vanfunk
Member
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’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!