You are correct on the dirty press issues which closely follows powder spills. I have experienced that early on when a primer did not seat. I have all the issues corrected now and it is loading fine. As a precaution, I took the press apart and gave it a good cleaning (though there was very little residue visible). The primer problem was me. Operator error for over tightening the knob at the top of the primer magazine. It literally crushed the tip, which resulted in holding the primers in place, but not depositing them as the machine advanced. Thanks for your suggestions and help!
-Bearsdoc