New LEE Auto Prime with Square Primer Tray

[deltaenterprizes]

Any body have one? A friend got one and he says it is nothing but trouble and does not work like the old round tray type.

[bbqncigars]

I' ve got both. I prefer the old one 'cause it's easier to use (less effort to seat).

[Mark Daiute]

I took mine back for a refund. It was virtually unusable. I had primers popping out and landing on my pants or floor or wherever.

With all good intent I tried to provide Lee with feedback but they did not seem interested and that bothered me more than wasting my time and money on the new autoprime. I liked the idea but was bothered by the product.

I spent about three times as much and got the RCBS Universal hand primer.

[462]

Your friend is correct.

My story is too long to go into, suffice to say that I received one at no cost. It was given a test drive, failed on all accounts, was re-boxed and will remain so. Fortunately, I have two old models.

I think that Lee will see a decrease in hand primer sales and RCBS will enjoy a corresponding increase.

[Romeo 33 Delta]

Boy ... I've read a bunch of posts from unhappy folks ... but I'm not one of them.

I used the old, round one for years, but switched when the new square ones came out. I have one each for small and large primers. I did find that I wanted to clean up the opening on the left edge of the cover, especially on the small primer version ... but just a couple of scrapes with a sharp knife blade. I don't suggest that this need be done with every unit out there.


But ... THERE IS A LEARNING CURVE!
I just happen to have a 3/8" diameter hole in my loading bench and stick the handle end in it ... angle the tray straight away from me at 30-45 degrees and go to town. I usually run 15 primers through before I just roll the unit off to my right to position another bunch of primers , roll it back to vertical and go right back at it. I have even timed a 50-round cycle at just over 4 minutes (done WITHOUT trying to set a record ... just a steady rhythm). For the record, I load as small as .25 ACP and as large as .45/70 and as common as .30-06 and as odd as .276 ENFIELD RL-18000C for my British P-13 Troop Trials rifle.

My biggest complaint is IMPROPERLY SIZED SHELL HOLDERS!!!! I have converted any number of press type shell holders for use in my autoprimes because certain of the odd calibers I reload demand better fitting shellholder. 6.5 and 7.35 Carcano and 6.5 Mannlicher Schoenhauer for example. I use Norma 6.5 M-S brass and use a converted #20 Hornady shellholder for trouble-free priming. .25-20 SS is another problematic case. I have used EVERY manufacturer's products for these ... just finding the one that best fits the specific brass I happen to be using. (You'ld be surprised how this can vary between different brass and die manufacturers). If the match between the brass and shellholder is just enough out of spec it can mean that the primer hole is not presented in proper position for the seating rod and THAT can cause problems.

I've probably run 6 to 7 thousand rounds through my new AUTOPRIME XR's since I got them and don't have any problem with feeding or not having enough leverage to seat primers with one hand ... though some manufacturer's cases may require my bringing my left hand into play occcasionally just to make sure the primers are properly seated. (I've had that happen as well though with Lee's old style and with an RCBS unit which I once tried).

What I REALLY like is that the covers ACTUALLY STAY ON when you set the unit down. I had more than a little trouble with the round ones losing their covers once the little plastic tab started to wear and I really hated having to use a piece of tape to secure the cover!

Sorry for you guys who have had trouble with this new unit. There's a learning curve to be sure. You have to keep the unit laterally vertical, but angled away from you about 30-45 degrees. And think about making a hole in you bench to stick the end of the tool into. That will help you keep everything properly presented.

Hope this helps.

[bumpo628]

I like the square tray since you can flip a whole box in there easily. However, it tends to hurt your hands a little more due to the fact that it has less leverage. The bodies are the same, so it is not that. The new cam is shorter and so is the handle.

I ended up buying a couple of the old ones since parts are not available. If the cams ever break on these, then I'll go back to the new one. That extra bit of leverage makes a big difference between doing a hundred or so at a time or a thousand.

[Chicken Thief]

I have two of the old round ones (one more than 20+yrs old!) and love them.

If anyone have a new one they want to part with i'm game for the postage and i will try to come up with a Lee mend.

[1hole]

".... it is nothing but trouble and does not work like the old round tray type. "

A lot of folks have difficulty with change.

[Mark Daiute]

there's a difference between a failure to deal with change and not accepting an inferior product. I was excited about the change as a matter of fact. I'm capable of holding a hand primer at a 45° angle and I'm strong enough to seat the primer. Despite the fact that some folks have had success with the new product it remains, in my opinion, a poor design poorly manufactured.

No, it does not work like "the old round tray type". The old product worked very well. This is not an attitude problem it is a product problem.

[462]

Agreed, a lot of people do have difficulty with change. In fact, I will go so far as to say most people.

However, I was very eager to try the new model, and made an honest and open minded evaluation and attempt to convert over to it. I wanted it to work. But, in my opinion, it has design and functional shortcomings, and my non-acceptance of it has nothing to do with any percieved difficulty or unwillingness to accept change.

If you have one and like how it is designed and operates, great.

[gray wolf]

Who wants to jump through hoops to make something work ?
the stuff works or it don't. What the H-ell has change got to do with it?
I have a back yard full of **** that don't work.
Can you tell I don't like to spend my money on things that don't work

[TxSoldier]

Take this for what it's worth I suppose. I am new to the reloading scene and picked up one of the new ones.

I've never used one of the older round ones, but the newer model has worked just fine for me. I've never dropped any out of it or anything else. I find it's pretty quick when I get into a nice rhythm.

Like I said though, I have nothing to compare it to.

[paul edward]

[QUOTE=Romeo 33 Delta;1296869] ...better fitting shellholder. 6.5 and 7.35 Carcano and 6.5 Mannlicher Schoenhauer for example. /QUOTE]

For the Carcano cartridges, have you tried using 7.62x39 shell holders?

[HARRYMPOPE]

I have had all of the problems mentioned with the one and not the old.the new was an answer for an unasked question.

[bumpo628]

They wanted to fix two issues with the new design - the square tray and separating the primers to prevent mass detonation. Both of these issues are really good reasons to come up with the new design. It also looks like they made the cam a bit more robust. I have had one cam fail, so I can see why they changed that design too. The square tray is nice because you can flip a whole tray of primers in there and you won't have to do any shaking. The old cover always gets loose, so the new design looks better too (unless it breaks).

However, they should not have changed the length of the cam and the length & shape of the handle. They kept the body the same, so why wouldn't they try to make parts interchangeable between the designs? The new handle is funny shaped and digs into your a hand a bit more and it is shorter. The cam is also shorter. Then end result is that it requires more force to operate the machine and it is less comfortable. Not to mention that the primer feeding in the new tray is such that you have to hold it in a particular way to work right. That part is not that big of a deal. It's not like paying attention while reloading is a bad thing.

If you've never used both, then you have nothing to compare it against. The most important thing about a machine like this is ease of use. If you're hand cringes at the thought of using it then they didn't do their job.

[bbqncigars]

As for myself, I'm going to buy the next NIB old style version I find. I like to have backups.


Wayne

[bowfishn]

I have had both, the old design works with less effort but the new design works all right. They have had a change in the new design from it's original production. My buddy had the new one we bought last fall and I had the old round one that I purchased a few months before that. My friend broke the new one and we ordered the new replacement part the large tray assembly. I traded the old one for the newer one as it made no difference to me which one I used. When the part came in the cam and handle did not work with the new Tray. It took quite a few emails with Lee before they finally got it, that I had one of the first runs that they changed the design on. The sent me the revised parts and everything was fine, but it still requires more pressure to seat than the round one. Then one of the cover clips just snapped off one day removing the cover. Yes I was removing it the right way according to the arrows.

[JIMinPHX]

I haven't seen the new ones yet. Do they still use the same shell holders?

[462]

"Do they still use the same shell holders?"

Yes, and the body is the same, too.

[JIMinPHX]

Thanks.

[Model29-2]

I'm sorry to hear that some have had trouble with the new design, but I use the Lee Auto Prime II. It is the version with the press mounted die that goes on your single stage. The thing I like about it is you can set the primer seat depth as fine as you want. Yes, your arm gets a workout cranking that press handle, but you can handle it. And there's no such thing as a cam failure. I also don't see how you could break one, unless you do a stupid and break some plastic. No, I haven't figured out how to sit in front of the TV and load primers. :popcorn::-)

[kend]

there's a difference between a failure to deal with change and not accepting an inferior product. I was excited about the change as a matter of fact. I'm capable of holding a hand primer at a 45° angle and I'm strong enough to seat the primer. Despite the fact that some folks have had success with the new product it remains, in my opinion, a poor design poorly manufactured.

No, it does not work like "the old round tray type". The old product worked very well. This is not an attitude problem it is a product problem.

I agree with this. I have never used the new one so I can't say if they're harder to seat with but I wanted one so I stopped at a gun shop yesterday and looked it over. I was going to buy it as the biggest improvement to me was a primer tray that would accept a Federal box, why do engineers and design folks miss details like this????

Anyways, the one thing that kept me from buying it is when a primer is transferred from the tray to the shellholder for seating it is uncovered and appears that it would be very easy to fall out if you weren't really careful. I know me and I'd have primers everwhere so I'll just use my old one.

I have really been thinking about the larger tray and I'm wondering if there's a market for one for the old priming tool....

[altheating]

Lee makes some great stuff! The Auto Prime II and the Auto Prime XR are not in the great stuff category. As a matter of fact they fall into the pieces of $#!+ category. I just received my RCBS Universal Priming Tool last week. The Lee Auto Prime works good as a paper weight. If someone wants it, its for sale. $15.00 with a 22 Hornet and 222 shell holder! USPS Small Rate shipping $5.80

I have a friend who always says " why do you always choose the green stuff (RCBS)" I always answer " because its good stuff". I don't care if it costs 2 or 3 times as much, it works and lasts forever.

[Shiloh]

I purchased the new one online to have a spare. Took it back to Gander for a refund. Used that money to buy an unused old one from E-Bay.

The new one is junk. I let LEE know via E-mail. They are supposed to get back in a week or less. No dice.

Shiloh

[Canuck Bob]

Darn, bought one without any research. Glad I saw this because I like 2 primer tools. Large rifle and small rifle. I'm using mine tonight will report tomorrow on my success.

[1hole]

"Who wants to jump through hoops to make something work ? the stuff works or it don't. What the H-ell has change got to do with it?"

What "change" has to do with it is that it's not odd that a changed tool design just may call for a changed user technique. I suspect that if you switch to a different brand of priming tool you will still have to "jump through hoops" and change your methods from the old AutoPrime. ???

[altheating]

I am glad to report that the RCBS Universal tool works very well. 22 Hornets, 222, 223, 358, 44 mag so far. Every cal works in it with no problems at all. The only jumping I did was jumping for joy that it works.

[sirgknight]

Ever since I purchased the Lee 4-hole classic turret press I do all of priming with it. No more problems with a hand priming tool.

[Baron von Trollwhack]

It works with its own quirks, but Romeo 33 Delta is right.

Use the press version and set primers using your whole arm............BAD.

More hand tool lever pressure.......BAD.

Don't those dummies understand our users suffer higher rates of joint and muscle problems? The old ones had a variable lifespan because of "cheap". The new ones will too for several reasons. Altogether with 4 of 'em, I will switch rather than fight.

BvT

[Hafast]

There is a learning curve to change from the round ones I have used for 30 years. Do not buy the brass shell holders that Midway is/was carrying. The brass wore out in less than 1000 rounds. Fortunately I had the standard holder and was able to get back to work.