I was using some Accurate1680 to load some 300Blk and it was spilling powder front and back. So I had a Einstein moment and realized that a LEE die lock ring washer might fit here. AND IT DID!. Its adds the needed tension on the drum and fixes both front and rear leaks. Its slightly larger from that R12 washer but works great! Just ran 10 cases and zero spill whatsoever. Thanks again for the rubber washer suggestion. BTW my Auto Drum came well polished from the factory.
I cleaned out the inside of the drum and then tightened the screw until the drum was seized. Then I adjusted the screw to where the drum would move freely. If it leaks again I'm going to use your fix. AR Plus is REALLY fine.
A common solution is to try out different drums... it appears that they are not all created equal, particularly when using very fine powders like H110/296. I also watched a video where the guy chucked up the drum in a drill and sanded with 400-600 grit wet and dry sand paper backed with a flat wood block. He did this only enough to improve the surface finish to a high polish. I have noticed that some of my disks have polished spots which would indicate a high spot... This "O" ring idea is also a great plan. Excellent Video!
I junked all my LEE powder measures and bought several Hornady Lock & Load Measures. I got the case actuated kids for them and have never looked back. Perfectly accurate, hold a lot more powder, easier to adjust, no spills, no headaches. I use them on 3 different presses, 9 different Loadmaster turrets, and 3 Pro 1000 turrets. Over time I've acquired a powder die bottoms to make switching measures to each turret as needed. That Autodrum is terrible. The stupidest part is the sealed bottle for the powder. That discourages checking powder drops frequently because you'll have an open container of powder on the bench. Like the perfect powder measure before it, you get more powder on the ground than in the case. The best thing to do with an Autodrum is mount it over a fish tank and use it to dispense food to the fish.
I may have a good idea .try making a round gasket from a pipe cleaner.put in same area.mine stopped leaking with fine power.plus no binding. Don't have to lube either
Just got a Pro 6000 and this measure, mine too leaks powder. Tried polishing the drum (the metal innards were already very well done) and that seems to habe cured the leakage from there, but I'm now seeing powder (W231) coming out from where the inner spring is. These ones don't use a plastic arm that does anything. It looks to me like the plastic insert in the housing has a gap (where the drum dumps the powder, ~1:16 in the video, you can see his has a gap too) , which may allow powder through it. Will have to play around with that "fix", as I've yet to find anyone else with the same issue. This was a good video, lots of good info and display of how leaking could occur however.
I've thought about this or a thin washer for the front. Most of my powder, A#09, leaks out the front of the drum. I can't fathom lee not having this issue fixed. I have an idea on how to accomplish this with a simple flat thin retaining ring. Good fix though
So i just upgraded to the auto drum. I havent put it on yet. I was doing some due diligence about common problems and fixes before i installed the auto drum. In order to address those problems before hand. I use Accurate #2 which is a very small spherical ball grain. So is this a common problem with brand new auto drums? Or is it a problem after using the auto drum for a while? Do they all have this issue?
How do you clesn up the powder...if you use a vacuum do you use a pneumatic vacuum??? At Sikorsky we used what we called "suck bags"..I would be hesitant to use an electric vac in case a spark would ignite the power in the bag...
Would this oring work? Tough, flexible rubber construction Fits Arrowhead, Moen, Mueller, Price Pfister, Speakman, and Universal Rundle faucets #12 O-Ring (AS568B# 114) 13/16 in. O.D. x 5/8 in. I.D. x 3/32 in. wall Designed to withstand harsh chemicals High abrasive resistance and temperature resistance
I think that O-ring may be to big and the insert may not go back far enough. You can try it and see if you are still spilling powder. I tried a couple and found this one worked best so give it a shot. Let me know.
Super lube! For anything gun, seal, or movement related. Bought a bottle ten years ago on Midway. Not even halfway through it, and lube all my guns with it post range.
Hello. I just fixed this problem (N320 for 9mm Para) by using the ring of a die, that I currently do not need. It works very well, so far. You just should not tighten the screw on the back too much. I am a great fan of Lee products. This was the very first time, that I had an issue. I hope, they fix this problem soon. @ sombys11: Thank you very much for the video, you saved my day! Here in Germany, powder is currently very hard to come by. In addition, according to my gun dealer, VihtaVuori has stopped all exports due to the war in Ukraine. So I do not want to waste what's left.
