Lee hand primer

Rogue_wave

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Hi to all

I have been using a lee hand primer for the past several years without issue. Today out of the blue the little white push handle broke. Does anyone know if there are replacements for them or should I look for another and which do you recommend?thumbnail_20230924_180451.jpg
 

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if its the old school 'one at a time' 3" hand primer, I picked one up a while ago at Canada Brass. Since then I moved to an RCBS, a bit larger and feels/fits better in my hand while priming. Can't go wrong with RCBS IMO.
 
This model has been out of production for a few years now so I'm guessing they will no longer have parts but it's still worth asking. Looking at your picture there seems to be minimal to no lube on the pivot points and that is the key to the longevity of this model. Use a grease, not oil and lube every moving part/contact point. While these are made of pot metal they will last for decades if properly lubed. In over 40 years of reloading and hand priming 10's of thousands of cases using the Lee tool I broke exactly ONE priming arm and that was before I kept the contacts points faithfully lubed. They will last indefinitely if properly maintained.

If Lee can't help you keep an eye open at gun shows or post a WTB. These still show up regularly as there were probably hundreds of thousands if not more of them made over the years.
 
Thanks, I have found a used one for $50.00 but think I will purchase a new RCBS. It did run flawlessly for quite a few years.

The RCBS unit isn't perfect either and gives issues for people with small hands or arthritis.

Lee and maybe some others offer a bench mounted primer press that works very well and is much easier for people with smaller hands or arthritis.

I like the Lee hand primers and have worn out a couple of them over the decades. I still have a couple of them that function properly and a couple of donors for parts.

If your reloading press has the primer feed option, there isn't a lot wrong with this system and with some experience, it becomes quite easy to ''get a feel'' for seating.

The only drawback with this system is that you don't get to clean out the primer pockets unless you do it as a separate operation.
 
Thanks, I have found a used one for $50.00 but think I will purchase a new RCBS. It did run flawlessly for quite a few years.

I went from the LEE priming tool to the RCBS Universal Priming Tool , I like the RCBS enough to keep one set up for small primers, and one for large primers.
 
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