Primer Seating Equipment

[terryt]

Hi:

For those that use something besides their press for seating primer's I wouldto hear the pro's and cons of other ways of doing.
What equipment do you use?

I always did the priming in the press and see that there are other ways andwould appreciate hearing about them.

Thanks,

Terryt

[jmort]

Old style Lee Auto Prime, "Round Tray." Just got a RCBS bench mounted tool but have not tried it out.

[fast ronnie]

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.

[bangerjim]

Lee makes a couple styles of hand primers. I have primed many thousands of shells with them!

Very easey to use and inexpensive.

[big bore 99]

I use the Lee. It's everything I need it to be.

[EDG]

I have tried all the Lee tools but I still use the original Lee tool - no tray and the shell holders screw in.

I also owned a Bonanza Co Ax primer seater for a while. It seemed ok but the primer feed tubes were too short. Mostly a gimmick tool designed to be different rather than better.

I also own a RCBS bench tool - the old, old version with the circular cam and no primer feed. It works great.

And finally I have a K&M tool. Seems really nice but I never liked it much.

[MT Chambers]

My fav. is either priming on my Forster Co-ax or the Lyman 310 tool, both are very positive and have great feel, luckily I'm not in any hurry.

[Three44s]

I use the RCBS hand tool that uses the standard shell holders.

I just acquired the RCBS Standard bench tool ....... the same one that EDG describes.

I always wanted one of those but they have been out of production for several years ..... But with patience, I finally tracked one down.

Unfortunately, the small priming rod was missing and I checked with RCBS for a replacement and they told me it was no longer available.

I rechecked their web site and found that the pertinent part number coincided with their current bench priming tool.

So I called them back and they sent me not one set but two sets of new seating assemblies a few days apart. (A bit of confusion ensued when I called to enquire what had become of the first set ........... as it had not shown up yet.

............. So they sent me a second set.

Now, as I tried the new seater punches I was disappointed that they were a few thousanths too short.

I swapped parts around until I had a small priming punch long enough to for a proper reach.

After the second set came I started measuring them in various combinations and finally found a good combo so I have both sizes set up at any given time.

I like the "standard" tool better as it gives me the most feel .......... I think the cam action beats a straight leverage tool ........ but that's only a theory of mine.

Count me happy anyway!

What I do is to initially seat the primers on the hand tool as it sports the primer tray feed ....... then I take those primed cases and sort out any high ones and re-seat them on the bench tool just described above.

Three 44s

[gloob]

I tossed my Autoprime. I prefer to prime on the Breechlock Challenger press. I set the handle short to where I can squeeze the primers in by gripping the front of the press frame with my fingers, ball of the lever in my palm. It's so much better feel and just the right amount of leverage. I can easily feel a crimped pocket. I can easily feel the primer cup bottoming out. And it is fast as anything. No fussing with filling a primer tray, and no struggling to clear a jam when I get a sideways primer or a crimped pocket in the Autoprime.

The huge huge bonus is I can load all my brass, even when I don't have hundreds of cases on hand. If I have an unknown quantity of brass, I just start with fewer primers than I need, and then sprinkle out a few more when I get close enough to count the remaining cases. Without having to reload a priming tray with an exact count... lose a primer, and then be messed up again. Or purposely load too many and have to unload it after. Or keep the tray filled with excess primers and have to label it (and have a slight explosion hazard) and needing multiple trays for different primers types. Grr... just more trouble than it's worth. Yeah, I could just set aside the last 37 cases and have to store them until I have a full 100, but I rather get done with it and not have to store 37 unprimed cases, separately, and have all that extra priming gear, trays, rods. I already need the press, so I keep it simple. And did I mention, the press primes better, as well?

[ioon44]

I use the RCBS bench mounted tool for priming rifle cased and all pistol cases are primed on the
Dillon 550.

[Bayou52]

My favorite hand held priming tool is the RCBS Posi-Prime. It has been out of production for many years, but it works wonderfully and uses standard shell holders. See attached pic.

Also, the old style Lee hand held priming tools, the ones with the screw-in shell holders, is my second favorite priming tool.

Bayou

[BCB]

I have used the Lee Auto Prime, the round one, for many many many years. I was wise enough to purchase replacement parts before that primer became discontinued. I like it...

I purchased a "grab bag" of reloading equipement some time back and it had the RCBS Hand Primer. It is a ********* as far as I am concerned--really disappointed with RCBS on this one. The primer is held and the primers slide into the pin, but the case is put in and it wants to slide out--a terrible explaination I just did!!! The priming pins fall out if you tip the tool over or when you might be putting the tool away. I put a piece of tape over the top so I don't accidently lose one of the pins. The shellholders fit down over a plastic tube (for lace of a better word). If the holder does not push to the bottom of the piece of plastic, the holder assembly won't slide into place--terrible. I use it rarely and I mean rarely...

The Lee is my ol' standby. When parts finally break and I have no replacements, oh well...

I am curious about the bench-mount RCBS though. How do you feed the primers--one at a time? Or a tube like on the old, maybe new too, RockChucker Press?...

My ol' thumb is getting Art-Ritus in it and the Hand Prime is beginning to hurt a bit...

Thanks...BCB

[jrap]

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

[country gent]

I use the Hornady hand primer right now. It also uses standard shell holders and has very good feel. I bought one of the lees with the saftey set up that eperates primers from tray but it would drop an occasional primer out on the floor. I have a bench primer I made and the rcbs bench primer. I also like the lee ram prime set up

[Skunk1]

I use the lee auto prime also (old round tray). Works good, 100 primers at a time. Got the new square tray one but have not used it. I have the Rcbs press primer. Had it up and running but seemed to be a little more in the way for me. I like to have a clear view of what's going on inside the press.

[TNsailorman]

I use the same RCBS Posi-Prime tool that Bayou shows in his picture. Matter of fact, I just bought a second one so that I don't have to switch the primer stems back and forth between large and small primers. I also have one of the old screw in Lee hand primers but I don't use it much anymore. They work great but because of poor metal of the internal parts, they have a habit of breaking at the pivot point. I know, back in the old days I replaced the internal parts several times and they are no longer available. I like using the hand primers without a tray as I like to seat the primer, rotate is 180 degrees and seat it again. I can't even remember the last time I have had a primer failure to fire. james

[r1kk1]

K&M deluxe primer seater with gauge and the COAX second but I've primed a ton of rounds using the 550 as part of the sequence.

Take care

r1kk1

[ascast]

rifle - RCBS bench mount- he Rock Chucker would put them in sideways every now and then and I could not feel it happening. Sometimes upside down.
never happens with the bench mounted unit. ?
never had any mysterious hang fires or duds from greasy fingers either
pistol always as part of the press, either Lee pro-1000 or Star.

[N4AUD]

Round tray Lee Autoprime, works great. It's getting worn though. I read on here that the new one isn't as good but I'm going to have to replace my old one sooner or later.

[texassako]

The RCBS bench tool is hard to beat. I have a Vamco primer that does, but I have never seen another.