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kc17

Lee ACP (automatic case primer)

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Anyone have one that is working properly?

I'm having issues getting the primers to feed correctly. I've already contacted Lee Support, they pointed out one issue which I've resolved. But I'm still having problems with the primer reaching the seater (or whatever they call it). I've asked for pictures of how it should look, so far they only sent me a CAD image, which is not the same. 

I'm attaching a picture of what I'm questioning. I've repositioned the spring and chute multiple times, this is where it always wants to go back to. 

 

Capture.thumb.JPG.81bdd74ffcb1623a2dec151cd4fa450a.JPG

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Kc17,

Let me start by saying I don’t have one of these, but I do have a bunch of other presses with all types of auto-priming setups. My first question is what is that drip running down the front of the white plastic trough?  Oil?  Did this ACP ever work correctly or has it always been hit or miss?  Gravity is the only force acting to get the primers moving out of the chute, so the least bit of drag (like dirt, powder, dust, oil or maybe even a defect in the plastic) inside the chute will screw things up.  Does it work better with a full stack of primers doing the pushing?

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Yes, that is some oil left from the factory that I did not wipe off. The chute itself appears clean/dry, I did not take it off/apart to fully clean. 

This is new, so it has never really run. To me, it seems the opening at the bottom where the primers come out is not correct. That's why I was hoping to get an actual photo of how one functioning correctly looks. I've not been able to locate one. The pictures in the Lee manual are not large enough or zoomed in enough for me to discern. 

Changing the chute or spring position results in either zero primers or too many coming out. I believe it has to be positioned just right, I'm just can't determine what just right is. 

I'm hoping Lee can respond with an actual photo, or someone here has it and can provide. 

Thanks

 

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I think the ACP is a different chute.  You can see the primers as they come down the chute.  The primers should drop out of the chute and fill all the way to the center of the insert, so there’s always a primer above the punch. Kc17, how do you get too many primers to come out?  

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Yeah, I don't think this chute snaps together. Changing the position of the chute and/or spring will change how many primers move forward. The initial picture above is where the spring and chute seem to want to go. Picture below is another feed failure. 

Capture-2.thumb.JPG.b8b027dc055f7e4b6276a324de4afaa8.JPG

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kc17 - that insert, the round silver piece with the slot for the primers, looks way too low.  I think the top of the insert should be flush with the top of the black plastic.  Maybe you didn’t have it all the way up before locking it in place?

Or, maybe it’s hanging up on something that’s preventing it from springing up all the way?

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It's the quick-release style from the bottom and spring loaded. The outer part drops down, the seating pin stays where it is, so the case is pushed down onto the primer rather than the primer getting pushed up. I think it that pic, two primers had overlapped and kept the outer part from coming back up. Pic below shows when it is back up.

No response from Lee Support today. 

Capture-4.thumb.JPG.64c69bd3f2afe705df7b943841e73958.JPG

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That looks good.  Does the problem seem any different with large primers vs. small primers?  It looks like the small primers wind up getting staggered in the chute.  Not sure if that makes any difference or not, just trying to isolate the circumstances that might be causing the problem.

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I do not have any large primers. 

It seems to me, the spring/chute should only allow one primer to reach the seating area at a time. Otherwise, the following primer would get damaged by the outer area of the case being primed (which has already happened). I'm thinking the movement of the base where the case sits is somehow responsible for releasing the next primer from the chute. I'm just having trouble figuring out how it should look. Based on how I interpret the CAD image Lee sent me, I think the chute is deformed. Until I get can an actual picture of a good one though, I'm just guessing. The pictures in the Lee manual are not large enough or zoomed in enough for me to confidently say. 

If I was still in the return window I'd be sending this thing back for a refund. Sadly, I waited to long to set it up and I'm well passed that window. 

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I think you’re right about how the catch at the bottom of the chute is supposed to work.  Here’s Lee’s image of the chute:

https://leeprecision.com/PRIMER-TROUGH.html

Any idea of the manufacturing date of your ACP?  The chute design was apparently changed in Feb 2021.

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Good find. I purchased it in late April, so hard to say if I have the new or old. The box is gone, I don't think Lee stamps dates on their products. I'll need to take a good look at that image and try to compare it to mine when I get back home. 

I really appreciate your help. 

Kevin

 

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The paper manual that shipped with the Press has a Feb 2021 date, so I'm thinking I have the new style. Lee is sending me a new chute (they call it a through) and torsion spring at no charge. Hopefully that resolves the issues. 

I have asked for actual photographs from them three times now. They still just keep sending the CAD images.  

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The new trough arrived the other day, I installed it today. The original was deformed, no doubt about it. I loaded up 10 primers in the tray for a test run. One primer seated at an angle and is now garbage. I suspect it was from when the remaining qty was too low to lower feed the primer all the way to the seating area. Lee does say that you need to manually feed the primers down when there are not enough in the trough to send them down. That's due to the lack of weight. I only noticed it when the case did not leave the seating area smoothly. 

I have not decided yet if I trust it enough to do a full run. I also dislike the tray. My current distrust means productivity rates would be no better than other means of priming.

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