RCBS Universal Priming tool

[15meter]

Mine feeds fine all the way to the bottom, and I’d be afraid of the follower smacking me between the eyes when the tube is near full.

I’ve had the thing screwed to the bench and screwed to a block of wood held in a bench vise, but now it’s mounted on an inline fabrication quick change plate.

BTW, I like it so much that I have a spare. They’ve been making it forever, but I’m afraid they’ll discontinue it as as soon as I break it.

I usually put the follower in when the tube is down to 1/2 or less, I am also using Dillon tubes. Mine is old enough the tubes are aluminum with the end you pickup the primers with is just slit and pinched in to hold the primers as you pick them up.

The Dillon tubes with the molded plastic pickup ends I drop less primers, tension with the all aluminum tubes can be a bit touchy.

The Dillon tubes also hold 100 primers instead of 50 for the RCBS tubes.

The last 4-5-6 primers don't seem to want feed from Dillon tubes in an RCBS tool as smoothly as the RCBS tubes in an RCBS tool, the little bit of extra weight make them feed right until you run out of primers.

[Drew P]

I also use the block of wood with my bench tool, but I made the block out of Purple Heart and extended it under the handle so it doesn’t need to be screwed down, docked, or clamped. I like to prime in the house sometimes too. And put the tool away.
The bench tool is good, it does have a few problems however, but overall it seems to still be the best approach. I had to do some work to the primer rods on mine and also the main pivot screw kept coming loose, but it’s glued now and seems to be holding.

[GONRA]

GONRA is perpetually pleased with my olde RCBS Standard Priming Tool 09512. Uses standard shell holders.
>>> No primer tray, automatic feeder, etc. <<<
Than's just fine for me - maybe not for others.....

Today's RCBS Primer Rod Assembly 09471 for small and large priming rods fits this olde tool Just Fine.

[Huvius]

I use the handheld RCBS priming tool and once I got the hang of it, I loved it!
Freedom to prime anywhere I am, at the bench, in the kitchen, in front of the tv...

One modification I did make was to cut off the edge of the casting where the shell holder goes so the big shell holders will fit.

[Jackpine]

+1 for the original Lee Auto Prime. Bought a RCBS years ago with thought that if I ever had a caliber that I did not have a Lee shell holder for, I would use it. Never had that happen, but tried it once, and although I thought it worked fine, like the operation and simplicity of the Lee much better. Have tried the new models of the Lee, and got rid of them. Have primed tens of thousands of rounds with the old Lee over what I would guess is the past forty years.

Broke a thumb lever maybe thirty years ago and wore out a connecting rod. Figured out (or maybe it was in the directions, but would not want to admit that I ever actually read them!!!!) to put a little lithium grease on the big end of the connecting rod, every 500 or 1000 rounds. Reduces the wear and thumb pressure required. Haven't replaced anything since I started doing that.

[Conditor22]

I made a "stop" so the primer tube didn't flop so much on my RCBS bench prime (will use larger dowels on the next build )

[209jones]

Tried the universal version, two things that bothered me with it were, that I saw the brass cocking in it when seating, and the tray was a royal pain to change out. Mine was so tight it was ridiculous, bent it trying to put it in, so it went away. I have the one that uses shellholders now, it seems ok, except for the plastic nub where the plunger comes up for the shellholder, had to use Hornady shell holders to get down over it, and of course, didn't have that one, for what I was about to load. RCBS one would not go down over it. Maybe one day I'll find something else as good as the old Lee, or wind up going to an RCBS bench mount.

[Bwana John]

You folks talking about lots of spings and small parts when changeing from large to small primers in the RCBS universel primimg tool are doing something wrong.

I wore out 2 RCBS standard handheld priming tools, I am interested in how long the universal handheld will last.

[Three44s]

Tried the universal version, two things that bothered me with it were, that I saw the brass cocking in it when seating, and the tray was a royal pain to change out. Mine was so tight it was ridiculous, bent it trying to put it in, so it went away. I have the one that uses shellholders now, it seems ok, except for the plastic nub where the plunger comes up for the shellholder, had to use Hornady shell holders to get down over it, and of course, didn't have that one, for what I was about to load. RCBS one would not go down over it. Maybe one day I'll find something else as good as the old Lee, or wind up going to an RCBS bench mount.

The newer shelholders made by RCBS have a bevel on their surface that mates up with either plastic insert. I have been told that they will trade you a new style for your old holder. I use more than one shelholder when I run a certain cartridge so it makes me difference. I just search for a new style to insert in my priming tool and be done with it. I would imagine you could use a larger drill bit and bevel the mating surface yourself if you can figure out how to hold the holder from spinning.

Three44s