PNWPewPewPew
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So after countless hours of research I finally decided on a Lee Classic Turret. There are plenty of videos and resources which are invaluable and extremely helpful and I'm glad I made the purchase.
There were a few issues on my first go around.
My press wasn't quite indexing right. It was a bit disappointing, considering I thoroughly cleaned it and lubricated it prior to starting. It was stopping just shy of full advance and I had to advance it by hand. I took apart the indexing rod and checked the square ratchet. Turn out I didn't have the indexing rod/ram assembly square with the rest of the device. I just used a screw driver to put it at 12 o'clock and it indexes fine now. Runs like silky smooth. There's a good video on how to disassemble and lube it on youtube. I'm not linking it because if you're really going to do this, you've already found that video.
My other issue was the lee safety prime. It's a very intuitive system. And an extremely good value for Classic turret press owners. But mine was very "sticky". Once it deposited a primer (when it would be gracious enough to do so), it would not retract. Many times it spat primers like a rude house guest hawking loogies, all over the garage floor.
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DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT A RELOADING EXPERT OR AN EXPERT IN RELOADING EQUIPMENT. MY FINDINGS ARE FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES ONLY. I DO NOT RECOMMEND PERFORMING THESE MODIFICATIONS. DOING SO CAN RENDER YOUR EQUIPMENT INOPERABLE OR EVEN INJURE OR KILL YOU. IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM, THE BEST SOLUTION IS TO RETURN IT TO THE MANUFACTURER.
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I decided to open up the feed mechanism and take a look at what was happening.
Figure 1. Primer Feeding Head
The picture above shows the feeding head removed from the primer tray assembly. It just takes a phillips screwdriver, had to remind myself not to reef on these parts because they are plastic. I used an appropriately sized screwdriver as not strip the screws. It just takes one screw to disassemble the feeding head from the primer tray assembly.
Figure 2. Removable lower panel
It only takes the removal of the screw shown in Figure 1 to disassemble the entire primer feed mechanism. Using care I flipped it over to get the view shown in Figure 2. There is a spring under that panel, and it can get easily lost.
Figure 3. Spring which can easily be lost.
Removing the lower panel reveals the spring underneath shown in Figure 3.
The short leg goes on the rear in the small hole/recess, the long leg fits into a pin hole on the front of the assembly, then the side is pushed in so that it is recessed into the body of the feeding head.
Figure 4. Parts I fiddled with the most. I also fiddled with the piston.
I ended up with a pile of parts shown in Figure 4.
So, when the head is pushed forward, item 2 holds a primer, item 3 slips over the front post of item 1, which causes the piston to push the primer down onto the primer cup on the press. What happens is there are sharp contact points between parts 1 and 3, and between the piston (shown above item 2 with a spring around the body) and item 2 (primer holder arm/slider). These caused mine to hang up. I believe the majority of the issue is caused by the interface between the piston and item 2.
Figure 5. Went at it all gentle like right there at the blue arrow.
I took item 2 (primer holder arm/slider) shown in Figure 5 and gently rounded down the sharp edge along where the arrow is pointed. I used a diamond file and sand paper just to ever so slightly take it down and reassembled. The amount that is required in terms of material removal for all of these items was nearly un-noticeable. I went slow because I can always take more off, I can't put more back on. I just put a very minor chamfer in the area where it makes contact with the bottom of the piston.
Figure 6. The piston
Figure 6 shows the piston. I took a diamond file and gently worked around that edge as well. Again, the change was very very very small. Just a slight chamfer as well.
There were a few issues on my first go around.
My press wasn't quite indexing right. It was a bit disappointing, considering I thoroughly cleaned it and lubricated it prior to starting. It was stopping just shy of full advance and I had to advance it by hand. I took apart the indexing rod and checked the square ratchet. Turn out I didn't have the indexing rod/ram assembly square with the rest of the device. I just used a screw driver to put it at 12 o'clock and it indexes fine now. Runs like silky smooth. There's a good video on how to disassemble and lube it on youtube. I'm not linking it because if you're really going to do this, you've already found that video.
My other issue was the lee safety prime. It's a very intuitive system. And an extremely good value for Classic turret press owners. But mine was very "sticky". Once it deposited a primer (when it would be gracious enough to do so), it would not retract. Many times it spat primers like a rude house guest hawking loogies, all over the garage floor.
==========================================
DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT A RELOADING EXPERT OR AN EXPERT IN RELOADING EQUIPMENT. MY FINDINGS ARE FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES ONLY. I DO NOT RECOMMEND PERFORMING THESE MODIFICATIONS. DOING SO CAN RENDER YOUR EQUIPMENT INOPERABLE OR EVEN INJURE OR KILL YOU. IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM, THE BEST SOLUTION IS TO RETURN IT TO THE MANUFACTURER.
==========================================
I decided to open up the feed mechanism and take a look at what was happening.
Figure 1. Primer Feeding Head
The picture above shows the feeding head removed from the primer tray assembly. It just takes a phillips screwdriver, had to remind myself not to reef on these parts because they are plastic. I used an appropriately sized screwdriver as not strip the screws. It just takes one screw to disassemble the feeding head from the primer tray assembly.
Figure 2. Removable lower panel
It only takes the removal of the screw shown in Figure 1 to disassemble the entire primer feed mechanism. Using care I flipped it over to get the view shown in Figure 2. There is a spring under that panel, and it can get easily lost.
Figure 3. Spring which can easily be lost.
Removing the lower panel reveals the spring underneath shown in Figure 3.
The short leg goes on the rear in the small hole/recess, the long leg fits into a pin hole on the front of the assembly, then the side is pushed in so that it is recessed into the body of the feeding head.
Figure 4. Parts I fiddled with the most. I also fiddled with the piston.
I ended up with a pile of parts shown in Figure 4.
So, when the head is pushed forward, item 2 holds a primer, item 3 slips over the front post of item 1, which causes the piston to push the primer down onto the primer cup on the press. What happens is there are sharp contact points between parts 1 and 3, and between the piston (shown above item 2 with a spring around the body) and item 2 (primer holder arm/slider). These caused mine to hang up. I believe the majority of the issue is caused by the interface between the piston and item 2.
Figure 5. Went at it all gentle like right there at the blue arrow.
I took item 2 (primer holder arm/slider) shown in Figure 5 and gently rounded down the sharp edge along where the arrow is pointed. I used a diamond file and sand paper just to ever so slightly take it down and reassembled. The amount that is required in terms of material removal for all of these items was nearly un-noticeable. I went slow because I can always take more off, I can't put more back on. I just put a very minor chamfer in the area where it makes contact with the bottom of the piston.
Figure 6. The piston
Figure 6 shows the piston. I took a diamond file and gently worked around that edge as well. Again, the change was very very very small. Just a slight chamfer as well.
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