Lee Safety Prime Problems

[KentM]

I'm a new reloader and my Lee turret press came with the Safety Prime device for on-press priming. Having a lot of trouble, my last batch of 100 had about 30 primers end up in the plastic bucket I had to put under the press.

Loading .223 and 9mm with SR and SP primers in the S primer lever. I raise the ram all the way to resize and decap, then while the ram is up I swing the safety prime to drop a primer into the cup. 1/3 of the time the primers either fall out into the bucket below, or are upside down or canted sideways. I finally gave up and loaded the cup manually with my greasy lanolin covered fingers.

On top of that, the safety primer is located exactly where the handle goes when I raise it, so unless I hold it aside, the handle knocks the safety primer and sometimes dispenses another primer into the bucket

Am I doing something wrong, or is there a secret to using this tool? Or is it just poorly designed? I know people are going to suggest getting a hand primer, and that's probably the thing to do. But that eliminates half the utility of having a turret press over a single stage if I have to remove the casings to prime then put them back on the press. Advice?.

 

[CQB45ACP]

I'm a new reloader and my Lee turret press came with the Safety Prime device for on-press priming. Having a lot of trouble, my last batch of 100 had about 30 primers end up in the plastic bucket I had to put under the press.

Loading .223 and 9mm with SR and SP primers in the S primer lever. I raise the ram all the way to resize and decap, then while the ram is up I swing the safety prime to drop a primer into the cup. 1/3 of the time the primers either fall out into the bucket below, or are upside down or canted sideways. I finally gave up and loaded the cup manually with my greasy lanolin covered fingers.

On top of that, the safety primer is located exactly where the handle goes when I raise it, so unless I hold it aside, the handle knocks the safety primer and sometimes dispenses another primer into the bucket

Am I doing something wrong, or is there a secret to using this tool? Or is it just poorly designed? I know people are going to suggest getting a hand primer, and that's probably the thing to do. But that eliminates half the utility of having a turret press over a single stage if I have to remove the casings to prime then put them back on the press. Advice?.

What press? Doesn’t matter really but I too use the safety primer and you’ll need to adjust the press handle. I believe Lee’s instructions suggest that too.
But for me, small primers (esp. Winchester for some reason) also have a tendency to be loose and problematic UNLESS I just move more slowly and deliberately.
So, adjust the handle and move slowly.
Having said that, I wouldn’t/haven’t stopped using it despite trying most other brands.

EDIT: reread your post and see you have turret press. Presuming it’s Lee, the handle is bent so you can turn it to miss the primer.

 

[Telum Pisces]

I know you said you didn't want to hear about priming on something else! But Priming on a press is a pain in the butt! I prime using a separate priming tool and it works great! I have both a bench priming RCBS and the hand priming tools. I can prime while watching TV with the hand loading tool. It works great. I can prime my cases with my RCBS single stage. But why is the question! Takes too much effort and problems!

Get you a separate priming tool and you'll be much happier.

 

[Boss-302]

Are you shaking the round primer holder so they all flip over before putting the plastic lid on? All primers would be in the same direction, anvil side up.

 

[Warpiece]

As well as which press, there are different versions of the safety prime. Some people have more issues with certain versions than others. I haven't been able to get the newest to work, but I'm sure others have. Please describe the shape of the primer tray and color of the parts. Some parts will be black others natural (varying shades of white or tan).

Some of the older models can work quite well if you're willing to put in some time to fine tune the setup.
This may include any of the following: changing the angle of the press handle, adding or removing washers to the safety prime mount, fine adjustment of the angle of the mount and possibly using a different brand of shell holder. The priming lever ram may also be bent.

Once you get it setup right, you don't usually have to keep messing with it unless something is damaged or knocked out of alignment.

 

[CQB45ACP]

Are you shaking the round primer holder so they all flip over before putting the plastic lid on? All primers would be in the same direction, anvil side up.

If it’s same problem I have, they flip actually at the cup if moved too quickly. Not related to flipping in square (not round) holder.

 

[Tilos]

I'm a new reloader and my Lee turret press came with the Safety Prime device for on-press priming. Having a lot of trouble, my last batch of 100 had about 30 primers end up in the plastic bucket I had to put under the press.

Loading .223 and 9mm with SR and SP primers in the S primer lever. I raise the ram all the way to resize and decap, then while the ram is up I swing the safety prime to drop a primer into the cup. 1/3 of the time the primers either fall out into the bucket below, or are upside down or canted sideways. I finally gave up and loaded the cup manually with my greasy lanolin covered fingers.

On top of that, the safety primer is located exactly where the handle goes when I raise it, so unless I hold it aside, the handle knocks the safety primer and sometimes dispenses another primer into the bucket

Am I doing something wrong, or is there a secret to using this tool? Or is it just poorly designed? I know people are going to suggest getting a hand primer, and that's probably the thing to do. But that eliminates half the utility of having a turret press over a single stage if I have to remove the casings to prime then put them back on the press. Advice?.

Proper safety prime manipulation, a tough thing to describe via text.
There's plenty of vids on youtube, I'd do a search over there and watch the most recent vids.
Here's a utube search results:
lee safety prime on a Lee turret press - YouTube

Here's a vid of a guy doing a mod reccommended by LEE !

 

[Warpiece]

Proper safety prime manipulation, a tough thing to describe via text.
There's plenty of vids on youtube, I'd do a search over there and watch the most recent vids.
Here's a utube search results:
lee safety prime on a Lee turret press - YouTube

Here's a vid of a guy doing a mod reccommended by LEE !

Nice! This might be the fix for my own problem, thank you

 

[Zendude]

I’ve seen a video that shows the new model Lee Value Turret Press does have a slight interference problem with the safety prime when the handle is all the way at the upstroke position.

 

[CQB45ACP]

As well as which press, there are different versions of the safety prime. Some people have more issues with certain versions than others. I haven't been able to get the newest to work, but I'm sure others have. Please describe the shape of the primer tray and color of the parts. Some parts will be black others natural (varying shades of white or tan).

Some of the older models can work quite well if you're willing to put in some time to fine tune the setup.
This may include any of the following: changing the angle of the press handle, adding or removing washers to the safety prime mount, fine adjustment of the angle of the mount and possibly using a different brand of shell holder. The priming lever ram may also be bent.

Once you get it setup right, you don't usually have to keep messing with it unless something is damaged or knocked out of alignment.

The

Proper safety prime manipulation, a tough thing to describe via text.
There's plenty of vids on youtube, I'd do a search over there and watch the most recent vids.
Here's a utube search results:
lee safety prime on a Lee turret press - YouTube

Here's a vid of a guy doing a mod reccommended by LEE !

I’ve never had a problem with large, but maybe I’ll do this for small if you shoot me a brick or two SPP, I’ll test and report back to the forum.

 

[Clipper67]

When I got my Lee Classic turret, the first thing I did was toss the priming apparatus in the trash, and used a Lee or RCBS hand primer...now almost everything gets primed on Dillon, very rarely do I use the hand primers.

 

[CQB45ACP]

When I got my Lee Classic turret, the first thing I did was toss the priming apparatus in the trash, and used a Lee or RCBS hand primer...now almost everything gets primed on Dillon, very rarely do I use the hand primers.

As grandma said, people are different. I ONLY use the safety prime that came with my turret press. I no longer use the turret press however.

 

[KentM]

WOW, what a resource this forum is. I have now fixed both problems.
I watched the video on the Lee mod to the plastic wishbone, and it now works fine. How simple can it get? I just loaded 10 primers in a row without one on the floor. (Actually, I now remember seeing that video before, but it was before I had the press and didn't make much sense at the time.)

As for the handle problem, I was fixated on the bend in the handle, and why hadn't Lee put more bend in it so it would be out of the way. But really all I had to do was move the handle to shorten the shaft by 1/2", which got it completely out of the way. Duh!

Thank you all for the good suggestions.

 

[Cemetery21]

Glad you got it figured out. I always hand primed before I got the Lee Turret. But, looking it over and doing just a little alignment and it is dead reliable. A buddy bought one too, and I had to go set his up. Just leave the bolt loose until you get the angle right then don't let it move in tightning.

 

[Jeff Flannery]

I'm a new reloader and my Lee turret press came with the Safety Prime device for on-press priming. Having a lot of trouble, my last batch of 100 had about 30 primers end up in the plastic bucket I had to put under the press.

Loading .223 and 9mm with SR and SP primers in the S primer lever. I raise the ram all the way to resize and decap, then while the ram is up I swing the safety prime to drop a primer into the cup. 1/3 of the time the primers either fall out into the bucket below, or are upside down or canted sideways. I finally gave up and loaded the cup manually with my greasy lanolin covered fingers.

On top of that, the safety primer is located exactly where the handle goes when I raise it, so unless I hold it aside, the handle knocks the safety primer and sometimes dispenses another primer into the bucket

Am I doing something wrong, or is there a secret to using this tool? Or is it just poorly designed? I know people are going to suggest getting a hand primer, and that's probably the thing to do. But that eliminates half the utility of having a turret press over a single stage if I have to remove the casings to prime then put them back on the press. Advice?.

That's one reason I GAVE mine away!

 

[Tilos]

WOW, what a resource this forum is. I have now fixed both problems.
I watched the video on the Lee mod to the plastic wishbone, and it now works fine. How simple can it get? I just loaded 10 primers in a row without one on the floor. (Actually, I now remember seeing that video before, but it was before I had the press and didn't make much sense at the time.)

As for the handle problem, I was fixated on the bend in the handle, and why hadn't Lee put more bend in it so it would be out of the way. But really all I had to do was move the handle to shorten the shaft by 1/2", which got it completely out of the way. Duh!

Thank you all for the good suggestions.

Good news...
I try and post something positive like those youtube links even though I don't own anything with safety prime.
I could have gone negative like the scenters who have posted in this thread, contributing nothing.

Who cares if you "threw yours away/it never worked/I couldn't get it to work/my friend had one/gave up on that stupid system/etc".
How does that help the OP
jmo,

.

 

[WrongHanded]

I gave up on that stupid priming system on LCT after trying it twice. Since that point, I just put the primers in the priming device by hand. I sit them on a piece of card on the bench and pick them up one at a time. Not the fastest way perhaps, but it's consistent.

 

[peeplwtchr]

I'm a new reloader and my Lee turret press came with the Safety Prime device for on-press priming. Having a lot of trouble, my last batch of 100 had about 30 primers end up in the plastic bucket I had to put under the press.

I just went through all this today. My handle was hitting the primer too. Screw the riser in all the way, or the priming unit into the tyrret head far enough so the bottom black olatic piece misses the primer holder.

Loading .223 and 9mm with SR and SP primers in the S primer lever. I raise the ram all the way to resize and decap, then while the ram is up I swing the safety prime to drop a primer into the cup. 1/3 of the time the primers either fall out into the bucket below, or are upside down or canted sideways. I finally gave up and loaded the cup manually with my greasy lanolin covered fingers.

On top of that, the safety primer is located exactly where the handle goes when I raise it, so unless I hold it aside, the handle knocks the safety primer and sometimes dispenses another primer into the bucket

Am I doing something wrong, or is there a secret to using this tool? Or is it just poorly designed? I know people are going to suggest getting a hand primer, and that's probably the thing to do. But that eliminates half the utility of having a turret press over a single stage if I have to remove the casings to prime then put them back on the press. Advice?.

 

[peeplwtchr]

I went through this today. Screw the whole priming system into the turret head until it will clear the primer holder. Also, orient the piece in the pic, so it is at the farthest left position.

I actually took the auto prime off, as well as the sizing die, as I have 2k pre-sized and hand primed cases from when I only had a single stage. After 100 rounds, the Auto-prime seems like a colossal piece of ***t. I'll keep working on it, after I research more.

 

[CQB45ACP]

I went through this today. Screw the whole priming system into the turret head until it will clear the primer holder. Also, orient the piece in the pic, so it is at the farthest left position.

I actually took the auto prime off, as well as the sizing die, as I have 2k pre-sized and hand primed cases from when I only had a single stage. After 100 rounds, the Auto-prime seems like a colossal piece of ***t. I'll keep working on it, after I research more.

Well many like it and many don’t. I like it and use it exclusively for priming, but I use it on a Lee single stage. Now if that makes me and many others ***t lovers, I’ll have to disagree.

 

[Zahn]

I have the Lee Auto Breech Lock Pro press, also known as the Pro 4000. It has the Auto Prime, and it is tricky to use. I've run about 5000 rounds through it, and it is something that I have to pay attention to each time. It seems to require a bit of manual dexterity. If I'm tired or it's at the end of a long week I seem to have more difficulties in feeding primers reliably. I didn't modify my primer feed mechanism, and I've not had the number/frequency of issues others are reporting, so maybe mine just works better.

Edited for clarity.

 

[CQB45ACP]

I use mine on challenger (I think) and the primer mechanism actually mounts and loads from the right side completely out of the way. And the only problems I used to have were with small primers but if I did deliberately it was fine. Now, with the fix shown on YouTube, it’s perfecto.

 

[CQB45ACP]

I gave up on that stupid priming system on LCT after trying it twice. Since that point, I just put the primers in the priming device by hand. I sit them on a piece of card on the bench and pick them up one at a time. Not the fastest way perhaps, but it's consistent.

Please send me the stupid thing since you no longer need it.

 

[Rule3]

I know you said you didn't want to hear about priming on something else! But Priming on a press is a pain in the butt! I prime using a separate priming tool and it works great! I have both a bench priming RCBS and the hand priming tools. I can prime while watching TV with the hand loading tool. It works great. I can prime my cases with my RCBS single stage. But why is the question! Takes too much effort and problems!

Get you a separate priming tool and you'll be much happier.


View attachment 971170

View attachment 971171

Priming OFF the press is a PITA. How about that?!

I have the RCBS and the Lee Hand primer. I found no advantage to using those. As for "feel" that is BS as well, the primer is either seated or it isn't.
I have been priming on the press with the round Lee Safety Prime, thousands of rounds in many many calibers, large and small, Never had an issue and do not need to handle that piece of brass several times.

So you prime your way and others will prime how they want.

Heck don't even need a Dillon to do.

 

[Rule3]

When I got my Lee Classic turret, the first thing I did was toss the priming apparatus in the trash, and used a Lee or RCBS hand primer...now almost everything gets primed on Dillon, very rarely do I use the hand primers.

See the above post.