Lee Disk Powder Measure... Help!

AKmoore · February 6, 2009, 12:53 AM

I have a good quantity of Hi Skor 700-x that I use to load up .40 S&W. It works great but using my dads RCBS powder measure gave me loads that varied up to .5 gr. I need something that varies .2 gr or less, preferably .1 gr variation. Is 700-x just too large of a powder to get this type of accuracy with a disk measure? Do I just need to use dippers?

Qtiphky · February 6, 2009, 09:28 AM

I have used the Lee powder disks for reloading pistol ammo for a year now. I have also tried the dippers. I understand that you can get up to a .5 variation with the disks, but you can get that with dippers as well. Make sure you use smaller ball powder, it measures better and is more uniform. I haven't found it to be much of a problem with pistol ammo. For my rifle loads, I hand weigh every charge to make sure they are the same.

TEDDY · February 7, 2009, 08:32 PM

I have used 700X for 40 yrs.the last 20 with lee disk.I load 3.6 for my 45acp
in a lee 1000.I dont know what variation there is but my loads will stay in the X ring at 50 ft.and shoot the same at 50 yrds.if you cant shoot that good at that range what does it matter what the variance is.

poetic332 · February 8, 2009, 03:56 PM

Teddy,

That's kind of a self-defeating statement. If you have inconsistent rounds, how do you expect to shoot any better through practice? Might as well just not own a firearm...

Ak,

I ran into a very similar issue. I'm using the Lee Pro Auto-disc powder measure. You can stack your discs to get different loads. So with that in mind, I bought the Microdisc, also sold by Lee. Infinitely adjustable. It allowed me to fine tune and get some very accurate and precise loads with good regularity. The Microdisc is dirt cheap and fun to tinker with. It really is a good companion to lee's pro auto disc measure system and eliminates a some of its limitations.

Hope that helps.
poetic.

Claddagh · February 8, 2009, 04:48 PM

FWIW, I found that taking pains to try and operate the measure in exactly the same manner every time made a very pronounced difference in the consistency of the charges I threw. How fast you throw the handle, how positively you hit the "stop" at both ends, how low you run the hopper before topping off - all of it makes a difference. That was true of both my Lyman and RCBS measures.

When I first got my Pro-1000 it gave me fits. The relative reliability and consistency of both priming and case charging were very dependent on running it with the right amount of "oomph" every time. Learning what exactly that was and developing the right touch with it was frustrating. Often finding myself having to juggle two different disc cavities in order to get the exact charge of my desired powder or change it by 1/10 gr. sucked, too. I'd ditto getting the Micro Disc conversion. It makes life with Lee a lot less trying.

Inspector3711 · February 8, 2009, 06:38 PM

Quote:

The relative reliability and consistency of both priming and case charging were very dependent on running it with the right amount of "oomph" every time

I hear that! Exactly what I'm going through today. I've made about 20 good rounds and 15 bad ones. There have been various problems (their bullet seating setup instructions were way off and I was crushing cases there for a bit) but mostly primer issues. I can tell it'll work well with time. I'd venture to bet that most people that hate these presses ended up turned off because they didn't have the patience.

I've been using HS-6 for .40 because it was all I could get when I got my new pistol a month ago. Up until today I was using it in an RCBS single stage press.

Today I've been spot checking and the Lee disk measure that came with the new press seems to handle this powder real well (+/- .1). I see Hi Skor 700 and 800 around now and have wondered about it.

AKmoore · February 8, 2009, 10:20 PM

I found a bunch of hs-6 for sale so I think I"ll try to sell the 700x. If I can find a load for my .44 the requires a large amount of 700x then I'll keep it. This forum is great, thanks for all the help.

Claddagh · February 9, 2009, 01:20 PM

I feel you, Inspector. The Lee was my first true progressive set-up and almost my last. To be frank, nearly all of the major tsouris was related to the priming set-up. The bulk of the issues were with incomplete seating and failure to feed a new primer fully into position. My inertial bullet puller got a lot of work getting the worst of those sorted out.

My issues with the powder measure were more about the hassle involved to get it configured for the particular charge I wanted than with how consistently it would drop it. Once a standard powder and charge has been determined, it works as well as about any. The Micro Disc attachment made getting that a lot less involved.

In fairness, all progressives are designed for putting out relatively large volumes of a single load. I've learned that it's much less trouble to do all of my load development on the single-stage Hornady. After that's been established it's all about the finished product, IMO, and how much ancillary crud one needs to do in order to keep the system working as it's supposed to.

Once I finally learned how to cope with all the quirks and foibles of the Pro 1000 I can turn out enough acceptable ammo to keep my .357 revolvers and carbines happy. Compared to the Dillon SDB I bought later to feed my .45 ACP habit it takes a lot more trouble to keep it perking along right, though.

The primer path on the Lee is long and relatively indirect. You have to keep it absolutely spotless for the primers to flow reliably, and that's an ongoing PITA. You also have to figure out just how much pressure you need to apply on the bottom of the lever stroke to insure that the primers are seated completely. There isn't much in the way of direct tactile feedback to guide you, which makes the process of learning a lot tougher than it need be. Once you find the "touch", it works reasonably well. Getting there is what's annoying.

amamnn · February 9, 2009, 04:24 PM

I use a lot of Lee tools and equipment. Unless they've seen the light in the last 3 years or so, IMHO, Lee's approach to powder handling is not the best on the market, nor even acceptable. To me, at any rate. In Richard Lee's book, he describes the proper way to use dippers, and once you learn it you can get some surprisingly uniform powder charges. Still, I would never trade my digital scale/dispenser for anyone's old fashioned powder measure.

February 6, 2009, 12:53 AM	#1
AKmoore Junior Member Join Date: February 6, 2009 Location: Fairbanks, Alaska Posts: 2	Lee Disk Powder Measure... Help! I have a good quantity of Hi Skor 700-x that I use to load up .40 S&W. It works great but using my dads RCBS powder measure gave me loads that varied up to .5 gr. I need something that varies .2 gr or less, preferably .1 gr variation. Is 700-x just too large of a powder to get this type of accuracy with a disk measure? Do I just need to use dippers?

February 6, 2009, 09:28 AM	#2
Qtiphky Senior Member Join Date: December 11, 2008 Location: Upper Michigan, above the Mackinac Bridge Posts: 568	Not Familiar with that powder I have used the Lee powder disks for reloading pistol ammo for a year now. I have also tried the dippers. I understand that you can get up to a .5 variation with the disks, but you can get that with dippers as well. Make sure you use smaller ball powder, it measures better and is more uniform. I haven't found it to be much of a problem with pistol ammo. For my rifle loads, I hand weigh every charge to make sure they are the same.

February 7, 2009, 08:32 PM	#3
TEDDY Junior member Join Date: December 10, 2006 Location: MANNING SC Posts: 837	700X I have used 700X for 40 yrs.the last 20 with lee disk.I load 3.6 for my 45acp in a lee 1000.I dont know what variation there is but my loads will stay in the X ring at 50 ft.and shoot the same at 50 yrds.if you cant shoot that good at that range what does it matter what the variance is.

February 8, 2009, 10:20 PM	#7
AKmoore Junior Member Join Date: February 6, 2009 Location: Fairbanks, Alaska Posts: 2	Thanks a bunch I found a bunch of hs-6 for sale so I think I"ll try to sell the 700x. If I can find a load for my .44 the requires a large amount of 700x then I'll keep it. This forum is great, thanks for all the help.

February 9, 2009, 04:24 PM	#9
amamnn Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2006 Location: WA, the left armpit of the USA Posts: 1,323	I use a lot of Lee tools and equipment. Unless they've seen the light in the last 3 years or so, IMHO, Lee's approach to powder handling is not the best on the market, nor even acceptable. To me, at any rate. In Richard Lee's book, he describes the proper way to use dippers, and once you learn it you can get some surprisingly uniform powder charges. Still, I would never trade my digital scale/dispenser for anyone's old fashioned powder measure. __________________ "If the enemy is in range, so are you." - Infantry Journal

February 8, 2009, 03:56 PM	#4
poetic332 Junior Member Join Date: January 5, 2009 Posts: 8	Teddy, That's kind of a self-defeating statement. If you have inconsistent rounds, how do you expect to shoot any better through practice? Might as well just not own a firearm... Ak, I ran into a very similar issue. I'm using the Lee Pro Auto-disc powder measure. You can stack your discs to get different loads. So with that in mind, I bought the Microdisc, also sold by Lee. Infinitely adjustable. It allowed me to fine tune and get some very accurate and precise loads with good regularity. The Microdisc is dirt cheap and fun to tinker with. It really is a good companion to lee's pro auto disc measure system and eliminates a some of its limitations. Hope that helps. poetic.

February 8, 2009, 04:48 PM	#5
Claddagh Senior Member Join Date: February 6, 2009 Location: Central Indiana Posts: 313	FWIW, I found that taking pains to try and operate the measure in exactly the same manner every time made a very pronounced difference in the consistency of the charges I threw. How fast you throw the handle, how positively you hit the "stop" at both ends, how low you run the hopper before topping off - all of it makes a difference. That was true of both my Lyman and RCBS measures. When I first got my Pro-1000 it gave me fits. The relative reliability and consistency of both priming and case charging were very dependent on running it with the right amount of "oomph" every time. Learning what exactly that was and developing the right touch with it was frustrating. Often finding myself having to juggle two different disc cavities in order to get the exact charge of my desired powder or change it by 1/10 gr. sucked, too. I'd ditto getting the Micro Disc conversion. It makes life with Lee a lot less trying.

February 9, 2009, 01:20 PM	#8
Claddagh Senior Member Join Date: February 6, 2009 Location: Central Indiana Posts: 313	I feel you, Inspector. The Lee was my first true progressive set-up and almost my last. To be frank, nearly all of the major tsouris was related to the priming set-up. The bulk of the issues were with incomplete seating and failure to feed a new primer fully into position. My inertial bullet puller got a lot of work getting the worst of those sorted out. My issues with the powder measure were more about the hassle involved to get it configured for the particular charge I wanted than with how consistently it would drop it. Once a standard powder and charge has been determined, it works as well as about any. The Micro Disc attachment made getting that a lot less involved. In fairness, all progressives are designed for putting out relatively large volumes of a single load. I've learned that it's much less trouble to do all of my load development on the single-stage Hornady. After that's been established it's all about the finished product, IMO, and how much ancillary crud one needs to do in order to keep the system working as it's supposed to. Once I finally learned how to cope with all the quirks and foibles of the Pro 1000 I can turn out enough acceptable ammo to keep my .357 revolvers and carbines happy. Compared to the Dillon SDB I bought later to feed my .45 ACP habit it takes a lot more trouble to keep it perking along right, though. The primer path on the Lee is long and relatively indirect. You have to keep it absolutely spotless for the primers to flow reliably, and that's an ongoing PITA. You also have to figure out just how much pressure you need to apply on the bottom of the lever stroke to insure that the primers are seated completely. There isn't much in the way of direct tactile feedback to guide you, which makes the process of learning a lot tougher than it need be. Once you find the "touch", it works reasonably well. Getting there is what's annoying.

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