Problem with Lee auto prime

[Ohio Rusty]

If you look at the enclosed pic, you can see that the flange or collar that is below the shell holder won't fit in the body of the priming unit. The body opening is square, but the collar is round and wider than the opening, thus the shell holder won't fit into the auto prime body correctly. Does lee make a different shell holder for this autoprime with flat sides on the collar that fits this opening? This is the one that came with the unit. Maybe I'm just doing something wrong here. I know I don't have the shell holder upside down ...
Ohio Rusty
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/OhioRusty/100_0641.jpg

[Tom Myers]

Rusty
Lee makes an entirely different style of shell holder for the Auto Prime System.

Those have no flange at all, just a flat holder that slides into the slot. If you are going to order shell holders and are loading for a variety of calibers, Lee sells a neat Auto Prime Shell Holder Set with 11 different holders that cover nearly all the calibers. I don't remember the price but believe it was between $22 - $27.

Tom

[dragonrider]

Did you buy the unit used, because as mentioned above that is not the holder that comes with it. You can modify the one you have by simly grinding off the bottom portion.

[Dale53]

F&M Reloading has the Primer Shell holder set for $12.75. "I wouldn't leave home without it". They also have a similar set for regular shell holders. Again, "I wouldn't leave home without it".

Consider it a small investment in the future. The shell holders are standard and you'll almost certainly have the one you need when you need it when you add a caliber and at FAR less cost than buying them one by one. I can't tell you how much, over the years, I have been happy with those two sets.

FWIW

Dale53

[BCB]

Yep, Lee makes 2 shell holder sets. One is for the Lee Auto Prime (‘bout $14) and the other is standard shell holders for reloading presses (‘bout $17). I purchased them both. That way if something exotic as far as cartridges goes, you most likely have the shell holder available. As far as Lee stuff goes, these 2 sets of holders are a pretty good buy. Good-luck…BCB

[doc25]

Yep, wrong shellholder. I guess you bought it used. I don't think Lee sells them with the shellholder.

[Sundogg1911]

Lee will nickle and dime you to death with different shell holder and oddball attachments!

[Dale53]

Sundogg1911;

Lee will nickle and dime you to death with different shell holder and oddball attachments!
__________________
I can't agree with you, there. The Lee priming tool is a great little tool. Using a different shell holder for each caliber is both necessary and makes sense. Lee is the one company that has helped keep other companies price down. Go back in history and look at RCBS shellholders price compared to Lee's. Look at how little Lee's shell holders cost when you buy them in the "kit". I have primer tools from Simmons (custom tool for schuetzen use on the line) as well has bench mounted primer tools and NONE of them represent the value of the Lee Primer tool. THAT is a fact.

Nope, I have no stock in Lee Precision and have all reloading companies products in my shop but that is a bad rap on LEE.

Dale53

[BudRow]

What Dale53 said, Ditto

[Jon K]

Me too, what Dale said. I've been using the Lee Auto Prime for more years than I can remember. When RCBS and Hornady came out with a hand priming tool, I bought them, and didn't like them, and they both cost more than the Lee.

Jon
:castmine:

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

+3 what Dale53 said.

Dave

[chuebner]

When I buy a new set of Lee reloading dies from Midway or Grafs or wherever, I automatically order the shell holder for the Lee auto prime. I keep the die shellholder and the auto prime shellholder together in pairs for the different calibers I reload for. The K.I.S.S. method works for me.

Charlie

[spottedpony]

Like everyone says, the autoprime uses its own shellholders. and i'll add, disassemble the tool, and put a bit of lube, on the contact points in the tool body, i use just a dab of vasoline. the top of the cam arm/bottom of the primer seating stem, and the cam arm pivots.
My biggest complaint is lee's quality control sometimes isnt the best (in my experience) though usually decent at taking care of problems in the past, the last autoprime i bought they pretty much told me "too bad theres nothing we can do".
I keep two autoprimes on the bench, one each, set up for large and small primers respectivly, so i'm not switching back and forth. One of them, the body seems to be a bit longer, and the primer seating stems in both large and small, thus are short enough when you shake the tool to slide a primer into seating position, it will tip on its side, over the primer seating stem.

When you measure the stems with a shell holder in place, the stem in the problem tool, is several thousands deeper than the other, enough on this one tool to allow the primers to flip onto they're side, yet the other tool doesnt have this problem.

Swapping stems around has made no difference either, which leads me to believe the problem is in the tool body casting.
anyway my solution finally was silver solder a short piece of rod the saime diameter on top of the old stem, and file to the proper length with some trial and error assembly.

[The Double D]

When ever you use the Lee Auto prime be sure and wear your safety glasses, ear protection and a glove. And like all firearm never point iit toward something you don't intend to shoot!

[Dale53]

The Double D;
That is excellent advice that I adhere to (except I don't wear ear protection as I have never had an AD with my primer tool. I AM quite aware of the possibilities, however. A light touch on the "trigger" will go far to minimizing the danger... Man, if a primer tray full of primers go off you'll need more than a glove:( :(

Dale53

[Sundogg1911]

I have 2 lee auto primes. I have a lot of Lee stuff that I like, some I dont, but If they already have standard shellholders for the press, why not design the auto prime to work with them. Like other companys do? I understand the need for different shellholders for different calibers. I bought all of the shellholders from Lee once, I buy the auto prime and go buy all the shellholders again. It was still cheap enough that I bought 2 (One for Large and the other for small). I have a ram prime from Lee too. But the only reason I can see for the need of different style shell holders is for more money. (But that doesnt mean i'm ready to scrap mine) ;-)

[TAWILDCATT]

if that was the case (more money) why not charge more???look at the design what would have to do to use press holders??? now do you see why?

[Uncle Grinch]

I too use the Lee Auto Prime and have done so for many many years. When I got my first one there was a warning in the box that read as below...

From the Lee Precision Website....

Users have reported that the primers in the tray of an Auto Prime can explode for various reasons, some of which include: a cocked primer, or an attempt to prime a case which has a primer already in place, or more than one primer on the punch, or priming a military case with the crimp not completely removed. Should an explosion occur, our tests have demonstrated that safety glasses will normally prevent serious injury to the user if CCI or Winchester primers are used, because the explosion is minimal. Other primers, however, can explode with sufficient force to seriously injure the user, or persons nearby. We do not take any position with respect to the quality or performance of primers available on the market. However, only those primers manufactured by CCI or Winchester are recommended for use in the Lee Auto Prime, and when loading those primers, safety glasses should always be used. No other primers should be used with the Lee Auto Prime.

I use Winchester or CCI primers and never have tried others, so I can't speak from experience on their use in Lee's priming tool.

[Sundogg1911]

why not charge more? because it looks like more of a bargain. Like I said. I have two and like them, but what other reason to use different shell holders. Other companys can use standard shell holders, so it's not like you cant have a design that can use them. I have friends that wont buy anything from Lee. I take each realoading tool on a case by case basis, I have a good bit of Lee stuff, but I don't have any problem buying from any company if I see value. I just bought 2 Lee 6 cavity bullet molds (After having 2 dbl. cavity molds self destruct. I love the 6 poppers and am planning to buy 3 more in the near future.

[Pepe Ray]

Sundogg1911,

""Other companys can use standard shell holders, so it's not like you cant have a design that can use them. I have friends that ""

I appreciate your remark. AAMOF when Hornady came out w/ their copycat Autoprime, I jumped on one. I've always had a soft spot for Hornady over RCBS.
The craftsmanship was as expected. I spent 8 wks. working w/it. Never had an explosion but only 'cause I'm scaired of pain and am very carefull. TMALSS.
The learning curve from Lee to Hornady is 10 times longer than TLC from Hornady to Lee.
More parts, more instructions/cautions. Flipped primers? HO-HO-HO!
Sold the Hornady to a buddy, who thinks he's smarter than I am, but only after fair warning. Went out and bought 2 more Lee. Now have set ups for LP,SP and a spare for convenience.
I've noticed that when my bud and I get together for a loading session he reverts to his old Lee and never says a word about the H.
Pepe Ray

[singleshotbuff]

I too keep 2 Lee APs on the bench (large and small), have for years. I bought an RCBS hand primer a couple of years ago, it takes standard press-type shellholders. I thought the pliers type design might help with sore fingers from priming several hundred pistol cases at once with the Lee AP. This RCBS unit was pre-APS system, it has a tray which holds the primers just like the LEE.

I have to say, this was the first RCBS product I have ever been disappointed with (except for a balky green machine progressive loader). It flips primers in the tray, cocks them in the ram area and takes a pretty good tap on the edge to feed primers from the tray to the ram. I put it under the bench after a couple of weeks of trying to learn it's quirks and went back to the auto primes. It also didn't seem to have the "feel" for seating like the Lee does.

Just another vote for the Lee AP.

SSB

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

I personally think the Auto prime, with it's funky shellholders is one of the best bargains out there in reloading land. Doesn't cost much and cheap enough to buy two of them. Works great, simple to setup and use. If kept clean and lubed, lasts for years and when it breaks, no big deal, because it's not expensive.

I doubt, unless you're hamfisted, you can break one before you've quadrupled your money's worth out of it. I've also not yet seen a better primer seater out there. Only those that cost more and typically don't work as well.

The only improvement I can think of that's of any significance is to make the primer tray larger, so it'd be easier to load an entire 100 primers at one time without risk of spilling.

Regards,

Dave