Lee Auto Bench Prime Yes? No? Got Any Tricks To Make It Work Better?

[DougGuy]

Bought one of these because the hand primers give me blisters after a couple hundred good hard stiff to seat primers (which is how they should be!).

Should have known there would be bugs, it's Lee priming system in how many years they STILL have not come up with a smooth running foolproof system to prime cases?

Great idea, or so it seems, but I have spent more time clearing stoppages and shaking the primer tray to get them to feed than I EVER did with the hand primer.

They make this ingenious little folding tray for the primers, which is pretty cool, but then the lock that keeps it closed, is like a huge traffic circle for primers to have to go on one side or the other and they jam up and don't want to feed past this. Why do they sell stuff like this that only works halfa$$ed?

I don't know about others who have bought these tools but I'm ready to go at mine with the dremel tool. Anything that will help it feed continuously without stoppages.

Maybe I should go buy a vibrator and screw it down to the piece of oak I mounted the bench prime to. I could see the looks I would get at the a-hem "adult" store when I tell them I am going to use the vibrator in making ammo.. :rolleyes:

[mwells72774]

I got some of the folding primer trays and love them. Not an issue one. My loadmaster and pro-1k would run dry because the primers would jam up in the round trays. I did take silicone and fill small portions of a round tray to make it like the folding tray a while back. They worked great but got misplaced

[OS OK]

Doug, this particular subject comes up once and awhile and the threads go on and on battling over either the quality of Lee's product or the fact that the user is at fault for not being ingenious enough to operate it or someone shouts...'read the directions'.
I believe the bottom line is that we want the priming to get done quick so that we can get onto the real meat and -potatoes of the loading process and see some completed rounds piling up.
This is me but, I want those primers set as perfectly as I can manage...period. I have the Lee hand tool also but, same as you it gets crampy after a while. Kept them for backup or short runs.
My solution was to buy the RCBS bench tool, long handle, great insert pressure, the tool is smooth operating and built like a tank...swapping small to large takes literally less than 5 seconds, pull one post and drop in the other, they use the standard shell holders...but, there's always the but...but you have to load the tubes...there's always some caveat, huh? There is cheap little vibrating primer loaders out there and many use them to make a quick job of loading tubes, Lloyd sent me a tray that plugs into one of his broken vibrators and I use it to load my tubes...I do the vibrating as I hold the tube under the hole in the tray and all is well that way.
So, either way you go here, there seeems to be more considerations involved that are unseen at first.
So, bottom line, quality priming takes time, the amount of $ and effort you put in ='s what you get out of it.

No, that wasn't the solution you were looking for...it's just my .02 $ worth...for what it's worth?

charlie

[DougGuy]

Welp, less than 250 primers done, the large primer feed mechanism is jammed and binding. WTG Lee! Typical BS.. Shaking my head...

[OS OK]

Take a deep breath Doug, aah better. If you decide to abandon that Lee, I would imagine that you can get something out of it...there's plenty of fellas that swear by them, maybe they could use a busted one for backup parts for theirs?

You then, can move on to greener pastures.

[DougGuy]

$30 shipped to conus including the oak block I used to mount it. New owner can call Lee and get a new lg primer feed.

[mdi]

Make a Lee Bench Prime work better? Try reading the directions. Mine is stock right out of the box. The first 60 rounds I had 3 OOPS!. I reread the directions and 1,140 rounds later it's still open the tray, dump 100 primers, close and lock the tray, install tray and open it to feed, prime 100 cases, nonstop. The key is reading the directions and allow full range of motion of the lever...

Maybe I'm just lucky or that I know how to use hand tools...:razz:

[DougGuy]

And assuming I didn't read the directions or that I am less intelligent than you? I have redacted my previous spiteful reply to you.

[farmerjim]

You can have your Man Card revoked for reading the directions.

[OS OK]

"Directions? What directions? We don't need no stinking directions!"

Cool your heels Doug and re-read what I told you in the first sentence of post no. 3. ...:bigsmyl2: ... when talking Lee, that's a common response and telling you that in an unsavory tone is even more common for some reason!

[DougGuy]

I read them a couple of times actually. When the thing broke it was in the middle of a string, all was normal then the handle went halfway down and stopped like it was hitting something. Took out all the primers, none were jammed in there, took the feed mechanism out of the tool, and it jams just trying to operate it by pressing on the ram with my fingers. I can force it to go all the way up and it jams on the down stroke then I have to force it to finish the down stroke. I give up. I'm calling Lee in the am or sending it back to the place I got it.

I finished doing 500 more primers by hand tool in the same amount of time it took me to do the first 200 with the bench tool.

[mdi]

And assuming I didn't read the directions or that I am less intelligent than you? I have redacted my previous spiteful reply to you.
I'm saying that the mistakes I made were explained in the directions. Full movement of the lever from fully extended/pressed down to fully returned to the up position. I have primed around 1,200 cases with mine and I have had none of the problems you described. For me at least, it's simple to look at how the tool works and not to try and force it to do that task. If something doesn't feel right, I'll stop and see why.

I've found many complaints about Lee tools are from not paying attention the the folks that make the tool ("I don't need no steeenking instructions") and just a cavalier attitude ("Oh this is so simple I can make it work"). I had no intention of insulting you, but if you took it that way, oh well...

[DougGuy]

Initially it came off a bit insulting.. Anyway no harm done. This one was running along fine it seemed, suddenly the handle quit moving down and like you, I wasn't going to force it at least without looking to see what the cause may be. took it apart and cleared it and the mechanism itself is jamming and binding and will not work smoothly. I have no idea why it would do this without something becoming jammed in there or operator error but like I said, running along good, priming cases, wiggle the tray every 5-6 primers, make sure they were sliding down the tube, and bam. Stoppage. Handle not moving. Shrug..

[Moonie]

I read somewhere to remove the rubber o-ring, I haven't used mine yet as I haven't setup my new bench at the new house yet but I did remove the o-ring and look forward to using it.

[DougGuy]

I bought this one from Midsouth Shooters Supply, they were a LOT cheaper than anyone else had it priced, shipping was bu UPS and quite reasonable.

This morning I called them and explained that the primer feed mechanism had messed up and it was jammed and binding, they issued a call tag with a RMA number, they even send the brown truck to come and get it and pay for the shipping which is a TON better than dealing with Lee's lousy customer service.

Two thumbs up to Midsouth Shooters Supply!

[dverna]

Doug

I feel your pain. Like OS OK I recently bought the RCBS unit. Like you, I struggled with the decision because my hands can no longer work the hand units for very long. I read all the reviews on this forum. Many people loved their Lee but everyone liked their RCBS. I saw that the Lee works most of time if you do this and that etc etc. I wanted something that worked all the time without fussing or hill jacking. The money "saved" is a short term joy. The money spent is a long term investment.

[runfiverun]

see Charlie's first post.
that's my solution too, except the primer filling part.
in my younger days I just dumped 3 trays of primers on the big Dillon metal flip tray and used both hands to poke primers.
I still do this with the wolf sr primers I have.
for the rest of them I dump a tray into the Dillon primer tube filler and push the button.
then dump that tube full into a storage tube [repeat 10 times] and wonder where the whole 15 minutes of my day went.
well i don't really wonder cause I just primed like 200 cases on the rcbs bench tool in the meantime.
or i loaded a few rounds on one of the 550's.
either way I have 1-k primers sitting there waiting for me to use in one of the 2 machines.

[DougGuy]

Sent the Lee Auto Bench Prime tool back to Midsouth Shooters Supply for credit back to the card. GOOD RIDDANCE I say!

No more ammo than I load these days I can't justify cost of a whole new system with better priming function so I am back to the hand prime tools. Maybe I will figure out a way to convert one into a foot operated pedal via lawnmower throttle cable to the handheld unit. Leave it to a guitar player to make this happen they have pedals for everything so why not priming by pedal?

[RogerDat]

Perhaps one could find an old treadle sewing machine and adapt the mechanism to pushing primers in rather than a needle up and down? If nothing else you might refinish it nice and be able to get a nice looking antique sewing machine into the living room to do primers there rather than out in the shop (closer to the fridge and large TV)

Do watch out for primers that fall in living room carpet, wife found one in basement carpet that rolled there from bench, found it with upright vacuum and was not amused.

[jcwit]

While I like and use many of the Lee products, the Lee Hand Primer is not one I favor.

Get yourself a quality hand primer such as the one made by Sinclair or K & M, doubt you'll have sore or blistered fingers.

[OS OK]

174318

*Sorry for the sideways picture, these dang photos have started loading wrong no matter what I try and do...so, I give up trying, here it is for what it's worth!

I used a short piece of radiator hose to slip on the handle of my Lee, have a piece of double sided tape on the handle to keep it from slipping off, now it will fit my large paw and I still use two thumbs to regulate pressure on the lever just to be more consistent.
These little Lee's are pretty good deals for short runs so there's no way I'm going to abandon the tool just because I have the RCBS bench unit.

[lightload]

I have this device but now am afraid to use it. If Doug can run Lee progressive loaders and manipulate precision reamers and such, then this particular priming tool must be defective. In the dim recesses of my old brain, I remember that Lee has said that a certain primer brand does not work well in his auto priming tools. I forget which. Does switching parts to accommodate small or large primers allow room for error? In the past I always had more trouble with large primers not feeding well through priming tools.

I'm not a Lee hater by any means but do admit to flagging down the trash truck and throwing into it one of their progressive machines including all its parts and attached equipment.

The Forster priming tool is another example of one which people either hate or love.

[OS OK]

lightload...you certainly seem to be an even tempered and reasonable man...but..."When your patience is played out and frustration takes the field...well, it's time to take some action!"

Bravo on you...charlie

[Maven]

"The Forster priming tool is another example of one which people either hate or love." ...lightload

Have one and am not a big fan as it is difficult to operate reliably and repeatedly spills/drops primers.

[sparky45]

Lee is the only one I use, no matter if I'm loading on the LLM or the 650.

[Bama]

Got one due to hand problems but could not get it to prime over 10 before something hung up or bent. I made a couple of changes and have now loaded several thousand without a major problem. The major change is the addition of an adjustable stop to prevent major over travel of the arm. Made original from adjustable leveling screw from a big box store. I turned the base but they can be made from just about anything including wood. In operation if a primer fails to feed, it is easy to tell when it occurs. A couple of taps on tray and recycling of arm usually resolves the issue.

[Connelly47]

I bought a Lee bench top primer, and had it jam and bend internal plastic parts in short order. My Lee hand primer has always worked well for me, but was brutal on my hands. I removed the three side screws from the bench top model, and was able to fit the hand primer priming head inside with a shell holder and reassembled it. Now it works as good as the hand primer with a lot less effort. The down side is a bit more disassembly to change size or calibers, but I'm not hurting my hands anymore.

[mwells72774]

I contemplated buying one of these for a while. Read positive and many more negative comments. If you can get your hands on one, the lee ram prime 2 is a far better method.

[1hole]

I wanted to try a hand primer and I'm cheep so I decided on Lee's original Auto Prime. In fact I got two because I'd read so many folk saying the levers break easily and they wear out quickly. I set up one for large and the other for small caps. I must be doing something wrong because that was in 1988 and both are still working perfectly well. Of course I may cheat a little, when one is unusually hard to seat I stop and find out why rather than just push harder. And I put a dab of case lube on the toggle knuckles from time to time.

Then I got a Lee AutoPrime II, the one that has a die body that screws in the press and primes with the ram and conventional shell holders. Liked it so well I got a little Lee "Reloader" press and keep it set up all the time; don't know why more people didn't like it but it was dropped from production some years ago. Liked the little red press so well I got another and put a Lee Universal Decap die in it. They both sit side by side on my bench. I use the old hand tools if I only prime a box or two, use the lil' press for larger runs; luv 'em all..

Still, I got to get me one of them new Lee bench prime devices, I love reloading gimmicks!.

[FergusonTO35]

Well, I took the plunge and bought a Lee bench prime today. I have had excellent results out of most of their products including my well worn Auto Prime. I bought it from a local reloading store and the owner said he sells bunches of them with few complaints. Still, he reiterated that I can bring it back if I have any problems whatsoever out of it. Any suggestions for success with this tool?

[robg]

A friend of mine got a lee bench primer tool seems to have had no problem with it .fancy one my self but still use the auto like I got in 1982 ,broken 2 levers on it but it still works well but it does make my hands ache after a few hundred cases .

[mdi]

Well, I'm around 2,000 cases primed with my Lee Bench Prime as of yesterday (100, 9mm cases primed). A couple hints for those that can't get one to work. Mount the tool solidly, no movement is needed to keep primers flowing. Allow the handle to fully cycle to feed a new primer, allow the handle to travel from fully down to fully up (and maybe a light bump at the end of travel to insure complete movement). I can watch the flow of primers through the clear plastic portion of the primer feed, and on rare occasions when i see no primer, a light flick with my thumb of my operating hand, and the flow starts right up. Normally I can dump a sleeve of primers in the tray, 100 primers, and stuff them in 100 cases with no problems.

Perhaps a ram prime for those that can't get the Lee tool to work? [smilie=b:

[jmort]

^^^ Agree, rock solid mount. I have both of mine on Quick Adapt plates for my Inline Ultra Mount. They work like champs. Same set up for the RCBS Auto Primes. Favor the Lee units as I like trays over tubes. You get a feel for the Lee units and off you go. I removed the rubber band. Not sure Lee even ships with the band anymore as it was causing customer complints. Mine worked fine with the band and fine without it.

[FergusonTO35]

I got mine mounted solidly to my bench and gave it a whirl, priming some .30 WCF cases this morning. Worked like a charm, I was careful to verify all the primers were turned up correctly, cycle the lever up and down completely, and not get in a hurry. Perfect success so far, feels similar to my well used but quite functional Auto Prime.

Don't know whether the plastic parts of the new Bench Prime will hold up like the Auto Prime has. The somewhat thin, screwed together construction doesn't inspire confidence. Of course, this tool costs less than half of the RCBS unit next to it on the shelf so there has to be a compromise somewhere. I would say at least 99% of all the rounds I have ever loaded were with my Auto Prime. Never had to replace anything on it. The Bench Prime is just easier and perhaps faster to use so hopefully it will do the same.

[FergusonTO35]

I've now used my Bench Prime for probably 50 .30 WCF cases and a few hundred 9mm and .40 S&W. It has worked perfectly on the rifle cases. The pistol cases have been problematic because one of the little fingers on top of the primer adapter that locates the shell holder and guides the primer into the pocket has cracked and is not quite concentric. It can still be used but requires some care to ensure everything is centered. The shop I bought it from said they will provide spare parts no problem so I sent them a message asking for a new small primer adapter. I may try a bit of epoxy on the broken fingers, this might be all it really needs. The plastic is thin and somewhat brittle so I can see how the least bit of resistance or play in the ram could cause it to break.