Lee progressive powder measure problem 9mm

woodenpigeon

woodenpigeon

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Hi, I have a lee progressive 4 hole turret press and I want to load 3.4 gr of win 231 behind a 125 gr lead round nose. I have the auto disk .32 in and everything is tight, but I am consistently getting highs and lows, anywhere from 3.2-3.6gr of powder. Is there any way to make this work or am I sol? I have tried my rcbs uniflow and get roughly the same results. Any advice?
 
That's pretty much how they work.

They don't throw the charge by weight, but by volume, and they are never perfect. Using a ball powder like Win 231 should help, but still won't be perfect.

Even the Lee Perfect Powder Measure varies by .2 either way with some powders.
 
Thanks for the advice. Wondering if I should sell this setup and go back to my single stage and invest in a hornady auto charge or a rcbs chargemaster. 0.2 grains is a lot of swing on 3.4 gr load.
 
What scale are you using to measure the charge weights?

I've never noticed any more than 0.1 gr variation with my AutoDisk measure.... Most times, it's less.
 
I believe that the scales are accurate because on occasion the last round fails to generate enough energy to lock the slide open. It's a minimal load to start with, but if I go to 3.8 I am getting severe leading in my glock 17 with the wolf barrel.
 
i assume they are factory cast boolits? what diameter are they? in my stock glock barrel i shoot .357 or .358 pending which die i have in my 4500 at the time, but normally .357.
 
There is a silicone rubber wiper/seal which cuts the powder - if this gets worn - and it will after about 5 to 10 thousand loads, the weight deviation will widen. The newer wipers have been improved - by putting a flat side on the hole that "cuts" the powder - but sometimes a little fiddling will be needed with them also.

Take the unit apart - then you can see the screw that holds the red hopper to the upper half of the measure. Take that screw out and then the silicone rubber wiper and clean under it - sometimes powder builds up under it and will mess up accuracy.

Be careful not to over tighten the screw into the red hopper.
 
anchor3593 said:
There is a silicone rubber wiper/seal which cuts the powder - if this gets worn - and it will after about 5 to 10 thousand loads, the weight deviation will widen. The newer wipers have been improved - by putting a flat side on the hole that "cuts" the powder - but sometimes a little fiddling will be needed with them also.

Take the unit apart - then you can see the screw that holds the red hopper to the upper half of the measure. Take that screw out and then the silicone rubber wiper and clean under it - sometimes powder builds up under it and will mess up accuracy.

Be careful not to over tighten the screw into the red hopper.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I will try that.
 
Have u got the powder measure update kit? Works a little better that one that comes with deluxe kit. Your getting leading because, well, you are shooting lead. Why not use copper plated? Win 231 is a very dirty powder and it doesn't meter nice compared to titegroup. I was getting variations all the time with 231, not so much with titegroup.

I don't have the patience for the Lee scale so I got an electronic one. First round, decap, prime, remove case and weigh. Tare electronic scale, insert case into press, charge with power, remove and weigh the charge. I used to do that every 10 rounds, now only once when I start reloading for the night. If you are below max loads, +/- .3 grains is no big deal.

If you can find titegroup, buy as much as you can, it's cheap and it burns clean. 4.2 grains behind 124 gr Berry triple plated round nose shoots really nice. Last time I bought titegroup cheap was $24 for a pound before the shortage... Now it's hard to find.
 
fralic76 said:
I never had that problem, I have the perfect powder measure and the pro auto disk powder measure and if it is off it is only off by -0.1 gr
Click to expand...

OldDude said:
What scale are you using to measure the charge weights?

I've never noticed any more than 0.1 gr variation with my AutoDisk measure.... Most times, it's less.
Click to expand...

+1 from me. WW231 has always metered very well in my AutoDisk on a 4 hole turret press. I get +/-0.1gr at most and usually bang on 75+% of the time on light charge weights similar to OP.


Mark
 
triplepete said:
Have u got the powder measure update kit? Works a little better that one that comes with deluxe kit. Your getting leading because, well, you are shooting lead. Why not use copper plated? Win 231 is a very dirty powder and it doesn't meter nice compared to titegroup. I was getting variations all the time with 231, not so much with titegroup.
Click to expand...

W231 is typically dirty in light/low pressure loads. It likes max pressures to burn cleanly.
 
Get the pro measure.
Mine on loadmaster works fine. I had to use bounce sheet to rub all parts and it greatly helped.
Dump the first few loads, then you are good to go. Reliable charges for pistol, within .2 i would say.
I aim for .2 under max so i am always under max. I use power pistol right now. Big flash but it works fine.

I dont shoot pistol really far, and I just expect it to go boom and be reasonably precise... not going to weight every pistol charge, really.
 
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I have used the Lee powder charger for tens of thousands of rounds and have very little deviation. I use the adjustable Charge Bar. I always make sure that the hopper is at least 1/2 full and I occasionally Spray the hopper and all the part with graphite spray ( Green Can from CTC). It reduces the static electricity and the powder flows better.
 
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