Lee Safety Prime driving me nuts.

[jetinteriorguy]

First of all, I am a pretty satisfied customer when it comes to Lee products. But trying to make the Safety Prime work on my Value Turret is really driving me nuts. Now I'm pretty good at tweaking mechanical things and usually doing this doesn't bother me, but for the life of me the Safety Prime has me giving up on it. Can't really find anything on You Tube that helps and am fed up with primers falling out and so on and so on. First of all, I absolutely hate the new primer trays. I wish I could get a set of the original Safety Prime tool with the original tray design to try. There, I'm done ranting. Now I'm open to any suggestions or ideas or other people's experiences.

[MT Chambers]

The Lee Safety Prime is so safe that you can't use it to prime. Hey...nobody gets hurt.

[Mytmousemalibu]

The priming systems on most Lee presses are the bane of press. Aside from the priming systems they aren't too bad for the most part. The easiest solution and one with a pretty solid reputation is priming off the press and that isn't just aimed at Lee. I know it's another device to buy and another step in the process but it works. Pretty much all of us in my local USPSA club (and most other competitive shooters for that matter) are all reloaders. We go through a LOT of ammo in general and time fighting the press at home or dealing with problems at the range like high primers for example, not well tolerated by comp guys. All about efficiency and reliability. Stuff needs to work, period. Priming off the press is a solid step in that direction. Lot of our club members use Lee presses and many prime off the press. Some hand prime, some use bench primers. I have an RCBS bench prime and it's a very good machine. You can run through a bunch a brass pretty quick and move on with it. Hard to go wrong with a hand primer too.

[RogerDat]

I had to go down to the bench and check to make sure you were talking about the priming equipment I use. Only time I have had it dropping primers is when I have the wrong head (large/small) with the wrong primer cup (also large/small) I ended up putting a L and S on the primer cup piece and on the white dispenser head.

It did take some work tweaking the bracket to get alignment right, but that was only when first installed. The YouTube video on turret press operation by San Francisco Liberal with a Gun were most helpful. I think he made a point of mentioning not having the ram all the way at the top when setting the primer. Letting the ram move lower just a touch gave better alignment.

This video is how to set up the Lee Safety Prime. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FrD2iZtcJA Like I said if you get it adjusted right and tighten, then you are good to go.

Big part of it is getting the head of the safety prime so it rides in right over the arm that sticks out from the primer cup.

I also found these videos that when I got a turret press I found really useful.

Well done videos for the most part has a series of 5 or 6 on setting up and using the Lee Turret press. https://www.youtube.com/user/sfliberal/videos?shelf_id=1&sort=dd&view=0 that should be a list of all of his, scroll down for the ones on turret press 1 through 5, number 6 is not really about setting up and operation.

This is the first one, should list the rest of the series on the right https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfjmKWFpSYo

[dikman]

Can't say that I'm a great fan of the new deign tray either. I'm assuming they changed it because a) it's probably cheaper to make and b) there's less "fiddly" bits on it to break.

I drop the occasional primer, but I found it's all in how you push the thing against the primer arm and click the slide to release one. Took me a little while get the hang of it, but it mostly works pretty well.

My new LoadMaster came with the old tray, fortunately.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I have the Lee safety Primer feeder setup on both a older Lee 3 hole turret press and also on a Lee classic turret press. The kit comes with a 1/4" thick black spacer for use under the Primer feeder bracket for the Lee classic turret press and it is not used for the older Lee 3 hole turret press. If you have installed that spacer on your "Value" turret press, the primer feeder will sit 1/4" too high and throw primers.

[jcren]

I almost gave up too. The problem is poor mold finishing leaves flash in bad spots. Stick with it, my large primer is slick as butter now and works with one finger down to 2 primers left and my small is almost there.

[dikman]

JonB, you just reminded me - mine came with only the one bracket to mount on the press (I have the 4-turret value press) and it was too high and couldn't possibly work. I was about to start modifying it when I remembered that the press came with a spare bracket that, at the time, I couldn't figure out what it was for. I dug it out and lo and behold it was the correct bracket for the primer feed.

I would have thought that they'd ship both brackets with the primer kit......

[dromia]

Any company that has as much internet space taken up by videos, articles and dedicated web sites telling you how to get their products to actually work says something pretty damning about their product line to me.

[rondog]

This is why my Lee Safety Prime contraption is in the box and on a high shelf. I'd rather batch prime anyway, I keep several hundred cases of any given caliber polished and primed, ready to just fill 'em up when I want

[jetinteriorguy]

I've watched all the video's to no avail. I have gone to depriming and priming off the press which I don't mind too bad. I did notice in one of the vids there was the spacer used to mount the primer setup a little higher and have thought about finding one to give it a try. It seems as though the primers are sticking to the little part that pushes them into the cup so that they get slightly pulled out of the cup as the priming mechanism retracts, then they are either jacked in the cup or just fall out. I also noticed the end where it hangs on the mount hangs crooked almost as if it's off balance and won't sit level in the trough part. The small primer setup works right about 90% of the time but the large primer setup only worked right about 40% of the time. For now I'm just going to use it for my .41 Mag and for .223 loading since I load these in smaller batches and don't mind priming off the press so much. I'm getting my reloading space back this weekend and will just set the 9mm back up on my Loadmaster where I won't have problems with it, since I do load this in volume. My daughter and her hubby were living temporarily in our basement while apartment hunting so I had to downsize to the turret press temporarily, but they've moved out now so I get the mancave back and will have my full setup back this weekend.

[PoisonIvyMagnet]

I found that on my Classic Turret press, the priming arm sat too low. Would catch and pop the primers back out of the priming arm. I took a thick washer and placed it under the plastic mount on the press, raising the entire assembly by a little over 1/16". Fixed the issue, now it's rare to have a primer feed improperly.

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[opos]

I am the "odd man out" I guess....I've used all the primer adapters, hand tools, extra add on's, etc for many years and still come back to clean hands and pick up and load one primer at a time into the arm on the press..I have Lee classic cast single stage...I got a Lee Classic turret and I have a Lee hand press...I've had RCBS equipment...some Hornady equipment, etc....I've never had one misfire..never had a primer in backwards or crosswise, etc since I just went back to my 1960's method of clean hands...a little flat plate that lets me shake the primers all face up..and one primer at a time...I've dropped a few and as long as my area is clean I've loaded those and they all go bang....Am I the only one? I hate the plastic flimsy little primer feeders and the hand priming tool is ok but I've got the old kind and frankly don't want to chance setting off a bunch of primers if one pops....The little device that can be bought for the Lee Hand Press is a "manual feed" unit so if the manual feed is ok for that why not be ok for the fixed presses with the arm? Works fine for me..never popped one..don't have misfires and I think it's about as quick as anything else...and I don't like to sit "and watch tv while I prime"...I concentrate when I'm loading.

[gwpercle]

I just hand prime off press , stops all the drama in it's tracks ! Also cuts down the cursing and high blood pressure .
Gary

[Wayne Smith]

No, you are not the only one. When I am priming a couple of hundred pieces of brass I will break out the RCBS hand unit (getting new jaws and spring for the 'universal shell holder' since it ejected 32 brass). Other wise I prime on the press - and often on my TrueLine Jr.

[tazman]

I've watched all the video's to no avail. I have gone to depriming and priming off the press which I don't mind too bad. I did notice in one of the vids there was the spacer used to mount the primer setup a little higher and have thought about finding one to give it a try. It seems as though the primers are sticking to the little part that pushes them into the cup so that they get slightly pulled out of the cup as the priming mechanism retracts, then they are either jacked in the cup or just fall out. I also noticed the end where it hangs on the mount hangs crooked almost as if it's off balance and won't sit level in the trough part. The small primer setup works right about 90% of the time but the large primer setup only worked right about 40% of the time. For now I'm just going to use it for my .41 Mag and for .223 loading since I load these in smaller batches and don't mind priming off the press so much. I'm getting my reloading space back this weekend and will just set the 9mm back up on my Loadmaster where I won't have problems with it, since I do load this in volume. My daughter and her hubby were living temporarily in our basement while apartment hunting so I had to downsize to the turret press temporarily, but they've moved out now so I get the mancave back and will have my full setup back this weekend.

I had the same problem when I first started using it. There are three problems with it that need corrected for it to work properly aside from the getting the correct bracket height.
First-- take the feed mechanism apart. This only takes a couple of screws. Make sure you keep track of how the parts go together. Pull out the small sliding bar that actually moves the primer. There is a notch cut into this bar that fits the primer. Usually there is a little bit of flashing left over from the mold here. Use a knife to remove this fin and clean up the notch so it is smooth and doesn't grip the primer. Then put the unit back together. Don't over-tighten the screws as they are easy to strip out.
Second-- You have to align the mechanism so it comes straight at the priming cup in line with the way the bar/lever sits in the ram. If this is off to one side a bit or at a slight angle, you will get dropped primers. When this is properly aligned, the priming mechanism drops the primers into the cup cleanly with a light clicking sound.
Getting this angle right is the part that seems to go wrong the easiest. I need to correct mine periodically since the vibration seems to allow it to move a little over time even though the bolts are tight.
Third--- The cover for the primer tray is always too tight. There is some flashing around the tray on the outside that tends to bind the cover until it is cleaned up. Inside the cover where the notches are molded into the rim for the locking lugs, there are usually small bumps where they will bind with the outside of the tray. Clean these off with a knife and the tray cover will work much easier. Having the tray cover a little loose isn't a problem since the locking lugs will hold it in place with the safety latch.
Mine only drops about one primer in 500 or so now after the cleanup and alignment.
I hope this helps.

[jetinteriorguy]

I've taken the primer apart and cleaned it up to no avail. For now I'm just going to prime off the press and live with it. Maybe some day I'll take it out and try again. For me it's just a tool that so far hasn't worked.

[Ben]

Any company that has as much internet space taken up by videos, articles and dedicated web sites telling you how to get their products to actually work says something pretty damning about their product line to me.

Well spoken ! !

Ben

[Leaker11]

I just got one to use on a Lee classic cast single stage press. I've used it to load .45 colt and .45/70. The safety prime is the new style and has worked right out of the box. Only loaded a couple houndred rounds with it. But I'm very happy with it. I just had to line up the primer arm with the priming arm by adjusting the mounting bracket.

[dromia]

Lee, sometimes their stuff works, sometimes it doesn't. You pay your money and you take your chances.

Wait 'till you get to using the small primer unit.

[Ole Joe Clarke]

I had one of those contraptions on the Lee Classic Turret, took it off and used a razor knife and file to deburr it. It worked ok then. I primed one batch with it, then put it back in the box. Finally gave it away.

I prime off press with a old Lee auto prime and a RCBS bench primer for large primers. Works like a charm.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

[dragon813gt]

The safety prime is the one Lee tool that drove me nuts. But I did figure it out. First it has to be lined up properly, self explanatory. Then it takes a light touch. If you jamb it quickly while transferring the primer it won't feed reliably. I'm home today and will take some pics showing where and how to push on it.

Once you learn how it works you might not want to use anything else. I hate loading tubes for the Dillon. And let's not pretend that you don't have to spend the time to learn how to use any tool. I fully understand that some things work out of the box. Some of the tools I use for work cost a lot more than a safety prime and had very steep learning curves. I will post some pics later today.

[castalott]

I just take a new box of primers and dump them on the floor.... then bend over and pick up one at a time to feed into the press... This is a lot smoother than using the press primer.... ok... I'm kidding... maybe...

Most Lee tools are genius.... Really, I do mean that... But this one.... Mmmm....

[DLCTEX]

I had to tweak mine some when I first installed it, but it works great, even after thousands of rounds loaded.

[tazman]

I have found that the alignment is slightly different between the large primer and small primer setups. When I change primer sizes I need to change the alignment so it lines up properly. Only takes a moment to get it right.
I have loaded many thousands of rounds with this setup. The only part I have issues with now is the return spring inside the mechanism. I have needed to replace it(easily done) 5 times now due to the spring wearing out or breaking. I keep a few on hand just in case.

[kmw1954]

My question is to all those that prime off the press. Then why use a turret? Isn't that defeating the purpose of a turret press? Especially one that auto indexes. Other than having tool heads set for different calibers so as to not have to rest dies I don't see an advantage of just using 2 stations.

[Freightman]

Mine is not new and it works good when you follow directions which is hard for me but after cursing the thing I did it works.

[jetinteriorguy]

I still use all four stations with my .41 Mag. I deprime and tumble off the press, then prime. Then on the press I first size without the decaping pin, then I charge/flair the case, then seat and take the flare out, then finally crimp with the collet crimper. For .223 brass is fully prepped and primed off the press, then on the press I charge, then use a powder check did, then seat the bullet, and last I crimp using a collet crimp die. So even though I deprime and prime off the press I still utilize all the stations.

[DerekP Houston]

huh, safety prime works fine for me. I did use a razor blade to remove any excess flashing/burrs when I first set it up. Used it this morning to run some 45 rounds with large primers. The primer on the pro 1000 drove me nuts.

[jetinteriorguy]

One thing about priming off press. For me it doesn't slow down the loading process. I just do my priming with the ergo prime while watching tv, in fact it speeds up the process because I don't waste any time looking for spilled primers.

[jetinteriorguy]

I was bored last night so I decided to give the safety prime another try. I started by shimming up the bracket to see what would happen. I settled on one washer under the bracket which seemed to help. I also took others advice and pulled apart the priming mechanism and cleaned up all the mold flashing. And finally I worked at refining my technique, all of which has improved things to the point where I'm going to try it again. It's still far from perfect but is approaching the point of possibly being usable. We'll see how it goes.

[tazman]

Glad to hear you are making progress.

[CaptREDD]

Have had a saftey prime system since it was introduced...didn't de-flash it...jes put on and its been perfect.
Bought another set...so I would have a set for rifle and another set for pistols..2nd set perfect too...jes lucky
I guess...


REDD

[sghart3578]

I'm usually the guy that gets the lemon in any product line.

I have just had to return 2 brand new firearms for refunds so you see where I am coming from.

I am a big Lee fan and I have several of their presses and die sets. I have had the occasional problem with their stuff but the safety prime isn't one of them.

Alignment is critical as well as a "feel". Since I have mastered that I have loaded thousands and thousands of rounds on my Classic Turret, Pro 1000 and Classic Cast single stage. The Loadmaster was a different story.

Good luck.

[jetinteriorguy]

I gave it a whirl again yesterday. I loaded up a couple hundred .223 and tried it with the safety prime instead of priming off the press. Results were so so. I did wind up removing the washer I had put under it as a spacer. As long as I used a light touch and watched the alignment it was fine. But honestly I think it's just faster and less of a hassle to prime beforehand with my ErgoPrime. Plus I just don't like the feel of seating on the down stroke, I just feel the seating process much better with the ErgoPrime.

[kmw1954]

I say if the ErgoPrine works for then why change? Why fight with something when you've found what works for you. There are many that the Safety Prime works just fine fore and for the others it doesn't work at all.

[jetinteriorguy]

I guess I'm just one of those guys who doesn't give up too easy. I enjoy a challenge, especially when it comes to tweaking things and making mechanical things work. I haven't totally given up on this yet, but I may just let it set a while and then try it again sometime when the mood strikes me. In the meantime the ErgoPrime will get a workout. Personally, I think if it had a better setup for the holder that it pivots on it would be easier to get the alignment better and more consistent. I may just design and build something myself for the fun of it.

[HoosierShooter]

I am lucky man also. Lee classic with safety prime working first time every time small or large pistol primer. It does work better with consistent force and direction to feed the primer

[jetinteriorguy]

One thing I do wonder about, it seems like all the cases where the safety prime is working fine is on the classic cast version turret press. Mine is the cheaper one, maybe for some reason it makes a difference, although without both versions to compare I can't imagine what those differences would be.

[kmw1954]

Jet, which press do you have the 3 hole or the 4 hole. There is a difference with the primer arm.

[kmrra]

A guy that worksfor lee told me that the mold broke they used and that they wernt going to get another one because they are expensive to make , But im willing to bet that they will go back to it or come up with a new design , cause they new tray is not panning out at all

[kmw1954]

A guy that worksfor lee told me that the mold broke they used and that they wernt going to get another one because they are expensive to make , But im willing to bet that they will go back to it or come up with a new design , cause they new tray is not panning out at all

huh, you lost me. Which mold, what tray?

[kentuckyshooter]

I got the Lee classic single stage and I have to say I like the prime on press set up that came with it. It does take some practice to get the set up running smoothly. I have used the small primer set up more than the large but both have worked well. For me it the operation of the button to feed the primer into the cup was rather stiff on both setups when new but with use they have smoothed out. I do visually verify there is a premier in the cup and it is oreanted the correct way as well as place my finger on the primer to feel that it is there and right.

When seating the primer I grip the handle about half way down and the body of the press. This gives me a good feel for the actual seating of the primer in the brass as I am going my grip. Then when I take the primed brass off the press I run my finger over it to verify that the primer is seated corectly. Everyone develops their own method and I tend to be a bit ocd lol.

The cover plates for the trays give me a little trouble sometimes in that the are a tight fit. My take the advice offered and look into cleaning them up for easyer loading. My biggest complaint is I wish the large primer tray was a touch bigger as a 100 count tray of primers is slightly larger than the actual tray. I yousaly drop 4 or 5 when trying to load them. I have found that loading the tray over a coffee can lid helps keep the dropped primers from falling threw the floor into the demition known only to small parts that fall from a bench top.

[jetinteriorguy]

It's the four hole version. I got it used for $20.00 with a bunch of other stuff. Since I'm not into it for much moolah it would be no big deal to add the classic cast version, although this one works very good just as is.

[jetinteriorguy]

I think I may have just figured out my problem with the safety prime. I noticed on the classic cast turret that the primer arm sits straight in front of the press, whereas the cheaper one like mine has the primer arm offset to one side to keep it from going into the molded in channel in the base. This is probably why it won't line up properly. I think I know what to get from Santa now.

[kmrra]

I was referring to the new Priming Trey that have out

[kmw1954]

Jet for $20.00 you can't go wrong. That's close to free.

Look closely at the old three hole and the 4 hole. This may have been one that was originally a 3 hole. I know that the ram the top for the tool head and the primer arm had to be changed to make it a 4 hole. The 3 hole wouldn't use the Safety Prime.

[jetinteriorguy]

Jet for $20.00 you can't go wrong. That's close to free.

Look closely at the old three hole and the 4 hole. This may have been one that was originally a 3 hole. I know that the ram the top for the tool head and the primer arm had to be changed to make it a 4 hole. The 3 hole wouldn't use the Safety Prime.
Could be, who knows. It was in this configuration when I got it. Maybe I'll sell this one and get the classic cast, I know a guy who'll give me twice what I paid.

[kmw1954]

Could be, who knows. It was in this configuration when I got it. Maybe I'll sell this one and get the classic cast, I know a guy who'll give me twice what I paid.

That would work too. Certainly wouldn't be losing on it.

I've been watching for and old 3 hole with the index rod to use in conjunction with my Pro1000 so I can use it for small runs and to work up loads. Lee doesn't supply index rods for the 3 hole anymore.