Getting squibs with my Lee Turret / Auto disk

[Zedbra]

So I managed to take a half a day to myself and get to the range with a wide range of my guns - that's the good part. To let my rifle barrels cool, I decided to unload on my Dan Wesson and 12 rounds in I here a light 'pop' and yup - a squib. A fellow at the range helped me clear the wad cutter, load another 6 and yup - got another.

Now I just had a squib a little while ago and I reloaded all my remaining 20 rounds and now this happened. This is happening with my .38 SPL rounds, loaded with Titegroup on me LEE turret press that uses the Auto Disk powder loader. I thought I had readjusted between 357 and 38 - I did notice that if the sizing/powder die wasn't set low enough then it would look like the Auto Disk was dumping powder but in reality it wouldn't. So I adjusted the die, I dumped a dozen loads of powder, weighed each load, spot checked every dozen rounds or so but obviously something isn't going right.

I'm thinking I am obviously not setting the powder die correctly but does anyone have a suggestion as to how to remedy this problem? Please and thanks.

 

[t-star]

try backing off the hopper about a 1/2 to quarter turn the phillips head screws , not the die

 

[OldDude]

Is that the Auto Disk Pro (the one with the round hopper) you are using? If so, have you checked that the hopper is turned all the way yo the "on" position?

Also, what powder charge cavity are you using? Some of the bulkier powder don't work too well in the smaller cavities. I'm not sure if TightGroup fits with the "bulkier" description.

 

[Auggie Doggie]

Had the exact same thing with titegroup years ago. The problem was the adjustable charge bar causing the powder to bridge. If you are using the adustable charge bar, do yourself a favour and toss it in the trash and just use the disks. If you need a size in between the supplied ones, you can fill one of the larger ones with epoxy and drill to the size you need.

Auggie D.

 

[Travel240z]

I have a small, clip to the book, reading light mounted to my turret press. It is part of my reloading habit to look in every case for powder level. At first I would even say to myself "powder in the case" to ensure that I looked.

I have weighed a few extra cases that looked low but have never had an issue using this system.

 

[Zedbra]

Is that the Auto Disk Pro (the one with the round hopper) you are using? If so, have you checked that the hopper is turned all the way yo the "on" position?

Also, what powder charge cavity are you using? Some of the bulkier powder don't work too well in the smaller cavities. I'm not sure if TightGroup fits with the "bulkier" description.

Yes, it is a Pro and yes the hopper is turned all the way On. Titegroup uses minimal amounts - I'm using the smallest hole on the disks of 0.30 and it drops 3.2 grains. When it decides to work.

Had the exact same thing with titegroup years ago. The problem was the adjustable charge bar causing the powder to bridge. If you are using the adustable charge bar, do yourself a favour and toss it in the trash and just use the disks. If you need a size in between the supplied ones, you can fill one of the larger ones with epoxy and drill to the size you need.

Auggie D.

I'm not sure what the 'adjustable charge bar' is - just using one disk in there for the .38s - the smallest hole available of 0.30

try backing off the hopper about a 1/2 to quarter turn the phillips head screws , not the die

I don't have these phillips head screws

I have a small, clip to the book, reading light mounted to my turret press. It is part of my reloading habit to look in every case for powder level. At first I would even say to myself "powder in the case" to ensure that I looked.

I have weighed a few extra cases that looked low but have never had an issue using this system.

This is a great idea.


Thanks for the suggestions thus far, gents.

 

[zuke]

Did you "degrease" the inside of the die?

 

[Mark-II]

I had this once too. Make sure that your powder measure resets fully every time. Mine would stick with the disk slightly out of battery, and it wasn't obvious unless I shoved down on the whole thing and saw it click fully into place.

The solution was the grease the linkage underneath, and spray the thing down with jigaloo extreme graphite spray (after removing disks and hopper) to make things slide a bit easier.

I also spray the drop tube of any new Powder measure and die down with brake cleaner before I put anything together.

I just use the regular auto disk measure and it works for everything I use, including titegroup, save for h110. I bought a pro to try with that stuff but have yet to use it.

 

[twoicebergs]

Titegroup can be inconsistent for loads using the smallest hole in the pro disk set. That load will typically give lower power-factor rounds, so I don't use it for both PF and potential squibs. I would recommend going up to 0.32cc. For my 9mm I use the 0.34cc and 0.36cc disk to ensure proper PF. Even the 0.32cc hole produced inconsistent results until I started using some static remover. FWIW, if the load is off by 15-20% on a small drop, you will get a few squibs and it may even sound semi-normal when firing! Static cling may be your problem as well. Try using a strip of dryer sheet in your hopper to reduce and static cling. FWIW, I have never had a squib using W-231 or CFE pistol on small loads, but I have had similar issues with TG, even with larger loads. You may have also noticed that initial drops after you stop to add components are heavier due to settling. Both this and the lightening as you progress can be frustrating for making consistently loaded rounds.

Since it was brought up, the adjustable disk is useless for loads less than about 4 gn, and inconsistent until the load gets over 5 gn. I only use it for loading > 6 gn and only if I want to get a load between the nominal disk sizes. In almost every case, the regular disks (holes) are superior to the adjustable disk.

There are better metering systems, but the cost may not justify the change.

 

[Zedbra]

I clean the dies after every use, so they are degreased. I may just start to hand measure the smaller loads - it will be time consuming but I cannot keep getting these squibs. I would like to go even lighter with the TG, but the current disk will not allow it. I agree with twoicebergs in that the disks are inaccurate with TG under 6 grains. Luckily the Dan Wesson barrel removes in 30 seconds and makes it a little easier to remove.

 

[Spawn-Inc]

You just need to look inside every case. I have had the same issue loading 38spl with 2.8gr of Bullseye with a 148gr wad cutter on my pro1k. There is barely any powder in the case so it's hard to tell and keep a good pace. I will usually watch the powder drop from the disc fall into the funnel. Sometimes I'll just ignore it altogether. I haven't had a squib for some time in those loads.