Lee auto-prime slow failure

[Rick N Bama]

After my Auto prime blew up and Lee fixed it for free, I bought an RCBS RCBS Automatic Bench Priming Tool andnever looked back.

To bad it's so expensive.

I'm in the process of selling one of the RCBS tools as we speak. Ran out of room on my bench & I went back to using the Lee. So far I've not had a problem with my 2 units, however I will start checking to make sure the primers are seated as they should be.

FWIW, a lot of benchrest shooters use the Lee priming tool & if it works for them..........

Rick

[captaint]

The Lee Auto Prime is a neat little tool. It will, however wear out or break a couple of parts. I have said this before - Call or get a Sinclair catalog. They have a priming tool that you will not live long enough to wear out or break. It costs about like 5 or 6 Lee tools, but it is a thing of beauty. I'ts all a matter of choices. Enjoy Mike

[Leftoverdj]

I've gone to the press mounted AutoPrimeII. It does not have the go-anywhere convenience, but you are not going to wear one out. More importantly to me, it uses standard shell holders so I don't have to fumble around looking for a special shell holder I might not have.

[Rocky Raab]

I keep two Auto-Primes set up for large and small primers. The only breakage I've ever had was the lip that holds the shellholder in place, and Lee promptly sent me a whole new unit - which provided me with spare parts in the process.

I do keep a smear of grease on the handle end, and have never noticed any wear there whatever as a result. I use either STOS or Shooter's Choice gun grease. Once a year is enough - and this thread reminds me they are due again!

[trk]

I keep two Auto-Primes set up for large and small primers.
...

As do I.

I've worn out at least two. It doesn't take much to put in a few thousandths of an inch shim stock to compensate for wear.

I check every round (loosely speaking) by feeling for primer slightly below the surface.

[willyboy]

Lee also makes a ram prime system.

[Bret4207]

I've worn out 3 Auto-Primes. Good tool for the dollar. And yes, as with all other variations in the loading process, variations in seat depth can affect the overall results. I don't see how anyone could reasonably argue that any and all variations affect the outcome.

[XWrench3]

i have a lot of lee stuff. mostly becasue i was unsure about how much i would use it, (many moons ago, i reloaded for 4 or 5 years. then i got out of shooting for a long while, and sold off most of my stuff) so if i was going to end up getting rid of it, cheaper is better. some of it seems decent enough, some of it is just plain JUNK! in my humble opinion, if it is lee, you got what you paid for (cheap). if it fails, buck up and pay for good stuff and fotget about it. i miss my rockchucker! but i hated the messy, gooey rcbs case lube!

[joeb33050]

As the Auto-Prime wears, the primer doesn’t bottom in the pocket, although it feels like the primer IS bottoming. As wear goes on, the primer rises in the pocket, until it isn’t below the case head. I guess what bothers me is that the wear and rising primer isn’t obvious as I used the tool.
After seating a primer, L or S, with the Auto-Prime, when I try the case in another priming setup, I can feel the primer go in further and then seat.
Would some of you using an older Auto-Prime try this, see if the Auto-Prime isn’t seating the primers all the way-even though below the case head?
joe b.

[Rocky Raab]

I used mine yesterday and I can confirm that after untold thousands of rounds, both of them still seat to the bottom of the pocket. In fact, this thread and its report of wear come rather as a surprise to me. I've never experienced such.

But then, as I said, I do keep mine lightly lubed, too. Dry metal on metal might grind down the surfaces fast, especially lower-grade metals like these. It takes only seconds to pop the handle out, place a dab of case lube or gun grease on both ends of the link and pop it back together. Problem prevented, apparently.

[joeb33050]

I've worn out 3 Auto-Primes. Good tool for the dollar. And yes, as with all other variations in the loading process, variations in seat depth can affect the overall results. I don't see how anyone could reasonably argue that any and all variations affect the outcome.

"I don't see how anyone could reasonably argue that any and all variations affect the outcome."

Finally, we agree.
joe b.

[Rocky Raab]

Bret, are you sure that's what you meant to say? As written, it says that variations do NOT affect the outcome.

[TAWILDCATT]

I have several makes of press but use the lee mostly.my presses some go back to before WW2. it seems no matter what ,someone always breaks there tools and then its JUNK.or its cheap.I have had one auto prime break and I checked its thinner at the break than my others.I also bought the set of shell holders.they are useful also in the impact hammer.and for those that want lee to make them to your specs.they make good tools for an inexpensive price.you can have your hornady and dillons,its not that they are bad but I dont want to pay the price.if lee made their tools to that grade they would put both out of business.there is only one press lee makes that I think is a waste and thats the LNL. the lee turret will do as a auto advance or single stage.if you had started as I did with a win tong,you would see the diference.
the lee tools get new reloaders started at very fair price.and thats to are advantage as they will want the 2nd protected.

[JW6108]

This is the second time in 5 months that my reloading has been held up by breakage of some part of an auto prime.

I'm done with them.

I have ordered an RCBS universal priming tool.

[jlchucker]

Although I have an old RCBS priming tool, for a number of years now I've exclusively used the Lee Autoprime. Never had but one thumbpiece break, and Lee replaced that one about 10 years ago. No other problems. What the heck, though--I only paid around 10 bucks for the tool, and have really gotten my money's worth. RCBS stuff is good, too, as is their warranty--but you cand expect to pay a whole lot more for their products. Everything wears out sooner or later, but I figure I've gotten my 10 bucks worth many times over from my Lee Autoprime.

[Recluse]

Some folks here, I'm convinced, I wouldn't loan a cast iron anvil to without serious fear that I'd get it returned broken or "defective" somehow.

We're talking about a $15 tool that gets the SAME use as any single stage press out there. Every press gets at least one pull of the handle, and every priming tool does likewise. Virtually impossible not to.

I still have my little Lee Auto Prime hand tool that I bought back in 1989. I should probably buy it a birthday cake next month or maybe a Happy 20-year Anniversary card.

No telling how many tens of thousands of primers--large and small--it has seated for me. Worst problem I have is that I have to put a rubber band around the plastic primer holder cover and tray to keep it on.

Guess that's reason enough to toss it, swear off all Lee products and grumble and moan about how victimized I am. . .

JoeB--if you break down how many primers you've set with that tool over how many years, I would suspect that by using even YOUR occasionally questionable reserach analysis and conclusions, you will have come out quite ahead.

[DLCTEX]

I own 4 Auto Primes, if the two originals, left set for large and small primers, fail tomorrow they owe me nothing as they have primed many tens of thousands of cases. I bought the other two in like new condition on Ebay when you could get a steal every now and then. I solved the loose lid problem with short sections of Q-tip stems press fit to keep the lid from turning. I now do most of my priming on my Lee classic cast turret with the safety prime. It uses regular shell holders, has a large separation between primers and the case being primed (safety), changes primer size and shell holders in seconds, and primes on the down stroke of the ram with plenty of leverage for feeling the primer seat. Just my Dos Centavos.

[HORNET]

I've never had any problem feeling primers hit the bottom of the pocket priming on my old Rockchucker and have plenty of leverage in reserve for the tight ones. Usually do the priming when bringing the case down out of the M-die. I did break a priming arm about 15 years ago but that was the only thing that gave me any problem. I tried a Lee and didn't much care for it, still got another Autoprime under the bench that I haven't used. Maybe some of you just got no sense of touch..........

[Bret4207]

Bret, are you sure that's what you meant to say? As written, it says that variations do NOT affect the outcome.

A professional typist and editor I'm not. You interpreted what I was trying, poorly, to say. Any and all variations have some effect on the outcome.

[Bret4207]

"I don't see how anyone could reasonably argue that any and all variations affect the outcome."

Finally, we agree.
joe b.

Then why do you argue against that idea continually elsewhere?