Fed Primers and Lee tool

[1Shirt]

There is a warning on the Lee hand held priming tool about NOT using Fed primers as they are sensitive and may light off. Anyone out there with any experiance in this regard pro or con, *** or negative etc?
1Shirt!:coffeecom

[thx997303]

While I have only primed 100 cases since I started reloading, they were all Federal primers in a Lee hand primer.

No problems so far.

[Rocky Raab]

This comes up often. Here's the bottom line:

Federal is the only company that uses a priming compound known as "basic" (for its pH level). The others all use "common". The basic formulation is more sensitive. That makes it easier to ignite, even with a weak impact. But it also makes Federal primers more susceptible to mass detonation.

Lee was sued by somebody who had a tray-full of Federals go off, causing injury. Those two facts combined are why Lee warns against using Federal primers.

That said, Federals are perfectly good primers, and they will work just fine in a Lee Auto-Prime (or any other priming tool). But, if you do ever have one go off in the tool, the chances are they all will. Accept that, plan accordingly - and if it happens, you have nobody to blame but yourself.

[pdawg_shooter]

I am on my 3rd Lee hand primer, wore the first two plum out. No idea how many Feds I have seated but many thousands. Never had one pop yet!

[thx997303]

That Rocky, is why I only put 5 in at a time.

[rob45]

+1 to what Rocky just said.

Once we purchase something, it is ours to use as we please.

Lee never said that their tool would not seat the primers, they simply warn what will probably happen if one goes off while the others are around.

I really like the Lee Autoprime and use it frequently, but my Federal primers are fed singly in a different tool.

I take precautions and after all these years have never had an accident. But then again, do we "plan" to have an accident? By definition, an accident can happen to anyone at anytime and anywhere. We do our best to decrease the chance of an accident, yet are always subject to one.

To me, it's not worth the risk. My eyesight is bad enough as is; I would rather be able to use what little I still have.

[TAWILDCATT]

THE WARNING IS BECAUSE OF HAMMER HANDED RELOADERS. I have loaded since 1937 and never had one go off.since lee came out I have used them.I have never broke a tool except a lee auto prime but that was me.and some tough primer pockets.I have an RCBS gren machine and put a tube primer system the tecs had a fit.dont force a primer and push dont slam and you wont have a problem.

[jhrosier]

My Lee autoprimes are so old that they came without any warning about Federal primers.
I've used Federals by the thousands before I heard of this, and will probably use them again when they become available around here.
I usually hold the tool with the primer tray cover facing away from me and I suppose that this would provide me with a degree of protection if something were to happen.

I also used Federals by the thousands through my Dillon SDB press and have seated quite a few sideways due to a quirk in the priming mechanism. The sideways ones were frequently smashed flat to the face of the case and, again, none ever exploded.

I wouldn't tell others what to do, so follow your best instincts.

Jack

[Houndog]

I've seated tens of thousands of Federal primers with a Lee hand prime tool with NO problems what so ever! When I started shooting Benchrest the little Lee priming tool was the best thing out there. It was a one at a time tool. When Lee made the hand prime tool with the primer tray, I bought one, and wore it out along with 3 others. Still use them. Like another poster said, if you are not ham handed with them, thet work fine, no matter what brand primer you use. I'm also one of the "safety first" guys that NEVER handles opened primers without safety glasses!

[jcwit]

I am on my 3rd Lee hand primer, wore the first two plum out. No idea how many Feds I have seated but many thousands. Never had one pop yet!

OK, but even A.J.Foyt went around the track hundreds of times before he hit the wall. Was even pronounced dead in '65, and made a comback that same year.

Just because it has never happened yet doesn't mean its not in the cards.

[44man]

THE WARNING IS BECAUSE OF HAMMER HANDED RELOADERS. I have loaded since 1937 and never had one go off.since lee came out I have used them.I have never broke a tool except a lee auto prime but that was me.and some tough primer pockets.I have an RCBS gren machine and put a tube primer system the tecs had a fit.dont force a primer and push dont slam and you wont have a problem.
HEY, your OLD! :drinks:, I was born in 1937.
I agree because I have never, ever had a primer go off. I have used hundreds of thousands of Federal along with every other brand. I have pushed out a ton of live primers too, seated many sideways and even a few upside down.
My Lee is OLD too and now and then I use my Bonanza tool.
I see guys moving a press handle with such speed it is a blur so they can load a thousand rounds an hour so just maybe they prime that way too! :confused::confused: (Hand held firing pin.)
Loading should be a slow process so you can feel everything and keep things straight.
Now my friend had a primer go off because he dropped it and could not find it. Later he was soldering with a propane torch, he found the primer then. :Fire:

[1Shirt]

Well, you ask a question of reloaders, and you get different answers. I have not loaded Fed primers in years, mostly because they were not available, and Win,Rem, and CCI were. Now have picked up a couple thousand feds, and thought I would see what the reloading community had to say about the warning. For many years, I used the old Lee screw the shell holder in the top and hand feed one primer at a time. Used it for awhile after they came out with the tray primer and slip in shell holder, and wore a couple of those out. (Actually broke the pot metal handle on one of them). As I am old and slow, and not in any big hurry, and am not known to be ham handed, will run a hundred or so (maybe at 20 or so at a time in the tray). I appreciated the words of wisdom and the opinions of those who responded. Thanks,
1Shirt!:coffeecom

[jcwit]

If you like the single load primer hand tools and do not like the price of the Sinclair tools try the K & M primer seating tools available from Precision Reloading in So. Dakota.

[jdgabbard]

I also used Federals by the thousands through my Dillon SDB press and have seated quite a few sideways due to a quirk in the priming mechanism.

Oh so you're telling me the Dillon isn't perfect! Thank goodness someone finally came out and said it....

[jhrosier]

Oh so you're telling me the Dillon isn't perfect! Thank goodness someone finally came out and said it....

I have found that the primer feed mechanism is very touchy to adjust and a relativley small amount of crud can thow it out of adjustment easily.
This is one of the reasons that I use it so seldom. I don't need high speed to satisfy my ammo needs so I generally load a box or two of ammo on my trusty old Lyman All-American press. I can do 100 rounds per hour on the Lyman so I don't see how loading 100 rounds in 15 minutes on the Dillon, after spending 45 minutes adjusting it, is an advantage. Switching back and forth from small to large primers can try the patience of a saint, and I definately don't qualify for sainthood.[smilie=l:

Jack

[pmeisel]

Have used a few thousand Federal primers in my Lee without incident. Next time I will probably look for CCI, it is cheaper to switch brands than hand primers.

Thanks for your clear statement of the issue Rocky. It comes up every 3 or 4 months on some board or another.

[Rocky Raab]

You are welcome. I have about a dozen such boilerplate answers saved. Some things come up so often that it makes sense to have a stock answer ready.

[Gun-adian]

The only time I've had a primer go during the loading process was using a Federal Primer.

However, the FAULT WAS MINE, not Lee's or Federal's.

I was tired and in a hurry (not the best combination for doing anything let alone reloading) and the primer got stuck half way onto the primer ram of my Pro 1000. I noticed a bit more resistance than was usual as I was trying to seat the primer. I continued to force it anyway. BANG!!!! Scared the **** out of me and blew apart the primer feed chute. I've got a real heathy respect for primers now!!!!

I want to repeat this....this was my fault. Not Lee's or Federal's.

Would this have happened with any other brand of primer? Maybe. Maybe not. I've no way of knowing and I sure as hell don't want to find out!!!

Practice safe loading procedures and you should be fine.

[1874Sharps]

I have posted this before, so if you have already read it please bear with me.

I was using an Auto Prime II tool about ten years back when I had a mishap. I was priming up some 45 ACP brass with Remington primers, some of which was military (yes, I had removed the swage in the primer pocket). One of the cases was seating with some difficulty and I should have stopped right then, but I did not. It went KABOOM and set off the 90+ primers in the tray. The priming tool became a plastic grenade, sending sharp pieces all over, including toward my face. Thanks be to the good Lord nothing hit my eyes because I was not wearing eye protection. I suppose God watches out over children and fools, for I only got a purple, swollen hand and a few small cuts on my face (only adding to my rugged good looks, I am sure). The directions for the Lee priming tool state specifically that it is to be used only with CCI or Winchester primers, but who reads the instructions, right? Nowadays I use the RCBS hand priming tool, which has a protective guard to keep primers in the tray from going off if the primer being pressed in does go off. Thus far I have not had any other priming mishaps, or any other type of mishap, praise the Lord. In retrospect, I should have not tried to force the primer and I should have had eye protection on and should have used only primers that were approved for the Lee tool.

[shdwlkr]

One of the things you need to be aware of with Federal primers and all primers is the fine powder that comes off the primers and make sure it doesn't build up. I load Federal all the time and just watch for the fine powder and then clean the tool and then continue priming.
The powder is a very fine light yellow and it will react to a flame or spark very well, yep tried it for myself, just so I knew what I saw was what needed to be removed.

[stephen perry]

Federal 205M is the BR primer and LEE is one of the many ptiming tools in use. I use a tray model and load Federal primers. No pops in 16 yrs. This warning is like the writing Ruger puts on their barrels, lawyer told them to do it.

Stephen Perry
Angeles BR :holysheep

[John Guedry]

I have loaded several thousand Federal primers with my Lee hand priming tool and never had a mishap.

[HeavyMetal]

My first Lee priming tool was the old style with the screw in shell holders. Bought around 1970 it was my first experience with Lee products and would not be my last!

However this was also my first issue with Lee and the "unfinished" product that he sells. In this case the priming ram had a "Firing Pin" sticking up dead center in the middle of the ram!

Obviously from a poor cut off tool it should have been caught and "deburred" by QC.

Since then that old tool is long gone, although I still have a few shell holders for it floating around, but every priming tool I've bought from Lee has had the rams deburred and polished smooth before being put into use.

Currently on my 5th (?) auto prime and Federal is my preferred primer, when I can get them!

Haven't had an issue yet with any primer I've put through them but I have also gone to great lengths prior to using them to make sure that any obvious "protrusions" and sharp edges are removed!