Lee Auto primer feeder for 4 holer!

[KHornet]

I have in general pretty much always been reasonably satisfied with Lee products particularly at the price.

Well folks, I got one for sure, stinkweed in the garden with this one, and with shipping wasted 30 bucks.
This device is made of possibly a dollars worth of plastic, and was probably designed by Engineer Rinky Dink!
I finally got the thing to work after possibly half hour of frustration, and having probably a dozen or more primers drop to the concrete. It is to be somewhat generous in nomenclature, a piece of c--p, and that shouldprobably be capitalized. I will pick up with fingers to feed the primer holder from now on. Question wither or not I should even consider putting the thing on ebay and have someone with a whole lot more patients than Ihave screw with the thing.

Paul

 

[Ben]

Paul,

I've yet to use a Lee Auto Priming system that will actually work and work repeatedly long term. They are TROUBLE. The little Lee Ram Prime will work but it isn't of the auto prime configuration.

Other Lee products ( Dies, presses, etc ) do work and work well.
Auto Priming systems ---------------NO ! !

Priming has always been the Achilles Heel of the Lee Product Line.
Like you say, when you make the thing out of 9 cents worth of plastic , is there any wonder the thing won't work ?

Here is another example of " You get what you pay for."

Ben

 

[freebullet]

Paul
I'd be happy to give it a look. Don't have to work Saturday as of now, that could change. If it doesn't and you don't have plans we could cast or mess with that unit. Occasionally I make things work better

 

[Ben]

Paul :

I have a Lee Progressive LoadMaster, 5 hole press.
The auto feed priming system NEVER worked reliably.
After spending much time and a lot of frustration, I castrated the progressive of the auto prime system and tossed it all in the garbage can.

Now I resize & prime off of the press.
I fill the case feeder tubes with resized and primed brass.

Using this system ( for me at least ) the press works flawlessly.
Each time the press handle makes a full motion, a loaded round falls in the loaded round bin. I wouldn't sell it.

Ben

 

[Ian]

Paul, are you talking about the Pez dispenser thingy that Lee calls the "safety prime"?

The one I have for both large and small primers has worked about 99% for many years, in fact I just used it last night in a regular session. Never had to modify or dink with it, just two things to make it work: Practice the skill (like threading a needle on a roller coaster), and make sure the bracket for it is installed correctly on the press. You have to get the washer and spacer stack right or it will never line up the necessary exact distance with the primer cup. Also, if the shellholder plug that makes up the top of the ram (on Classic turret presses with the cast base and 1.5" diameter ram) is one screw turn too high (seen it on a new press), the Pez gizmo will crash the primer cup and spit your primer across the room. It's mickey mouse for sure, but like I said mine happens to work great and is really handy, sorry to hear yours is having problems.

Funny thing, though, Ben got one of those new auto-drum measures and loves it, mine was a complete disaster which never managed to throw a single good charge of powder. After a bit of fiddling, I could see the cost/benefit simply was never going to be there so I boxed it up and promptly mailed it back for a refund. Just goes to show the varied luck we have with Lee stuff.

Another thing I found to be total junk is the new, triangular, vented basket of a primer tray Lee is selling with their Pro-1000 (and probably Loadmaster) primer feed kits. Some too-tall Russian primers had bound up and nicked the chute on my last spare feed chute on a Pro-1000, so I bought another Large/Small primer kit. To my surprise, it came with a re-designed primer tray that has a much-needed valve or switch so a paper clip isn't required when installing a full one onto the chute, and also a much-improved flipper texture. It's also riddled with slats so it can presumably build less pressure in the event of an inadvertent primer explosion. All good, but it's moulded of one piece of plastic with a hinge cast in the middle and it simply folds over itself to make the top and bottom of the tray. Since the hinge wants to return to flat, it fights to open itself constantly, which introduces a bow to the top and bottom halves. So a problem which never existed before now exists constantly, with primers flipping over and jamming edgewise.

 

[JonB]

I am a fan of the Lee safety prime on the turret press, I love priming on the press, I get real good feel for seating the primer. Yes the "PEZ dispenser" it is a rinky dinky plastic toy, but once it's setup it works 99% of the time. For some reason during that 1% of the time, the primer jumps out of the cup and onto the floor,,,it only happens when there is only 4 or 5 primers left in the thing.

I've primed thousands of cases using it, since 2006.
Also, there is a U shaped spring inside the PEZ dispenser, that gets weak OR breaks. The first time it broke for me, I looked at Lee's website and they didn't offer it, So I made one out of a different spring, that one didn't last long. I sent Lee a email with photo, they sent me one spring, then I see they now offer it on there website for a buck.

A couple years ago, I bought a spare Lee safety Prime Kit, and glad I did, as now they changed to the triangle primer hopper, which I dislike.

Paul, if you plan on selling it, and it has the round Hoppers, I'd be interested.
thanks,
Jon

 

[KHornet]

This thing has the triangle hopper that looks like a Russian string instrument is flimsy, and ugly!
Have primed thousands of cases with the old lee hand primer. Usually do same watching TV
as I just hate to watch TV without doing two things at once.

Freebullet free Sat if you want to play with the thing. Bored One says that you are one of those
guys who can make something out of nothing. Willing to let you mess with it if you want.
Give me a call if you can make it.

 

[Ian]

Looks like Lee is going to that triangular primer tray for all of their systems now, not a good thing unless they fix it. Hoard those older Safety Prime trays, they have the best primer flipping ability of any tray I've ever used, period. The little teats cast into the tray are simply outstanding, two shakes and all the primers are cup-up, much faster, gentler, and more reliable than any concentric-ring design.

The triangle tray might be useful if a clothes pin was used on each side to counteract the tray's tendency to bow and cause a primer pile-up, or if the hinge was cut through with a razor and replaced with something like tape to relieve the stress.

 

[KHornet]

Ian & John B, appreciate the words of wisdom. I tend to be like the the Farside
Cartoon of the two buzzards on the limb, and the caption "Patience my ass, Let's
Kill something!" Am far right brained, and have the mechanical ability of a retarded
sloth!
Paul

 

[Cherokee]

I have used the Lee hand primer tool for many, many years. The round tray version was the best in my experience but you did have to baby it. The only weakness was the pot metal they used so I kept buying replacement levers. The square ones work OK but the plastic fingers give out quickly...I use a rubber band to keep the tray in place. More replacement parts for the pot metal. I would consider a bench mounted system if there was a good one without the special feed strips...but I like to prime cases while watching TV, not at my bench. Oh well, keep things interesting.

 

[Rick]

RCBS Automatic Bench Priming Tool

No need for the strips with this RCBS tool. They do have the attachment for using primer strips but this is the one I use. In 30 some years with it it hasn't missed a beat.
.

 

[JonB]

well, hopefully freebullet will get it setup for you. But if the triangle has the issues Ian mentions, you'll probably not be happy.

 

[62chevy]

My safety prime works good but does take some fiddling to get it to work right, then you have to do what I call the dance to get the primers to stay in the cup.

 

[Ian]

I call it "English". Like on a cue ball. Takes some practice to get consistent with it.

 

[Brad]

My primer feed always works just fine.

 

[Ian]

That's why there's only 300,000 google hits on "Dillon primer problem" vs. over eight million for Lee.

 

[freebullet]

Heard of explosions with blue press primer systems, I have.

 

[Brad]

I will say that any automated press takes more attention and care in set up and use. Many things going on at one time and you need to pay attention to all of them.

I will say that some people are less mechanically inclined and more likely to have issues. I would say that Ian and Bruce probably can problem solve and fix issues far better than most. That matters a ton.

My primer issues are always operator induced. Many are due to build up of junk from depriming.

 

[Ian]

All machines have problems. Some are designed better than others, some are made from better materials than others, price is always a factor. The guys who think because they bought Blue will never have an issue, can ham-hand the equipment, use any primer brand they want, and never clean there system of primer dust even after 20 years of use, are likely to get a surprise sooner or later. People who buy a Lee press and think a $15, plastic primer system is going to jump out of the box and work flawlessly forever with no adjustments or care in assembly and handling also have a rude awakening coming. None of this stuff is idiot-proof, and even if it was, they'd make a better idiot.

 

[freebullet]

Lol, yeah anything mechanical, electronic, or alive will at some point have problems & possibly die.

The lnl ap works pretty good, she likes to be clean though. I've somehow mangled a few during the insertion process, badly enough I was surprised they didn't pop.

Maybe we'll figure it out how to trick it into working better. I'll try to remember my bottle of magic sauce.

Paul
I can make it down around 12-1 tomorrow, if that's ok. I will of course, give you a call before heading over.