I've (finally) bought a Lee Anniversary set to start reloading a little myself. At the same time the company I bought the press from helped me put together a package to handle my two calibers, 6,5 SM and 375H&H. The primers choosen was Federal 215 Large Magnum Rifle for both cartridges.

While assembling the press I read all the instructions (!) and saw that the Lee Auto-Primer that was included wouldn't work safely with Federal primers! Only CCI and Winchester was noted as safe.

My question is; do I have to get new primers or is there some additional equipment that I could use to make use of the Federal primers? Or maybe just load few primers at a time?

This is from lee's homepage
We recommend only Winchester and CCI primers be used in the Auto Prime because Federal and Remington primers pose a potential danger to the operator. In testing, we found that the latter two brands of primers almost always chain detonated if the primer being seated was accidentally set off. A primer going off near your hand can be compared to an M-80 firecracker.

When a full tray of primers explode, it does so with enough force to cause injury to the operator and anyone else standing within a ten foot radius.

The older Improved priming tool and our current production Ram-Prime only accept one primer at a time, so this hazard did not apply.

We take no position as to the quality of primers and mention this only because of the increased danger of chain detonation with some brands only.

Iuse an O press with a lee primer tray attached with a die shell holder and use any type of primer.

[ 08-09-2003, 15:31: Message edited by: HIVELOSITY ]

There have been discussions on this before wherein some people believe Richard Lee had an axe to grind with Federal and, therefore, put this warning on. I've used a couple thousand Federal primers in my Lee tool without incident. Doesn't mean the next primer won't blow on me.

I have used the LEE Auto prime safely on just about all brands and all types of primers. I havent used it on Federal 215's, but that is because I don't use them. I would feel perfectly safe using the tool on the fed 215 primers if that was the primer I wanted to use.

Hard to beat the price of that Kit, isn't it? Enjoy it

In nearly 50 years of reloading (began in 1954), I have never had any brand of primer fire when being seated, this includes use of a Lee Autoprime tool. OR when being pushed OUT of a commercial case with a decapping pin. I have never tried to remove crimped in unfired G.I. primers.

I wore out an Auto-prime using nothing but Remington and Federal primers, never had a problem. Guess I'm just lucky. - Dan

I've primed cases by hand since I started handloading in 1969. The Lee AutoPrime is my favorite tool for this, and I've tried several. I can't count the number of Federal 215's I've installed with the Lee AutoPrime. Frankly, I'm not concerned about it. I treat primers with respect, as I do anything regarding handloading. I always clean the primer pocket by hand before priming. There is nothing in that pocket that can ignite a primer. I use the appropriate size "ram" for the primer size in the hand primer. I never put more than 10 primers in the tray at a time. I use slow,gradual, and deliberate pressure so I have a good feel for seating. And for safety, I always wear safety glasses and turn my face away from the "action". If this is unnecessarily dangerous, so be it. I doubt if I'll change my modus operandi unless and until somebody can unequivocally show me the errors of my ways. I like to think I'm open minded enough to listen to reason, but must admit I'm also stubborn enough not to easily let old habits die.

WINCHESTER IS MY CHOICE OF PRIMERS ANYWAY.I PROLLY WON'T CHANGE UNLESS THEY BELLY UP.

I've also used the Lee auto prime tool for about a zillion Federal primers. No problem.

I had the primer feed on a Lee Pro 1000 go off with a helluva bang. Same basic system. I'm a believer.

I just switched to the version that fits in the loading press because I could get a blast shield between it and me. Shield is simply a piece of sheet metal screwed to a one inch washer held on the top of the press by the die.

I feel a lot better now.

Used it with S&B primers, CBC (Magtech) primers and CCI, no problems. I also watch carefully for each primer to go in the hole and I always remove the plastic cap and never use more than 20 primers at one...
SHOULD one primer go off, I can not imagine the rest to go off with it (without the plastic cap they would shatter (unexploded) around my place, no chance for a explosion) and if you read the manual carefully, wear safety glasses !

[ 08-11-2003, 01:24: Message edited by: Selzhanik ]

Currently have 3 auto primes and have primed tens of thousands of cases with Federals, no problems so far. I did hear that Federal had to change their packaging 10 or so years ago (to the current awkward packaging) because of a chain detonation of primers after some brain surgeon ran a forklift fork through a pallet of Federal primers at the US border.

"No problem, yet" is what the jumper said when when he passed the 37th floor of the Empire State Building.

I use the little hand-operated dude with just about any brand of primer that's available at a good price; never had a problem. The rig that fits on the press has never worked for me; the primers always jam up and refuse to slide down the chute. The hand dude is quicker.

I have to agree with Rootbeer. I have loaded countless rounds with the Lee hand tool and when trying to use the Progressive 1000 had nothing but problems with the primers flipping all around. Went back to the handtool and eliminated the priming portion of the progressive and no more problems. derf

When I switched to Federals, I also switched to the RCBS tray-fed tool just to play it safe. It has a divider bar which shields the primers in the channel from the one being seated. After making a few modifications to correct some design flaws, I liked it better than the Lee. The latter requires the use of the thumb to seat the primer; the RCBS utilizes the more natural squeezing motion between the fingers and the palm of the hand, which gives more leverage and is easier(in my view).

I don't feel that I have the time to do just a few at a time; I put all 100 in the tray. I feel safer doing this with the RCBS.

Ditto on the Lee Auto Primer.....Thousands rounds....Not a lick problem........I load up to 100 primers at a time. The Lee Primer Tool gives me the "feel" that the primer is seated flush in the primer pocket. IMO. One note: I clean and check each primer pocket and flash hole before any primer operation.

One would think that a reloading press would have more leverage than a hand priming tool, but unfortunately, when the ram is at the top of its stroke, the leverage is actually gone and there's very little feel. There is not only more leverage in a hand priming tool than a press, hand priming is also faster than using a press.

"The latter requires the use of the thumb to seat the primer; the RCBS utilizes the more natural squeezing motion between the fingers and the palm of the hand, which gives more leverage and is easier(in my view)."

Deutschlander,
The very reason I prefer to use a hand tool for priming in the first place is is for a better feel, not leverage. Any hand priming tool has more leverage than a press. The RCBS tool is good. It's just that I've never worn out my thumb priming cases with the Lee Auto Prime.

Sam:

To each his own. When I used the Lee, I had to use both thumbs on the back side and both hands on the lever beneath the tray in order to generate enough leverage to seat the primer properly without my hand and thumb tiring excessively(these were large pistol primers). As you can imagine, this slowed the process at least somewhat.

You seem to have thought I was promoting the use of the press. Pardon me if I didn't make myself clear; I was referring to the RCBS hand priming, tray-fed tool -the same thing essentially as the Lee. In my experience the "feel" with this tool is just as good as the Lee without having to use both hands to obtain the needed leverage.

I've never used a press to prime cases and am therefore not qualified to discuss its pros or cons.

I understand. I guess I'm just comfortable with the Lee. I have pretty large hands and just don't think about it.

Precision Shooting ran an article on the Lee Auto Prime and what they called the "sympathetic detonation" phenomenon several years back.

One of their writers, after reading the Lee warning decided to test the warning. He loaded up the tray with various brands of primer, then set the one off with heat remotely. He then observed the number of primers in the tray that detonated. He also noted the damage to the Priming device, and the box that he used to contain the whole experiment.

True to Richard Lee's warning, certain brands were dramatically more prone to tray detonations than others. IIRC, CCI's had no tray detonations. As a Highpower Competitor, I had previously loaded thousands of Federal 210M Primers with the Auto Prime and had actually worn out several linkages as many of you had as well. After seeing photo's of the damage caused by the tray detonation, I started looking for loads using CCI's and Win's. I ultimately converted to the RCBS tool which as Deutschlander noted, shields the tray from the primer being seated.

I have never had a primer detonate while seating, but I'd hate to have my first end my shooting career or worse.