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I've noticed that Lee recommends not using Federal primers in any of their equipment. Anybody have an idea why?

Federal's primers are very "soft" and they may detonate in an auto feeder like a Lee. Strangely, the only time I have ever had a primer fire during reloading it was a CCI - - - one of Lee's preferred brands.

Yes, I had to change my shorts!

MoJo wrote:Federal's primers are very "soft" and they may detonate in an auto feeder like a Lee. Strangely, the only time I have ever had a primer fire during reloading it was a CCI - - - one of Lee's preferred brands.

Yes, I had to change my shorts!

Tell me more about the primer fire....

I've mangled the heck out of primers and never had one go off. I've had them go in sideways, and crushed and still no problem. Just the other day I had a CCI primer get smooshed something bad.

Lee loadmaster press, primer fired while being seated. I've been loading ammo for 50 years and have seated primers with everything from a hand press to a hammer (old fashioned Lee Loader for shot shells) and that's the only one that went bang. I too have seated them sideways, crooked, and upside down this is the only one to detonate fortunately, the rest of the primers in the feeder didn't go off.

This is actually old documentation. My Lee loading manual says don't use them. However, my new equipment's manuals says they're A-OK. I believe it mostly had to do with the primer feeders would behave in the event of a chain primer ignition. Apparently in the past, the primer feeders would make shrapnel during such an event, only with Federal primers. This has apparently been remedied, as the new documentation says all primers are fine.

Back in the primer "Crisis" Federal small pistol primers was all I could get. I cautiously feed em thru my Lee Pro-1000. Ended up loading about 2k rounds of Federal, never had an issue.