Lee Auto Drum Powder Measure

[PanhandleGlocker]

I got a RCBS turret press and some Lee 9mm dies. I want to get the Lee Auto Drum Powder Measure to make reloading a little faster. Is there anything else I need to buy to set this tool up??

I found a video of a guy using it on 9mm but I don’t know enough about the tool to know how it’s set up. Can anyone give any insight? Thanks guys.

 

[Rustygun]

At the risk of sounding like a smart ass I would say the thing you need to buy to speed up your reloading would be a Dillon 750.

my 20 year old Dillon 650 with a Dillon case feeder makes ammo faster then I can shoot it. I am making a finished round with every pull of the handle. Pretty easy to get 400-500 rounds an hour.

 

[Aries]

Assuming you don't want to invest in a Dillon...

Do you mean go faster than the guy in the video? Or just to automate charging LIKE in the video?

Assuming you got the Lee dies with the powder-through-expanding die, I think the powder measure would include everything else you need to automate that part of the reloading process. Looking at the instruction manual, I believe the case pushes up on the expander and triggers the powder measure to drop the charge, so I don't see anything else you need. It comes with adjustable drums, so you can set the charge to very close to what you want.

The guy in the video is going about as fast as you can reasonably go with that press. A progressive press like the Dillon would go quite a bit faster, but cost hundreds of dollars more, you'd probably have easily $1000 in it by the time you got all the accessories, etc.

 

[PanhandleGlocker]

Assuming you don't want to invest in a Dillon...

Do you mean go faster than the guy in the video? Or just to automate charging LIKE in the video?

Assuming you got the Lee dies with the powder-through-expanding die, I think the powder measure would include everything else you need to automate that part of the reloading process. Looking at the instruction manual, I believe the case pushes up on the expander and triggers the powder measure to drop the charge, so I don't see anything else you need. It comes with adjustable drums, so you can set the charge to very close to what you want.

The guy in the video is going about as fast as you can reasonably go with that press. A progressive press like the Dillon would go quite a bit faster, but cost hundreds of dollars more, you'd probably have easily $1000 in it by the time you got all the accessories, etc.

I want to Automate charging like in the video. Right now if I set my press up all I have is a RCBS powder throw but it doesn’t connect to my die and it requires pulling a handle to dump powder. Using that tool it would be one more spot in the turret head and require one more movement with one of my hands. I know they make a Lee die adapter for it but still, I think the Lee Auto drum will be the ticket. Thank you for explaining how it functioned. I saw a Ultimate Reloader video and he was using one but it looked like he had a chain connected to it as well so wasn’t sure what that was about.

I don’t shoot enough to need a Dillon, @Rustygun plus I find reloading relaxing so the turret press will be just fine for me. Maybe someday I will get a Dillon but it’s not really necessary at the moment. I don’t have enough workbench space for one either.

 

[Aries]

Yeah, I've seen the one with the chain, and I'm not certain but I think that was before the "through-the-die" flaring dies came out. Or maybe it went through the die but didn't have the "floating" flare in it. As far as I know, all Lee pistol die sets have those now. I sure didn't see anything in the owners manual that looks like you need a chain or anything else. I could be wrong, but if it was me I'd just order the Lee Auto Drum Powder Measure with confidence, and if you still need something you can always still order it. I'm reasonably confident that will fix you up.

 

[Letfreedomring]

Only other thing you might want/need is the lee extension to raise the hopper and workings higher than your other dies and the lee large and small powder thru dies if you plan on doing rifle cases or cases that don't come with powder thru dies. Mine works great once set up properly.

Here

And here

 

[PanhandleGlocker]

Went ahead and ordered it. Will update the thread if I have any issues. I shouldn’t need the extensions I don’t think. I plan on just doing 9mm,.45acp, and 38special for now on my turret press.

 

[Dumpstick]

. I shouldn’t need the extensions I don’t think. I

The only reason for the extensions is to clear the Safety Prime housing, or to clear the other dies, when using a Lee Turret. The Lee Turret can get a bit crowded on top. The dies are very, very close together.

You shouldn't need them with that RCBS turret.

 

[Upgrayedd]

I have a Lee 4 stage Turret Press and that came with the Lee Pro Auto Disk which leaks fine ball powders. The Auto Disk is garbage. I then looked at the Lee Auto Drum Powder Measure, but I got the impression it had similar issues so I kept looking and settled on the Lyman Brass Smith Powder Measure. It's easy to set up and it doesn't leak fine ball powders which I primarily use for pistol loads. I can dial in my charge in about 5 minutes and it works perfectly. No leaks whatsoever.

For extruded powders like H4895 or H4350 they get caught in the up or down stroke when charging a case because the kernels are too big. I still hand measure my large rifle loads, but at some point I'll move to an electronic digital powder scale and measure. Just need some more space on my bench.

Lyman Brass Smith Powder Measure

Lyman’s Brass Smith Powder Measure is unmatched for value, features and performance! Whether dropping charges for small pistol cases or large...

www.midwayusa.com

Lyman Brass Smith Powder Measure Stand

Lyman listened to the suggestions of customers and redesigned the standard powder measure stand. The Brass Smith Powder Measure Stand can be mounted...

www.midwayusa.com

 

[Dumpstick]

I have a Lee 4 stage Turret Press and that came with the Lee Pro Auto Disk which leaks fine ball powders. The Auto Disk is garbage. I then looked at the Lee Auto Drum Powder Measure, but I got the impression it had similar issues so I kept looking and settled on the Lyman Brass Smith Powder Measure. It's easy to set up and it doesn't leak fine ball powders which I primarily use for pistol loads. I can dial in my charge in about 5 minutes and it works perfectly. No leaks whatsoever.

For extruded powders like H4895 or H4350 they get caught in the up or down stroke when charging a case because the kernels are too big. I still hand measure my large rifle loads, but at some point I'll move to an electronic digital powder scale and measure. Just need some more space on my bench.

Lyman Brass Smith Powder Measure

Lyman’s Brass Smith Powder Measure is unmatched for value, features and performance! Whether dropping charges for small pistol cases or large...

www.midwayusa.com

Lyman Brass Smith Powder Measure Stand

Lyman listened to the suggestions of customers and redesigned the standard powder measure stand. The Brass Smith Powder Measure Stand can be mounted...

www.midwayusa.com

So, the Lee AutoDisc is garbage, because it leaks a bit of fine powders (for you). You don't want the AutoDrum because of something you heard.

But, the other brand, which admittedly won't handle extruded powders, is just swell.

Well, okay.

Every powder throw out there has a certain type of powder it can't handle perfectly.

Some throws choke on extruded, but handle others well. Some throws don't do great with flake powders, but shine with spherical.

. Etc. Etc.

Every measure is a compromise. That's just the way it is.

And, I have both an AutoDrum and an AutoDisc. Both work well, once one gets used to working with them. Just as your throw will work fine for you, once you work out the idiosyncrasies.