Priming set ups

[sundog]

Yea, I have one of the old Lee hand primers with the screw in shell holder, but I only have 2 or 3 shell holders. I was poor in those days and never got a complete set, and you can't get them any more that I know of.

Now that I'm rich ('yea, right' he says to hisself) -- well, not in poverty any more..., but almost -- I have had the RCBS hand primer for a number of years and have been very satisfied with it. What I do not like is the extra large Fed pkg trays so that you have to dump in something else and condense down to get into the primer tray to get all hunert of them at one time. sundog

[StarMetal]

Boy isn't that the truth about those Federal large primer packs. I too have the RCBS handprimer and am very satisfied with it. For those of you that have the RCBS handprimer and using a different brand of shell holder and are experieincing that the primer rod doesn't go all the way to the bottom to pick up another primer there's a solutions. RCBS's shellholders are radius on the bottom to correspond with the plastic part it fits on. If your shell holder is tight it will bind the rod. Little time spend with a small grinding wheel on your Dremel fixes it in a hurry.

What I like about the RCBS primer is that it cuts off the magazine of primers when you're seating one. I think that is a very good feature. I've seen a friends tube of primers explode on a Dillion press and even though the tube has a steel protector sleeve on it, it blew a one foot hole in his basement ceiling which was the kitchen above!!!! Think if his wife or someone would have been standing on that spot when it let go!!!

Joe

[beagle]

felix....I've looked at those and they look good. Take RCBS shell holders instead of the mickey mouse Lee's which is my main objection. But, they are pricey.

I liked the old RCBS Posi Prime but they tended to break the casting and after 3, I threw my hands up and went to the bench mounted job.

The old Lachmiller bench mounted job was a class act as well. I bought one in 1968 and it's still in use by #2 son as we speak./beagle

[felix]

John, call up ol' Sinclair a tell him you want his RCBS hand priming version instead of his current Lee version. He has it, guaranteed, but they might not sell them anymore. Why? Don't know.

A tool of that quality demands turned primer pockets, inside and out. Only for bench guns. Waste of quality for anything else. ... felix

[MARCORVET]

Tpr. Bret,
I have been using the Lee Auto Prime for the last 15 years. I use primarily CCI primers... Have not had a problem with the Lee, nor with the CCI primers. I lube mine with white silicone grease (also used in avionics applications). Mine has very minimal wear and still functions as it was designed to function.

[Willbird]

Felix,

It might be a waste for pistols.

But both my woodchuck rifles shoot like bench rifles (in the .2's) so they are worth it.

I'm gonna guess I can't make a 75 grain cast boolit good enough to run in 6-284 at 3800 fps tho and not into the .2's and .3's. Ditto on the 22-250AI at 220 swift velocities (and loading data too)

Bill

[BruceB]

Dillon makes a heavy brass primer-flipper tray which is big enuff for the federal primer boxes. It costs a bit, but is a very high-quality item and worth the cost, in my estimation.

There's a reason for Federal's fat boxes. They got to wondering about how effective (safe) their old-style primer boxes were, so piled-up quite a bunch of the factory-boxed primers and set fire to the stack. The resulting explosion was impressive, and led them to make the new packaging, with the primers a lot further-apart from each other.

Seems reasonable to me, but a BIG flipper is sure nice to have when using the big Fed boxes.

[trooperdan]

How many of you guys use the RCBS tool that takes the CCI strip primers? I have one and I'm liking it pretty well. It has universal jaws for all calibers so no shell holders to even worry about. Until recently I did all my priming using the Lee tool but it got to be a lot of aggravation; something I don't need at my age! I hope the strip loaders catches on so I can get the strips pre-loaded. I'm saving my old strips and I have a strip loader just in case!

[StarMetal]

Well I don't think the primer manufacturers are going to start making strips of primer. So if they don't I think it's kinda of dumb to have to load primer strips when I could be putting the primers in a case. To me it's just an extra step that's not needed. That's the reason I didn't buy that setup, plus I don't like CCI primers.

Joe

[NVcurmudgeon]

I use and like the Dillon large, brass, primer flipper. I got it along with my Square Deal as a gift. The gift giver said that Dillon recommended their flipper as an explosion preventer. Anybody else hear that? My guess is that Dillon didn't want to use steel lest there be sparking, or plastic because of static electricity.

[fatnhappy]

Well I don't think the primer manufacturers are going to start making strips of primer. So if they don't I think it's kinda of dumb to have to load primer strips when I could be putting the primers in a case. To me it's just an extra step that's not needed. That's the reason I didn't buy that setup, plus I don't like CCI primers.

Joe

Ok, this one begs the question, what's wrong with CCI primers?

you can't just lay that one on the table without elaboration, IMHO.

[Willbird]

I for one have found CCI primers to be slightly larger than the other brands,this may be of help if I get some brass with looser primer pockets......but at present it just makes them seat hard,this is especially the case with some CCI benchrest primers I had.

Also a well known loading tool dealer has claimed most if not all of the priming station detonations on progressive tools he has heard of were with CCI primers....the is rumor and conjecture.........

Mr. Lee makes some strong statements about which primers are safe in progressive loading tools, I do not remember what he said in regards to CCI

Bill

[NVcurmudgeon]

I don't know about explosions, but I do know that Dillon told me "quit using CCI primers" when I complained about primer feeding in my Square Deal. They said that CCI primers are larger and not as round as the Winchester and Federal that Dillon recommends. My mike showed me that the Dillon tech was correct on alll counts. I still use and like CCI primers, but not in a progressive machine. Part of the reason I favor CCI is that when I started reloading (1959) CCI was the only easily available primer. The big two discouraged reloading, and Federal wasn't widely known among the press and scale crowd. It may be that CCI, having started as the handloader's primer, deliberately makes their primers oversize because some of the other handloaders, not me, stretch primer pockets.

[StarMetal]

I remember when CCI got started. All they made, when they started, were primers, and I used them. It seems to me when they started making 22's the the quality of the primers slipped some. Some of the things mentioned here about size and not working good in progressive presses and I have found alot more misfires with them then other brands. When some of my friends at worked mentioned misfires too, it confirmed my suspicions, so I quit using them. Probabaly in all fairness there's really nothing wrong with them.

Hey you fellows remember when CCI got started you could send in for a free real embroidered cloth patch of a 1911 pistol and you could get the target titles on them like like Sharpshooter, Master, etc? I still have a brand new one never sewed on. Have to look, think it says Sharpshooter.

Joe

[Willbird]

Wow on the misfires, I cannot remember a single misfire yet with ammo I have loaded, and that is a great many rounds, BUT generally I don't use CCI primers either, Federal BR in rifle and Win and Rem in pistol.


Bill

[StarMetal]

Willbird, like I said it wasn't just me, it was with a few of my shooting/reloading friends. First I thought it was me, my reloading, then I though maybe my firearms were at fault until I mentioned it to my friends. They said they had the same problem with CCI too. Now this isn't to criticize them now, this was way back in the 80's, so I just quit using them and never went back. I mean I wouldn't turn down a great deal on a bunch of CCI primers if it came along.

Joe

[Poygan]

Maybe I'm just a creature of habit but I use two Lee Auto-Prime units, one set up for large and one for small primers. I do watch to ensure that the primers are right side up before I slide in the case. I also use CCI primers and have done so for 30 plus years. To date I've had one primers fail. The only cases that are difficult to prime are some older GI .38 specials and only those with specific headstamps. Everything else works fine....

[Willbird]

Oh ya Star I don;t discout what you say, My experience would tend to support what you said.

the Large Rifle BR primers I have go in cases darn hard, I could see that the primer pellet might get damaged from that.

Bill

[Bret4207]

Ya know, come to think of it most of my primers are CCI. Matbe that was part of the problem with the Lee set up. I did find if I used a primer pocket uniformer and a cleaned the pocket everytime, a bit of a hassle IMO, it worked better. What I'd really like is to figure a feeding setup for the Forster press priming device. Too much work for too little trouble with the RCBS in hand.