WSP primers on Pro1000

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kmw1954

New member
Just started having a problem and curious if anyone else has run into this.

I have been using S&B primers on my Pro1000 for some time and they have been running great. Well I just ran out and replaced them with Winchester Small Pistol primers and immediately started having problems with them loading. After watching this with the turret removed I can see that the primers are tipping on their side before even getting to the anvil pin. It appears that the pin is hanging on the next primer and lifting it. As a test I just tried running some CCI small primers in it and it is not doing the same thing and is running normal.

I would switch primers again to CCI but I have one 9mm that has a light spring in it and the CCI primers gives me FTF in this gun which is why I've been using the S&B and previously Winchesters..
 
I have always primed by hand using a Lee Auto Prime; in its various incarnations over the past few decades.

It has been my observation that WSP's don't slide in the tray nearly as easily and tend to tip on their sides.

The only other primers I've used are CCI and Federal. They are nickel plated (are they? - well, they're silver in color anyway) and seem to slide around a lot easier. This facilitates feeding into the well. WSP's, I have to fight with them a bit.
 
Nick, I was using the Winchester primers when I first started loading again a couple years ago and I don't recall this happening. Then with the state of the World from what I read it may be a very long time before S&B primers find their way back to the States.

From what I'm told Titan Reloading here in Wisconsin stocks Remington and CCI so I may just have to try a box of Remington in the 9mm.
 
Try taking a Q-tip and burnishing a little graphite powder into the primer feed tray channel to promote sliding. You may also be able to address tipping by cutting some strips of tape and placing them on the upper part of the chute on the assumption the primers are too short (more deeply set anvils) and therefore tip too easily. Have you measured the height of these primers, including anvils and compared that to your CCI? If they are shorter, that is probably part of the problem. If they are, in effect, tripping by dragging on the floor of the chute, the graphite should help with that.

Winchester dropped their nickel plate a number of years ago to address complaints about their sensitivity. The plating makes them slightly harder to indent with the firing pin. However, IIRC, they use the usual normal lead styphnate as a sensitizer. Only Federal uses the basic (hydroxide form) lead styphnate, and they have always enjoyed a good reputation for sensitivity. When double-action revolver shooting competition was still common, a lot of revolvers with lightened springs were found to be able to ignite Federal primers consistently when they could with no other. So, in your shoes, I would be looking at trying some Federal 100s. If they work well for you, then rather than fiddling with graphite and tape, my personal approach would be to hand prime the rest of the Winchester primers to use them up, then switch to the Federal primers entirely.
 
Thanks Unclenick will try that and see. Just to be clear other than they do not slide and flow well it appears that the primer pin is what is flipping the next inline primer as it is rising up through the shellplate.

Also around here in Wisconsin Federal primers are near impossible to find and adding shipping and hazmat fees almost doubles the price for small orders. But I completely understand your thinking.
 
I prime off the press on the Pro 1000. It stopped 95% of the hang ups that are known to be an issue on the press. I use a hand priming tool. Though I size, and deprime all of my brass before cleaning it in a wet rotary tumbler.

My experience with the Pro 1000 is that it has issue with all primer when priming on the press.
 
Unclenick from what I just measured the Winchester are .0005" taller than the CCI.

m&p45, thanks but if I have to add a whole other process/step then the press is not functioning the way it was meant to and if that is what it takes to make it work then I might as well replace it with something that does work the way it was designed.

So sorry but for me priming OFF the press is not an option.
 
A little off topic

cutting some strips of tape and placing them on the upper part of the chute . . .
Click to expand...

I know I'm a little off topic here. But I think I'll try Unclenick's remedy mentioned above. I my case, it will be with a Lee Auto Prime. The Auto Prime's tray is designed for both large and small primers (jack of all trades; master of none). Since I used dedicated Auto Primes for each large and small, I gonna give it a try for my small one.

I know sp's and lp's have the same height dimension. But the lp's are obviously larger in diameter and can't flip over inside the AP's tray. The small one's can; and often do. The Auto Prime's tray has a bit too much head room, I'd say.
 
kmw1954,

How does the radius on the edge of the primer cup look? Is it smaller than on your other primers? I'm trying to guess why the primer ram is tipping the next one only in this brand, and a shorter corner radius might well do it.

Take a close look at the primer seating ram (may need to take it out). If it is like the one on my ram prime, it is square edged and that edge extends beyond the flat part of the primer when one is sitting on it, so I could safely chamfer the edge of the ram a hundredth or two and would still support the primer cup's flat portion and a little beyond for tolerance slop and would not deform the primer during seating. So, were I having this problem, I would chuck the ram in a drill and play a diamond hone or a sharpening stone against it until I brought the edge in and rounded it a little and saw if that didn't fix it.
 
My friend an I both have Hornady LNL presses and we use the hornady pistol type primer loader to load primers in the tube. We both have problems with winchester primers. They have a more rounded edge and tip over as they try to fall into the tube. Iuse S&B(my favorite) or CCI. I just bought some Remington, but haven't tried them yet.
 
egd, do those Remington primers look more like the S&B or the Winchester? I found a retailer close by that has some Remington in stock.
 
It hadn't occurred to me that a greater radius would be more prone to tipping by the ram. That suggests the ram bumps all primers and some just resist being flipped better. I still think chamfering the edge of the ram will be the permanent solution. I'm sure Lee will sell you a spare very reasonably if you are concerned you may overdo it.
 
I have a friend that will be bringing me a brand new small primer chute this weekend to try.

Watching this process again I now see that once the new primer is loaded on the pin and the carrier starts to lower to seat the new primer the primer itself will actually start raising and turning the next primer to the point that once the shell plate is completely down and has seated the primer the next primer is already sideways.
 
KMW I would also advise for trouble shooting your problems with the primer system on the Pro 1000 to check youtube out. Videos by (Not an expert, and Cowboy9) address many of the problems with the Pro 1000. I prime off the press that has solved my priming system problems. It also eliminated stoppages on the press for me.
 
kmw, the S&B are more squared off around the top edge. The remington have a very slightly rounded edge. I don't have any winchester around to compare but from memory I think they were more rounded.
Man I wish Cabelas would put them (S&B) on sale for 19.99 again, but I know that will never happen.
 
Don P. Federal primers is a viable solution only the closest shop I've found that carries them is 2.5hrs away and to order them online adds about 25% to the cost of even 5k. So for that it is almost worth the road trip and to pick up powders at the same time.

m&p45acp I am glad that works for you. You just continue doing it. For me it's not an option and I might as well just load on my turret press. All those videos were watched even before I purchased a Pro1000 so I am more than familiar with them and I also do follow the Lee group on Facebook.

egd, agree. I just wish they would restock them at any price. I believe they have run into political problems in their part of the world and imports have halted.

There is not a problem with the press as some may think or suggest the problem is with the primers I am trying to use. Just like there is nothing wrong with the gun that doesn't like CCI primers. These two issues are no different than any auto loader out there that has a problem feeding a particular bullet.

I have been running S&B primers in the Lee Pro1000 for almost 2 years without a hitch and yes that includes priming on the press. Now that product has dried up and is no longer available so a new solution must be found.

I find 2 options, find a primer that will continue to work. Either Federal or Remington or dump the press and move to something else. Like the turret press or the new Breech Lock Pro which uses the Safety Prime system

Just to inform everyone I have tried using the Pro1000 w/o priming on it and using the powder drop in the first station, seating die in the second station and the FCD in the third station. Did that for about a week and I hated it. It was awkward and didn't feel natural.
 
Thought I'd pass along an update to this issue.

A friend that also loads with a Pro1000 suggested changing out the black primer trough and he happened to have an extra small trough. So I swapped out the part with the new one and loaded it up with Winchester WSP primers and then proceeded to load up 100 9mm using up a whole sleeve of primers. Result, not a single miscue, flipped or missed primer. Everything flowed just as it was doing with the S&B primers. Now I may just have to order a couple as spares and keep them in the parts box.
 
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