lee classic turret press primer lever arm help!

[schloe]

Ok, I have my lee classic turret press functioning pretty well all around, however the primer cups on both the small and the large primer lever arms get stuck on the shellholder when you try to lower the ram all the way down. This stops the whole press right there, keeping it from going all the way down and basically rendering the entire priming system useless.

It's almost like the top of the base on the press is too low, which doesn't allow the primer lever arm to swing all the way into the ram before the shellholder gets too low.

Anybody else run into this problem? Thanks for the help!

 

[wally]

When this happens to me its because I put the primer arm in after the shell holder, try removing the shell holder and the primer lever arm. Then with the ram about half-way up, insert the primer arm, followed by the shell holder.

There is a slot in the primer arm that has to drop into a cross-pin in the ram. For some reason this usually will not happen if the shell holder is in the ram when you insert the primer lever.

HTH,
--wally.

 

[jfh]

If the primer cup is hanging in the shell holder, then

1) the primer arm is dirty--probably residue on the "back" of the arm, just above the hinge / hook, and maybe on the sides as well,

and / or

2. On the machined recess in the ram.

Solution:

1. Using your gun cleaner, scrub the entire primer arm, including the cup and spring. Wipe down, and put a small drop of oil in the hinge point.

2. Using industrial q-tips, clean out the ram slots, both the back and the front side.

3. Remove the shell holder and clean that, too.

Reassemble, and put some oil on the ram for smooth operation. Stroke several times to distribute the oil, and to confirm smooth primer arm operation.

A variation on this--the primer arm cup hanging up in the shellholder is caused by the press not being perfectly level, but tilted out / down a hair--that throws the arm forward, causing it to bind against the shell holder if the primer cup / holder hole is dirty.

Jim H.

 

[schloe]

ok i fixed it finally. turns out the top part of the ram was twisted ever so slightly so the primer lever arm wasn't hitting the press exactly in the middle of the two notches which caused the lever to bind up on the left side a little bit, thus raising the lever arm while rotating it instead of just rotating it.

Thanks for the help guys.