Primer Seating Equipment

[lightman]

I was always happy with using my Rockchucker to prime with. After we started having children I wanted a way to spend more time with the family. Now I sit in front of the TV and prime with a hand tool. I started with the original Lee tool and actually wore out a few of them. Now I use a Sinclair hand tool. Its a high quality expensive tool that does a good job. I'm happy enough with it that I bought another so as to have one set-up in both small and large primer sizes. When I'm using the Dillon I usually prime on it.

[pertnear]

I've come full circle on priming. For many years I used Lee & RCBS hand primers. Now I uniform all my rifle primer pockets once & prime with a RCBS top prime die set to a fixed stop.

FWIW...

[375supermag]

Hi...

I prime everything with the RCBS APS bench-mounted unit.
I have primed many thousands of cases with it with very few issues. I have the strip loader to press the primers in the strips...good thing too,as I have never seen pre-loaded primer strips for sale anywhere.

I may be getting a new progressive press in the near future, so most probably all my straight-wall handgun priming will be done on that in the future.

[thegatman]

I use an RCBS automatic bench primer. It is really fast, you have a very good feel, it uses standard shell holders and you can see the primers in the tool before you seat them. That is kind of important if you've ever had a primer in upside down.

Works great for me. Use it all the time.

[stormingnorm]

I use both the new lee and old Lee hand primer. I do not prime my cases until they have been trimmed to correct size and sized in first die. I can and do have many boxes of sorted by head stamp tried and sized cases ready to actually load when I feel the need. When I want to load all I need to do is figure out what boolit, weight, and what powder and powder weight. Believe or not that is the longest part of the whole process.

[Alexn20]

I also prefer to use the RCBS automatic bench primer. It is hard to beat.

[44Vaquero]

My favorite off press priming tool is still really on the press! The Lee Auto-Prime II.

[opos]

I use the Lee "safety prime" that mounts on my Classic Cast press..(the "bird beak" unit with the round primer tray)...I also have used the old round tray Lee Auto prime (still got a couple from e bay buys)...I do my brass prep and then when all finished I prime and store ready to load brass for the day I want to charge and seat the bullets...just the way I do it...not effecient, not fast but works fine for me and with each "handling" of the brass I get another chance to inspect things.

[BCB]

I use the rcbs hand primer and it's the best one out there!

Maybe mine is defective? Or I am defective?...

Will the priming pin fall out of yours if you turn it up-side-down?...

Do you ever have problems with the shellholders (RCBS is all I use as that is what is said to be used) seating down on the plastic sleeve so the shellholder will slide into the press? I have been advised that you might have to remove a bit of the plastic on the sleeve, near the base of it, to allow the shellholder to set down far enough to allow it to slide into the press...

If you don't, then I certainly must have a defective one--just my luck!!!...

Darn it...

Thanks...BCB

[Rory McCanuck]

RCBS bench primer, with the tubes. Verrry nice.
Just picked up a Bonanza/Forster primer seater. I've played with it a bit, but it seems like a really nice tool. It might take a while to figure out and get smooth with; filling the "tube" is the slow part so far.

[jcwit]

I have the old style Lee with the screw in shell holders for most of my needs, for the few that I do not I use the K & M priming tool.

[BCB]

I also prefer to use the RCBS automatic bench primer. It is hard to beat.

I have pretty much out-grown my reloading bench! It is out of room for the RCBS automatic bench primer if I decide to get one...

My question: Can the handle be removed so it does not stick out over the bench? I simply have no place to mount it and let the handle in place. I looks like it might just be hold in place with a long bolt and nut?...

Thanks...BCB

[Green Frog]

The Pope-style made by the late Jerry Simmons if I'm loading for my schuetzen rifle shooting, the early Lee tool with screw in shell holders or a 310 tool for most other things. I do have several others which can be applied to specific loading jobs, but mostly they stay on the shelf.

Froggie

[GhostHawk]

I use the RCBS Universal hand priming tool. No shellholder's to change, just the pin from small to large.

My only complaint after a year of use and thousands of rounds is that I do not have 2.

[sparky508]

I use the RCBS Universal hand priming tool. No shellholder's to change, just the pin from small to large.

My only complaint after a year of use and thousands of rounds is that I do not have 2.

I have 2 of them and love em, one set for large and one set for small primers. Pistol and trash .223 I prime on my LNL progressive.

[gefiltephish]

Hi...

I prime everything with the RCBS APS bench-mounted unit.
I have primed many thousands of cases with it with very few issues. I have the strip loader to press the primers in the strips...good thing too,as I have never seen pre-loaded primer strips for sale anywhere.

I may be getting a new progressive press in the near future, so most probably all my straight-wall handgun priming will be done on that in the future.

CCI primed strips are available at Midway and Powder Valley as well as many others I'm sure. Often available when nothing else is.

[gefiltephish]

I mostly load for hand gun, so on the press is the usual method. The LNL-AP primes kinda so-so but it works well enough most of the time so I still use it. I use the forster vibraprime to load the tubes. Works great once ya figure out the correct angle-of-the-dangle to use.

The loadmaster is a priming disaster. Yeah, you *can* make it work, but jeeeeze. Besides, priming on the upstroke is such an UNwelcome experience.

Crunched a bunch of primers with the rockchucker and gave up quickly.

The LCT has been a breeze. Not quite perfect but I have no real complaints. The autoprime 2 looks really hokey, but it works surprisingly well. I wish it had square trays. So far the LCT has provided my best on-press experience.

I have 2 each of 2 diff types of the RCBS hand primers. The tray type and the strip type. I set them up for large and small. I like not having to fiddle with shell holders and also the square trays. I have no complaints about either type but by far the aps is my favorite. If I had money to burn I'd buy a pro 2000 just because I like the aps system. If I were asked why I prefer the aps, I'm afraid I couldn't really supply a definitive answer. I guess it just seems like a more positive and less fiddly delivery system. It's not affected by whichever way you happen to tip it, it just delivers every time.

I had one of the old Lee auto primes which broke handles, and I've got a girly-man grip. Mine just barely had enough travel to seat the primers flush. Another jeeeze. I gave it to my mother for loading rubber bullets.

Lastly, I have a Lee hand press which has a primer gadget. I think I tried it once but feeding primers one at a time, mostly dropping on the floor, looses it's appeal very very quickly. Good enough if you want to load a small handful of test rounds at the range I suppose. I'd rather just bring the aps hand primer.

I've never used a bench mounted system. Would like to try sometime.

[Beebee]

I prime on my LNL but im looking at the rcbs bench mounted stup.

[terryt]

Hi:

Thanks for all the reply's.

Terryt

[Three44s]

Maybe mine is defective? Or I am defective?...

Will the priming pin fall out of yours if you turn it up-side-down?...

Do you ever have problems with the shellholders (RCBS is all I use as that is what is said to be used) seating down on the plastic sleeve so the shellholder will slide into the press? I have been advised that you might have to remove a bit of the plastic on the sleeve, near the base of it, to allow the shellholder to set down far enough to allow it to slide into the press...

If you don't, then I certainly must have a defective one--just my luck!!!...

Darn it...

Thanks...BCB

BCB,

I saw your first post on page 1 and this one as well ......... I'll see if I can help.

The pin falling out is just what it is ........ the pin will fall out ....... the only suggestion I have is to lay it on something between usage so the thing is always at least a little up hill.

The shell holder/plastic insert you are having trouble with is related to the version of shell holder you have ....... I like to have a shell holder in my priming tool as well as the press I am using at the same time ........ buy a new one and you'll see it's beveled on the under side to better fit the plastic parts of your hand seating tool where your older one you have now is not. Don't cut on the plastic as it will weaken it. You'll come to like a second shell holder and they are not that expensive.

In your earlier post you mentioned an issue with the cartridges falling out of the shell holder.

Here's how I do it: I like to turn the shell holder against the way I lean the tool. I lean the tool so the primers are gravity feeding onto the seating punch and have the open side of the shell holder facing the primer feed tray.

Hope this makes sense.

Now you also had a question on the RCBS bench priming tools ......... I won't go into the APS tools ...... I have no familiarity with them and others do ........ I have recently bought the "Standard" priming tool that has been out of production for many years ........ it's the one with a cam with a handle installed in it and a priming punch that rides the top of the cam up and down. I like this one as it always seemed it would give one the most authentic feel of the primers seating. It does not have a priming feed system ..... you have to seat them one at a time with your fingers.

I don't use my "Standard" model this way ........ I do my initial priming on my tray fed hand operated tool. Then I sort for primed cases that need more attention and move them to my new to me bench tool for more justice!

The other bench tool that's not an APS model is the Automatic Bench tool ........ it has a straight leverage system and a set screw you can engage to cause a definite stop point if you wish to employ it. AND most of all ......... it has a priming feed system.

Best regards

Three 44s