Are Federal Primers Safe In Lee Safety Prime?

[under_dawg]

Is anyone using Federal Primers in their Lee Safety Prime on turret presses? I have been using CCI and am ready to try a different primer. I remember reading in Lee's Modern Reloading not to use Federals in Auto-prime or Auto-prime 2, but can't find Safetyprime mentioned. I may be overlooking it though.

[digger658]

I've used Federal primers on my Lee equipment with "zero" problems.

[TexasSeaRay]

You'll never catch me doing it.

Jeff

[CryingWolf]

How about trying Winchester primers? It seems like Lee has something against Federal primers.

[jhansman]

This topic has been thrashed to death, here and on other sites as well. Many have done it with no problem. I personally have used Fed. primers with Lee hand primer, with no incidents to report (other than the excellent ammo I always get using Lee gear).

[Sevens]

I use a LOT of them in the Safety Prime II without even so much as a hiccup.

If you are the ham fisted type who powers through and just throws more force and leverage at a problem, you might be better served by a harder primer.

I will continue to use them without worry.

[crazylegs]

I really don't see where in your application, it would be a problem. On the down stroke of the ram, you have pretty good feel for how the primer is seating. On my Load Master however, I' installed the blast deflector as a safety measure. On my press, the primers are seated with the ram in the up position, which gives no feel. If a primer detonates in this position it could possibly detonate the entire tray. On yours, once the primer is set in the cup, the trough/tray swing away, so if you detonate one primer, I really don't see a chain reaction happening.
Crazylegs

[Rico567]

You're clearly aware of Lee's injunction against using Federals, so...proceed at your own risk. Federals are known for being easier to set off than the other brands, and, personally, I would never use a Federal primer in any auto primer feed, whether Lee or my Dillon 650.

[gandog56]

Weird, because I used some Federal primers once on my 9mm, and had quite a few click no bangs. Thought it was the gun until I swapped with a box I used Winchester primers. Click bang every time. So Federals are supposed to be EASIER to set off?

[MrApathy]

federal are easy to set off. I have used them with hand prime no problem but I wont use them in a progressive press with an auto prime feature.

use maybe a little more caution with federal.

[BigJimP]

I'd recommend you stay away from Federal Primers. CCI, Winchester, Remington etc are out there and available in most areas - so I don't think you need to go down the Federal path - when there are so many reported problems with the softer Federal primers.

Can you use them - sure, but you have to use a light touch.

[DWARREN123]

I use Federal primers in my Lee equipment and never had a problem with the primers or equipment.

[QBall45]

Last weekend I picked up a Lee Pro 1000 to use for reloading 45ACP and .223. I could only find Federal primers. Well, all went great until I ran the feed tray empty. With primers only in the feed trough it appears as though there is not enough weight to reliably feed a primer into the proper position. I was not watching as closly as I should have been as I had a primer not slide fully into place on the primer pin. Bang!!! I had about half a dozen primers go off in my face! Thank God that no one was hurt. My son was standing next to me when this happened. The blast distroyed the feed trough and now a week later I still had ringing in my left ear. (was wearing bluetooth headset on right ear)

If I were you I would follow the directions givin by the mfgr. It would seem they have done their testing and must know what they are talkin about.

I did get a replacement part sent out. Talked with Lee about this "problem" and was told that Federal primers are "ok" if feed 1 at a time. (why did I buy a progressive press?)

My advice. find CCI or Winchester primers.

[Meatco1]

I have used Fed. primers exclusively for over 40 years (as do most benchrest shooters). I've have used them in the Dillon 550, RCBS Rockchucker, & Lee Cast Classic presses. But, for the most part I generally use them in the RCBS Universal Hand Primer, or the Lee Auto Prime.

I have also probably deprimed hundreds of live Federal primers in this space of time when pulling live loads for one reason or another.

I have yet to set off one primer while loading, or pulling loads.

Richard Lee has had several well known, ongoing feuds with different companys over the years, and I suspect he is having another one with Federal right now.

There is nothing unsafe about using Federal Primers !

The man definitely makes great tools and sells them at teriffic prices, but sometimes I have to wonder about what
goes on inside that brain!

Richard

[Sidetracked]

I believe it is Federal that has a more brittle powder compound in their primers.

Whether it is Federal or another company, this can happen to any primer. It is just more likely to happen to the brand of primers with a brittle compound.

If you over-seat a primer, the cup crushes the powder mixture against the anvil as you apply pressure. If the primer does not detonate, the mixture cracks, and begines to push away from the point of the anvil.

You're left with the possibility of 3 conditions:

1. The primer is seated deeply enough that the firing pin wont strike hard enough to ignite the reamaning compound. Dud.

2. The primer was seated so hard, all of the compound between the anvil and cup was pushed out. Dud.

3. Bang. You'll never know the difference. It fires as usual.


What I didn't mention earlier is the fact that dirty, or obstructed primer pockets can cause this as well. Forgot to scrape that filthy crud out of the pocket? Didn't notice a few pieces of tumbler media stuck in the pocket?
Ran into the freak chance that an old anvil got stuck on a burr and remained in the primer pocket?

As you seat your primer to normal depth, the anvil hits the obstructions and experiences the process stated above, BUT the primer appears to be properly seated. You have no indications of the condition.

[Wrangler5]

Lee has been recommending the use of only Win and CCI primers in their primer feeders for as long as I've been using Lee equipment, which is now well over 20 years. Nothing new here. It's not that Federal primers WILL blow up in your face, just that it's MORE LIKELY they will when compared to Win and CCI. The likelihood of a problem with Federal primers is probably still very low - it's just not zero as QBall45's recent experience demonstrates.

I've always viewed the Lee primer recommendation as just a manufacturer giving conservative advice to its customers. We're all big boys and can make our own analysis of risk, and proceed accordingly. But personally, I've always used Win or CCI primers in my Lee equipment, as prices and availability are always the same as other brands, and I've never had a problem with them not going off, so --- why not?

[arizona98tj]

I picked up a 650 several months ago. I still have my Lyman and RCBS single stage presses from 30 years ago.

The Dillon is the first progressive press I've had. While I have multiple boxes of Winchester primers on the shelf, I had a partial brick of Federal large pistol that I decided to use up last night after finishing a few boxes of CCI large pistol.

Long story short....I was about 30 rounds into the session using the Federal primers when one lit off in the 650. I had safety glasses on but wasn't wearing ear plugs. Frickin' loud it was!

So....if someone tells me Federals are soft and don't play well in a progressive press, I'm going to agree with them. I guess you could say it was just a freak accident but I'm breaking out the Winchester primers for now. More power to you if your Federals do well in your progressive press.

[under_dawg]

Thanks for the input guys. I went to Lee's Website and looked at their catalog. It says that the Safety Prime is safe with any primer. That makes sense because the primer is seperate from the tray once you "click it" into the primer holder on the ram. I guess I should have looked there first.

[crazylegs]

Didn't I say that early, early on?
Crazylegs