Small Primer Shell Plate .45 ACP

[Lumpy8]

Looking for information on a small primer shell plate for small primer .45 ACP cases.

I have a Lee Loadmaster that I tried loading small primer cases with the large primer shell holder. About 20% of the time the primer flips or crushes.

I know what my options are, but I want to load SPP in .45 ACP. Don't ask me why!

OK, go ahead and ask! I load 9mm, .40 and .38 which are all SPP and I don't want to be burdened with purchasing and keeping separated LPP's.

[3006mv]

um its still a .45 acp case head so small or large primer it does not matter you will be using the same shell plate just the small primer tray

[klewan]

Looking for information on a small primer shell plate for small primer .45 ACP cases.

I have a Lee Loadmaster that I tried loading small primer cases with the large primer shell holder. About 20% of the time the primer flips or crushes.

I know what my options are, but I want to load SPP in .45 ACP. Don't ask me why!

OK, go ahead and ask! I load 9mm, .40 and .38 which are all SPP and I don't want to be burdened with purchasing and keeping separated LPP's.

I don't think Lee makes a SPP shell plate in .45ACP, just the original LPP. How long have you had the LM? If it's new to you, you absolutely have to bolt it to a heavy bench and bolt the bench to the walls. And then cut a 2x4 about 3/16" longer than the dimension from the underside of the bench top and the floor. Wedge the lumber, right under the press, to resist the bench rocking as you pull on the lever.

Other thing is try different speeds on the lever until you find one that works on your press. There's a Lee rhythm that you have to use. Full strokes, off the stops at both up and down.

Deburr the primer chute and all the pieces the primer touches. If you're messing up 20%, there should be something pretty obvious. I would pull the turret and cycle the press without any brass, watch what the primer is doing. Coming down the chute? Getting onto the primer pin, centered? Primer centered in the shell plate primer hole?

Think of it as a trip with 5 or 6 steps, you have to make sure each of the steps is being done correctly. Too many peeps don't know how to break it down to small steps and fix it, they just look at the entirety of the whole process and start sobbing...you can look over at the loadmaster forum, they have a bunch additional things to ponder. I've had my LM for 20 years, I was just gob smacked when I started looking at forums, with all the peeps that couldn't get it to work. My primer failure rate is probably 2 or 3 per thousand. I have 3 other presses and 3 other priming tools and I use the LM because it's fast and works for me.

[Lumpy8]

I've loaded thousand upon thousand of 9, 40 and 38 with very little primer problems. I've been loading on this same press for 5+ years, so I know the press very well.

I realize the cases are the same dimensions except for the primer holes and that is where the problem arises. The SPP cases do not line up in the shell plate that is designed for LPP cases.

Take the .45 shell plate in your hand that was designed for LLP and put a SPP case in it and you will see the problem.

Thanks for the time responding, still looking for a cure!

[JagerDog]

SPP in 45 is relatively new phenomenon. I'd contact Lee and ask if/how they've addressed this.

I don't have a Lee, but I can see where a hole for a LPP won't guide a SPP into position with the primer pocket.

You could bush the holes on a dedicated shell plate, but that's a pretty expensive proposition for an otherwise ralatively cheap part.

[Lumpy8]

SPP in 45 is relatively new phenomenon. I'd contact Lee and ask if/how they've addressed this.

I don't have a Lee, but I can see where a hole for a LPP won't guide a SPP into position with the primer pocket.

You could bush the holes on a dedicated shell plate, but that's a pretty expensive proposition for an otherwise ralatively cheap part.

Thanks for understanding.

Here is a picture of my set up. I think it is pretty well mounted solid. haha



Another pic

[klewan]

Thanks for understanding.

Here is a picture of my set up. I think it is pretty well mounted solid. haha



Another pic

It takes that kind of mount for a LM to work. I built my riser out of 3/4" plywood. Went out and got the shellplate and some small and large primer brass, large barely clears the edge of the plate as it's being installed. Small is centered and has an equal gap around the primer to plate. I would look and measure the gap between the small primer and the plate openings. Fact you get 20% failure and this is a five hole plate, seems likely one of the five is out and the rest OK.

I always ask how much time on a LM, it tends to be a first progressive press with a progressive newbie trying to figure it out; a lot of which don't have the mechanical aptitude to use it. You do.

[3006mv]

http://leeprecision.com/load-master-sm-primer-feed.html

http://leeprecision.com/load-master-45-acp.html

[Lumpy8]

They say a picture is worth a thousand words... And here lies the problem!

This picture shows a .45 ACP case with SP


Another picture closer up


This picture shows a .45 ACP case with LP

[klewan]

You have a parallax issue with the photos; you're shooting from an angle and it makes the primer look off center. You have to have the lenses directly above the hole, so it's straight down into the primer. When you look down into the hole, is the small primer off center in all 5 stations?

How old is that shell plate? All the LM plates I have the hole extended out the edge, so it's a groove instead of just a round hole. My plates are from 1995 to 2012, and all the same groove.

[Sheldon]

Both sized primers would be concentrically in the center of the case. Are you sure you primer seating failures are not the result of crimped in primers where the cases need the crimp removed??

[Cowboy T]

You should be able to just swap out the red LPP primer chute for the SPP version and keep going. That's pretty easy to do in a Loadmaster. The LM tends to do a pretty good job of lining up the case so the primer pocket is dead-centered, so the SPP chute should line right up where it's supposed to be. Give it a try.