O/T reloading question

[GeneMO]

I bought a Lee brand "Auto Prime" so I could hand seat primers. The directions show a shell holder being inserted at the top. For the life of me I cannot get a standard shell holder to fit. I can see how I think it is supposed to go, but the shell holder is just a tad too big. Is there a special shell holder for those things?

Its even a lee brand shell holder I am trying to use.

Thanks, Gene

 

[Anonymous-0]

The Lee AutoPrime uses its own special shell holders.

 

[old]

Gen, the auto prime takes its own type of shell holder so you have to then buy 2 holders to do the job. Just another way of having to buy more from them. BTDT and I reload a lot of stuff. Most stuff I buy to use in my lee press is RCBS because it doesn't cost much if any more but has a life time warranty on it. Plus RCBS stuff fits just fine
Hobby farm

 

[Bret4207]

The Lee uses what amounts to a standard shell holder with the bottom tang cut off. I've made them that way before. Best place for answers on this stuff is www.castboolits.gunloads.com

 

[MarkB_MI]

Go ahead and get the full set of caseholders for your Lee priming tool, by the time you buy three or four of them you would spend as much as the set.

Actually, the Lee holders make perfect sense. Since the holders are thinner than a regular caseholder, the ram doesn't have to move as far. This allows the Lee tool to have a lot of leverage without a lot of movement.

I generally steer clear of the Lee stuff, but when I got into handloading almost 30 years ago, the Lee tool was the only thing available for a cheap, auto-feeding priming tool. Today I might go for RCBS instead, but I do really like the Lee Auto-Prime.

Make sure and keep your priming tool lubricated, especially where the ram rides against the cam. If you get even a couple thousandths wear in this aread, the tool won't have a long enough stroke to fully seat the primer. Could be very embarassing, to say the least. Of course, if you do wear anything out, replacement parts are cheap from Lee.

One last comment. The Cadillac of hand priming tools is without a doubt the Sinclair. It looks like the standard (non-Auto-Prime) Lee, but it runs about a hundred bucks. Guess what case holders the Sinclair uses? Yep, it uses the cheap Lee holders.