Priming Tools - What are you using

204Shooter · Member Joined: Jan 28, 2007 Posts: 68 Location: Diana, TX

Guys and Gals,
About a year ago, I returned to reloading after being away from it for a while. During that period away, I sold all my reloading gear - mostly RCBS. One of the things I sold was an old RCBS priming setup. It consisted of aluminum tubes to hold the primers (stacked), and a small bench mounted press to insert the primers. It worked very well. When I got back into reloading, I purchased mainly Lee gear (single stage press) although I have some RCBS stuff and a Dillon scale. One of the things I purchased was a Lee hand Primer. The Lee primer has a round tray for the primers and a hand held/operated "press" to insert/seat the primer. After using this thing for a while, I find I miss my old RCBS priming tool a lot. So, I looked around and decided to get something different. I remembered seeing a picture on here of Bushy's setup. It is a small Lee press with a lee priming tool mounted on top. I decided that looked like a good setup. The small press would give me a better "feel" for when the primer is fully seated and I would also have less wear and tear on my hand. I curently wear my thumbs out trying to seat primers fully! So, I went to the Midway web site and ordered the setup. Full cost including shipping to AZ was $45 - a reasonable amount in my book. So, I am curious if other people are using this setup. If not, what are you using? Are there better priming tools out there that I missed?

FALPhil

I like the Hornady hand primer tool because it is hinged like a pair of pliers.

chambered221

204
I use the RCBS hand primer, it is like the Lee unit you are using.

Just wondering why didn't you buy a new RCBS bench unit like your old one? If it's the one I'm thinking of , I belive its still on the market.

As a side note to primer pockets: If you uniform your pockets it will give you a better feel and make it a little easier to seat the primer.[when using hand seaters] I use a Sinclair tool in a powered screwdriver. It's also a nice tool for cleaning the pockets if your into doing that.

shrpshtrjoe

I use the Lee hand Primer it seems to works well I got three or four off of Ebay a few years back. Before that I used the priming Tube on my RockChucker press it works fine as well.
joe

204Shooter · Member Joined: Jan 28, 2007 Posts: 68 Location: Diana, TX

chambered221, I had heard that stacking the primers like RCBS was doing was not a good idea. If one primer was to detonate, it could cause the whole tube to let go - not a good thing to happen! That is why I decided to go with something else. BTW, I have a primer pocket cleaning tool that I use.

Gil Martin

I like the Lee Priming Tool and have used it for years. All the best...
Gil

fireball 3

Have 2 sets of lee top 'o the press type. and a rcbs hand primer. Both set ups work just fine. Dave Very Happy

English Mike

I'm currently using the RCBS hand priming tool & have used the Lee version in the past.
Both do the job but the Lee is certainly less robust.
I have no personal need for anything else unless I start reloading a LOT more ammunition than I presently require.

lone wolf

I use an RCBS hand primer. Works well, and I like the fact that I can "feel" how the primer is seating in the pocket.

Handloader

I use several primer seating tools as I prefer performing the priming operation seperate from the press, except with progressives. The RCBS hand primer has performed well for years and is robust. I use it mainly for handgun ammo that is loaded single stage. The RCBS bench unit offers superb feel for target grade rifle. Mine is mounted on a board that gets C clamped into place.

Now discontinued, the Lachmiller Primer Tool is one of my favorite primer presses and allows more sensitivity to feel the primer bottom and slightly crush. If you ever find one of these blue gems and it has the large and small primer rods, don't pass it up. It uses RCBS and similar shell holders. OTOH, if you have one for sale, please PM me.

Vince

204Shooter wrote:

chambered221, I had heard that stacking the primers like RCBS was doing was not a good idea. If one primer was to detonate, it could cause the whole tube to let go - not a good thing to happen! That is why I decided to go with something else. BTW, I have a primer pocket cleaning tool that I use.

You are correct 204Shooter. I have a mate who lives in Sydney has primer "shrapnel" in his chest from exactly that happening about 20 years ago. He was using a RCBS Rock Chucker press and priming tube full of Large Pistol primers. In theory this shouldn't happen if you are careful and "feel" the primer seating correctly....but how many of us have not felt a primer going in sideways and crushed it. I know I have. This is particularly possible using the softer Federal primers. If you have a look at the blurb that comes with the LEE 1000 Progressive it specifically states that you should not use Federal primers in it because of the possibility of sympathetic mass primer detonation.

I prime using the priming arm on my "O" Frame press made by Simplex. It is basically a copy of the RCBS Rock Chucker. I don't use the priming tube but instead place each primer in the arm by hand. Works for me...but I don't load copious amounts of ammo.

Pumpkinslinger

I've been using the Lee handheld priming tool for quite a while. As stated before it gives a good feel for the seating force. It saved me some trouble once when I noticed that some "once fired" brass I bought offered almost no resistance to the primer being seated. Seems that some of the brass had some rather large (stretched?) primer pockets. That stuff got tossed before it could cause any other problems.

Deleted_User_2665 · Super Member Joined: May 06, 2006 Posts: 380

Slinger.....

Was that Remmy brass by chance? Had some do that with me in 300 Ultra.

One firing and it was junk..................

204Shooter · Member Joined: Jan 28, 2007 Posts: 68 Location: Diana, TX

I did a little research on line and found out that RCBS has a new priming tool which uses color coded plastic strips to hold the primers. They call this system the APS (Automatic Priming System). Since most of the primer manufacturers do not package primers in plastic strips (I believe CCI is an exception), you need to purchase the primer strip loader also. RCBS makes both a bench mounted model and a hand held model. It looks like a neat system although a bit pricey. Midway's cost on the hand model is $40 plus the cost of the strip loader at $25 and a pack of 8 plastic strips for $4. If you want to prime all size cartriges, you would need plastic strips for large rifle, small rifle, large pistol, small pistol, and magmun rifle. That would increase the price to about $90 USD plus shipping for the hand model and about $130 USD plus shipping for the bench model. However, it looks like a neat system. The primers are separated in the plastic strips so the chance of multiple detonations would be greatly reduced. It appears to be a very safe system. Is anyone using this system yet?

Bushmaster

All these new fangled priming devices and mine still does just as good a job as any. Color coded?!? That's so you don't have toay attention to what you are doing.

For those who might not have seen my priming system. Here it is again. Lee priming die and primer dispenser (Lee Auto Prime II mounted on a Lee single stage press).

204Shooter...I am humbled (right) and honored that you would think of my priming system. I hope it will work for you as well as it has me for the past 20 years.