My new Lee bench primer stopped feeding primers?

[delliottg]

I was priming a bunch of 7.62x54R brass today, got a ways in and it stopped feeding primers. Pulled the adapter (the thing the tray is plugged into) out of the press and found a sideways primer in there. It took half a second to flip it out with the tip of a pocket knife, no big deal, but now it won't feed any primers at all. It looks to me like the spring loaded assembly isn't resetting all the way, comparing it to the picture in the instructions as well as the small primer adapter, it looks like it's sitting about an 1/8th" shy of fully extended. I can't see any reason for it not to be resetting, but the little stainless gate that prevents the next primer from feeding looks like it's not retracting far enough when the lever is all the way up against the rubber stop for a primer to feed, but it's hard to see.

Just for completeness sake, they are CCI Large Rifle Primers, and the failure is on the LG adapter using #16 shell holder.

Anyone run into this? How did you fix it? This thing is so much better for my arthritic hands than the hand primer (which I was just about to put up for sale...might wait a bit now).

[delliottg]

I think I might have figured out what's wrong. There's a plastic "follower" that has a bend in it, I thought it was to give it some springiness, but now I suspect that it's simply deformed into a hump and that's what's preventing the elevator (?) from seating all the way down. Wonder what a replacement costs...

Does anyone have one who can confirm that the plastic that's alongside the two springs should be straight?

[Pablo]

I think I might have figured out what's wrong. There's a plastic "follower" that has a bend in it, I thought it was to give it some springiness, but now I suspect that it's simply deformed into a hump and that's what's preventing the elevator (?) from seating all the way down. Wonder what a replacement costs...

Does anyone have one who can confirm that the plastic that's alongside the two springs should be straight?

Any way you can take a picture? I have a large and a small in my hand right now and those two wings should be straight.

They are inexpensive, relatively speaking. I bought a few spares, and got a free warranty replacement plus an extra (small) with my warranty one. Oddly I have not broken one since.

[Pablo]

Now I've gone lesdylsic and can't find the parts on the Lee site. I know they were there or here:

https://leeprecision.com/auto-bench-prime-parts/

Maybe contact Lee.

[delliottg]

Now I've gone lesdylsic and can't find the parts on the Lee site. I know they were there or here:

https://leeprecision.com/auto-bench-prime-parts/

Maybe contact Lee.

Yeah, I couldn't find them on the site either. I purposely left the box for the primer in the top of the box all my reloading stuff went into today. I'm getting ready for knee replacement surgery in a week, so had to clear the decks a bit to make room for my Cabela's cot so I can sleep downstairs.

[Pablo]

If you need a large or small, here for the asking. I guess everyone did as I did - stock up. They were under $5 as I recall. I should get 2 or 3 when available. I love this primer big time, once I get the flow going, like butter. I never get that flow with any other hand primer.

[delliottg]

If you need a large or small, here for the asking. I guess everyone did as I did - stock up. They were under $5 as I recall. I should get 2 or 3 when available. I love this primer big time, once I get the flow going, like butter. I never get that flow with any other hand primer.

Thanks! I'll bug Lee about it, but might take you up closer to thanksgiving when I'm mobile again.

For me, it's the ability to easily press the primer in without aggravating the joints in my hands and wrists. The handheld one just hurt to use.

[delliottg]

Here's a picture of the broken adapter, with the small, unused adapter above it. The pencil's pointing to where I think the problem lies. I messed with it a little bit and mashed the bent piece down a bit, and got it to feed a couple more primers, but I had to reset it by pushing down on it for each one, which would quickly become a PITA.

[Pablo]

Definitely broken. Any way you can glue and press it down?

[RENCORP]

You have to take that apart if you can, and apply some heat to straighten out the plastic way better than what you can get it to do cold.

A piece of metal epoxied to the front of the offending part will give it some backbone for the long haul.

[delliottg]

Definitely broken. Any way you can glue and press it down?

Lee says they'll replace it for free the first time you send in a part, so I packaged it up last night with their RMA form and the receipt from when I bought it, and Rita's going to drop it in the mail sometime today.

I won't be doing any reloading for the next month or so anyway, so it's not critical that I get it back right away.

You have to take that apart if you can, and apply some heat to straighten out the plastic way better than what you can get it to do cold.

A piece of metal epoxied to the front of the offending part will give it some backbone for the long haul.

I'm not sure if a piece of metal glued to the front of it would work, I think it has to slide up and down through a slot in the upper part of the adapter? So any added support would have to be thinner than where it slides through.

I did take it apart, you need three hands to get it back together, but I finally figured out how and got it back together. This was before I figured out that the plastic piece was bent (I thought it was on purpose to give the plastic piece a bit of springiness, didn't realize then that I'd messed it up). I did manage to mash it down to where it "worked" by compressing the bent piece, but it was far less than optimal after I'd done it. and you had to push it down with your finger each time to "pop" it down onto it's seat. Since they say they'll replace it for free, might as well get that done.

[Pablo]

Did happen to ask them when they would have them back for sale?

[delliottg]

Did happen to ask them when they would have them back for sale?

No, there was no real communication, just filling out the form and mailing it along with the receipt.

[san]

I replaced that plastic spring thing with a piece of wire awhile back. Let me see if I can find my post.

[san]

Used music wire, made a little "L" on one end, heated up wire with lighter, and melted it into the plastic piece.