Primers Getting Mangled in Lee Press Primer Cup

[Filibogado]

I am using a Lee Primer Feeder on a Lee Classic Turret Press. Lately, I've been having problems with the primer not penerating through and seating into the 9mm casing's hole. Instead, I feel resistance when I press the handle, and when I check it, the primer is still in the cup, but it is squished and stuck so hard that I have to use a pair of needle pliers to grab the mangled edge and pull it out. Obviously, it seems to be an alignment problem, but the casing had been resized and deprimed and it is still in its original position. The primer cup arms looks perfectly aligned with the channel consisting of 2 ridges on the base.

I've been very frustrated and I wish someone can tell me how to adjust this. The primer seems to be well seated when it drops from the disk into the cup, so I have no idea why the primer does not attain penetration or have intercourse with the casing.

Thanks much,

Fil

 

[Maximumbob54]

Sounds to me like you have crimped primer pocket brass. You can fix it but it takes a minor amount of work. I swage mine out on a dillon super swage 600 but you can also a chamfer tool to cut it some until the primer fits. I swage mine because although the machine costs, it's faster and far more uniform. My point is there is no adjusting it to work. They crimp in the primers so they don't back out during firing. The newer lead free primers also tend to back out so most of that brass will also be crimped. More and more of the brass I buy once fired or pick up at the range is crimped primer pocket brass. A swage tool might be spendy now but save a headache in the long run.

 

[rwsmith]

. The newer lead free primers also tend to back out so most of that brass will also be crimped. More and more of the brass I buy once fired or pick up at the range is crimped primer pocket brass. A swage tool might be spendy now but save a headache in the long run.

That could explain some things. I'm of the old school that said only military brass was crimped, but it looks like that has gone out the window. More tools to buy. Maybe I'll go the cheap route and get a chamfer tool.

 

[scooter123]

I'll second Maximumbob's suggestion. I've noted that there is a lot of 45 ACP Large Pistol brass on the market today that features crimped primers. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if this is also true for 9mm, especially that coming from Europe or Russia.

 

[Maximumbob54]

Add .40SW, .223, .308, .357, and I'm sure more. Trust me, a swage tool even if it's just a lower cost press mount like RCBS offers will save you some headache.

 

[tlay]

The way I do crimped primer pockets without the swagger is I have the tools to do it by hand. But I chuck the small primer reamer in a battery drill. I do all of the brass this way.

 

[Filibogado]

By looking at the bottom of a casing with the spent primer still intact, how can a newbie tell if the 9mm has a military crimp or not? Do I sort the casings before I start reloading, or should I just go ahead and let the die spit out the ones which didn't go in, then just ream out the latter? A picture would be helpful. Thanks.

 

[scooter123]

Sometimes it's not easy. Speer is crimping the 45 ACP Lawman brass using an extremely subtle method that basically dishes the casehead in around the primer. S&B used 3 equally placed skives in the 40 caliber that I shot occasionally about 5 years ago. Winchester uses a ring shaped tool that leaves a ring around the primer in the case head.

The safest thing to do is take note of the headstamps that are giving you problems. Then you can use a pocket swager or reamer to correct all of that particular type. After that you shouldn't ever have to touch that brass a gain throughout it's reloading life. So, it's a pain the first time around but after that you'll have primer pockets that take a primer like it's buttered.