DIY R&D - Lee Press "No Pin, No Shake" primer feed options

[LiveLife]

While working on improving primer feed options by enhancing primer chute/trough pin contact with frame column groove rings for SPP/Pro 6000, I had a thought.

The primer chute/trough feeds primers reliably yet it's the primers hanging up in the tray that we are trying to improve.

So what if we just eliminate the tray and extend the chute/trough length?

Using Costco apple pie plastic cover, I made a primer chute/trough rectangle tube extension with Styrofoam cutout base taped to replicate Lee primer tray bottom. Extension tube 10" long held over 50 Winchester LP primers.



This is how it looks inserted into the primer chute/trough and of course, it was 100% reliable without any concern of pin making sufficient contact with frame column/groove rings (I removed the pin for testing as it was not needed). With an adapter at the top to accommodate Lee primer tray, you could refill the chute/trough extension rather quickly.



Next I wondered if I could make the tube open "V" shaped to accommodate 100 LP primers.

So I arranged the LP primers in the primer tray into a "V" and measured around 3" across at the top of primers.



I extrapolated the top by around 0.5" and new "V" shaped primer chute/trough was around 3.5" from top down to bend at the bottom




But when I inserted the open "V" tray into the primer chute/trough, weight of primers pressed down on two primers at the bottom and bottleneck jam was created.

So I am thinking about making a channel guide/ladder ramp to test next to flow primers but since rectangle tube extension works 100%, perhaps two or three tubes merging into one may work as well.

 

[Englishmn]

Try adding a spacer on one side of the bottom of the funnel so those two primers are not jamming side by side.

 

[LiveLife]

Try adding a spacer on one side of the bottom of the funnel so those two primers are not jamming side by side.

So I tried some different variations of "spacers" inside the open "V" tray with limited success. What I need to happen is for the primers to flow and drop freely like the rectangle tube extension.

 

[LiveLife]

So after lunch and doing some pondering, I came up with this from leftover Costco pie cover to put the idea into tangible form. It's essentially three rectangle tube extensions coupled together tapering to insertion opening and will hold more than 100 LP primers. I haven't done anything in the tapered area but thinking sliding gate with flow channels should allow each column to drop freely.

It sticks up 7.5" above the primer chute/trough opening

 

[9mmepiphany]

What THR members are allowed to see and participate in is rare manufacturer-consumer collaboration where full transparency of new product research and development is exposed for examination out in the open.

If you get a chance in your correspondence with Calvin, could you inquire is there has been any or might be some modification to the primer feed on their Automatic Case Primer (ACP) press.

The press works great...priming multiple calibers without the need for shell holders...but primers tend to flip on edge as they feed from the primer chute

 

[LiveLife]

If you get a chance in your correspondence with Calvin, could you inquire is there has been any or might be some modification to the primer feed on their Automatic Case Primer (ACP) press

Email sent.

 

[9mmepiphany]

Thanks.

I was looking at it the other day to see if I could fanagle a retro fit of the priming system from the SPP. Won't work for the exact reason the ACP primes so conveniently; no shell holder...the whole assembly (retaining the primer and the ram) is pushed down to prime

 

[LiveLife]

If you get a chance in your correspondence with Calvin, could you inquire is there has been any or might be some modification to the primer feed on their Automatic Case Primer (ACP) press

Email sent.

Looks like they did, with the Deluxe ACP using new priming system - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/lee-acp-killer-new-deluxe-acp.917220/

Hello John,

I believe this press will be an ACP killer. Just started shipping last week.

Lee Precision, Inc.. Deluxe App Press

Calvin Katzfey
Lee Precision​

 

[9mmepiphany]

I can live with that.

Gives me free rein to experiment with the angle of the feed chute and primer retention spring

 

[tightgroup tiger]

Keep working at it Live Life. I like what your doing. Is there some way you could take your 3 trough tube and join the troughs at the bottom so when the right hand trough is empty a plastic gate would open and the weight of the primers in the center trough would let the center trough dump to the right trough, and so on with the left trough though the center to the right trough. \
Left gate would have to be higher then center gate and center gate higher and beside bottom exit of right trough.
I don't know if you could cut the side and make a flap that the primers to the right would keep shut until expended.
Just a thought.

 

[GW Staar]

While working on improving primer feed options by enhancing primer chute/trough pin contact with frame column groove rings for SPP/Pro 6000, I had a thought.

The primer chute/trough feeds primers reliably yet it's the primers hanging up in the tray that we are trying to improve.

So what if we just eliminate the tray and extend the chute/trough length?............

You might have noticed that I 3D printed a longer primer column to drop the tray into. I wish I had made it even longer, because I discovered that I could flick the tray a couple of times and filled the longer tube in a second. Which makes a point for one even taller, where a similar flick or two once you open the tray over an even longer tube would put all 1 hundred of the primers in and empty the tray BEFORE you even start the strokes on the press.

IOW's....put the filled tray onto the longer tube, flick it empty, and only have to worry about the last 4......
Another plus for the 3D print was I was able to get rid of most of the flat spot at the bottom, which gave primers no encouragement to total empty.....which now empties all except for the last one.

My 3D printed column did have a double bend in it to clear my camera/lighting add-on, but not using that means no need for the double bend on yours. Picture below to remind folks of my efforts there:

I could lengthen it to hold all 100, and remove the bends if anyone would like one......but I'd use "gloss" plastic next time.