it flow easyly and does the measure provide consistent amounts of powder?

Any suggestion will be well considered

Happy hollidays and a successful new year to you all. Shoot always safely
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Old December 19, 2000, 02:14 PM   #2
Mike Irwin
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I LOVE my Lee Auto Disk. Mine is one of the newer ones with the round hopper.

They work best with ball powders, such as 231 and 296, which are virtually the only powders that I use anymore.

I did run some Unique through it some years ago, but it does not like flake powders nearly as much. They tend not to pack into the cylinders very well, which can make for variable charge weights.
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Old December 19, 2000, 02:44 PM   #3
Bogie
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Big flakes or sticks = bad. I like large ball powder, short sticks, or small flakes. Some of the AA5 was very nice, and other was just horrid - depends on what the country of manufacture was...

If you've got a Lee measure, I'd recommend getting the adjustable charge bar. It's worth the $10, and is very consistent.

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Old December 20, 2000, 11:06 AM   #4
Melvin
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Have to agree with Mike Irwin,have a Lee and had some bad luck with Unique,got some squib loads and could only surmise it was caused by the powder. Everything else seemed to work just fine when I took it apart to check it out. Had to be flakes of powder causing the charger to stick. Modelmaker
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Old December 20, 2000, 01:02 PM   #5
MADISON
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Lee Disk Powder Measures...

I use the Lee Disk Powder Measure extensively. The only caliber I have had SQUIB LOAD trouble with is .45 ACP. I am still trying to find out why.

A 1/4 to 1/2 turn on one of the bottom screws will "loosen the measure up" so that it will not freese up and not drop.
I have loaded UNIQUE, 231, 2400, and even 800X without a problem, until I start to load .45ACP.

You may need to purchase an RCBS "POWDER CHECKER DIE" to go on your progressive, as I did.

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Old December 20, 2000, 04:26 PM   #6
Reg
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My Lee auto-disk powder measures work extremely well with all kinds of powders.
With the newer auto-disk Pro (the round one Mike referred to) and Unique, you can get it to throw extremely consistent if you put your own simple baffle inside the measure. I made a baffle out of a milk jug lid by cutting pieces out of the sides so it looks like legs holding the cap up.
The powders I use most for pistol are W231, Unique, and Power Pistol. These are thrown within 1/10th of a grain with both of my auto-disk measures (pro needs the baffle, regular auto-disk has a built-in baffle).
I called Lee to ask why the Pro Auto-disk doesn't have a built-in baffle. They said that the measure is designed such that it doesn't need one. Well.... Unique and I disagree!
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Old December 20, 2000, 06:51 PM   #7
Mike Irwin
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Reg,

Never thought about using a baffle for Unique. I'll have to give that a try.

Some months ago I threw several dozen charges of WW 231, and weighed each one, just to see how consistent my measure was.

I got tired of the game after about 60 or so weighings produced ZERO variation in the charge weight.

None. Zip. Bupkis.

Needless to say, I was impressed as all hell.
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Old December 21, 2000, 07:03 PM   #8
RobW
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To you all:

Absolutely great! As I am totally new in the reloading business it is VERY interesting to learn about the experiences from "stonewashed" people.

It seems that the whole shooting/reloading gear works with some good/bad ghosts living in it! I just cannot believe that working - not working of the same model stuff can be explained by production tolerances.

So, I'll be kind to the ghosts! I appreciate if you have more of the good ideas to smooth the process.

Many thanks for now
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Old December 21, 2000, 07:37 PM   #9
WalterGAII
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I've had "bridging" problems with flake powders in my Lee disk powder measure. (Yep, I got the deluxe model with the round hopper) I now use AA powders exclusively, with good results. I also made a baffle out of cardboard. The baffle helps a bunch with load consistency.
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Old December 24, 2000, 10:28 AM   #10
joenuke
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I'm very interested in exactly how a baffle is used in the auto-disk powder measure and how it's constructed. I've been using Unique powder and the auto-disk powder measure for years. I know that it's dirty and doesn't meter as well as most powders but after about 25 years of reloading, I feel that it's the most versatile powder out there (for my purposes). Again, could one of you gentlemen describe this baffle and how it's used? Thanks.
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Old December 24, 2000, 12:27 PM   #11
WESHOOT2
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W231, and for you Unique users, suggest switching to Hodgdon Universal Clays, almost the EXACT SAME burn rate, and a modern easy-metering clean-burning alternative.

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