Dillon rl 550/650 powder measure on lee classic turret press

ambishooter

ambishooter

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Hello,

I am currently using Lee Auto-Drum Powder Measure on my Lee Classic Cast Turret and another Lee Single Stage Press. Just recently, I am experiencing powder leakage around the drum surface. The leak is not much, but annoying. I find the Lee Auto Disk Powder not as consistent as the Auto-Drum Powder Measure. Anyone here using a DILLON RL 550/650 POWDER MEASURE on LEE Press? Or maybe a similarly designed Powder Measure from Hornady or RCBS Case Actuated Powder measure. I believe the thread size is standard among current production Press.
 
I expect that they could be made to work; why not an Auto-drum. BTW, I notice the same issue with the autodisk; It meters HP38 way better than 700X and slightly better than clays.
 
HP38 and WIN231 are both rounded and coarsely grained powder. BULLSEYE drops consistenly with HP38 and WIN231. TITEGROUP is finely flaked powder. I never had some leaking issues with HP38, WIN231 and BULLSEYE. The only advantage of Titegroup is you need less per round.
 
The Dillon is activated by powder die that work with the Dillon powder funnel that is usually sold with a conversion kit for the caliber you choose. There is no external activation rod - The rod that can be seen is a safety return bar. I will not work with the Lee powder die.
A drum type like the Hornady can probably be adapted more easily.
 
ambishooter said:
HP38 and WIN231 are both rounded and coarsely grained powder. BULLSEYE drops consistenly with HP38 and WIN231. TITEGROUP is finely flaked powder. I never had some leaking issues with HP38, WIN231 and BULLSEYE. The only advantage of Titegroup is you need less per round.
Click to expand...

And Tiregroup burn a cleaner than Bullseye..but myself I prefer Bullseye..
 
Janeau said:
The Dillon is activated by powder die that work with the Dillon powder funnel that is usually sold with a conversion kit for the caliber you choose. There is no external activation rod - The rod that can be seen is a safety return bar. I will not work with the Lee powder die.
A drum type like the Hornady can probably be adapted more easily.
Click to expand...


you are probably right about it being a tough change-over with Lee dies but could see it being a viable change with a Dillon powder drop die. The Dillon powder drop mechanism will work the same, case comes up to powder drop tube and activates the slide to drop the powder...what you wont have is the auto return of the powder slide but a quick twist of the outside mechanism will accomplish that easily after each powder drop.
 
fingers284 said:
what you wont have is the auto return of the powder slide but a quick twist of the outside mechanism will accomplish that easily after each powder drop.
Click to expand...
Some Rubber bands or some small long coil springs run from the sliding bar mechanism back around the powder funnel will cheaply put an auto-return on the dillon powder measure.
I use both on my Dillons as a backup to the return bars.
 
Rojam, why the rubber bands? There's that pin in the small block of plastic that the levers and rod use to pull the powder bar back. Or has something broken or gotten lost?

As for using the Dillon measure because you hate powder flakes all over the place take heart in the fact that us Dillon users also have flakes of powder that lightly dusts the whole press from the really fine stuff. I went from the Lee disc or adjustable bar measures on Lee presses to the Dillon. One is as bad as the other for dusting the area with Bullseye, Titegroup and similar fine particle size powders.

Also as noted you cannot use the Lee powder drop die unless you have or know someone with a metal lathe that can make a suitable adapter. And it's a one way modification since after you remove the to nut with the little funnel the threads need to be bored out and the adapter that sits taller and has the lip needed by the Dillon measure press fitted or close fitted and Loctite glued into place. And that means no going back...

I know because I've done this actual modification to three or four Lee powder drop/mouth flair dies. But I use them on my Dillon. Frankly I can't imagine doing this for a Lee turret setup. The need to fumble the measure back down with a pull bar just adds one more step to the confusion. And since they both dust the area about the same I'd say just stick with the Lee Autodisc and clean up a little more often.
 
The spring or elastic band are not needed with the last powder measure return bar arms- that you have. Older powder measure with the single plate used the spring. It became obsolete with the news set of arms.

You probably create more charge variation by adding those elastics and slamming that powder bar back.
If it’s ain’t broken don’t fix it.
 
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And I found a solution to the powder leak on Lee Auto-Drum Powder. Disassemble the drum and notice the length of the screw that tightens the drum against the body. Measure the depth of the drum shaft against the exposed length of the screw. You can basically double the length of the screw. Since the shaft is also plastic, you can have any type of thread as long as it is same diameter. The longer screw will grip better compared to the supplied screw which tends to lose grip causing powder leak. Also, after replacing the screw, before re-assembling the drum into the body of the powder measure, use graphite or a thin coat of dry teflon to lubricate the rotating plastic drum against the cast aluminum/zinc body.
 
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