Years ago I when I got started in handloading I used a Lee Loader…I soon figured out the priming on it was not all that “nice” so I bought the Lee Priming tool….all made of metal with screw in SHs. One needed to but a no. of SHs for various calibers, but they were cheap. Later Lee came out with an Auto Prime tool---had two plastic trays …the body of the tool was a beautiful chrome finish, but was made of zinc. After a few years the lip on the body that holds the SH on it broke…I bought a replacement body. Then a few years later the handle broke . I contacted Lee---no parts for it, but they’d sell me a new version …for ½ retail---- BUT I’d have to send back the old one and pay shipping for the new one. I could buy two new ones for what that would cost. Because I had the red box set of 11 SHs for the original Auto Prime…I bought a new one. I Found that primers didn’t feed well in it, especially small primers. I’d have to watch that the primers slide into the SH and also make sure they didn’t go in sideways; something I never had to worry about with the original Lee Auto Prime. But I slipped up an a cocked LG primer got by my “QC” . When seating the cocked primer I broke the small ear that holds the plastic assembly to the body of the tool. I got a replacement. Now it happened to me again with the SM Primer plastic assembly (TARP). The funny thing is my original all metal Lee priming tool (Ala one primer at a time) still works just fine!
IMHO the first Auto Prime tool had a serious flaw/design in the handle. The critical area in its’ handle was not beefy enough to take the use…it is made of pot metal zinc. The new version uses plastic what Lee calls Tray Adpt Mold Parts (TAMP). They are made of Styrene plastic—same as found on a Bic pen and is the least durable plastic that there is. The Original Auto Prime used a much stronger plastic and the ears that hold them on the body of the tool is very substantial and virtually unbreakable.
I came up with a MacGyver fix for the broken TAMP. Using a thin strip of cereal box cardboard, you slip it underneath the polyethylene plastic “slider” on the TAMP, then place tape on the sides of the strip to affix it to the handle. IMHO one should always use this even with an unbroken TAMP….it will prevent the breakage of the plastic ears.
I sure wish that I could find a replacement handle for the original Lee Auto Prime Tool…I am not good at welding zinc!
Top Picture--New Lee Lee Auto Priming Tool; Bottom the Original Lee Auto Priming Tool (I need a new handle for mine????)
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IMHO the first Auto Prime tool had a serious flaw/design in the handle. The critical area in its’ handle was not beefy enough to take the use…it is made of pot metal zinc. The new version uses plastic what Lee calls Tray Adpt Mold Parts (TAMP). They are made of Styrene plastic—same as found on a Bic pen and is the least durable plastic that there is. The Original Auto Prime used a much stronger plastic and the ears that hold them on the body of the tool is very substantial and virtually unbreakable.
I came up with a MacGyver fix for the broken TAMP. Using a thin strip of cereal box cardboard, you slip it underneath the polyethylene plastic “slider” on the TAMP, then place tape on the sides of the strip to affix it to the handle. IMHO one should always use this even with an unbroken TAMP….it will prevent the breakage of the plastic ears.
I sure wish that I could find a replacement handle for the original Lee Auto Prime Tool…I am not good at welding zinc!
Top Picture--New Lee Lee Auto Priming Tool; Bottom the Original Lee Auto Priming Tool (I need a new handle for mine????)
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