priming stations

[AaronJ]

I have broken my last lee hand primer and am loking to upgrade to a bench mounted unit. So far the RCBS looks like the one to go with, but I was wanting to know if anyone had any better ideas. So come on guys what do you use and more importantly what do you like / dislike about it?

[sundog]

I've had an RCBS hand primer for years, and I like. In fact, I just got finished priming 1K new 5.56 cases. Just guessing, but I would say it has easily done better than 25K, probably a lot more. No problems. I also have a Lee hand primer that came in a trade with a bunch of other stuff a year or two ago. I've used it a few times, and don't really care for it near as well as the RCBS. It sits in a box under the bench (for back up).

[Green Frog]

I have broken my last lee hand primer and am loking to upgrade to a bench mounted unit. So far the RCBS looks like the one to go with, but I was wanting to know if anyone had any better ideas. So come on guys what do you use and more importantly what do you like / dislike about it?

I may be a Luddite or just fashionably retro, but I went back and bought several more of the old Lee pre-Auto Prime tools (grey aluminum body and screw in shell holder) to hopefully be set for life. Otherwise I'll take the pieces of the last one and use them to make a pattern to cast some in brass! :mrgreen:

BTW, I have a couple of bench mounted priming tools at my home and still gravitate toward the hand units, JMHO ~ YMMV! :-D

Froggie

[sundog]

Froggie, I, too, have one of those that I bought in the early 70's. I think I may have paid three or four dollars for it, new, at Dick's Sport Shop in Colorado Springs (funny how we can remember some stuff, eh?). I still use it once in a while. Several members here sold and gifted me a number of those hard to find screw in shell holders. I have quite a set now. It's a neat little tool. Onliest draw back is that you have to handle each and every primer, one at a time.

Fashionably retro is prexactly right!

[Recluse]

I'm doing something wrong. I've yet to break my Lee hand-prime tool and damn it, I've had it and used it for over thirty years and for virtually every caliber I load for. [smilie=b:

The RCBS set up works well--my daddy has used one for over forty years, along with the Lee hand-prime tool.

:coffee:

[Mk42gunner]

My best advice is to see if you can find one to operate before buying any priming system.

I bought the RCBS hand priming tool roughly twenty years ago, after trying both the Lee and the RCBS that a couple of friends had. The Lee worked okay, but the RCBS just felt better to me, plus it uses regular shell holders not the special ones that the Lee takes.

I bought two sets of shell holders years ago, now when I add a caliber that I need shellholders for I order two. This also lets me setup two single stage presses if I want too.

Robert

[Jerry11826]

When I first started reloading, late 70's early 80's, I batch processed using a three hole Lee turret press, without the auto turret advance. You know the drill, decap / resize, prime, charge, seat bullet and crimp. I used the Lee hand held Auto Prime for priming.

I liked using the Lee Auto Prime. I could prime cases while watching TV and drinking beer. You could tell if you got it right by the feel!

About six months ago, I spent a Saturday morning loading approximately 2,000 45 ACP’s using my Lee Loadmaster. Almost all gone now, but I have had two light loads, not squibs. That sure throws you off your game when shooting in a match.

In an effort to prevent squibs or light loads, I decided to try the RCBS lock out die. Nice tool! If the load is not within about +/- 2 grns of BE, the press “locks up”. Ironically, it has never “locked up”. But that means I have to prime off the press. There are not enough holes in the Loadmaster turret..

To prime off the press I bought the new Lee auto prime XR. Didn’t like that tool at all. You need to pay attention while priming, i.e. you need to hold the tool at approximately a 45 degree angle. No more watching TV and drinking beer while priming.

Anyway, decided to give the new Auto Prime XR an “FTS”. Bought a Lee Breech lock single stage press with the Safety Prime feature. Works great, still no watching TV and drinking while priming, but is fast! The press primes on the down stroke and you can tell if you got it right by the “feel”. When I load the primed, resized cases in the Loadmaster case feeder , it is very fast for final assembly.

I think this is about as good as it is going to get until Lee makes a six hole Loadmaster.

Hope this helps,

Jerry

[SkookumJeff]

I have several priming setups. I like my press mounted Lee Auto Prime II the best of all of them. Gives me the best feel for seating primers to proper depth. It does require priming as a separate operation, I think it's worth it.

[Wayne Smith]

I've broken two Lee hand primers, struggled with the RCBS until I realized I was trying to use non-RCBS shell holders (duh!), recently picked up the primer tubes for my Jr3 press and like that, and picked up I think the Hornaday primer seater that uses three circular disks as a shell holder.

I've found that all of them have a learning curve. Once I learn how to use one the accidents tend to end. Frankly, I think the most positive of all of mine is the primer post on my Lyman TrueLine Jr. press, but it requires each primer to be handled and is slow because of that.

[Skipper488]

I have only used the "Lee Safety Prime". I use my Sizing die, load the priming arm while the press is in the up position then seat the primer on the down stroke. Fast, simple and easy. I see absolutely no reason to add another step.

[lesharris]

I have the Lee and RCBS hand held primer tools.

RCBS has the advantage, it uses standard shellholders.

I also have the RCBS bench mounted primer.

It is a nice unit.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

iv had my lee hand primer at lest 15yrs works great

[AaronJ]

Forgot to mention the other problem I have had with my lee primers. Lee sells shell holders for 300 ultra mag and 338 lapua but the d@mn primer tool is not cut large enough to fit either one. ask me how i know.

[Dan Cash]

The older Lee priming tool (with the flip tray magazine) worked well for me. The first one I bought about 1977 finally wore out. The replacements were not so satisfactory as the handles broke after about 500 rounds. I went through 4 or five of them before I bought a bonanza Co-Ax bench tool. Wish I had done that 40 years ago. No shell holders. absolutely uniform seating depth, no shaking or having to hold the tool at a precise angle to make it work. I do wish the primer magazines would hold a whole box of primers. Otherwise, flawless.

[casterofboolits]

I like the RCBS bench mounted cam operated priming tool. I also have the original RCBS unit that was not cam operated and much prefer the cam unit.

[flashhole]

I like the cam unit too. I have a pair of them on my bench, one dedicated to small primers and the other to large primers. You can see them mounted to the side of my bench.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v69/GuideGun/MainReloadingBench.jpg

[Reg]

Lachmiller made a bench mounted priming tool and the quite often show up on fleabay. Their only drawback is they require a Lachmiller or Herter type shell holder but they do work very well and give a good feel as the primer seats.

:popcorn:

[Char-Gar]

I have used a RCBS hand priming unit for about 20 years and see no reason to change.