I win

[The Sarge]

I'm gonna ask the dumbest question ever asked.
I have searched till my eyeballs fell out.
Here it is................
I have a Lee Classic Press. Single. I am learning and enjoying this reloading thing very much.
I use a hand primer. I like it. I can "feel" the primer better and I like it.
But when I use my full length sizing die the spent primer goes on the floor. It goes on the floor because I do not have the primer arm in the ram. I don't have the primer arm in the ram because I don't want the primer "thing" coming up through the shell holder when the case already has a primer in it.....I could take it out when I am seating the bullet....but that is another manual step one would not want to forget I would suspect.... Without the primer arm the spent primer goes on the floor. You cannot unscrew the primer attachment from the arm.
Is this just the way it is? Do I hacksaw the primer "thing" with the spring on it? Do I get a pointy hat and have to sit in the corner?

 

[The Sarge]

It is this thing....

 

[NVMM]

I'm not familiar with lee, but does it have a set screw to change the primer cup (large rifle - small rifle?) if so unscrew and leave it out.

 

[The Sarge]

No they send you two of these dadgum things...one small and one large. It doesn't unscrew at all. I have found a couple of other guys who posted the same thing on other forums. Seems they both ended up turning the ram 180 degrees and duct taped a tuna fish can......I'm think I'll hacksaw the primer holder and spring off and just have a blank.....at least it will force the spent primers down the tube versus all over the floor.

 

[Seedtick]

Sarge, Seems to me I remember reading that folks are using a short length of a drinking straw to stop spent primers from escaping. It may be time for a trip to Sonic, a milkshake couldn't hurt. HTH

ST

 

[armarsh]

Take the primer arm out, and cut a thin strip of styrofoam and press it into the slot.

 

[Randy1911]

I am not that fimilar with the single stage Lee press. My turretnpress used a primer arm indentical to the one in the picture. There was a "nipple" on the bottom of the ram that a piece of plastic tubing fit to and the tube ran down to a trash can to catch the primers. Could that be your problem, no tube?

 

[The Sarge]

The nipple and tube is there....the problem is when you do not have the primer arm in place the primers fall out the other side...away from the tube....out the area the arm is supposed to be in. I guess Lee thinks everyone should use the auto primer mechanism and not hand primer...so they give you no choice.
I like the straw/styrofoam ideas....I'll try that.....prior to making a primer arm "blank"....

 

[The Bushmaster]

The Sarge...I have a Lee Classic cast single stage press. I don't like that particular priming devise. What I did to stop the primers from making it to the floor is to cut a piece of styrefoam to fit the slot in the ram leaving room (or hole) for the primers to make it to the tube. I no longer have spent primers on the floor. Make sure the styrefoam is trimed so it does not hang up the ram's travel.

 

[mcdonl]

Sarge, I have the same setup and I was under the impression that if you do not push the handle up past neutral that you would not be exerting pressure on the primer/primer cup anyway.

 

[rjbishop]

I don't know why you are concerned about the primer arm in the first place- it's always there for other operations on the press (for those who use it), and doesn't hurt a thing. Sure, it may make the slightest contact if you raise the handle all the way, but so what? If anything, it might seat that occasional high primer that teeny little more that it needs.

I happen to enjoy the primer seating feedback the Classic Turret provides- I don't know if the the single-stage is the same, but I can easily feel how a primer goes in. I can tell the difference between CCI and Federal pistol primers, for instance- just by feel.

 

[The Sarge]

I am not concerned...I do not use it and was trying to see if there was a way to have the spent primers fall down into the tube without the primer arm in there.
I just sawed off the primer extension and filed it smooth so now it works. Actually Lee told me too! They said many of their customers use the hand primer and had the exact same issue I had. They knew what I was talking about instantly and told me to just "saw it off" and be done with it. Works great now!

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I was just about to tell you to do that. A friend on mine bought an old primer arm at a gun show and snipped off the top part and put the arm in place to stop the primers from going all over the place. Like you he said it worked perfectly. (he didn't want to cut one of the arms that went with the press)