I have been reloading going on three years now. The press I am using is a Lee Classic Turret. Has been great so far. I have not done any high volume loading, just about ten rifle cartridges at a time. I an using a 505 scale to measure a round at a time and dispense through a funnel. I am ready to kick it up a notch and use the turret press the way it was designed. I want to start loading rifle cartridges a bit quicker and have been looking at the Lee Auto Disk Measurer and the Pro Auto-Disk . Is there a difference between the two that I should use one over the other on a turret press. What other items will I need besides this and the safety prime to load for rifle cartridges. Thanks in advance for any advise.
Want to start using a powder dispenser
- Thread starter PTS1
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For powder measuring, Lee themselves recommend the Auto Disk measures as best only for handgun loads, though it depends how bigh your case is and what powder you intend to dispense. If it's a fine ball powder, the double disk arrangement may work. If it's a larger capacity case and especially if you use a stick powder, set up the Lee Perfect measure on your press, as it will be more accurate with those and has the needed capacity. You will have to operate it by hand on the turret, I believe, but it's still the better way to go on that press.
If you want to save time by not having to stop and trim cases after sizing, you could look at using the RCBS X-die for your sizing station.
If you want to save time by not having to stop and trim cases after sizing, you could look at using the RCBS X-die for your sizing station.
Last edited:
Clifford L. Hughes
New member
PTSI:
I've never used Lee equipment. However, I have used Hornady, Pacific, Herters and RCBS powder measured. All of them gave inconsitent results with stick powders. On the other hand they all gave accurate charges with ball powders. When I measurer stick powders I set my Pacific measure to throw loads about two grains lower than I need and I use a powder trickler to balance the scale. Lately, I did away with the trickler and I scoup the powder with the tip of a spoon. You will soon be scouping the correct quanity is one scoop. For small batches of pistol ammo I use RCBS's Little Dandy. As its name implays, it's a dandy.
Semper Fi.
Gunnery sergeant
Cliffford L. Hughes
USMC Retired
I've never used Lee equipment. However, I have used Hornady, Pacific, Herters and RCBS powder measured. All of them gave inconsitent results with stick powders. On the other hand they all gave accurate charges with ball powders. When I measurer stick powders I set my Pacific measure to throw loads about two grains lower than I need and I use a powder trickler to balance the scale. Lately, I did away with the trickler and I scoup the powder with the tip of a spoon. You will soon be scouping the correct quanity is one scoop. For small batches of pistol ammo I use RCBS's Little Dandy. As its name implays, it's a dandy.
Semper Fi.
Gunnery sergeant
Cliffford L. Hughes
USMC Retired
Lost Sheep
New member
I have both, but the funnel and dippers work as well, not as fast
The Pro Autodisk has a teflon coated body. I don't know that it makes a big difference (yet). I haven't really used the Pro Autodisk enough to tell.
The Pro Autodisk allows you to take the powder hopper off the measure (for easier emptying, I suppose, but with the Turret being so easily removeable this advantage is nil). You shut off the powder flow with a twist of the hopper. You can't do that with the standard auto-disk.
The Standard auto-disk has the powder reservoir mounted onto the body of the measure with two small screws threaded into the bottom of the plastic reservoir. If you are not careful, you can strip the threads. Very hard to repair. The Pro Autodisk has brass machine screws cast into the bottom of the reservoir and brass knurled nuts hold the reservoir on. Much less likely to get damaged.
The Pro (I believe) has a nylon "wiper" that is supposed to make the measure 1) less prone to leakage 2) less likely to cut or crush large-grained powders.
I don't think the standard model has that. There is some controversy over whether or not this a a good thing or not.
The Standard is upgradeable to the Pro, but the body is still not tefloned. I am not sure about the "wiper".
I would try using a measuring scoop to mete powder before I invested in the Auto-disk. A scoop is absolutely incapable of cutting your long-stick powder granules and you will never run out of powder unawares. A full set of scoops is only about $15. I have found the scoops to be very accurate (you have to do your part, in performing the scoop or dip consistently). Get your technique down, measure your performance and see if the dippers will do for you.
The Auto-Disk powder measure is difficult to adjust for in-between powder drops. You can do it by reaming out a too-small hole, but once done, you can't go back. You would have to buy another disk.
The dippers are hard to adjust for in-between weights of powder, but it can be done. Use wood putty or something like it to fill the bottom of the dipper so the cavity measures out the desired weight. Once adjusted, though it will never go out of adjustment. Or, put a hole in the bottom of the dipper and thread a machine screw into it, thereby making the cavity easily adjustable.
There will be people who tell you that the dippers are not accurate, but my experience is that they are as accurate (when manipulated with as much skill as a good shooter manipulates a trigger) as any volumetric powder measure I have ever seen.
When you put an Auto-Disk onto a Turret Press it is a good idea to orient the measure so that it's center of gravity coincides with the center of the turret. It won't want to swing around so wildly. For this, Lee makes the Swivel Adapter for mounting on the die. You will also want the Riser (or two of them) to ensure the powder measure clears (by being above it, though putting the measure in the center of the turret helps a lot) the primer feed device.
Good luck and thanks for asking our advice.
Lost Sheep
The Pro Autodisk has a teflon coated body. I don't know that it makes a big difference (yet). I haven't really used the Pro Autodisk enough to tell.
The Pro Autodisk allows you to take the powder hopper off the measure (for easier emptying, I suppose, but with the Turret being so easily removeable this advantage is nil). You shut off the powder flow with a twist of the hopper. You can't do that with the standard auto-disk.
The Standard auto-disk has the powder reservoir mounted onto the body of the measure with two small screws threaded into the bottom of the plastic reservoir. If you are not careful, you can strip the threads. Very hard to repair. The Pro Autodisk has brass machine screws cast into the bottom of the reservoir and brass knurled nuts hold the reservoir on. Much less likely to get damaged.
The Pro (I believe) has a nylon "wiper" that is supposed to make the measure 1) less prone to leakage 2) less likely to cut or crush large-grained powders.
I don't think the standard model has that. There is some controversy over whether or not this a a good thing or not.
The Standard is upgradeable to the Pro, but the body is still not tefloned. I am not sure about the "wiper".
I would try using a measuring scoop to mete powder before I invested in the Auto-disk. A scoop is absolutely incapable of cutting your long-stick powder granules and you will never run out of powder unawares. A full set of scoops is only about $15. I have found the scoops to be very accurate (you have to do your part, in performing the scoop or dip consistently). Get your technique down, measure your performance and see if the dippers will do for you.
The Auto-Disk powder measure is difficult to adjust for in-between powder drops. You can do it by reaming out a too-small hole, but once done, you can't go back. You would have to buy another disk.
The dippers are hard to adjust for in-between weights of powder, but it can be done. Use wood putty or something like it to fill the bottom of the dipper so the cavity measures out the desired weight. Once adjusted, though it will never go out of adjustment. Or, put a hole in the bottom of the dipper and thread a machine screw into it, thereby making the cavity easily adjustable.
There will be people who tell you that the dippers are not accurate, but my experience is that they are as accurate (when manipulated with as much skill as a good shooter manipulates a trigger) as any volumetric powder measure I have ever seen.
When you put an Auto-Disk onto a Turret Press it is a good idea to orient the measure so that it's center of gravity coincides with the center of the turret. It won't want to swing around so wildly. For this, Lee makes the Swivel Adapter for mounting on the die. You will also want the Riser (or two of them) to ensure the powder measure clears (by being above it, though putting the measure in the center of the turret helps a lot) the primer feed device.
Good luck and thanks for asking our advice.
Lost Sheep
Here's a link to the comparative descriptions indicating pistol loads are what the Auto-Disk and Perfect types are intended. It also gives you a rundown of the other comparative features. Both the Pro Auto-Disk and the Perfect have the elastomer wipers and the lock-with-a-twist hoppers.
Scoops are very good with the skill mentioned earlier. Just be prepared to spend some time in front of you scale learning to scoop.
Scoops are very good with the skill mentioned earlier. Just be prepared to spend some time in front of you scale learning to scoop.
Not knowing what rifle calibers you load I would recommend the Lee perfect powder measure. The disk measure with the double disk kit still won't be enough for larger calibers.
This is my experience. I load a lot of 223 on my classic turret. I was using the double disk kit and it was working fine but I wanted better control over the charge. I found an adapter that will let me mount the PPM to the rifle charging die. I still have to cycle the measure by hand but I am much happier than when I used the disk measure. I think the disk measure is great for pistol and use it all the time for that.
This is the adapter that I bought. http://www.gun-guides.com/Perfect-Adapters_c_12.html
This is the handgun adapter. It screws on the bottom of the PPM and plugs into the top of the rifle charging die. It works great.
They also make an adapter that will let you mount an RCBS Uniflow measure to the Lee rifle charging die.
This is my experience. I load a lot of 223 on my classic turret. I was using the double disk kit and it was working fine but I wanted better control over the charge. I found an adapter that will let me mount the PPM to the rifle charging die. I still have to cycle the measure by hand but I am much happier than when I used the disk measure. I think the disk measure is great for pistol and use it all the time for that.
This is the adapter that I bought. http://www.gun-guides.com/Perfect-Adapters_c_12.html
This is the handgun adapter. It screws on the bottom of the PPM and plugs into the top of the rifle charging die. It works great.
They also make an adapter that will let you mount an RCBS Uniflow measure to the Lee rifle charging die.