Lee hand priming tool with Y shaped tray.

[wagonburner]

I do all my priming with Lee hand primers, but I have found the older model with the round tray to be much nicer to use than the later version with the square tray. Unfortunately mine is getting long in the tooth and I need to replace it.

Has anybody tried the one with the Y shaped tray? Is it easier to use than the square tray model? Is it worth buying?

Thanks.

 

[GooseGestapo]

I have. I don’t like them! Cheap, hard to close w/o scattering primers. I believe they will fail soon at the fold.
They don’t feed any better than older design.

Fortunately, I’ve aquired over a dozen of the older primer trays.

 

[Hondo 60]

I've got this one
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1013005129?pid=168179

Not my favorite.
I traded somethings for the old ones with the round tray

 

[Dudedog]

Round tray = best (wish I would have bought 3 or 4 to have spares, oh well hindsight....)
I would rate the one with the Y tray about the same as the square tray one, they have changed it from the square tray, but overall about the same,
not as good as the round tray one. sigh.....

 

[FROGO207]

I have been looking at the one that is bench mount with the triangle tray. Waiting for others that use it to chime in with a good or bad recommendation. But so far have held off as my roumd tray ones are still working OK.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I have been looking at the one that is bench mount with the triangle tray. Waiting for others that use it to chime in with a good or bad recommendation. But so far have held off as my roumd tray ones are still working OK.

Start a separate thread asking for feedback.

I like mine more than most other bench priming tools and better than any hand priming tool

 

[Archie]

The 'new' Lee priming tool is vastly inferior to the prior round, plastic type.
I have the Lee bench mounted priming tool as well. The intermediate soft plastic part is subject to jamming and nearly impossible to clear. It rather sucks buttermilk as well.

Until Lee sees the error of their ways and returns to the old type arrangement, I will use the Hornady device. It handles much like the old Lee, but regular shell holders for the press serves as the shell head holders, with no extra parts to buy. It costs more than the Lee, of course.

 

[Varminterror]

I don’t mind the folding trays. I have the Safety Prime with the triangular/folding trays set up over a Bald Eagle bench primer. As long as a guy minds his manners and doesn’t try to fold it without tipping all of the primers to one side, it works well enough. The round tray hand prime too is definitely the best of the Lee primers, but I like the triangle Safety Prime for the presses better than the round tray older version.

 

[cfullgraf]

I have been looking at the one that is bench mount with the triangle tray. Waiting for others that use it to chime in with a good or bad recommendation. But so far have held off as my roumd tray ones are still working OK.

I bought one of the bench mounted, Lee triangle tray priming tools but it is still in the box. I ordered the Lee priming tool when I was having issues with my RCBS bench mounted priming tools that I corrected before the Lee tool was delivered. I'm not sure the Lee priming tool will be an improvement but I will hold final judgement until after I actually try it.

In general, in my opinion, Lee has not made a good priming tool since they discontinued the round tray Auto-Prime.

 

[9mmepiphany]

The intermediate soft plastic part is subject to jamming and nearly impossible to clear.

If you're getting that jam...primer caught in the transition to the ram...you're short stroking or over stroking the lever arm. The soft plastic part was an improvement to avoid breakage

 

[BullRunBear]

I started out using the round Lee hand priming tool decades ago. Always worked great but were not too robust. I have picked up a number of them at swap meets and gun shows. The later versions are nowhere near as good. I've switched motly to the RCBS Universal hand priming tool which has worked just fine. In fact I have two, one for small primers and one for large.

BTW, the ram prime unit that comes with the Lee hand press, the nutcracker style, works perfectly. It's slow since there is no feed capability but it is very effective.

Jeff

 

[Havok7416]

I have the bench prime with the newer style triangular folding tray. It works great, especially now that they fixed the parts that were breaking (see the response by @9mmepiphany above). I have 4 trays and none of them have failed yet. Every now and again a small primer with flip over inside the enclosed tray but this is easily fixed when it occurs. Lee could improve on the design by making different trays for small and large primers but otherwise I like the folding trays more than the older square ones.

 

[Archie]

If you're getting that jam...primer caught in the transition to the ram...you're short stroking or over stroking the lever arm. The soft plastic part was an improvement to avoid breakage

"Short stoking or over stroking" sounds like I should have operate it for me and get it 'just right'. It's not like I didn't use a bit and have it work, without my understanding of the 'just right' stroke.

Perhaps the 'improvement to avoid breakage' was conceived that way, but it is impossible to clear or remove to clear. It's a mess.

 

[9mmepiphany]

but it is impossible to clear or remove to clear.

That is a bit of an overstatement.

I've had it happen when a wasn't paying attention and didn't allow the lever to fully recover before applying pressure again. What you need to do is unscrew the two halves and press the spring loaded carrier to the rear to allow the primer to drop.

 

[Poper]

That is a bit of an overstatement.

I agree.
I have had the same thing happen but have not had to disassemble it to clear it. I have been able to clear it by pressing the sliding protruding plastic dohicky (a highly technical term, I know) while working the lever. So far, I like mine.