Primers

[BIGOX]

I'm a bit of an oddball I have an old rcbs hand primer for when I'm away from the bench I don't use much. At the bench when I'm only priming in lage batches, I run my Lee Auto-prime 2. Now that one I can see why Mr Lee was fearful of a potential primer going off then setting others off. It allows you to adjust seating depth and if you adjust to deep then slam your primer in. I would think it could set a primer off instead of just crush it. Other then that I still feed one at a time on the single stage.

[Adk Mike]

RCBS. I have it mounted on an oak 2by4. I put the 2by4in the vise to use it. Then set it on the shelf until I need it again. I do the same thing with Lube Sizers

[Rich/WIS]

For just a few use the Lee Ram-prime, for larger batches a Lee Auto Prime II. FWIW only time I had a primer fire was priming on the downstroke when I got too enthusiastic seating Winchester primers. Using the Ram-prime on a Rock-chucker have twice over did it and actually tore the rim off the 06 case and popped it out of the shellholder. Neither CCI primer went off despite the abuse. Prime now using the little Lee C press, which is screwed to a 1X4 and clamped to the end of my bench when needed. Like it as I can feel the primer bottom out in the pocket.

[daengmei]

for larger batches a Lee Auto Prime II

I have one of these but they are no longer made. This choice is very limited in availability.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I have the Basic Original Lee Hand Primer, and RCBS Hand Held Primer, and RCBS Bench Mounted Primer, and the Lee Ram Prime and a Lyman version of the same tool. All have their uses.

Randy

[BIGOX]

I have one of these but they are no longer made. This choice is very limited in availability.

True but I sale about 1 a year since I won't pass them up when I see them. One could always post a WTB ad here and I'm sure someone would have an extra one under the bench. I almost always see them at the biggest gun shows.
I saw a guy on ebay several years back who was making his own. I set him a message about possibly testing his product and if everything worked out I was planning to help him sell a bunch to reloaders i knew who wanted one but it took months for him to reply by then I had moved on and found my first set.

[rkrcpa]

I have the Basic Original Lee Hand Primer, and RCBS Hand Held Primer, and RCBS Bench Mounted Primer. All have their uses.
Randy

I never had a problem with the original Lee but gave it up for the RCBS hand held after my second Lee broke(I still have two boxes of spare parts). The RCBS hand held works well and I use it when I only need to prime a small number of cases. The RCBS Bench Mounted primer works like a champ and I too "fabricated" (a scrap piece of 1x3 red oak) a mounting block to secure it to the bench. I simply clamp it in place when I use it and put it on a shelf when finished. The bouncing primer tube was resolved by placing a small piece of foam between the tube assembly and the frame.

[gwpercle]

I'll tell you what beats them all ...
A little gadget called a Lee Ram Prime #90106 used in a Lee Hand Press #90685 .
makes the best , no plastic parts , primer seating tool there is .
I have two hand presses and use one for seating large and the other for seating small primers . No tubes , flimsey covers , plastic parts , folding trays or safety devices ...
Yeah ... just old school metal primer seating ... I Love It !!!
Gary

[TNsailorman]

I don't prime on the press, I like to feel the primer when is seats on the bottom of the primer pocket. I tried a Lee ram prime and did not like it at all. Sold it and bought a RCBS primer unit. It worked ok but I still wanted to feel the primer seat and those two are mechanical and you do not feel them seat. I went back to my old Lee screw style hand primers ( I have several ) and its screw in shell holders(getting hard to find now) and also have several of the older RCBS Posi-Primers and both are what I use and have used for many, many years now. I use a Sinclair prlimer pocket uniformer that reams the primer pocket flat and at a uniform depth. Works for me and the best method I have ever come across. I usually prime brass while watching a good college football game, or college basketball game or the Atlanta Braves play baseball. I am working up some 30-06 brass right now ( I deprime the case, stainless pin wash, size the case, uniform the primer pocket with the Sinclair tool, deburr the flashole with a Sinclair or RCBS tool, trim to length, champher the neck inside and out) they will be primed the same way as I said above. I have been doing this for years and I have not had a failed primer since the late 60's. Maybe I have been extremely lucky but I will continue doing it my way as it works for me. my experience anyway, james

[deces]

I am a fan of the Ergo prime with the folding tray. I noticed the blast shield can be removed, releasing about half the spring tension resistance of the tool.

[Texas by God]

I use the Lee/ Mequon type, the Lee Auto prime, the RCBS hand tool that uses regular shell holders, the priming arm on the Rockchucker, and the Lee ram prime.
The Lee Loader " beat that primer in with a hammer" and the Ram Prime do the best job of bottoming out the primer in the pocket.( in my opinion).

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

[Baltimoreed]

Never had a bench primer but I prime on my Dillon 550b and Lyman T2 presses but do use an older round Lee Autoprime for cf rifle reloading.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I never had a problem with the original Lee but gave it up for the RCBS hand held after my second Lee broke(I still have two boxes of spare parts). The RCBS hand held works well and I use it when I only need to prime a small number of cases. The RCBS Bench Mounted primer works like a champ and I too "fabricated" (a scrap piece of 1x3 red oak) a mounting block to secure it to the bench. I simply clamp it in place when I use it and put it on a shelf when finished. The bouncing primer tube was resolved by placing a small piece of foam between the tube assembly and the frame.

Great Idea.

Randy

[besk]

I like to use a hand primer tool in order to feel the primer being seated. And purchased a single load Lee primer tool a long time ago. It may be slow but has never caused me problems.

[lesharris]

I have both. Love the RCBS.

[PhilC]

The RCBS Bench Mounted primer works like a champ and I too "fabricated" (a scrap piece of 1x3 red oak) a mounting block to secure it to the bench. I simply clamp it in place when I use it and put it on a shelf when finished. The bouncing primer tube was resolved by placing a small piece of foam between the tube assembly and the frame.

I do the same using the t-track in my bench and a couple clamps, works great.

[gloob]

Prime now using the little Lee C press, which is screwed to a 1X4 and clamped to the end of my bench when needed. Like it as I can feel the primer bottom out in the pocket.

Yep. For a lot of people this is opposite. They don't get much feel on the press, because the leverage on their press is too great, and the lever is too long and just floating in space. The Reloader press is pretty small.

I threw out my Autoprimers and use my Breechlock Challenger. I adjust the lever so short that I can squeeze each primer home with my fingers wrapped around the front of the O frame. It's the perfect amount of leverage and feel. I am usually expanding the case in the same operation, so it's a two-for-one.

If you get a primer that gets started but then feels sketchy, you can slide the shellholder out the side and then poke it out with a decapping pin, manually, and then use a reamer on the pocket.

[Milky Duck]

Ive got both....the LEE gets used for lots of stuff but the rcbs for obscure stuff as the shell holder just slips on and away I go... single feed primers using tweazers ,the handle is mounted off edge of bench,no worries...one day will get square ended 6mm rod made up..my piece of 6" nail doing ok for now.... yes was 2nd hand in pile of stuff I inherited and took awhile to work out what it actually was.

[15meter]

The complaint about the lever extending past the bench is interesting. Every press I have owned has extended much further and lower than my bench prime. It was designed well before any of the docking stations were even thought about. Someone may not like it, but to call it a defective design is a bit of a stretch.

I agree the primer tube moving back and forth is a bit disconcerting at first, especially if you are standing up. Once I sat down on a stool to use it, the tube was not even noticeable. When it was first designed it had tubes that were much shorter. My first one had tubes that only held 50 primers. I think the new ones are using 100 primer tubes. The jump from 50 to 100 primer tubes made a big difference and not necessarily for the better.

I would never have bought one at RCBS's asking price. My first on came with a bunch of dead guy stuff I bought. I figured I would try it before I sold it. Glad I did. I did sell the next two dead guy bench primers I acquired. Not going to sell the original one.

I do two things not in the manual, I mount it ~30 degrees to the front of the bench, swung to the right, (I'm right handed). I can sit in front of the press and operate the handle while it is on my right side, not unlike having the handle on the Rockchucker, Dillon or any other rifle press offset to the side.

Now that I type this, may give it a try with the MEC's, I've always thought the lever being dead center was cumbersome.

Next, I use a primer follower from one of the Dillon's to ensure consistent primer feed. Seems to help, especially with the last couple of primers.

I started with a Lee Ram Prime. OK, but the tension to hold the primer cup assembly was not good, always pulling it out and squeezing the fingers together. Next was a Lee round primer tray primer. Until it broke.

Mixed in there was a primer that work pretty good, just obscure manufacturer and I don't have many of the custom shell plates for it. It held the shell horizontally and pushed the primer in the end not the bottom.


Lyman version of the RAM prime, used that until I bought an RCBS hand primer. Sold both of those after getting the bench prime. I suspect that will last me for as long as I need.

[gifbohane]

RCBS every time. Buy once, cry once. I never buy starter tools.