Does anyone have any first-hand experience with the Lee Safety Prime system they use on the current model of the Classic Turret press? How positive is the feeding?

I loaded on RCBS Jr and Rock Chucker pressses (with the primer feed tube you had to load up by hand and then manually operate on the press). Then I got a pair of Lee Pro 1000 progressives (which, in my ignorance of anything fancier than single-stage presses thought was the same as the Lee Turret). But I have always had trouble with the automatic primer feeding on those, especially gravity-feeding the last few primers. I have to constantly check the primer feed and that slows down my production tremendously.

A couple of weeks ago, I viewed a video of the Lee Classic Turret with Auto-Index and the "Lee Safety Prime" and saw that I could probably match my production speed (Turret vs Progressive) and do it more safely, too. But, I have never been able to see a close-up of the primer feed system to determine if it will be as sure-footed as I would require.

Does anyone have any testimony they would like to share?

Second question: Do other manufacturers than Lee make an auto-advancing turret press like the Lee Classic Turret? I am considering trading in one or both my progressives for a turret setup, if it would be as reliable as my single stage.

Lost Sheep

I have always had a problem with the primer feed. It will work but you really have to watch it.

i had the safety prime on the breach lock press and used it once for about 50 primers. you have to watch that a primer is dropped each time you click it. also towards the end the last few primers wouldn't feed so i ended up pouring them out and putting them in by hand. ive since swapped over to the rock chucker and the lee hand prime tool. so far for the most part ive had good results with it but i did have a little issue with it not pushing the primers all the way in on some 223 brass. i think my issue there though is a worn shell holder because i was able to correct it by holding a little pressure on the brass while seating the primers.

This reminds me of the time I called Lee with
a complaint on one of their Loaders. I got
Mr. Lee himself. He brought nasty S.O.B. to
a new height.
Good luck!

dillon

I have one of the Lee Safety Prime systems on a Classic Turret Press and I like mine.
Have used the Hand Primers of two different brands but I like this system better – have a bit of carpel tunnel syndrome in the works and this is MUCH better on the hands for me. It will “fail to feed” one when it gets down to the last 3-4 primers though – but just something that you have to watch for. I consider it “run out” when I don’t see any left in the tray. One of the things that I’ve found is that it works best (that’s for me!) if you push the thing in with just one finger firmly. If you grab it with a thumb and finger and shove it in, it will miss putting the primer in occasional. (And one will squirt out across the floor on occasion that way too!) It seems to self-align better with just a finger.
Mine has seated primers very well on 380’s, 38’s, 357mag, 40S&W – no problems on that end and I like that the primer is being seated away from the powder. Anyway, MTCW!

OH! You will also have to have one of those extenders to put on the bottom of your powder measure and raise it up as it will not go past the Safety Prime as it indexes!
Hope this helps - and that I never have to make one of those calls that Hawkins did!

I use the Lee primer on my Lee Classic. Seems to work quite well.

I use the Lee safety prime on the Breech lock challenger press, I like it as there is no chance of a sympathetic detonation. The last 3 or 4 primers will not feed but other than that no problems. I would really suggest this over one of the hand held priming tools, much much safer.