Restored Faith in the Lee AutoDisk

WWWJD · November 3, 2013, 09:16 AM

Been reloading for my two rifles for a little over a year now. After crunching through Varget, 4064, RE15 and seeing all the granules spattered all over the base of my Lee Turret press, I abandoned the thing. Went to dipping and trickling every charge. Hate it.

Started reloading for my .40 S&W this week with Power Pistol, and dug the Disk back out of the closet. Wow. So this is how this thing is supposed to work.

Very consistent throws with Power Pistol. I dropped 20 charges and had no more than .1gr variation with 5 different charge weights.

Last night I banged out 150 rounds in an hour. I just wanted to share my moment of glee.

There's a chargemaster 1500 on my christmas wish list for that pesky stick powder.

mikejonestkd · November 3, 2013, 10:20 AM

Glad to hear that the auto disk powder dispenser is getting used again.
I love mine for handgun cartridges. It tends to meter some powders better than others though - bullseye, win 231, trail boss, 700X, 2400, and power pistol run accurate, unique does not...

kostner · November 3, 2013, 12:31 PM

Glad to hear that the auto disk powder dispenser is getting used again.
I love mine for handgun cartridges. It tends to meter some powders better than others though - bullseye, win 231, trail boss, 700X, 2400, and power pistol run accurate, unique does not...

Have used the auto disks for years and happy with the results. Never could get the double disk setup to work so I use a Hornidy powder measure off press for rifle ammo. And yes the disks like W231.

lamarw · November 3, 2013, 01:24 PM

I use it with all my pistol rounds. Instead of the disk I use it with the adjustable charge bar for all except when reloading for .32 Auto. The adjustable charge bar does not seem to want to micro down to small drops of powder.

I have to use the smallest disk setting for the .32 Auto which pretty much limits me to Red Dot powder. I attempted to get the Micro Disk which would provide more powder options, but it seems Lee does not make/sell it anymore. Does anyone know why?

Jay24bal · November 3, 2013, 09:06 PM

I have found that the Auto Disk works incredibly well, if like you found it, it likes the powder that is in it.

I have never used it for rifle rounds, so I have no experience with the powders you have trouble with. I do use the Lee Perfect Powder Measure, and I can tell you that it does like Varget and 4064 as I use those powders in my 223 loads (Varget in my bolt gun and IMR 4064 for the AR).

I ran into the same issue you mention with Accurate #5, the disk just spills a bunch of it every batch I make. While it was my preferred powder for 9mm loads, I switched over to using Unique as my Auto Disk likes it, and I was able to make some loads that I like enough to use. I was a little disappointed to have to switch as all my 9mm handguns liked the load, but in the end I found a load that works with Unique and now it is one less powder I need to stock as I also use Unique in my 45 ACP loads.

**Mike Irwin** · November 4, 2013, 07:52 AM

Very fine powders like WW 296 and the Accurate pistol powders leak pretty badly from my Auto Disk.

I want to replace the wiper in it to see if that makes a difference, but haven't gotten to it yet.

HJ857 · November 4, 2013, 10:09 AM

Remove the hopper and the disc(s) from your PAD. At the base of the unit, where the discs slide back and forth to drop the charge, you'll see two very slight "rails" that are just a smidge taller than everything else. These rails are the reason why some powders will leak.

Use some fine sandpaper to remove or lessen the height difference. After reassembly, it will take a number of powder drop activations to smooth out the parts you've sanded, but that should take care of most or all powder leakage.

I had huge trouble with TAC leaking all over the place until I found this tip.

Old 454 · November 4, 2013, 10:59 PM

^^^^ Pictures please., and thank you

Jay24bal · November 7, 2013, 03:47 PM

HJ - Thanks for the tip. I pulled out my Auto-Disk last night and leveled out the rails you mentioned. It did help a bit, but I am still getting spills from Accurate #5.

I loaded up 50 rounds with the last of the Accurate #5 I had on hand to see how much was still leaking. After those 50, I swept up the bench as well as the floor under the press and weighed the powder that spilled. It worked out to 17.4 grains. Considering my load was 5.7 grains, that is over 3 cartridges worth of powder on the floor.

Assuming my math is correct (which a LARGE leap of faith on your part), that works out to about 427 grains of the 7000 in the one pound can on the floor, which is about 75 rounds worth of powder. Even if some other particles of whatever or dust ended up being weighed and the real number is closer to let's say 50 rounds, I would rather not waste the powder.

For this reason, I switched to Unique for my 9mm as I would rather not waste 75 rounds worth of powder as long as the Unique load works, and it did.

WhyteP38 · November 7, 2013, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Remove the hopper and the disc(s) from your PAD. At the base of the unit, where the discs slide back and forth to drop the charge, you'll see two very slight "rails" that are just a smidge taller than everything else. These rails are the reason why some powders will leak.

Use some fine sandpaper to remove or lessen the height difference.

On my AutoDisk, which I believe is the earlier version of the PAD, I had to lightly sand the bottom of the red plastic hopper until I could just barely slide a piece of sheet paper between it and the disk. That stopped the leakage of H335.

Go slowly, because you don't want to sand it too much; the disk will hang up on the hopper if you do.

If you have the double disk kit, you'll probably need to sand down one side of each plastic riser too. Be even more careful there, since each disk is slightly different in thickness. Make sure you reference your sanding to the top disk(s) that you plan to use.

It's a nuisance, but if you do it right, it works very well. Even with the stacked double disks, my AutoDisk leaks only a handful of grains now.

HJ857 · November 7, 2013, 04:34 PM

Yes, as WhyteP38 indicates, it's bottom of the hopper that has the "rails" that can be sanded down. My first post was not well written, as usual I think.

Here's the actual post from another public forum where I got the tip, from "Jailer"

There are two rails on the bottom of the base of the hopper that need to be removed to help stop the leaking.

Take the hopper off, remove the screws and remove the elastomer wiper from the base of the hopper. Now find a good flat surface and some 320 or 400 grit sandpaper and sand the bottom of the hopper in a figure eight motion with very light pressure until the rails on the bottom are sanded smooth.

This will move the hopper closer to the disk when you re assemble it and create a tighter seal between the wiper and the face of the disk and should stop the leaking. You may find some powders that will still leak a little bit (H110 is a notorious leaker) but it will eliminate it for most all powders.

And a related tech note from Lee.

http://leeprecision.net/support/inde...powder-measure

November 3, 2013, 09:16 AM	#1
WWWJD Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2011 Location: Central KY Posts: 552	Restored Faith in the Lee AutoDisk Been reloading for my two rifles for a little over a year now. After crunching through Varget, 4064, RE15 and seeing all the granules spattered all over the base of my Lee Turret press, I abandoned the thing. Went to dipping and trickling every charge. Hate it. Started reloading for my .40 S&W this week with Power Pistol, and dug the Disk back out of the closet. Wow. So this is how this thing is supposed to work. Very consistent throws with Power Pistol. I dropped 20 charges and had no more than .1gr variation with 5 different charge weights. Last night I banged out 150 rounds in an hour. I just wanted to share my moment of glee. There's a chargemaster 1500 on my christmas wish list for that pesky stick powder. __________________ *~Mark* NRA Endowment FTW

November 3, 2013, 10:20 AM	#2
mikejonestkd Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2006 Location: Brockport, NY Posts: 3,716	Glad to hear that the auto disk powder dispenser is getting used again. I love mine for handgun cartridges. It tends to meter some powders better than others though - bullseye, win 231, trail boss, 700X, 2400, and power pistol run accurate, unique does not... __________________ You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

November 4, 2013, 07:52 AM	#6
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,379	Very fine powders like WW 296 and the Accurate pistol powders leak pretty badly from my Auto Disk. I want to replace the wiper in it to see if that makes a difference, but haven't gotten to it yet. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

November 7, 2013, 03:47 PM	#9
Jay24bal Senior Member Join Date: December 13, 2011 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 735	HJ - Thanks for the tip. I pulled out my Auto-Disk last night and leveled out the rails you mentioned. It did help a bit, but I am still getting spills from Accurate #5. I loaded up 50 rounds with the last of the Accurate #5 I had on hand to see how much was still leaking. After those 50, I swept up the bench as well as the floor under the press and weighed the powder that spilled. It worked out to 17.4 grains. Considering my load was 5.7 grains, that is over 3 cartridges worth of powder on the floor. Assuming my math is correct (which a LARGE leap of faith on your part), that works out to about 427 grains of the 7000 in the one pound can on the floor, which is about 75 rounds worth of powder. Even if some other particles of whatever or dust ended up being weighed and the real number is closer to let's say 50 rounds, I would rather not waste the powder. For this reason, I switched to Unique for my 9mm as I would rather not waste 75 rounds worth of powder as long as the Unique load works, and it did. __________________ I like guns. Once Fired Brass, Top quality, Fast shipping, Best prices. http://300AacBrass.com/ -10% Coupon use code " Jay24bal "

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November 3, 2013, 12:31 PM	#3
kostner Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 2007 Location: Kommifornia Posts: 120	Glad to hear that the auto disk powder dispenser is getting used again. I love mine for handgun cartridges. It tends to meter some powders better than others though - bullseye, win 231, trail boss, 700X, 2400, and power pistol run accurate, unique does not... Have used the auto disks for years and happy with the results. Never could get the double disk setup to work so I use a Hornidy powder measure off press for rifle ammo. And yes the disks like W231.

November 3, 2013, 01:24 PM	#4
lamarw Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2010 Location: Lake Martin, AL Posts: 3,311	I use it with all my pistol rounds. Instead of the disk I use it with the adjustable charge bar for all except when reloading for .32 Auto. The adjustable charge bar does not seem to want to micro down to small drops of powder. I have to use the smallest disk setting for the .32 Auto which pretty much limits me to Red Dot powder. I attempted to get the Micro Disk which would provide more powder options, but it seems Lee does not make/sell it anymore. Does anyone know why?

November 3, 2013, 09:06 PM	#5
Jay24bal Senior Member Join Date: December 13, 2011 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 735	I have found that the Auto Disk works incredibly well, if like you found it, it likes the powder that is in it. I have never used it for rifle rounds, so I have no experience with the powders you have trouble with. I do use the Lee Perfect Powder Measure, and I can tell you that it does like Varget and 4064 as I use those powders in my 223 loads (Varget in my bolt gun and IMR 4064 for the AR). I ran into the same issue you mention with Accurate #5, the disk just spills a bunch of it every batch I make. While it was my preferred powder for 9mm loads, I switched over to using Unique as my Auto Disk likes it, and I was able to make some loads that I like enough to use. I was a little disappointed to have to switch as all my 9mm handguns liked the load, but in the end I found a load that works with Unique and now it is one less powder I need to stock as I also use Unique in my 45 ACP loads. __________________ I like guns. Once Fired Brass, Top quality, Fast shipping, Best prices. http://300AacBrass.com/ -10% Coupon use code " Jay24bal "

November 4, 2013, 10:09 AM	#7
HJ857 Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2007 Posts: 447	Remove the hopper and the disc(s) from your PAD. At the base of the unit, where the discs slide back and forth to drop the charge, you'll see two very slight "rails" that are just a smidge taller than everything else. These rails are the reason why some powders will leak. Use some fine sandpaper to remove or lessen the height difference. After reassembly, it will take a number of powder drop activations to smooth out the parts you've sanded, but that should take care of most or all powder leakage. I had huge trouble with TAC leaking all over the place until I found this tip.

November 4, 2013, 10:59 PM	#8
Old 454 Senior Member Join Date: August 15, 2011 Location: Chesterton Ind. Posts: 822	^^^^ Pictures please., and thank you

November 7, 2013, 04:34 PM	#11
HJ857 Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2007 Posts: 447	Yes, as WhyteP38 indicates, it's bottom of the hopper that has the "rails" that can be sanded down. My first post was not well written, as usual I think. Here's the actual post from another public forum where I got the tip, from "Jailer" There are two rails on the bottom of the base of the hopper that need to be removed to help stop the leaking. Take the hopper off, remove the screws and remove the elastomer wiper from the base of the hopper. Now find a good flat surface and some 320 or 400 grit sandpaper and sand the bottom of the hopper in a figure eight motion with very light pressure until the rails on the bottom are sanded smooth. This will move the hopper closer to the disk when you re assemble it and create a tighter seal between the wiper and the face of the disk and should stop the leaking. You may find some powders that will still leak a little bit (H110 is a notorious leaker) but it will eliminate it for most all powders. And a related tech note from Lee. http://leeprecision.net/support/inde...powder-measure