Lee Auto Prime XR Won’t Seat S&B Small Primers

H

haskins02

New member
I have been using my Lee Auto Prime XR successfully for years, loading .308 Win (larger primers). Recently, I am helping a friend load .223 and we tried to use my Auto Prime to seat his primers (Sellier & Bellot, 4,4, SR Boxer Primers, Zapalsky Primers) into this .223 cases. We are using the small primer tray and the correct shell holder for .223. The primers load into the loading port and everything looks fine, but all the thumb pressure that my friend and I can muster will not seat a single primer. The primer will simply not move into (or even start to get into) the primer pocket. Everything appears to be aligned correctly.

It is also worth noting that these Czech primers are odd to me because on the box it says they are “for rifle, pistol, or revolver cartridges”, rather than for rifle only or pistol only. The primers are small, not large, although the word “small” does not appear on the package (most of the writing is Czech).

Is the problem with the primers or with our use of the Lee Auto Prime XR? Thanks?

Greg
 
Are you attempting to prime once fired military brass? If so, the primer pocket will need to have the crimp removed before you can insert a new primer.
 
I believe the box should have "SP" on it for small pistol primers. I have a box of large pistol primers and it has "LP" on it
 
I just discovered that it is military brass (sorry)! The head is marked LC 06 with a circled cross. I researched it and it is military brass made by Lake City Arsenal, manufactured in 2006 for NATO, i.e. it is 5.56 military brass. Now that I look carefully, I see the crimp ring too. Sorry, my friend told me otherwise.

Is there a practical way (without significant machining and precision tools) to remove that crimp ring (or just toss it and start over with commercial brass)? Thanks again.
 
I know there are tools to do it. Look on Midway's website and I'm sure you will see a couple of alternatives.
 
Never mind…. Thought .223 might be S/R primers… I don't reload that cartridge… though you may have the wrong "piston" installed in your hand primer and were being stopped by the bottom of the shell holder.
 
The best method I've found is to remove most of the crimp with the small sharp blade of my Swiss Army Knife, then use a CH4D or Lyman Primer Pocket Reamer to remove the rest, finish up with a Primer Pocket Uniform Tool.

CH4D makes a swaging tool, that fits your existing press, is not too expensive and does a good job....I still like to finish up with the reamer and uniform tools.

By using the pocket knife method I can sit in a easy chair , watch an old movie and de-crimp cases.

Gary
 
S&B cases are known to have under-sized primer pockets. Try to get a primer pocket reamer or try Remington primers - they have the smallest diameter of all primers.
 
Buy a countersink drill bit at Home Depot and put it in drill. One second and the crimp is gone. Leaves a nice bevel to guide in the primer.
SB primers are known to be tight.
 
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