Turret Video of $1 light + How I Align Primer Arm

[celem]

I just uploaded a YouTube Video of my $1 mod to add a powder level examination light to my Lee Classic 4-hole Turret Press. The end of the video shows how I align my safety Primer arm for near 100% reliability (seldom drops a primer)

The Video:
[youtube][/youtube]

[Steve]

Good video. Helpful.

[62chevy]

That angle on the safety prime explains why it hangs until you lower the ram. I'll try that but beginning to think it's easier to put the primer in by hand, it does slow you down doing it that way though.

I like the pie tins to store you components. Makes it very easy to get at them.

[celem]

That angle on the safety prime explains why it hangs until you lower the ram. ...

It'll hang even if aligned straight on. Some folks put a washer under the Safety Prime holder to raise it higher to better clear the primer cup. I've tried a washer under the holder, actually, I've experimented with several washers of various thicknesses and found that it didn't help me with dropped primers. The only thing that has helped me is positioning the safety primer arm as shown in the video. Positioning it that way gives me great reliability. I didn't find the washer helpful because I don't really need for the primer arm to fall back since when you lower the RAM it falls back at that time. In any case, at least for me, having the safety primer arm fall back before the RAM is lowered did not improve my dropped primer rate. I understand people who have become frustrated with the safety primer system. However using it is art, not science, and understandably that frustrates people. What you need is simply a lot of practice and some experimentation on positioning.

[62chevy]

Lord know I've done the experimenting thing with it and move the washer that comes with it all over the place. It is what it is and an art form hits the nail on the head.

[celem]

A little update re primer arm. My priming function is nearly 100%. I occasionally get some failure to feed a primer into the cup but almost never a dropped primer. My cure is a primer arm clean/lube with spray SUPER LUBE after each loading session.

With no primers in the mechanism, i heavily spray the mechanism head, dripping out any dirt. It instantly dries and leaves behind sub-micron sized Teflon dry lubricant. I've loaded over 1,000 rounds using this process and find the Lee Safety Primer system to now be very reliable.

http://www.super-lube.com/drifilm-aerosol-ezp-69.html

[SureshotArms]

Nice lil mod, what bullets were those?

[celem]

http://www.bayoubullets.net

[aws3029]

Hey guys, I'll have to try stuffing in the angle on mine because duped primers is a pain in the, well it's just a pain th hats all. Anyway I found that if I drop the ram just a little, maybe 1/16 inch, my success rate goes up by 4 or 5 times at least. It helps me a lot.

[celem]

Also, I get 99.95% reliable priming with the Safety Primer by keeping it clean. After each use, I clean and lubricate the black priming head with Super Lube DRI-FILM, a lubricant that contains sub-micron sized particles of PTFE powder in a solvent base. I buy it at my local ACE Hardware store but Amazon also sells it. About every dozen loading sessions, or earlier if It has been dropping primers, I disassemble the black primer head and thoroughly clean it, first with acetone and then with water that has had a little detergent added.