Lee Auto-Prime Ergo dents some primers

[H&R Glock]

It only does it when extra effort is applied to seat a primer. Not extreme pressure just slightly more. I can find NO defect in the seating ram. The ram has an almost perfect flat surface, but the dents are sharp.

All the primers in this picture are dented to some extent. Because of lighting and my camera some just don't show up well. One out of three primed tonight were dented. No the primers are perfect. I am totally blown away with this problem!

 

[rcmodel]

There simply has to be a spec of grit, brass, or *oil floating around in there to produce a dent like that.
(* oil dent?)

Take it apart, and throughly clean it with alcohol & and old toothbrush.

If the top of the seating punch is perfectly flat?

That is the only thing it can be.

rc

 

[H&R Glock]

that's the problem in a nutshell. You can't take it apart. The spring loaded ram is all part of the tray assembly. Just to get a good look at the top surface of the ram, you have to press up from below with a screwdriver. All I can hope to do is clean the top surface with a q-tip. I have not done that, but it's gonna' be useless as I can see the surface is clean.
The Auto Prime XR and Auto Prime Ergo primer tools have identical primer tray assemblies. If you own one of these models, you will see what I am talking about. Tomorrow I will take a picture, as best I can. of the assembly and the ram top surface and post it here. Maybe it will make more sense then.

I am still blown away at what should be a simple foreign object problem,but--- if it was a foreign object on the ram, wouldn't it show up with every primer? Go figure

 

[H&R Glock]

here is what I am dealing with. The assembly encapsulates the spring loaded ram post so one may not take it apart to smooth, clean, etc.

If I compress the spring, the ram post becomes visable and I can take a picture of it. There appears to be 2 concentric circles on the post, but trust me the top of the post is completely flat.
These circles are probably from a machining process, I don't know. In any event, these circles have absolutrely nothing to do with the dents as pictured in my first posting of this problem.
I have written to Lee to get a replacement tray.

 

[fguffey]

Same as only different. RCBS went through the dent/half moon dent in primers, I loaned a reloader both of my RCBS auto primer systems in an effort to convenes him the problem was not the hand primer. RCBS made parts for his hand primer, they sent him enough parts to build another hand primer, I said it was not the hand primer that caused the half moon dents.

I called RCBS, they offered to send me another shell holder, I explained to them I had at least 5 shell holders, changing shell holders would not correct the problem? Question after problem, I never had a primer fail to fire with the half moon dent.


F. Guffey

 

[gamestalker]

I've seen dents happen like that before, and they were always from debris. Just use a Q tip and try to get the tip nice and clean. I don't use that priming tool, so I don't know if you can disassemble and clean, but if possible remove the ram tip and clean under and around it. Also make sure that there is no debris any where on the tool that's inadvertently finding it's way to the ram, which is likely the case. Maybe rinse it off in some alcohol, then use some compressed air and give the tool a good air cleaning.

Both of my RCBS ram tips had machining flaws. And a newer set I bought were coated with a rather thick black coating, and after a few hundred priming sessions, the coating started flaking off. I both instances I just lapped them on a flat surface, GTG. I always glace at my primers as I prime, making sure nothing has found it's way to the ram tip, which happens.

If it's not happening on every primer, it's definitely a piece of debris.

GS

 

[H&R Glock]

Thanks

It's not happening on every primer, but I am convinced it has to do with the pressure needed to seat the primer.
Thanks for your suggestion. I have alcolol,q-tips and air. I will do what you say and we will see what happens. I have hundreds of 38's to prime.
We are expecting 2-3 inches of rain tonight so my priming day is being interrupted with a flood warning. My basement was flooded 8 years ago, almost to the day, because of heavy rain. Here we go again.

 

[H&R Glock]

On the advice of Lee Precision, I cleaned the tool as much as possible. The first thing I did made the problem go away. I blew out the tool with compressed air. I could see absolutely NOTHING of a foreign nature anywhere in the tool so I have to call this the INVISIBLE ALIEN PARTICLES problem.
I was ready to use the sonic cleaner, but blowing out what I couldn't see has fixed the thing. This still makes no sense as a particle has to appear- then disappear- then appear again as if by magic to inflict this malfunction. Go figure.
You guyz were right on.! Thanks

 

[rcmodel]

I have never seen one.

But how did they put it together so you can't somehow, take it apart for cleaning??

It had to be apart once, to make it and assemble it.

So it seems it could be taken apart again to clean it????

rc

 

[Swampman]

rc,
If you look at the center of the attached pic you'll see something that looks like a witches hat with a shiny crown and a black brim.

The "brim" is one of those God-awful one way kamikaze retaining clips.

You could probably take it apart if you really wanted to, but you'd need a new clip at minimum and probably a new pin as well. Since all the metal parts seem to be press fitted together, what you'd end up needing is a new Ergo Prime.

Lee obviously doesn't want people disassembling these things for cleaning.