Help With Shot Shell Priming Tool

[Bullshop Junior]

I Want To Give Reloading Shot Shells A Try. I Have All The Echitment That I Need To Do It, Eccept The Priming Tool. Do Enny Of You Know Of A Hand Held Tool, Or One That Mounts On A Standerd Reloading Press ,for The 12 Ga?
Thank You,
Daniel/ Bullshop Junior

[9.3X62AL]

RCBS used to sell a die set for their Rockchucker presses that enabled loading of 12 gauge shotshells on a single stage press. Never looked at it to learn how primers got seated. I call to RCBS or Huntington's might solve that mystery. Lee also has hand loading sets for shotshells that seat primers with a mallet tap.

Given the affordability of the MEC 600 Jr. series shotshell reloaders, I would look at those machines for any loading in volume. Not top of the line, but VERY serviceable.

[StarMetal]

Yup, Deput Al is right. The RCBS shotshell dies. I have a set in 20 gauge and they load darn good shells, look just like factory when you're done. It's slow, but then again you're not buying them for Skeet or Trap shooting. You screw that large nut die ring out of the top of a RCBS Rockchucker and many other presses, then your dies fit the hole in the press. If RCBS stopped making them, I'm sure some are setting on some dealers shelf. I got my from Midway.

One more thing, if you start loading shotshells follow the reloading manual to a T. Don't interchange anything especially the hull or the wad. You can interchange primers. Shotshells, in my opinion, are less forgiving then loading rifle shells.
Joe

[slughammer]

http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?1117754230.278=/html/catalog/dies-rgb.html#LeeLoader

As Deputy Al mentioned Lee had a mallet operated "Lee Loader" for shot shells, seems to have been dropped from the line.

Send me a PM and I'll send a copy of the directions from a 12 guage set I have. Perhaps a few dimensions of the tools if you like.

[Ross]

RCBS made the old Posi-Prime hand tool, a single-shot, before they made their magazine fed ones. The Posi-Prime will take RCBS shotshell and large format shell holder "heads" as they call them. I find them from time to time at gunshows.
If you have a drill press it is a cinch to set up to prime, either base down á
la the Lee mallet scheme, or mouth down over a rod anvil, and with a duplex scaffolding nail in the chuck to press in the primer. Do remember to turn it off before you start, though. A drill press seats with a smooth easy stroke.
The drill press also is great to produce lovely rolled crimps on paper shells, if you remember those.
Cheers from Darkest California,
Ross

[beagle]

BSJr...Now, you might have pop to turn you a blank "anvil" that fits into the ram on a Rockchucker or orther single stage press. THis is a blank shell holder with a flat top.

Then, make a rod that fits a M die that extends way down and fits inside the shell casing. Put your primer on the flat anvil and raise teh ram and you'll seat the primer.

I have a 12 guage RCBS set and this is basically they way they handle it./beagle

[Scrounger]

Lee at one time sold Lee Loaders for 12 guage shells, Obviously they had a way to prime them figured out. So one solution is to look for one of the appropriate Lee Loaders. But MEC presses are so easy to find and inexpensive, why make a project out of it? At the gunshows in California, the presses got no action at all at $30-$35.

[StarMetal]

I had a Lee shotshell loader for a 12 gauge. Actually my best friend still has it. It does the primer pretty much like beagle said. Boy, I had that back in the days of paper and when you had to put pressure on the fiber wads.

Joe

[Buckshot]

http://www.fototime.com/2814C9B404C7122/standard.jpg
The above is the priming, de-priming setup I made for seating 209 primers in altered cases for the M71 Comblain. The 2 tools on the right are what you'd need as a couple previous posters mentioned.

Thumb start a primer into the hull then set it on the large round holder. The rod with the hole in the end sets down inside the hull. You then drive the hull down over the primer. Wear safety glasses if you do this. I've accidentally set off a couple primers. Mainly scares the dickens out of ya :D

............Buckshot

[Willbird]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=7308&item=7160782396&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

there ya go

Bill

[7br]

I think a Lee LoadAll for a 12ga will run ya about $35 . Not a bad price for a complete loader. I bought one for my brother a few years back and he hasn't had any problems with it. Course he probably doesn't go over a couple hundred rounds a year with it. Just enough for quail hunting.

[swheeler]

BSJr; the priming setup from a mec single stage works just fine with 1/2 in wooden dowel and a hammer. I got a new one from Mec in 1994? think it was 5.00. You probably could prime them on any hard surface with dowel and hammer, cut paper shims a little larger than dia of outside of primer, add enough to get them to seat flush, they seat easy.
Scooter