Lee Six Pack Pro primer problems

[vanfunk]

Hi All:

I’ve been using my Lee Six Pack Pro to reload .38, .357, and .44 Magnum for a few months, and overall I am very pleased with it. It was an inexpensive press but it seems to punch above its weight. The good:

Lee Carbide dies work well and are easy to adjust. Inexpensive.
Shell feeder/carrier. Works well as long as the shellplate is tight. Will occasionally flip or spill a case but that’s ok.
Lee powder-through die and powder auto-drum are excellent and pretty much foolproof

Now, the bad - primer feeding.

With small pistol primers, I typically can’t get through 4-5 without having a problem. I have read the massive and helpful Six Pack Pro troubleshooting thread here and it has been indispensable for working through a few other niggling issues. On my press, I get good engagement between the primer chute “rod” and the press upright, and I can hear the primers shaking with each stroke. The trough is easy to keep filled. But, the primer carrier frequently fails to pick up a primer, seemingly for no reason. Worse than this is a double feed, in which the carrier will pick up a primer ahead of the “hook” and another one in the hook. The lead primer then gets stuffed ahead of the carrier and causes a jam. I have also noticed the primer slide hanging up on one of the retaining tabs, only to give way rapidly under strain and either snap back or forward. I have replaced the primer slide several times (one of the slides was actually bent when a double primer feed forced the primer carrier up and torqued the slide). Large pistol primers work better and I can get through 20-30 primers before I run into trouble. I have all the latest stuff from Lee so I am not using any old/obsolete parts. I have tried scrupulous cleaning with mineral spirits, acetone, etc. I have tried using Hornady One Shot dry lube. Nothing works. Does anyone have any insight into what might be going on here?

Thank you so much for your help!

 

[irishlad]

I have the same press. I also spray the primer slide with one shot. I would try cycling the press without cases and watch the primer slide very closely(if you haven't already done it). Maybe remove the primer manually so it has to pickup a new one. It should be something easy to fix. Let us know what ya find please.

 

[GW Staar]

Mine improved a lot just burnishing powdered graphite up and down the ramp between the tray and the slide using a pipe cleaner, Q-tip...whatever worked. Then I did the same thing to the slide and the slide rails. I did the same thing on the shell shuttle parts....make everything slick and it works pretty well.......but plan on repeating that once in a while.....as well as using the recommended grease where the directions say to keep the ram movement and plate rotation smooth.......Nothing on the press works too well without a good lubing......but that goes for any press.

 

[Tilos]

Hi All:

I’ve been using my Lee Six Pack Pro to reload .38, .357, and .44 Magnum for a few months, and overall I am very pleased with it. It was an inexpensive press but it seems to punch above its weight. The good:

Lee Carbide dies work well and are easy to adjust. Inexpensive.
Shell feeder/carrier. Works well as long as the shellplate is tight. Will occasionally flip or spill a case but that’s ok.
Lee powder-through die and powder auto-drum are excellent and pretty much foolproof

Now, the bad - primer feeding.

With small pistol primers, I typically can’t get through 4-5 without having a problem. I have read the massive and helpful Six Pack Pro troubleshooting thread here and it has been indispensable for working through a few other niggling issues. On my press, I get good engagement between the primer chute “rod” and the press upright, and I can hear the primers shaking with each stroke. The trough is easy to keep filled. But, the primer carrier frequently fails to pick up a primer, seemingly for no reason. Worse than this is a double feed, in which the carrier will pick up a primer ahead of the “hook” and another one in the hook. The lead primer then gets stuffed ahead of the carrier and causes a jam. I have also noticed the primer slide hanging up on one of the retaining tabs, only to give way rapidly under strain and either snap back or forward. I have replaced the primer slide several times (one of the slides was actually bent when a double primer feed forced the primer carrier up and torqued the slide). Large pistol primers work better and I can get through 20-30 primers before I run into trouble. I have all the latest stuff from Lee so I am not using any old/obsolete parts. I have tried scrupulous cleaning with mineral spirits, acetone, etc. I have tried using Hornady One Shot dry lube. Nothing works. Does anyone have any insight into what might be going on here?

Thank you so much for your help!

I'm not understanding how a primer can be picked up "ahead of the hook", sounds like the slide is going back too far.
I think that would have something to do with the slide spring being installed incorrectly/stretched/or kinked.
That or having the case feeder spring installed on the primer slide...
I know you said you have the latest stuff from Lee, does that include the latest primer slide spring that has a smaller loop on one end?
just askin',
.
Edit: I have tracked most priming problems, regardless of the press brand, to the crud left behind from de-priming being carried over to the priming station.
My process has changed to de-priming and wet tumbling ALL cases before loading on a progressive.
Try it, thank me later.
.

 

[vanfunk]

Thanks guys! Regarding the primer double feed, what I actually think is happening is that the carrier claw is somehow dragging out a primer that had been previously delivered and left on the plunger. It is mysterious as the carrier is not going back too far and the spring is correct and not binding. However it’s happening, it’s infuriating. I’ll try the graphite idea and see if that helps! Thanks!

 

[R44 flyer]

Hi All:

I’ve been using my Lee Six Pack Pro to reload .38, .357, and .44 Magnum for a few months, and overall I am very pleased with it. It was an inexpensive press but it seems to punch above its weight. The good:

Lee Carbide dies work well and are easy to adjust. Inexpensive.
Shell feeder/carrier. Works well as long as the shellplate is tight. Will occasionally flip or spill a case but that’s ok.
Lee powder-through die and powder auto-drum are excellent and pretty much foolproof

Now, the bad - primer feeding.

With small pistol primers, I typically can’t get through 4-5 without having a problem. I have read the massive and helpful Six Pack Pro troubleshooting thread here and it has been indispensable for working through a few other niggling issues. On my press, I get good engagement between the primer chute “rod” and the press upright, and I can hear the primers shaking with each stroke. The trough is easy to keep filled. But, the primer carrier frequently fails to pick up a primer, seemingly for no reason. Worse than this is a double feed, in which the carrier will pick up a primer ahead of the “hook” and another one in the hook. The lead primer then gets stuffed ahead of the carrier and causes a jam. I have also noticed the primer slide hanging up on one of the retaining tabs, only to give way rapidly under strain and either snap back or forward. I have replaced the primer slide several times (one of the slides was actually bent when a double primer feed forced the primer carrier up and torqued the slide). Large pistol primers work better and I can get through 20-30 primers before I run into trouble. I have all the latest stuff from Lee so I am not using any old/obsolete parts. I have tried scrupulous cleaning with mineral spirits, acetone, etc. I have tried using Hornady One Shot dry lube. Nothing works. Does anyone have any insight into what might be going on here?

Thank you so much for your help!

The only way a primer could get ahead of the primer guide hook is for a primer not being used such as an empty station on the shell plate. If it would become dislodged from the pin when traversing the empty station it could drop in front of the guide hook. Be certain you have the small guide hook installed. There is a small and large included with the press.
Although they look the same the case feed spring and the primer spring are not the same. The primer feed will not work well with the case feed spring. The primer spring wire size is smaller than the case feed spring. The case feed spring is also shorter and could account for randomly not picking up a primer. The heavy case feed spring would put some heavy bending and torquing loads on the primer slider.
Also very important the primer is not picked up until the very top of the stroke if you have one or more dies set too deeply into the press it may be limiting the upward travel of the press. The presses up stroke is limited by the die that is set the deepest. Likely culprit is the sizing die or a factory crimp die.

 

[PapaG]

After years of fiddling I quit trying to make the priming systems on the Pro1000 and Loadmaster work. No idea about this one but if it is gravity feed through a plastic chute I’d run. I batch size on a single stage and hand prime. When I have enough, I finish on a Pro. Station one, expand and charge. Two, seat, and three crimp.

 

[vanfunk]

Got it fixed guys, thanks! I thought there might be a “sticktion” problem with the primer feed and the suggestion above to try graphite worked beautifully. With everything slicked up, I proceeded to load 200 rounds of .357 and 100 rounds of .44 Magnum with no issues. Now I can turn my attention to the Lee bullet feeder…

Thanks again everyone!