Hornady Auto Primer Feed for the Classic Press

[diopter]

Anyone here bought and using it?
Been reading a lot of mixed reviews on it.
Common theme is it's difficult to adjust so that it works for an extended number of primers before the attaching screw and washer loosens and dumps contents of your primer tube on the floor.

If you solved any issues with it, let us know how you did it.

I imagine that using toothed lock washers should solve the loosening problem and an alignment spacer block between the primer arm and the Auto feed block should help faster alignment. As for the primer tube dumping.... we'll see.

 

[Expatriot]

I had one on one of mine at the start. It did loosen up a few hundred rounds into it, all it required was a dab of loctite blue and the issue was solved.

I eventually took it off because I ended up dedicating the press to only de-priming and neck expanding.

Expat

 

[diopter]

Just finished setting one up this morning. Took about 5 minutes.

The thin wire holding the primers in the tube is very thin.
Pressing the primer tube down into it's mounting block can cause the primers to spill out if cotter pin is removed before inserting the primer tube into it's mounting block.

I like it.
Hand primer tools were becoming too taxing on my arthritic hand joints with prolonged use.
Give it a 4.5 out of 5

 

[Longwalker]

I had one and threw it out. I consider them unsafe. I once dropped a tube full of primers on a concrete floor. contemplating what would have happened if the one on the bottom would have went off, possibly setting off a chain reaction caused me to wonder about the design. I now use an RCBS or Lee hand priming tool for bulk jobs, and load one at a time in the original primer holder on the press for small jobs. don't miss the auto primer feed at all.

 

[diopter]

Still happy with it after almost two years. Just need to keep paying attention. You can hear when a primer drops properly so if it doesn't you know to check what's up.
Works more reliably when the primer pick tube fits into the holder without too much effort. Light de-burring helps.

Not my video:

 

[diopter]

Some tips & tricks.
1) When starting a new batch, just insert 3-4 primers in tube to make sure the block will still retain the primers. Adjust if needed. Doesn't take too much of a hard hit on block to miss-aligned it.
2) Raise the ram all the way when insert primer tube. Can prevent primers running out if something is wrong.
3) Use the cotter pin to push the top primer into the tube and leave it half inserted into the pickup tube so you don't have to look for it later.
4) Primer tubes for this ARE NOT the same as the Hornady LNL 1911 auto primer tube filler, whose tubes do not fit the Classic Primer block! Can't easily transfer from one to the other. The 1911 Primer filler does transfer fine to LNL AP press primer system.
Classic Press Primer tubes are .307" O.D. & 1911 Auto Primer filler tubes are .310" O.D. Yes one day I'll get around to reduce the O.D. on the 1911 cotter pin side.