need help with lee load all !!!

M

Mightymoose410

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So after a month of collecting all the supplies i finley sat down tonight reload my first set of shells with my new to me lee load all( i know its not the best reloading press what its what i could afford at the time). But upon checking my charge weights i found out that the shot charge is 3-4 grams over which i can deal with but the powder charge is shooting 10+ grains too high.....WTF
I am still new to reloading but my instincts tell me to trust my scale and change the bushing to a smaller size until i reach my desired powder charge? please let me know if im on the right track with my thinking. If any one vancouver island has insight or pointers send me a PM im happy to have a good old phone call!!
Thanks for any help
 
yes change the powder bushing until you get close to the starting load and work from there. also are you weighing one charge or 5 and seeing how they come out? i would also keep the powder hopper at least 1/2 full. also try to keep a consistent movement for each shell you charge.
 
My experience with the LLA has been quite good, I load all my 20 gauge ammo with one.
I'd suggest you de-prime and resize all your empty hulls first, in a separate operation. This removes the vibration generated by this process from the powder and shot metering stages, which need to be quite consistent to get good results. My powder drops are more consistent by doing this.
All my 20 gauge loads are fired from the same gun, so I rarely resize shells any more.
Since the powder bushing is charged after you drop shot, I give the powder hopper three light taps with a knuckle after every time I drop shot. This seems to settle the powder in the bushing, especially large flake powder like 800X.
My powder drops rarely vary more than 0.3 grains from one to the next using this process. What powder and what bushing are you using?
By all means, use a reliable scale to verify what you're getting!
I think something is definitely wrong somewhere in your set-up.. 10 grains is a huge amount to be off by, though I don't want to say it's impossible. Normally the Lee bushings are on the conservative side, if anything they usually drop light charges.
It's possible someone (previous owner?) drilled the bushing you're using out to a larger size and didn't re-label it, some of mine now have aluminum inserts to reduce static or change drop weights.
If you can measure the inner diameter of the bushing in question, maybe we can compare the ones we have to verify what you've got. You'll need a dial or digital caliper to do that accurately.
Are you 100% sure you have the right powder, what's listed on the Lee chart? As I mentioned, a 10 grain error is huge, over 50% in most target loads.
 
Chilly807 said:
My experience with the LLA has been quite good, I load all my 20 gauge ammo with one.
I'd suggest you de-prime and resize all your empty hulls first, in a separate operation. This removes the vibration generated by this process from the powder and shot metering stages, which need to be quite consistent to get good results. My powder drops are more consistent by doing this.
All my 20 gauge loads are fired from the same gun, so I rarely resize shells any more.
Since the powder bushing is charged after you drop shot, I give the powder hopper three light taps with a knuckle after every time I drop shot. This seems to settle the powder in the bushing, especially large flake powder like 800X.
My powder drops rarely vary more than 0.3 grains from one to the next using this process. What powder and what bushing are you using?
By all means, use a reliable scale to verify what you're getting!
I think something is definitely wrong somewhere in your set-up.. 10 grains is a huge amount to be off by, though I don't want to say it's impossible. Normally the Lee bushings are on the conservative side, if anything they usually drop light charges.
It's possible someone (previous owner?) drilled the bushing you're using out to a larger size and didn't re-label it, some of mine now have aluminum inserts to reduce static or change drop weights.
If you can measure the inner diameter of the bushing in question, maybe we can compare the ones we have to verify what you've got. You'll need a dial or digital caliper to do that accurately.
Are you 100% sure you have the right powder, what's listed on the Lee chart? As I mentioned, a 10 grain error is huge, over 50% in most target loads.
Click to expand...

Solid advice right there!
 
Well i got up this morning and was back in the shop for an hour before work. Rechecked the bush chat and i did indeed have it correct, bushing 141 should throw 18.4 grains of titewad according to my chart(please correct me if im wrong wouldn't be the first time). so i went ahead and took both powder and shot bushings out for inspection, and boy did i get a suprise. The previous owner had cut the entire top portion of the 141 bushing off, which was not told to me when i bought the press.
On a side not should i contact my fellow CGN member who i bought the press from and let him know of my undisclosed findings or do you think im just going to be beating a dead horse
I have inculed a picture of the bushing that had a visit from bubba
View attachment 109391
 
I doubt you will get much help from the seller but it may be worth asking why it was done. Lee should be pretty helpful in getting you replacement parts. Most likely for free. I am very happy with my load all. Not the best machine available but I like it for what I do. The situation still sucks because you could have very easily shot those loads until something blew up. Good on you for checking the charge weight.
 
Powder bushings do get modified from time to time, but that's pretty extreme. I'm surprised the seller even included that bushing in the sale without telling you it had been done. They may have never used the loader, simply flipped it. I'd make them aware of it, in any case.
Lee will probably send you a complete bushing set, either free or pretty reasonably priced.
As mentioned earlier, good choice to weigh the powder drops during set up. A lot of folks don't, this is a classic case of why you should.
 
Did some more inspection last night and through powder charges by hand just because i really wanted to load some shells. But after trying multiple setups i gave up as all i was getting was dished crimps. Which brigs my next question could someone measure the outside length of there finale crimp tube? I have a feeling mine has had some plastic removed. I am beginning to wonder if the machine has been modified to load 10ga, As the machine came with the screwed up 141 bushing that was thowing 28.5 grains and the 1-1/4 oz shot bushing in stalled, checked the hodgon website and wouldn't you know it thats a perfect 10ga load.
 
Dished crimps can be a result of using a powder that takes up less space and not filling the hull up enough. A change in wad to a longer one can solve the problem. Wad pressure is completely operator dependent with a Lee Load All. You could just press a little less hard on your final stage. Follow the load guide and see if it helps.
 
If you're using Titewad, I'm assuming it's a 7/8 or 1 ounce load.

I've switched to using the 3/4 oz. (hot pink) Clay Buster wad for 7/8 oz of shot. The grey 7/8 wad was too short, crimps were dished. A bit tight with AA hulls, perfect fit with the Remington.
A dished crimp is usually a result of too much space above the shot column, as said earlier.
 
Iff'in one wishes for warranty, gotta buy new.

Good lesson to inspect all kibbles and bits before one dives in..............me thinks...........:nest:
 
That's a loaded question, pun intended. The right answer is, maybe. The Remington hulls have slightly more interior space than AA hulls, so the fit might not be optimal. HS hulls are even smaller than the original AAs.
If you have doubts, get in touch with tech support people at the component manufacturer and tell them what you want to do. They should be able to tell you if it's safe or not. "Adjusting" recipes that are close to the SAAMI maximum safe limits can be risky business, be careful.
My rule of thumb for subbing components goes like this.. if in doubt, ask. If you can't get a straight answer, then it's a no. On several occasions when I've called Alliant and Hodgdon they've been super easy to talk with, I've never felt like I was asking a dumb question.
Most of the Clay Buster wads are clones of the big name makers, though some are their own designs.
 
if the seller gave you shot or powder bushings that were modified which he knew about but didn't inform you, then he's an arsehole. Wouldn't hurt to let him know you know he's an arsehole. Too late to do any good for you but maybe he'll think twice next time. It's like training a dog, they pee on the floor a few times but eventually they figure it out.
 
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