Southpaw Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Southpaw, your making the drum bolt to tight. It needs to be kinda loose. Set it up empty, put the brass up and down, it should move really free and quickly. Sorry, I'm probably not explaining it very good. Thanks Lou. I just tried it again with the bolt much looser. It was better than before, but still not very good. I was getting over a .2 grain variance with N320 whereas I'm always within .05 grains with the auto disk. When you have the drum assembled on yours can you rotate it about 1/8th of a turn counterclockwise? Mine will rotate like that if I try twisting it lightly, that could have something to do with the variance; although, it does always seem to return to the same place after a powder drop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpaw Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 I never figured out how to disconnect the disconnector tho using it on a progressive chain seems to work activating powder dispenser, at first chain wasn't set right it would throw erratic powder weights not a big deal fixing as I just tighten the chain until it would work,I bring that up because that's when I experienced erratic weight throws.No I never really wanted or needed to disconnect, the saftey lever. Find this powder drum dispensers great,super easy increasing and decreasing powder wieghts, amazingly consistent, anyway this ra ra talk isn't helping your problem, good luck Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk You just unscrew one screw and remove the disconnector parts. There's instructions on the last page of the manual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerBaron Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 yep, I fell into the overtightening of the bolt that hold the drum too. I did post this before "One tip. Be careful not to over tighten the screw that holds in the drum. It doesn't need to be super tight. If you over tighten it the drum won't go full stroke. I had it too tight and it suddenly chucked just a few flecks. Looked at the drum and saw it hadn't fully returned to the top. Checked it all. Loosened it off a touch and it was perfect again. " to your questions: -The auto drum leaked some N320. Not a ton, but found some on the bench and ground. The auto disk doesn't ever leak N320. It shouldn't leak. I've even used 3N38 which is like dust. if anything will leak it would be that. I would not use any lube or graphite on it. Just let it wear in a little. The plastic drum against the nicely machine housing will create it's own seal and wear off any high spots that may be causing a leak. -The powder hopper just sits unsecured on top of the auto drum and mine was fairly loose fitting. It felt like if I bumped into my reloading bench I could knock the hopper off. Is everyone else's on there so loosely? Yes mine just sits on there too. I'm not worried about it coming off. my bench is solid and my 650 is bolted down tight. I'm happy with gravity (and an inch of the lip) holding it on. It makes it easy to change powders or empty the hopper. -The instructions talked about each turn of the flat on the key was .1 grains. I was envisioning feeling some sort of click or something each turn, I couldn't feel the turn at all for measuring the flats; is everyone else's like this too? That is only for powders where .1gn is = to 0.1cc. ALL these powder measures work on volume not weight. adjustments are in cubic centimeters but we measure in weight (grains). Some powders do have a VMD of 1 which means 1cc = 1gn but most do not. There are no 'clicks' or graduations on the powder inserts but they are very easy to adjust with the key and figuring out a 1 turn is pretty easy too. I would definitely recommend removing the disconnector and the chain. it's not needed. the return spring inside it is massive. something would have to visibly break for it not to return and the cool part is with the big drum rotating you'd have an easy visual clue that it wasn't in the right place. with your variance issues I'd check 2 things again: the tension on the drum screw (sounds like you've done this now) make sure the actuating arm is right out in the slot. if it's been pushed in it may not work properly (inwards is where it goes for the disconnect). mine has been 100%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slostang Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 I loaded a couple hundred rounds last week with mine. Got it dialed to my charge weight and got a .1gr variance over 10 charges. Very accurate and consistent for me. Zero leakage also. I'm very happy with mine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rancher5 Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 I never figured out how to disconnect the disconnector tho using it on a progressive chain seems to work activating powder dispenser, at first chain wasn't set right it would throw erratic powder weights not a big deal fixing as I just tighten the chain until it would work,I bring that up because that's when I experienced erratic weight throws.No I never really wanted or needed to disconnect, the saftey lever. Find this powder drum dispensers great,super easy increasing and decreasing powder wieghts, amazingly consistent, anyway this ra ra talk isn't helping your problem, good luck Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk You just unscrew one screw and remove the disconnector parts. There's instructions on the last page of the manual.Appreciate the info,Suppose I'll take it out tho it's been working great,TYSent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpaw Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 make sure the actuating arm is right out in the slot. if it's been pushed in it may not work properly (inwards is where it goes for the disconnect). Thanks for the reply. You're referring to the plastic piece that the disconnector was attached to? It doesn't seem to move at all; there's a little hook towards the bottom that's to the right of the notch in the tube so I think it's in the right position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerBaron Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 I mean the vertical rod that runs between that part and the up into the drum part. The bottom part needs to be out away from the powder measure body. It's part of the disconnect mechanism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpaw Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 I mean the vertical rod that runs between that part and the up into the drum part. The bottom part needs to be out away from the powder measure body. It's part of the disconnect mechanism. This look correct? I think putting that screw in the back hole prevents the disconnector from being activated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Yes, that is right. I put the washer under the screw head and it will keep the vertical part forward although I don't know it it is absolutely necessary. Another reason was to keep track of it . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerBaron Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 yep, that's what i meant. I agree I don't remember exactly how the disconector piece work (I removed it pretty much straight away) but part of it was moving that rod inward I believe so the platform would move up without pushing the rod. hence it needs to be sitting outwards in that pocket (like the one you pictured). It's a bummer you can't get yours working. I'd say if it's not dropping reliable charges and leaking it might be worth sending it back. Mine has been excellent so far (well over 1,000 rounds now with 4 different powders) and other guys posting in this thread seem to be getting the same repeatable charges and lack of leaks. As I mentioned after changing drums once I did get some really massive swings in charge weight (light charges) and I found it was because I way over tightened the bolt that holds in the drum. It doesn't need to be very tight at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpaw Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Thanks. I was emailing with someone at Lee today and without even seeing the powder measure he said, "I do not believe there is anything mechanically wrong with your measure" I also emailed Midway (where I purchased it) yesterday to see if they'd send me a new one. Haven't heard back from them yet, probably busy with Black Friday orders, but hopefully they'll swap it out and the new one works properly. Would definitely like to get one that meters at least as well as my Auto Disk. I really like the Auto Disk, just don't like being stuck to the pre-set disk sizes. I asked Lee if they offer disks in all the in-between sizes, but they don't. I know I could buy some more disks and try sizing them myself, but I'd probably mess that up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpaw Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 Well I shipped the Auto Drum back to Midway for an exchange. Hopefully the new one meters as well as all of yours. The person at Lee who I was emailing with also emailed me back today, I didn't realize he was still looking into this issue, and he suggested using powdered graphite to lube it or suggested washing the hopper in soapy water and letting the soap suds dry on the plastic which he said is a good way to reduce static. Hopefully the new one doesn't even need any of this, but good to know. I've never used graphite powder before, is there a certain kind that's recommended? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slostang Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Just a word on how accurate my auto drum has been for me so far *knocks on wood. Took the chrono out today, max spread of a 10 shot string was 34fps with my 9maj loads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerBaron Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Nice! Pretty impressive spread for a load I assume is nearing 1400fps. My auto drum is still rocking too and still giving solid results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slostang Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 ^ you got it. Avg was 1402 actually! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razorray11 Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Well I went overboard and ordered 4 sets and extra drums. I figured I would get them dialed in for what I'm loading and label it as the complete setup with the dies and just have them as a quick change sort of setup. It's going to be fun and busy winter and I'm looking forward to using all of the tips that everyone has listed as well as the what to dos and not to dos. I think i may have a problem, hopefully it's not curable [emoji13] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdawgbeav Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Just got mine yesterday. All set up and configured. Tried the "measure charge, put in drum and adjust" method. It ended up being a few 10ths of a grain more than what I wanted. Dialed it back and after a couple of tries got it dead on. Loading 4.0 grains of WST. Very fine powder, for those that don't know. So ran some test loads, nothing special, just to get it lubed up. Then started running actual tests. Everything was coming out 4.0 or 4.1. Decided to load some rounds. Loaded up about 30 rounds and randomly tested the charge. 90% of the tests were 4.0, right where I wanted to be, Only a couple were 4.1. Prior to this I was using the auto-disk with the micrometer. That was fairly consistent for me... for the most part. Then I got DQ'd from a sanctioned match for under-PF ammo. Pulled some of the rounds and found the charge was less than what it should have been. Talk about frustrating. So happy this came along. Much smoother than the auto-disk, there is no hangups with the drum like I got with the micrometer and there are no brass nuts coming loose and falling to the bench. So far my only concern is the way the hopper attaches in that if feels like it's going to just come flying off of there. Maybe next iteration included a tension screw to keep it firmly in place. So far, I'm loving this drum measure. Smooth and accurate. So far, not 1 spilled flake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 The powder container connection does seem a little loose but it seems to stay where it's supposed to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerBaron Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 The toolhead on my 650 is fairly congested with all 5 stations used including the bullet feeder right next to the powder drop. Even working away at 1000 rph+ the hopper stays put so far. The collar it sits in is about an inch or more deep so it'd have to come up a fair way to fall out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncledoc Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 (edited) I had a problem too by over tightening the bolt. Backed it off some and my drops became consistent. I have used HS6 and TG with no problems of leaking. Edited December 30, 2015 by uncledoc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpaw Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Yeah I don't like how the hopper just sits there on top, especially on my turret press where it's rotating around. I finally got my replacement auto drum from Midway will test it out over the weekend. I'm not sure if there's some trick I haven't realized, but how do you all dump the powder in your auto drum when changing drums or powders? After locking off the hopper and removing it there's still a ton of powder inside the top of the measure. Takes forever to throw and dump all the powder like I do with my auto disk, which only takes a few throws to empty. Do you all pull your whole toolhead and turn it upside-down to empty the powder measure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave33 Posted December 30, 2015 Author Share Posted December 30, 2015 Yeah I don't like how the hopper just sits there on top, especially on my turret press where it's rotating around. I finally got my replacement auto drum from Midway will test it out over the weekend. I'm not sure if there's some trick I haven't realized, but how do you all dump the powder in your auto drum when changing drums or powders? After locking off the hopper and removing it there's still a ton of powder inside the top of the measure. Takes forever to throw and dump all the powder like I do with my auto disk, which only takes a few throws to empty. Do you all pull your whole toolhead and turn it upside-down to empty the powder measure? After I turn the hopper off and empty the remaining powder I simply unscrew the lower drum part out of the die, dump it, hit it with a shot of compressed air to blow out any remaining flakes, then screw it back in the die body. Takes all of 1 minute if I go slowly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpaw Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Yeah I don't like how the hopper just sits there on top, especially on my turret press where it's rotating around. I finally got my replacement auto drum from Midway will test it out over the weekend. I'm not sure if there's some trick I haven't realized, but how do you all dump the powder in your auto drum when changing drums or powders? After locking off the hopper and removing it there's still a ton of powder inside the top of the measure. Takes forever to throw and dump all the powder like I do with my auto disk, which only takes a few throws to empty. Do you all pull your whole toolhead and turn it upside-down to empty the powder measure? After I turn the hopper off and empty the remaining powder I simply unscrew the lower drum part out of the die, dump it, hit it with a shot of compressed air to blow out any remaining flakes, then screw it back in the die body. Takes all of 1 minute if I go slowly. One minute! I thought it was supposed to be a quick change powder measure?! Yeah your way does make sense, I'll do that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpaw Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Update for anyone interested: I got a new auto drum from Midway to replace the one I was having issues with not metering well with N320. First I tried some N320 with the new auto drum at 3.3gr. I first worked the drum a bunch of times to try to break it in a bit, adjusted the drum, and then weighed and dumped about 20 throws before getting started loading. Then loaded 100 rounds, weighed the first 20, a few random ones in the middle and the last 20. At the beginning it seemed like it was getting consistent high 3.2s which is when I stopped weighing each one, but when I went back to weighing towards the end I was getting some erratic throws. I had as low as 3.16 and as high as 3.42, had about 4 drops at each of these ends of the spectrum out of the ones I weighed. Then I loaded some 124gr at 4.0gr of N320. This was MUCH more consistent. Had a low of 3.86 and a high of 4.02. The vast majority were all coming in around 3.94-3.98. Seems the auto drum does not like light drops of N320. Or maybe it just needs to be broken in more; although, the improvement in consistency happened immediately when I switched to the larger powder weight. Or possibly it was that particular drum that wasn't rotating as well since I used a different drum for the 4.0gr. And I definitely didn't have the drum screw too tight. Next powder to try will be WST for .40, interested to see how that works out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpaw Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 Has anyone else tried WST with the auto drum? I just got around to trying it. Very consistent powder drops, but leaked a lot.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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