Lee Classic Turret, Primer Seating Depth

[CBP]

I'm using the Lee classic turret, and noticed I can't get the primers seated properly. I am loading small pistol primers. They will stick up approximately 0.002". I can feel the primer seat and the press arm will stop. No amount of effort will seat the primers any deeper. I think the problem is with the primer seating arm. The seating cup may be too large or have a concave surface. I took an unprimed case and by hand was able to push the seating cup up into the primer hole several thousands of an inch until it stopped. I also tried this on the press and ended up with the primer cup stuck up the primer hole of the case. Took a little effort to get the case unstuck, but it eventually popped out.

I've cleaned the flash holes on a few cases, but this doesn't seem to help. So I'm curious if I have a seating arm that has too large of a primer cup or an improperly surfaced face. Maybe the face of the primer cup should be slightly convex? I've tried wiggling the case thinking that the primer cup wasn't being center on the primer/flash hole. I've also tried rotating the case and seating a second time, and this does seem to have helped on a few cases.

I've fired a few thousand rounds that I've reloaded so far in .38 and 9mm and never had a problem with a misfire. So I don't think I have a problem with safety, but I know the recommendation is to seat the primer slightly below the case head. I can visibly tell the difference in primer depth between factory loads and my reloads.

Any ideas or suggestions are appreciated.

 

[rondog]

Call Lee, they stand behind their stuff. Might be an issue they know about.

 

[rcmodel]

Any chance you have the LG Primer seating punch in the press and using it to seat SM primers?

Well, O.K., probably not, because you said you got it stuck in an empty case.

Hmmmmmmmm? LessSee????????

Any chance the primer punch screws into the arm, and is screwed in to far?

I'm just wild guessing here!

IMO: Best option is to save your pennies and buy an RCBS universal Primer Tool and do it off the press anyway!

rc

 

[benzuncle]

Call Lee, they stand behind their stuff. Might be an issue they know about.

+1 on that. I've called them on 3 different occasions and was always treated courteously. Only 1 of the 3 calls was about a problem I was encountering and that was easliy resolved to my complete satisfaction. Good folks, those.

 

[1SOW]

+1 Contact LEE

On the off-chance: I had a similar problem with 9mm "WCC" older Win cases. I suspect they had been reloaded umpteen thousand times before. I quit using them because it was a 1 in 4 problem. I could "FEEL" the difference when I started to press them in and they wouldn't go flush---some barely went in at all..
Lee 4-hole Turret press

 

[Lone_Gunman]

Are you reloading military brass? Did you remove the primer crimp?

 

[RustyFN]

IMO: Best option is to save your pennies and buy an RCBS universal Primer Tool and do it off the press anyway!

I would agree if loading on a single stage. That would slow things way down on the CT. It would be like using a hand priming tool and loading on a Dillon. My experience with the safety prime has been very good I'm sure it has to be an easy fix.
Rusty