Newest Lee Hand prime Tool

[dagger dog]

Was going through my wallet and found a Bass Pro gift card my wife gave me for my birthday, I had forgotten about it .

So I bought some reloading components and one of the new Lee hand primer tools.

Hey, y'all need to try one of these things, you can change from small or large primers in less that 20 seconds (try that with the RCBS tool ), the old style shell holders work, and they change out even quicker, the lids snap on and STAY ON,it even seems to have a little more leverage than the previous model.

The primer trays accepts all sizes of box trays and the flip system is one of the slickest, just a small shake flips 'em over RIGHT NOW.

Lee claims it's safe to use all brands of primers.

Like always the price on Lee stuff makes it even better

 

[twofifty]

Thanks for the review. I am relieved to hear it is well designed as I like my old-style Lee handprimer..but will eventually wear it out.

A few questions:

-How is the feel, meaning can you tell when a primer is seated and sufficiently pre-loaded?
-Do you push the lever with your thumb, your fingers, or your palm?
-Is it easy to lube the pivot points on the lever?

 

[snuffy]

I've had one for about 4 months. I like it, BUT why did they make that partition on the right side? It segregates the main tray from where the primers load into the elevator. It primes in two stages. First the primer is lifted up to the level of the shell holder, then it slides under the shell to be pressed into the pocket. This isolates the main tray from an inline chain reaction should the very rare firing of the primer being pressed in.

That's what the partition is for, to further isolate the main tray from the single line of primers behind the partition. You just have to occasionally refill that partition.

It's definitely an improvement over the old model.

 

[LiveLife]

After many happy years with the old Auto Prime, I bought the new XR earlier this year and I like it! It uses the same body, but that's it - Everything else is beefed up for heavier use.

How is the feel, meaning can you tell when a primer is seated and sufficiently pre-loaded?

Yes. The new handle on the XR is a bit shorter and much fatter (thickness and width) and you can really apply the "Ooommph" to seat the primer without worrying about breaking the handle.

Do you push the lever with your thumb, your fingers, or your palm?

I have always used the Auto Prime with my thumb(s) and use the new XR the same way. Two handles side-by-side for comparison (notice the rib on the new handle and much wider contact surface on the connecting rod end).

Is it easy to lube the pivot points on the lever?

Same as before. I used to use Breakfree/Motor Oil but thinking about switching to white synthetic bearing grease.

 

[LiveLife]

BUT why did they make that partition on the right side? It segregates the main tray from where the primers load into the elevator. It primes in two stages. First the primer is lifted up to the level of the shell holder, then it slides under the shell to be pressed into the pocket. This isolates the main tray from an inline chain reaction should the very rare firing of the primer being pressed in.

That's what the partition is for, to further isolate the main tray from the single line of primers behind the partition. You just have to occasionally refill that partition.

It's definitely an improvement over the old model.

+1. It took some getting used to, but it's part of my hand priming routine now. Compared to the old "flip rings", the new "flip dots" really do flip the primers RIGHT NOW.

 

[twofifty]

Lee ingenuity + made in USA

Those pics and comments show how real the improvements are ... rather than bolting on a gimmick for the sake of saying it's new.

Lee's engineers had their thinking caps on for this one, giving us more value and performance for reasonable money. A classic case of American ingenuity !

 

[Walkalong]

Looks good.

 

[Doug b]

Could you put a depth mic on those primers and let us know what the numbers are on say 20 or so.

 

[LiveLife]

Using the new XR, I just hand primed 10 cases each in 9mm and 40S&W (mixed head stamp WIN, Federal, Speer, PMC, etc.) using Winchester SP primers. I used a single stage press to resize and decap the spent primers. I did not clean the primer pockets.

With one thumb pressure on the handle, I got .004"-.005" average depths.

With two thumb pressure on the handle, I can easily go .006"-.008" deep.

I usually have to use two thumbs for Wolf/Tula primers and S&B's tighter primer pockets.

 

[Doug b]

Thanks bds never seen those numbers from a hand prime tool,but leave it to Lee to challenge"the leaders".It just keeps gettin better everyday doesn't it.

 

[dagger dog]

Looking at bds's pics of the thumb levers, I can see now why the XR feels like it uses less effort than it's older brother. The thumb lever is longer, and it is quite a bit wider.

A wider trigger gives the sensation of being easier to let off so I guess it's the same with thumb operated hand priming tools.

Yes you can actually feel the primer cup slide down the edge of the pocket and stop at the bottom,even the older Auto Prime had that feel.

Since I am not a competetive shooter, I use an older method to make sure the primers are seated deep enough; take a small peice of plate glass or mirror, set the case with primer down, on the surface if it wobbles you need to seat it deeper.

I have not had any high primer problem

 

[Romeo 33 Delta]

I've used both old and new styles as I have only press-primed on cases too large for standard sized shell holders and prefer the new version because the top cover locks on and stays locked on. The older style had little nibs which when worn down even a little would let the cover come off if you set the unit down.

Some have complained about the new one for various "faults" but I attribute that to failure to learn the tricks that every piece of equipment has ... it's a learning curve and for the new unit ... it's a very short one.

I can prime 50 cases in a tad over 4 minutes (without rushing) and find the square design far easier to fill and don't find the shorter thumb handle to be a problem seating a primer completely or requiring any more "effort" on my part than the older unit did. Thanks, LEE ... another fine product!

 

[Romeo 33 Delta]

Thanks, LEE ... another fine product!