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Lee Autodisks - Converting to be Adjustable


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I have see where you can either get the Lee Autodisks in their standard hole size configuration but with an allen screw added to allow for minor adjustments, and I've see where some guys just drill and tap their own and add the Allen screws themselves.

I use the AutoDiskPro on my LnL AP for pistol loads and am thinking of doing the same, but when you look at how it works, it appears that powder "could" refuse to fill in below the screw in the hole, or powder could pack into the small open areas on either side of the screw where the screw hole is threaded and exposed.

I'm just wondering for you guys who have done that, do the Autodisks converted that way drop just as accurate and repeatable as they do when left as they come with just the "clean" holes?

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Theres a guy on Ebay that sells the blank disks for the lee autodisk setup. You just drill and fine tune the hole to what you need. Its a little annoying sometimes and the first few times I drilled the holes ended up to big but once I got the right sized how drilled all was good. I needed to drop 2.7gr of powder and I think the least the disks can drop with TG is 3. Just remember as your run powder through the fresh drilled hole some of it will stick so eventually the powder drop will increase by .1 or .2 grains. I didn't notice this so I ended up drilling a few holes before I got it right.

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Thanks guys, but I already have the adjustable charge bar.

I actually prefer the idea of the fixed-hole disks mainly for the "guaranteed" repeatability of drops when used with the same powder during subsequent loads.

The reason I asked the original question is best explained by a real example:

Loading 9mm RNP's from RMR, I used two adjacent holes to get a powder throw of 4.42gr of HP38 with the .43 hole, and then got an HP38 throw of 4.64 with the next sized hole larger, the .46 hole.

The 4.42 gave me some stovepipes with two of the four pistols I shot it through while the 4.64 charge ran GREAT with all the pistols.

The thing is, I think that the 4.64 charge is just a smidgeon more than needed for good reliability, so I'd like to bring it down to 4.60 even, and just a little Allen screw tweak in the #.46 hole would allow me to get that.

What I'm wonder is if using the screw technique allows the hole to be just as accurate and repeatable as it was when it was just a hole.

As an aside, I'll mention that I am using the Bully bullet feeder adapter between the Hornady bullet die and the Lee 4-tube loader, and only the Lee AutodiskPro will fit in the press head and allow clearance to the bullet feeder.

Additionally, I have read too many comments about the Lee Micro Adjustable disk to want to mess around with it right now. I've got 3000 rounds I want to load in one batch and just want to get it done.

Vixty, I came across the blanks you're talking about and was actually thinking that drilling my own would be my second option if the "tweaking screws" didn't work out.

Thanks

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Damn, that's a giveaway. :surprise:

If I didn't already have my LnL progressive, I'd take you up on it in a heartbeat.

To be candid, if you were offering a singlestage Rockchucker, I'd grab it. I would actually have more use for a single stage right now for some of the milspec brass prep operations.

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I used the micro charge bar and found it crap. The discs with holes are much better.

Expand the current 4.4 hole a bit. Go slow, drop plenty or charges to test then enlarge as needed.

Forget the screw idea.

Also lee sell the a spacer/riser tube to give more clearance around the powder measure. That may help your space problem.

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I too tried the micro charge bar and ended up with throwing no powder about 4% of the time. I have no idea why.

I went back to disks and had no more trouble. The charge bar may work fine on larger charges where it's opening is as large as the feed opening.

I was dealing in the 3.1 grain range with Bullseye.

On the other issue, you aren't really selling your Loadmaster for $20...right? I'm assuming that was for the charge bar?

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I went with moding a blank disk because the reviews on the charge bars weren't all that great. The only complaint about the black disks is they need to be sanded so they are smooth and flat so powder doesn't trickle from where the disk meets the powder dispenser.

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I never had any luck with the adjustable charge bar. Lee has unofficially stated that the bar doesn't work well with pistol volumes but does with rifle volumes.

The same unofficial source suggested drilling a hole in the side of the autodisk then using a drywall screw for adjustments. The pointed end of the screw seemed to work well as an adjustment. HOWEVER, it only works for small adjustments so the unadjusted volume should already be as close as possible to what you want.

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I use the AutoDiskPro on my LnL AP for pistol loads and am thinking of doing the same, but when you look at how it works, it appears that powder "could" refuse to fill in below the screw in the hole, or powder could pack into the small open areas on either side of the screw where the screw hole is threaded and exposed.

I'm just wondering for you guys who have done that, do the Autodisks converted that way drop just as accurate and repeatable as they do when left as they come with just the "clean" holes?

Could you get a screw in that sits flush against the bottom of the pocket?

I wouldn't trust dropping different powder types with an 'air gap' below the screw.

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BeerBaron; yup, I already am using the extension because it does make it easier to clear adjacent hardware. What I do know is that you CANNOT use the Hornady Powder Drop with the Bully bullet feed adapter because there is no way to fit one adjacent to the other.

rtp; no, if a hole is drilled so low that the screw will be at the bottom of the hole, then the disc itself will have actually been split between the outer bottom edge and the edge of the hole. I'm pretty sure that would be a no-no.

And yes, the reason I ask the original question about using the screws in the disc is specifically because I thought the same thing as you did. That is, I wondered if a charge would vary from drop to drop if the "underhang" didn't fill up exactly the same way each and every time.

I think vixty might have my final solution. Spare disc kits aren't all that expensive, so I think I might just buy a "Double Disk" kit for $12. I could leave my original disc set alone for when I can find a standard hole that works, and then modify whatever of the spare ones to drop the rest.

All you guys were a great help to help me think this through.

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I have had very bad experiences with the adjustable charge bar. Very inconsistent including half charge drops etc. especially with lower charge weights. I have bought a few extra sets of the regular discs and either enlarge the hole with a small round file or slightly fill them in with superglue to fine tune them. Much better and consistent drops.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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I have two sets of each of the disks. I adjust the powder throw by adding tape inside the hole, or file the hole a little bigger. It gets me a throw in between the different size holes. I also have not had good luck with the adjustable powder thrower.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I filled the auto disc holes with epoxy and drilled it out to the correct charge I needed. I load 3.2 grains of TG and he lowest I could get b4 my tweek was around 3.5 ish. Now it's really accurate. I usually get duplicates every time I chrono now.

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The chargebar works like a champ for loads over 4 -4.5 grains. I'm loading 45 and my most recent chrono at a match netted a 4 FPS difference. For my 9mm, it's less than worthless.

Edited by ArrDave
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Do you happen to have access to a 3D printer?

For my Lee Auto Disk, I designed a bushing that could be lightly press fit into the largest cavity of the 4 disk set. I can adjust the inner diameter of the bushing in steps of .0006" to basically drop any charge I want.

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Do you happen to have access to a 3D printer?

For my Lee Auto Disk, I designed a bushing that could be lightly press fit into the largest cavity of the 4 disk set. I can adjust the inner diameter of the bushing in steps of .0006" to basically drop any charge I want.

You could probably sell these.

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Do you happen to have access to a 3D printer?

For my Lee Auto Disk, I designed a bushing that could be lightly press fit into the largest cavity of the 4 disk set. I can adjust the inner diameter of the bushing in steps of .0006" to basically drop any charge I want.

If you were ever interested in selling a set of those that would be something I would be interested in.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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