Needing another hand held priming tool

Hey to all members.
Both my rearward thumb joints have pretty much worn out. Since about 1995, I have used the Lee hand priming tool. It's the one that has the round primer tray and it's own set of shellholders. So, with that being said, I've been looking at other options. I would rather stick with a hand held, than go to a table mounted system. Looked at a lot of reviews of different makes, some good, some bad. The Franklin Arsenal looks to be well built, and functions ok by the videos I've watched. The RCBS standard model (not the Universal model) looks to be in the runnin as well. I dont think i want to try the newer model Lee. I read to many negative problems with that one. I am a little concerned about the position of the entry on the shellholder, and the angle that the primer tray has to be tilted to get it to feed. With the Lee, the cases slide in and are held in by gravity while the primers are fed in the same direction, and your thumb pushes on the lever. Very user friendly. With some of the others, the shells slide in from the side, and the tray has to be tilted in a different direction to feed the primer. Any expierianced knowledge would be greatly appreciated.

I never was too crazy about them.
I had a Lee until it broke though, but I didn't replace it.
When I got back into loading, one came with a Hornady press kit.
It seems to be a heavy duty version of the Lee.

RCBS Universal hand primer here, two of them in fact so I never have to change parts. Also never have to change shellholders. I can go from one end of the size spectrum to the other as long as they take the same size primers.

As for the thumbs, a little smear of imperial sizing wax on the main shaft does wonders once a year for keeping it smooth and easy.

you have to decide if you prefer to go fast, or go very accurate, slower and expensive.
in the second case, Sinclair priming tool_

#1 -21st Century
#2 -Sinclair

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GhostHawk

RCBS Universal hand primer here, two of them in fact so I never have to change parts. Also never have to change shellholders. I can go from one end of the size spectrum to the other as long as they take the same size primers.

As for the thumbs, a little smear of imperial sizing wax on the main shaft does wonders once a year for keeping it smooth and easy.

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I also have two of these. I had a lee Prime All II that went in the press. It worked OK for years. When it went bad I bought a Hornady that uses the shell holders. I wasn't thrilled with that one either, but it worked well enough. I picked up a RCBS Universal, used and liked it so much I bought a second one new.

The one downside to the RCBS is if you have a piece of brass with a tight primer pocket you can pop the case out of the jaws.

Thank you all for the recomendations. As far as slow and accurate goes, I'm not a bench rest competition shooter. I'm ok with .5" to 1" at 100 yards. Not scared away by the price, but just being practical. I can't really think that if I'm using mixed hs, that the primer height is going to make any appreciable difference in my groups. And yes, one at a time IS very slow. I read some more reviews on the RCBS universal. Seems that "some" users have found that the springs that hold the jaws in may get weak and not hold some cases. My bil gave me a RCBS tool that uses the shellholders, but has a few pieces missing. It WILL allow the case to be slid in the shellholder in any position just by rotating it. I called RCBS today to get the missing pieces replaced. Replacing 6 pieces missing, and they didn't charge me one cent. Kudos to RCBS.
Regards.

Attachment 305647
Something like this help you?

I really like my K&M but at one primer at a time it's slow. I use my RCBS universal a lot.

I have multiple hand primers and my favorite is the Franklin Arsenal. Very well made and works great.

So I sent off for the RCBS regular hand primer, and the Frankford Arsenal. The RCBS is a lot lighter than the Frankford. That is about the only pro comment that I can make for the RCBS. Changing out the different seating rods for large or small primers, is a real hassle. Way to much foolin around and wasted time. The primer tray IS a better design with their original primer flipping grooves, than the little raised points on the Frankford.
The Frankford Arsenal is a great piece of tooling. Fit and finish is really nice. Not a S&W, but also but definately not a Heratige Rough Rider. It is definitely a stouter tool than the RCBS. To change the different priming rods, just push down on the cast steel protrusion provided, slide out the shell holder, drop one priming rod out and the other one in. Then replace the shell holder and you're ready to prime different size primers. I really like the adjustable depth nut that alloys to fine tune the depth of the primers to be seated. Comes in a nice plastic case with Frankford Arsenals own 12 piece shellholder set. I've sent the RCBS back and received my refund. The Frankford Arsenal is 60.00, compared to the RCBS at 40.00. The extra 20.00 for the FA, is well worth the money. Happy priming.