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Thread: Loading Primer Tubes

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy hollywood63's Avatar
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    Loading Primer Tubes

    So besides the flip'em open side down and stabbing them with the tube what other methods are there that work?

  2. #2
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    Winger Ed.'s Avatar
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    The new generation of hand held primer seaters with the flipper tray on top are popular.
    Last edited by Winger Ed.; 12-16-2019 at 03:43 PM.
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  3. #3
    Boolit Master

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    Yes, I have the frankford arsenal primer tube filler from 25 years ago and it has always worked very fast and efficiently for me. There is a learning curve on how to hold it at the right tilt/angle for filling, but I have zero complaints. I finally bought a second for an spare about 5 years ago when they were on sale, but it is still new in the package.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    Primer tubes only have one option, they don't allow filling side ways or with the big side down. Charge 'em one cap at a time with the tube upside down and with the primer's open side down.

  5. #5
    Boolit Grand Master OS OK's Avatar
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    Primer tubes aren't such a bad thing to deal with if your tubes are 'tuned up' a little...

    ‘Tips and Tricks’ . . . Primer Tube Loading Frustrations . . . well . . . Fix’em !


    There was a 'timed' primer tube loading challenge going around the Y-Tube a while back...some of the fellas can load 100 primers in less than a minute! (it ain't about being fast as lightning...it's about slow & smooth)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vSCrWV1uWg

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  6. #6
    Boolit Master
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    The Dillons' work great.
    The RCBS, I have had one particular issue with and that is some of the primers don't stay in the tip. I have to hold one in and push it in a little further sometimes. It is not all the time, but enough to make it aggravating. I prime a lot on the RCBS auto bench prime and this is the only complaint I have with it. The RCBS bench primer is both fast and efficient. I would never go back to the Lee hand primer.
    I have not called them about it even though they probably would send me new tubes. When I eventually get around to it, I want to try the Dillon tips on the RCBS tubes.

  7. #7
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    DAA has a new automated one to compete with dillons, about a hundred bucks less.
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  8. #8
    Boolit Grand Master Tatume's Avatar
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    Winchester primers, which I use, come in trays with individual depressions for each primer. Place an empty tray over the filled tray, and turn them over together. Then place a primer plate over the now filled tray and invert again. The primers are now open side down, ready to be picked up by the primer tube, and are in nicely spaced rows of ten each. The spacing makes them easier to pick up with the primer tube. It takes a little bit of practice to invert the two trays without getting the primers sideways, but once the skill is acquired the technique works well.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    I’ve been using the Hornady 1911 one for several years and has been really good. If I was going to try a new one it would be this one.
    https://www.doublealpha.biz/us/daa-primer-pro-collator

  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    Either of these will work, read the reviews, as both brands have haters:
    https://www.amazon.com/Hornady-05009...6545509&sr=8-1

    https://www.amazon.com/Frankford-Ars...9&sr=8-1-fkmr1

    I buy tubing from online metals, cut 'em to length, drill cross pin holes, way cheaper than buying completed tubes.
    I think this is for small primers, check the wall thickness on what you have :
    https://www.onlinemetals.com/en/buy/...rawn/pid/22334
    Last edited by Kenstone; 12-16-2019 at 09:34 PM.
    Size/Prime a few cases when starting off with a progressive and put them aside. You can plug them back into the process when a bad/odd case screws up in the priming station and continue loading.

  11. #11
    Boolit Buddy Phlier's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rancher1913 View Post
    DAA has a new automated one to compete with dillons, about a hundred bucks less.
    Quote Originally Posted by Carrier View Post
    I’ve been using the Hornady 1911 one for several years and has been really good. If I was going to try a new one it would be this one.
    https://www.doublealpha.biz/us/daa-primer-pro-collator
    After watching the videos on that machine, I gotta say it looks pretty sweet.

    I've been using a Frankford Arsenal Vibraprime for about four years now. This is a "you're gonna love it" or "you're gonna hate it" piece of equipment, depending on your personality type. If you expect to be able to open the package and have a loaded primer tube two minutes later, you're gonna hate it. If you don't mind the learning curve, and putting in the time to experiment and maybe alter the device a bit, then you'll be rewarded with very fast primer tube loading.

    After four years of messing with/tuning it, I like my Vibraprime quite well; it cuts down on my primer tube loading time by about 75%. But even after all this time and "tuning," primers that are on the edge of primer spec for height and/or width will cause it to stumble. And unfortunately, it seems that CCI's quality control now lets a lot more of these "on the edge of spec" primers through the QC process, and on to the consumer. Now that I've gone through all of my primer hoard stash, the new primers I've bought in the past few months cause my Vibraprime to stumble a lot more often than it used to.

    Yeah... that Double Alpha tube filler does look nice...
    "Things sure are a lot more like the way they are now than they used to be." --Yogi Berra

  12. #12
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Phlier View Post
    After watching the videos on that machine, I gotta say it looks pretty sweet.

    I've been using a Frankford Arsenal Vibraprime for about four years now. This is a "you're gonna love it" or "you're gonna hate it" piece of equipment, depending on your personality type. If you expect to be able to open the package and have a loaded primer tube two minutes later, you're gonna hate it. If you don't mind the learning curve, and putting in the time to experiment and maybe alter the device a bit, then you'll be rewarded with very fast primer tube loading.

    After four years of messing with/tuning it, I like my Vibraprime quite well; it cuts down on my primer tube loading time by about 75%. But even after all this time and "tuning," primers that are on the edge of primer spec for height and/or width will cause it to stumble. And unfortunately, it seems that CCI's quality control now lets a lot more of these "on the edge of spec" primers through the QC process, and on to the consumer. Now that I've gone through all of my primer hoard stash, the new primers I've bought in the past few months cause my Vibraprime to stumble a lot more often than it used to.

    Yeah... that Double Alpha tube filler does look nice...
    Try a sprits of silicone spray in the tray and allow it to dry before adding the primers.
    That was a game changer for me with FA vibraprime.
    I buy it at WallyWorld:
    Click image for larger version. 

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    Size/Prime a few cases when starting off with a progressive and put them aside. You can plug them back into the process when a bad/odd case screws up in the priming station and continue loading.

  13. #13
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    Interestingly, I had same revelation as Kenstone, 'cept I use a different product on mine -- a DRY lub purveyed by the Liquid Wrench people.Click image for larger version. 

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    geo

  14. #14
    Boolit Master Baltimoreed's Avatar
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    Old school-just stab them. Gives me a break from doing the rest of the reloading process for a few minutes. Then it’s back to work.

  15. #15
    Boolit Buddy Phlier's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kenstone View Post
    Try a sprits of silicone spray in the tray and allow it to dry before adding the primers.
    That was a game changer for me with FA vibraprime.
    I buy it at WallyWorld:
    Click image for larger version. 

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ID:	253196
    Quote Originally Posted by georgerkahn View Post
    Interestingly, I had same revelation as Kenstone, 'cept I use a different product on mine -- a DRY lub purveyed by the Liquid Wrench people.Click image for larger version. 

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    geo
    Kenstone and georgerkahn: Thanks for that! I will definitely be picking up some dry lube for the Vibraprime. ::
    "Things sure are a lot more like the way they are now than they used to be." --Yogi Berra

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check