Redding Push Primer System....Ugh! Lee shell holders...double Ugh!!

[omgb]

I have a couple of Redding T7 presses. They both have the push primer system on them. I have decided today, after 15 years of use, that when it comes to small rifle/pistol primers they are far more trouble than they are worth. They bobble primers if you hurry, they are difficult to insert the primer under the case unless the press sizing piston is at just the right height (you have a bout .5" to work with) and they frequently wont feed a primer or they get jammed. I'm tired of fussing with them.
.
I have an old RCBS auto primer I bought back in the 80s that works flawlessly. Not only that, but it has a lot more feel when seating primers. Arthritis makes most hand tools a real literal pain to use (I have a Lee and a Hornady tool). So, I'm going to use the RCBS tool exclusively. Problem solved.

As to Lee shell holders....well, my gripe here is well proven. In an effort to reduce cost, Lee tries to use the same shell holder for several different calibers. The result is a rather shaky and loose fit in a few cases. 9mm seems to be one of those. I have an RCBS shell holder and a Lee shell holder for 9mm. The RCBS shell holder is firm, no slop and it goes in and out of the ram easily. The Lee is sloppy, a shaky fit and it does not like to go in or out of my Rock Chucker or my T-7.

I use a lot of Lee stuff. Generally, I like it a lot. However, I have had many issues with Lee shell holders, especially in 32-20 and 25-20. My take is these are not good tools. That's my take anyway.

[Winger Ed.]

My Lee single stage shell holders worked OK, but my issue with them is the hole for the primer rod is too small
for my Hornady 007 press and its prime on the press feature.

Using Lee dies, the included shell holder didn't work for priming on the press unless it was bored out.

[3006guns]

I had the small primer hole problem with one of Lee's shellholders when trying to use my RCBS ram prime.........I simply found a lettered (or numbered) drill bit that slid through the hole and used the next size up to drill it out. Problem solved.

[Burnt Fingers]

Every company makes a family of shell holders for different cartridges, not calibers.

No one makes a different shell holder for 30-06 and 308, they take the same shell holder. Many companies also say use the same one for 45 ACP. Some companies make a specific one for 45 ACP, mainly for use on progressive presses.

Lee just has more tolerance for slop than some other companies.

[omgb]

That was my point. Only a newby would not know that shell holders are usually engineered around case head families. .308, .270, 30-06, 358 Win, etc. Lee however, tries to make them fit more than one case family and thus they are rather sloppy. .

[44magLeo]

Some cases from what appear to be the same family can take different shellholders.
Most 30-06 case head diameter cases will work in the same shell holder, not all. Some 308 won't fit the standard shell holder. The extractor groove is cut differently. Some cases for European cases made in Europe use a different shell holder than US versions of the same case. My 7x57 is a good example. US cases are made to the US spec for 30-06 caseheads, THe European brass uses a larger case head that won't fit in the US spec shellholder. On this brass I need the 6.5x55 Swede shell holder.
I think the 9mm is like this. Some are made to different specs.
So just be aware that not everything is a one size fits all.
Leo

[john.k]

You wouldnt expect 32/20 (or 25/20) shellholders to be a fast moving inventory....and its probably fortunate that Lee even bother making them at all.....That said Ive never had any problem with them.....One of the reasons for looseness is that once 32/20s were a cylindrical base case,at some stage ammo makers decided to undercut the rim.....for no apparent reason either ,far as I can see.