Vibrating primer tube fillers

[oldsagerat]

Midway sells a vibrating primer tube filler for around $50. Are there any others available?
Looks like you could easily make your own. Thoughts?

[VHoward]

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/890424/frankford-arsenal-vibra-prime-automatic-primer-tube-filler
I had one of these. It worked fine for small primers, but would not work for large primers. Since I had bought it from Amazon, I returned it as defective for a refund. $49
http://www.hornady.com/store/Lock-N-Load-1911-Auto-Primer-Filler-Tube
Hornady has released their version. I hope it works as promised. $72

http://www.dillonprecision.com/#/content/p/9/pid/23474/catid/9/Dillon_RF_100_Sm__Primer_Filler
I now have one of these and have the conversion to large primer size also. $317.95 I bought mine when they were around $280. It does work and works well large and small. Just have to learn how to adjust it properly.

I almost forgot the purple primer eater that was supposed to load small primers. A guy on this board was printing them out on his 3d printer. It requires you to modify your primer pick up tubes and still get flipped primers frequently. That is sitting in a drawer somewhere.

[jmorris]

Also this one

http://www.evergladesammo.com/pal-primer-filler.html

And the homemade versions using parts from the Lee hand primer and regular tubes.

The midway one was on sale for $25, likely the best deal going.

I use the Dillon one though.

[MtGun44]

I use the Midway one, works pretty well, actually.

Bill

[BK7saum]

I use a midway(frankford arsenal) that I've had for 20+ years. Bought a newer one to put back as a spare. Never had a problem at all loading either small or large primers into the tubes.

[Lloyd Smale]

I use the midway (Frankfort arsenal) one and have for years. Ive wore a few out. There not 25 bucks anymore though. Try double that. Still a bargin though as it works better then the 350 dollar Dillon on I had did.

[jmorris]

Yeah, I checked a few days ago and they were back to normal price. Must have been a black Friday sale on them.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I have one of the little Purple ones and I have to tell you that it works just fine for both small and large primers going into Dillon Tubes with no mods whatsoever.

You just have to play with it a little to get the hang of it. It doesn't take up much space either.

Randy

[David2011]

The Frankford Arsenal was on sale for the month of November and goes on sale fairly regularly. I just got one at that price; have only used it for one session of 400-500 primers so far. At $25 I am not complaining about the way it works but would not be happy with it as it comes out of the box at a higher price. They take a little tweaking and are very sensitive to the user's technique. The Midway reviews discuss the tweaking required. There is a little learning curve but I am optimistic that after another thousand or so primers it will be easier to use. If those quantities sound like a lot then a tool like this is probably not something you need. If that sounds like a normal loading session then I believe it will be worth the learning curve for myself.

David

[EddieNFL]

There is a little learning curve but I am optimistic that after another thousand or so primers it will be easier to use.

I bought one of the original versions many years back. After you trim all the flashing and smooth a few areas it works well enough. I found holding it at just the right angle and pronating my wrist back and forth help. Still get a sideways primer now and then.

A few years ago I ran across a deal on the Dillon version. At first I hated it; couldn't get through a hundred without it hanging up. Finally figured out I had it set too tight and it works like a champ. I use it for LP/LR and use the Midway for SP/SR.

[FISH4BUGS]

Help me out here. Am I missing something? I bought 10 large and 10 small Dillon Primer Pickup Tubes and sit down each reloading sessions and fill them by hand. It takes maybe 10-15 minutes. Not a big deal. Fill the Primer tube and set the empty aside. Watch the number of empties and that tells you how many you have loaded.
What is the benefit of these automatic tube fillers? For the money, it is easier (and certainly cheaper) to simply do it by hand.
I don't get it.

[Lloyd Smale]

all I can say is try one and youll never go back to loading them by hand. You bought a progressive press to save time didn't you? Best 40 buck addition to a Dillon press you can buy.
Help me out here. Am I missing something? I bought 10 large and 10 small Dillon Primer Pickup Tubes and sit down each reloading sessions and fill them by hand. It takes maybe 10-15 minutes. Not a big deal. Fill the Primer tube and set the empty aside. Watch the number of empties and that tells you how many you have loaded.
What is the benefit of these automatic tube fillers? For the money, it is easier (and certainly cheaper) to simply do it by hand.
I don't get it.

[BK7saum]

all I can say is try one and youll never go back to loading them by hand. You bought a progressive press to save time didn't you? Best 40 buck addition to a Dillon press you can buy.

+1

You have no idea what you are missing. I agree that it isn't too big of an inconvenience to pick up each primer with the tube (well, it is for me), but imagine putting 100 primers in the tube in less that 30 seconds and that includes dumping the tray of primers into the flipper. And it was /is a $25 investment when you catch the midway model on sale.

Brad

[FISH4BUGS]

Well, OK.....I guess that there is no way I can justify the Dillon at over $300. Filling primer tubes is not ALL that much of a PITA. For $25 I might give it a shot.
Thanks for the info.
D

[Dan Cash]

I am with Fishforbugs, a handfull of Dillon pick up tubes and about 10 minutes and they are full. Never had a flipped primer in one of them.

[Lloyd Smale]

I had the Dillon. Sold it because it worked like **** and bought my first Frankfort ansenal unit and haven't looked back. I wore two of them out. I like ANYTHING THAT MAKES LOADING EASIER, be it a progressive press, primer feeder, power trimmer, case feeders, star lube sizers, lee handprimers, electric powder dispensors ect. Sure a guy can load primer tubes. He can also cast with a one cavity mold and push them through a lee sizer and tumble lube them and load them one at a time on a single stage press using the primer setup on the press and weighting out every charge, but personaly I like shooting guns more then loading for them and would quit shooting if I had to load like that. I much prefer spending my time shooting then I do loading and casting. I can remember years ago sitting in the livingroom with a lee hand press and loading 500 223s for my first ar. It took me about a week to finish the project and I shot them up in a couple hours at the range that Saturday. NEVER AGAIN!! Invent something to make loading or casting easier that cost under a 100 bucks and ill be the first one in line for one. One thing I don't do is give an opinion on a piece of equiptment I never ever tried. Ive probably talked a dozen people into buying one of these and they all sing the praises. Id bet if you tried one your opinion would change fast.

[John Allen]

I have the Frankford Arsenal one it is not great but I will never load by hand again after owning this.

[EddieNFL]

Help me out here. Am I missing something? I bought 10 large and 10 small Dillon Primer Pickup Tubes and sit down each reloading sessions and fill them by hand. It takes maybe 10-15 minutes. Not a big deal. Fill the Primer tube and set the empty aside. Watch the number of empties and that tells you how many you have loaded.
What is the benefit of these automatic tube fillers? For the money, it is easier (and certainly cheaper) to simply do it by hand.
I don't get it.

I like tools. If I didn't spend the money on primer filler, I would have spent it on some other item I needed just as badly.

[FISH4BUGS]

Well, it still seems like a solution in search of a problem to me. But then I actually like to do case prep so that probably should tell you a lot.

[EddieNFL]

Well, it still seems like a solution in search of a problem to me. But then I actually like to do case prep so that probably should tell you a lot.

I used powered trimmers, too.

[376Steyr]

Quality control on the Frankfort Arsenal units is erratic. If you read the reviews on the Midway site and check for an old thread here you will find people love the good ones, and others despise the bad ones. The one I paid $25 for was a piece of $#!&. Maybe you'll get lucky.

[dannyd]

It would have to improve a lot to be a piece of ####

[altheating]

Dannyd Could not have said it any better!

[rogerstg]

I've tried to rationalize getting a vibrating primer loader, but they don't seem right for me. Since I only load a couple hundred rounds in a sitting, and it takes me just over a minute to pickup a hundred primers from the flip tray, I think just one glitch in the system and I'd have lost the few seconds gained by the device.

A proper flip tray, though, is a worthwhile $8 investment. ;-)

[David2011]

A couple hundred rounds per session, a single stage press and slow primer loading is adequate. When you're shooting 50,000+ per year, volume matters. This is one of those things where the importance varies by consumption.

I don't load USPSA ammo (thousands/year) and hunting ammo (dozens per year) by the same standards and criteria.

YMMV,
David

[Lloyd Smale]

Don't know why you guys have so many problems with them. Most ive had to do was a couple minutes of deburing on one tray on of the units I had. Takes a bit of technique to work them best but my wife does it and has no problem whatsoever filling tubes. Like I said earlier ive used the **** out of these things. I actually wore to out to the point the vibrating wasn't enough to work well. I think I found out why though. You need to keep batterys fresh in them. Its not a tool for getting the last bit of juice out of a battery. They not only don't work as well but I believe that's what hurt those motors. If you really want something to bitch about buy one of those 300 dollar dillons and fight that for a year or so. Its the only thing Dillon I gave up on. I sent it in to them twice and they supposedly fixed it. the second time they set it up with an adjustable rheostat and it still worked like ****! Finally I just told them to keep it and send me back my money. These Frankfort arsenal units may not be perfect but there the best thing out there and a bargin for what they cost vs time saved. Keep in mind what 50 bucks buys you today. You cant even take the wife out to eat for that.

[EddieNFL]

Takes a bit of technique to work them best but my wife does it and has no problem whatsoever filling tubes.

Wives are smarter than husbands...at least that's what my wife says.

[Lloyd Smale]

maybe so eddie. Maybe wives don't think they should be able to take something out of the package and because there so talented it should just work perfect for them the first time, heck even without reading the directions. I boughten a few of these things now and I haven't seen one bit of difference in quality from one to the other. I personaly don't know how a guy could stuggle with one of these and not be hating the progressive press he loading these primers for. They too take a bit of technique:popcorn:
Wives are smarter than husbands...at least that's what my wife says.

[EddieNFL]

Maybe I've just been lucky these past 40 years.

Didn't mean to offend.

[VHoward]

Well, I tried another frankford arsenal vibraprime. After several here said they had to trim flash off the tray and haven't had any problems with it, I decided to try again. On the first one I bought, the smalls loaded fine with a little tweaking, but the larges would not load without several of them being flipped. This second one I checked it out before trying it and did find some flashing to remove on the tray. The small primers will not feed into the tube at all no matter what I try. The larges feed into the tube just fine without flipping, but they will not drop out of the tube without me pushing them out with my primer follower rod from my press. The handle unit came apart in my hand and I had to tape it together. It is now also going back to Amazon as defective. I gave it a second try. There won't be a third.

Interestingly enough, the purple primer eater I bought a while ago is now working flawlessly.

[dnotarianni]

bought the FA unit and after a couple min deburing it was great. Went on sale and bought a spare
Dave

[rasto]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwYwo7jB8OI&list=UUMI2Wn9rlMda9tSL8ImZdFw&index=9

[oldsagerat]

Thanks everyone. After researching your leads I took my two Lee units, glued in the blue Dillon tube adapter,
strapped on the wife's electric toothbrush to the tube and it works well. Sure speeds things up, and it cost me
nothing out of pocket.