Lee priming tools APP, ACP questions.

@2 @223 3 years ago

Hi everyone.

Duane, please give me your wisdom too?

I have bought the Lee APP from Duane a few years ago and use it to de-prime all my handgun brass. It works pretty well for 9mmS, 9mmP, 38 Spl, 357 Mag, 44 Spl, 44 Mag, 45 Auto and 10mm Auto.

Then, after I bought it, Lee brought out the ACP, which can both prime and de-prime. I am somewhat apprehensive about priming and de-priming on the same press, as the de-priming operation is a dirty business with lots of abrasive residue floating around. I want to prime in a clean environment. That's why I clean my cases before priming. OCD maybe, but I want my competition ammo te be as reliable as my carry ammo.

My favourite priming tool is still the older Lee Auto Prime with the round primer tray. Unfortunately, I am wearing out the last one now and will soon run out of space to shim it up. Then I will need a new priming tool that actually works.

The newer Lee hand-held tools with square or tri-angular primer trays are not welcome in my reloading room at all. Got rid of the last one and I don't want to ever see it ever again. I just hate them all.

I have 2 good priming tools at present, besides my fading original Lee Auto Prime, that work well. Both RCBS, one is the old bench priming tool feeding from tubes and the other a hand-held model that uses conventional shell holders. Both work well. The bench model is slow and I dislike the column of primers in the tube for safety reasons. Seating is positive, but it is exhausting to prime more than 100 or 200 cases on. The hand held model works, but is somewhat fidgety to load. I could work with it if that was all I had.

The Lee bench priming tool seems like an upgrade on the handheld models, but uses the same internal parts. I don't trust it.

This leaves the ACP and the latest APP upgrade which includes a priming capability. Both of them use the Lee case feed system which speeds things up considerably. This case feeder can also be automated if desired.

So my question is, which one of these 2 priming tools (Lee APP or ACP) will give me the best priming performance? What are the pro's and con's?

Any other suggestions?

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Replies 10

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@O @oafpatroll

I haven't used either the APP or ACP so can't comment. Re dedicated depriming gear I couldn't agree more. I have a dedicated old beat up press which is used only for deprimimg as that's the step that introduces the majority of the filth. I would love to find a hand tool for the purpose but haven't come across one. Have considered trying to cobble one up from a hand primer but have never got that far.

For interest, what makes you favour the Autoprime over the newer Ergo Prime for example? I much prefer the latter and have one of the square try versions.

@J @janfred

What grates me about the ergoprime is the elevator that first has to lift the primer before it can slide in position to be pressed into the case. Then the little gate that has to open to let the primer through...

I bought one second hand at a very good price. When I tried to use it I understood why so cheap. The gate did not lift quite high enough to let some primers through making for unreliable priming. Those plastic inner parts just doesn't work for me. The idea is good, but there are lots more small things that have to work in concert that can fail. Lee seem to have done away with the KISS principle.

Thankfully, with a bit of surgery, I managed to fit the round tray onto the ergoprime. Works better now.
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Agreed, Lee has always been simple and 98 % as good as items that cost 200 % more, but a few items are now irking me, those plastic inners, theprimer pusher thing etc
I used to have a saying about Lee - The metal stuff is as good as any out there, but the plastic stuff ???? You will find me stating this on GunSite 15 years ago, I still believe it.

@2 @223 OP

I haven't used either the APP or ACP so can't comment. Re dedicated depriming gear I couldn't agree more. I have a dedicated old beat up press which is used only for deprimimg as that's the step that introduces the majority of the filth. I would love to find a hand tool for the purpose but haven't come across one. Have considered trying to cobble one up from a hand primer but have never got that far.

For interest, what makes you favour the Autoprime over the newer Ergo Prime for example? I much prefer the latter and have one of the square try versions.

I think Janfred answered your question for me.

The only hand decapping tool I have come across is the one made by Frankford Arsenal.

The Lee APP has a case feeder, which speeds up the de-capping operation significantly.

@2 @223 OP

What grates me about the ergoprime is the elevator that first has to lift the primer before it can slide in position to be pressed into the case. Then the little gate that has to open to let the primer through...

I bought one second hand at a very good price. When I tried to use it I understood why so cheap. The gate did not lift quite high enough to let some primers through making for unreliable priming. Those plastic inner parts just doesn't work for me. The idea is good, but there are lots more small things that have to work in concert that can fail. Lee seem to have done away with the KISS principle.

Thankfully, with a bit of surgery, I managed to fit the round tray onto the ergoprime. Works better now.
************************
Agreed, Lee has always been simple and 98 % as good as items that cost 200 % more, but a few items are now irking me, those plastic inners, theprimer pusher thing etc
I used to have a saying about Lee - The metal stuff is as good as any out there, but the plastic stuff ???? You will find me stating this on GunSite 15 years ago, I still believe it.

I also struggled with an Ergo Prime that a friend gave me for free. I soon found out why he gave it away.

The first thing that gave me issues was the little flimsy "gate" in there. Mine got stuck somehow and crumpled. That made it get stuck. I just threw it out and things were better. Not many hundred primers later, a primer got stuck in the transparent "adaptor" were the lifter and gate lives. This split the "adaptor". Lee sent me a replacement for free. Considering that I live in SA that is actually very good service. It did not last long. I bought a few from my LGS, just to keep going. At about R100 each at the time, the costs started to accumulate. I had issues with both Large and Small adaptors. After having used the original Auto Prime, this was a huge disappointment.

I understand the safety issues with the original Auto Prime, and especially with Federal brand primers. Fair enough. I must admit to having loaded thousands of Federal primers without any detonations so far. Maybe I was just lucky?

@O @oafpatroll

I must have struck it lucky as my 5 or 6 year old ergo prime is near flawlessly reliable with big and small primers. I prefer it to the autoprime I also have because of the fact that it doesn't require you to apply the actuating force with your thumb.

Must look into the frankford decapper but I expect I'll blanche at the price if it's even available.

[deleted]

Priming is the one step in reloading which cannot be done fast by hand. This is due to the light weight and shape of the primer, as well as the right fitb one needs to do.

It needs to be done slowly, carefully and almost lovingly.

If done this way, I am sure that most of the tools can do the job.

@J @janfred

From someone that has a few thousand cases to prime, if you cannot prime fast and efficient, the equipment gets dumped quick.

With the correct process flow cases can be safely primed in as little as 3 seconds per case using the original Lee autoprime. Takes slightly longer using the more modern hand priming tools, probably because of all the added complexity that didn't solve any problems. To me that represents a step back.

I have now tried all the newer hand priming systems from Lee. Next I'll try the Frankfort Arsenal one.

@O @oafpatroll

My autoprime works perfectly well it just fatigues my thumb and it's drive tendon to the point that 300 cases at a sitting is my absolute limit before I experience pain the next day. The ergoprime by contrast allows me to do 1000 comfortably and I recently did a 1500 fiocchi box in an afternoon while listening to audio books. The load being taken by a three or four fingers reduces feel ever so slightly but makes it fairly effortless and pain free.

@2 @223 OP

Priming is the one step in reloading which cannot be done fast by hand. This is due to the light weight and shape of the primer, as well as the right fitb one needs to do.

It needs to be done slowly, carefully and almost lovingly.

If done this way, I am sure that most of the tools can do the job.

Indeed priming needs to be done with care while feeling the primer seat. I fully agree with that.

The thing is, not all tools give you a good feel of the process and those that do definitely work at different speeds.

If I need or want to prime a few thousand handgun cases, I do want to get the job finished at some point. The slow tools will not make it before match day...

@T @treeman

The new Lee bench primer tool is absolutely the best for me, the only one i like now. Problem is the clear plastic L and S primer thingee's, the just wear out so fast.