broken Lee auto primer

[mikeincool]

I have had my Lee auto primer for maybe 6-8 years. I have primed thousands of cases and last night the handle broke. So today I thought, no big deal....just buy a new one. After reading some review it appears that the handles break all the time and that the new primers are not very well liked.
So here is the question, What do you you guys have and do you like what you have?

 

[280man]

I broke mine to. Called Lee and they mailed me replacement handles for both of mine. I'm still using them and haven't had any problems. I think there are better options out there but I'm cheap and mine work just fine for me.

 

[FryeGuy]

I have also broken several of the lee's. worst one was at a benchrest match. luckily there are plenty of kind folks there who will help you out and lend you a priming tool. RCBS makes a universal priming tool that I now have. no special shell holders, etc. tray is large enough, and square, so that you can dump a primer box (100) at a time. to change from large primers to small primers takes only a few seconds. I think they are around the $50 range. I like mine, and highly recommend it.

 

[Laurie]

I must have broken three or four Lee Auto-Primes over a quarter century plus of handloading and maybe 75,000 rounds, but I still have three on hand. The early ones were far more fragile than current models, and the newer ones also seem a bit smoother in use. The killer for my original pair was Norma .308W brass and very hard 1980s/90s CCI-200 primers that were a tight fit in the pockets and often needed two-handed, two-thumb pressure to seat them. (Never heard about pocket reamers in those days!) I might be wrong, but I think the current model will last a long time with Lee's recent upgrades to the metals used in the pressure bearing parts.

I also have a 21st Century tool that is a product improved Lee and uses the latter's magazine / plunger assembly (which the buyer has to supply). This is a very good tool, is adjustable for depth, and gives more feel than the Auto-Prime. I leave mine permanently set for small primers and use it on BR, 6.5X47L, and .223 Rem match ammo, doing my large primer cartridges with an Auto-Prime that is sensitive enough for this job.

http://www.21stcenturyshooting.com/Priming_Tool.php

Laurie,
York, England

 

[TonyinKY]

I buy 3 or 4 handles at a time from Midway so I always have a spare.

 

[ed k]

Just call me lucky but i've had mine since the mid 1980's and never broke it yet. Couple thousand rounds a year. ED K

 

[DaveWhite]

+1 on calling Lee for a replacement handle. I have not had any problem with mine in 20 years of use, though I am just waiting for that pot metal to fail. Will upgrade to the 21st Century model then, unless someone (finally) makes a similar conversion for the Sinclair...

 

[Petros284]

I agree with all on the 21st Century tool. It will use your existing Lee tray and plunger assemblies and has excellent feel and control during the priming process. One great feature is the ease of adjustment of seating depth. Get one and you will not be disappointed!

Good Shooting!

 

[lynn]

You can no longer get replacement handles for the Lee Auto Prime tool.I broke two handles about a week ago so I called Lee now needing 6 new handles.The lady on the phone said thety no longer make the Lee Auto Prime with the round primer tray of which I own 6 broken ones.She said to send them the broken tools and they will give you 50% off of there new Lee Auto Prime with the square primer tray.The 50% off is the catalog price and not what you can buy one at a discount store for.
Lynn

 

[tenring]

Until several years ago, I would call Lee when a handle broke, and they would send a new one. Then, one evening a shooting friend came down to my basement, saw the Lee primer tool and threw it in the waste basket (literally). Told me to get a K&M. I did exactly that and have never looked back. Get a good one and cry once.