Lee Micrometer Adjustable Charge Bar Powder Measure System

When I first purchased my Lee Pro Auto Disk Powder Measure I read all of the customer reviews and some of them recommended buying a Lee Micrometer Adjustable Charge Bar to go along with system. Some reviewers had good things to say about the Charge Bar, others had bad things. Since it was so cheap I added one to my order.

I decided to test my reloading powder measure setup and compare the accuracy of the Lee Pro Auto-Disk Powder Measure using a standard Lee disk against the results of using the Lee Micrometer Adjustable Charge Bar. I would use whichever method produced the most consistent results.

Lee Pro Auto-Disk Powder Measure Test Setup

I set the Lee Pro Auto-Disk Powder Measure system to discharge one measure of smokeless powder into a 9mm Luger case with a dead primer installed. I weighed the empty case first, then I weighed the case filled with one charge of powder using a RCBS RangeMaster 750 Electronic Powder Scale (750 Grain Capacity). I then emptied the case of powder and repeated the process with new charges to check the reliability of the measures. Results are as follows.

Empty case weight = 63.1gr

Combines weights readings (in grains)

Example: a weight reading of 67.3gr would have a powder weight of 4.2gr

Measuring Smokeless Powder for Reloading

RCBS - Rangemaster 750 Scale Electronic Powder Scale 750 Grain Capacity	Lee Micrometer Adjustable Charge Bar Instruction Sheet (1)	Lee Micrometer Adjustable Charge Bar Instruction Sheet (2)

TEST #1

Accuracy Test using the Lee Pro Auto-Disk Powder Measure (using a disk no. 40)

67.4  67.1  67.1  67.2  67.2  67.2  67.2  67.2  67.2  67.2  67.2  67.2  67.2  67.2  67.2  67.2 

RESULTS: Out of the 16 readings taken all were acceptable. No powder leakage was observed.

TEST #2

Accuracy Test using the Lee Pro Auto-Disk Powder Measure (using a disk no. 43)

67.4  67.4  67.5  67.5  67.5  67.5  67.5  67.5  67.5  67.5  67.5  40@67.6

RESULTS: Out of the 46 readings taken all were acceptable. No powder leakage was observed.

TEST #3

Accuracy Test using the Lee Micrometer Adjustable Charge Bar

67.3  67.4  67.4  67.4  67.4  67.4  67.3  67.3  67.4  67.4  67.5  67.4  67.3  67.4  67.4  67.4  63.8  67.4  67.4  64.2  65.9  67.4  20@67.4  64.6  8@67.4  63.7  67.5  67.5  67.4  67.4  67.4  67.4  15@67.4

When using the Lee Micrometer Adjustable Charge Bar it was observed that there was no powder leakage during powder charging operations but there was some powder buildup noticed when the charge bar was removed after the test was completed.

RESULTS: Note the "bold" readings above. These light loads may have resulted in dangerous squib loads. Out of the 74 readings taken 5 of them would have resulted in bad loads resulting in potentially dangerous shooting conditions. These bad loads were visibly obvious when eyeballing each load as it was dispensed however this is unacceptable when using an automated reloading process. This system may be acceptable for measuring and weighing individual loads performed manually.

Lee Pro Auto-Disk Powder Measure System Tips/Remarks/Observations

1. After the testing was completed it took 3-4 powder charges to empty the powder dispensing system after the powder hopper was rotated to the "off" position.

2. Recommend making a cardboard stand to place the hopper on during disk change-out operations. This will keep the hopper upright and prevent powder spillage.

3. Run 5-10 charges through the powder measure system before each reloading operation to ensure consistent measures.

4. Keep your electronic scale away from lamps that give off heat, fans and air conditioning systems as these may affect your readings.

5. During reloading operations check the powder measure every tenth round. Use the same empty case each time you check the powder weight.

6. Eyeball each powder measure to ensure proper powder level. Use a directed light placed over the filled case. Light loads and double charges are obvious when looking for them.

As shown on the Lee web site:

Adjustable Charge Bar - Infinitely adjustable between .28 and 1.6 cc. Lifetime nylon with solid brass, zero backlash micrometer. Easy to set. Lee Adjustable Charge Bar90792 9.98  http://www.leeprecision.com/html/catalog/powhan1.html