Reloaders, what's your preferred way to prime your cases?

[nortac]

Do you prime your cases on your reloading press, with a hand tool or a bench mounted tool and why? I generally dislike priming on the press. While it works (usually) and is fast, I rarely use the priming function on my Dillon 550. It's too finicky and I get too many crushed or sideways seated primers if I go fast, plus I process my brass in stages and preffer to prime off the press. Most of the time I use the RCBS bench mounted priming tool:

RCBS Automatic Bench Priming Tool - https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012932670?pid=457599

For precision rifle loads I use a Sinclair hand tool, slow but very precise:

SINCLAIR INTERNATIONAL SINCLAIR PRIMING TOOL SHELLHOLDERS | Brownells

Shellholders for the Sinclair Priming Tool. The Sinclair Priming Tool is one of the finest tools we manufacture. Handloaders around the world have told us “this is the best priming tool in the world”. The Sinclair Priming Tool is manufactured from...

www.brownells.com

I got this after wearing out a couple of the Lee hand priming tools.

I don't need it, but I'm thinking of trying the RCBS ram prime:

RCBS Ram Priming Unit - https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012930411?pid=416519

What's your preferred method and why?

 

[nortac]

I just realized that I did a similar thread back in 2015, Doh! Not much has changes since then, a couple of new players in the upscale hand priming tools, but they all work pretty much the same.

Handloaders: What do You Use to Prime and/or De-prime your cases?

What do you use to prime your cases? Press mounted priming mechanism? Bench mounted priming tool? Hand held priming tool? Do you use a de-priming tool other than the de-capping pin in your sizing die?

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[Ad Astra]

Nothing but the Lee hand tool. I have respect (read, "mild fear") for primers.

Touch is so important. I had a revolver mildly binding until I realized the primers needed to be flush-er.

AA

 

[Whisky]

I use a RCBS hand priming tool. Quite a bit of my reloading brass is range pick up or purchased it as “once fired.” With the hand primer I can tell very easily if the primer pocket is getting loose or if the primer pockets are undersized and at risk of crushing the primer. I’m not sure that pulling a longer lever will give me same amount of feel. One of these days I’ll set up the on press primer station that my LnL has and see if it’s any better.

 

[ColtRevolver]

I prime on my Hornady LnL progressive. That's what a progressive is for. I have loaded well over 100k on it. It works well.

I keep a Lee hand primer around for the small amount of single stage loading I do.

 

[Whiterook]

I have, and love, the RCBS bench priming tool. It is setup for my Inline Fabrication bench mount system. I also have Lee Ergo tool for small batches.

 

[nortac]

I tried out the RCBS Ram Prime and it works very well, a little fiddly to set up properly, but it works as advertised, just have to handle primers one at a time.

 

[Possum092]

Frankford Platinum hand primer.

 

[Titleist]

I've used the Dillon RL 550 for over 23 years now. Yes I do get a couple of crushed or flipped primers. But, for me it's not that big of a deal.

YMMV

 

[Rudy Vey]

On the press, have two 550's and have really never had an issue. Flipped primers are really a rarity.

 

[TimeOnTarget]

This is my preferred method, but I keep a hand primer as a backup.
The RCBS makes it so much easier.

 

[Bowmaker]

I just use a RCBS hand held. It has worked fine for me.

 

[WVShaver]

Check out the old Lee Auto Prime 2. They are press mounted but go in the top like a die and is fed by a tray. You can adjust the depth it seats as well. It could have been made better like many reloading tools but if your careful it’s a great tool and gives you great feel and accurate seating.

That said, I’d love to have one of the newer high end ones from Primal Rights. I’ve never used the RCBS bench mounted but if I was to buy another option it’d be that one.

I have a Frankford hand seater that always squished the primers since the holes were too large in the shell holders and the pressure always left round dimples in the seated primers. Maybe I got a bad one idk.

I think lee stopped making that Auto Prime II about 10 years ago to cover their asp since there’s no blast shield and the last few primers can need help. Mine works really well. A shame they stopped making them, it’s like a ram prime but with a primer feeder.

 

[Yuritau]

I tried the attachment for my RCBS Rock Chucker press, and it literally could not seat primers in my brass. I was lifting the bench trying to get it to go. Threw that out.

The RCBS hand priming tool that came in my Rock Chucker kit was one of the flimsiest, cheapest pieces of hardware I've ever had the misfortune of holding, so I threw it out too.

The Hornady hand priming tool that came in a buddy's press kit was marginally better, but still extremely cheap and could not get a consistent seating depth. He can keep that.

The Lyman E-ZEE prime tool gave me the first impression of having a good build quality, but it could not seat primers fully, always leaving them proud of the case base by a couple thou. After an email to Lyman about it they sent me a replacement tool without further question and the replacement had the exact same problem. Sold those in a garage sale.

Stepped up in price to the 21st Century Shooting hand priming tool, and have never once even considered trying another tool since. It is, to put it plainly, perfection.

 

[Wishoot]

RCBS hand primer. Bit of a PITA to get the primers on the correct side, but once you get going, it's a pretty quick process.

 

[Bowmaker]

I wonder if the RCBS has changed through the years?
Could just be that I don't know any better because it's the only hand held I've used. Ignorance is bliss type of thing.

 

[Whiterook]

I tried the attachment for my RCBS Rock Chucker press, and it literally could not seat primers in my brass. I was lifting the bench trying to get it to go. Threw that out.

I couldn't get mine to work either. The auto feed just wouldn't work and spilled primers. The bench primer is a great tool, though.

 

[WVShaver]

I wonder if the RCBS has changed through the years?
Could just be that I don't know any better because it's the only hand held I've used. Ignorance is bliss type of thing.

RCBS makes at least 2 types of hand seaters. One with universal jaws and one that requires shell holders. The universal one is well liked but I’ve never used either and doubt I ever try another hand seater again.

Often tools do change over the years though, along with everything else including razor designs and food ingredients in your favorite foods etc that is never labeled as being changed. It’s a huge pet peeve of mine, especially with the food since it’s easy for me to taste minute differences that others don’t and the ingredients are always changing to save 10 more calories on the label or to appear healthier at the expense of taste. Guess I can’t blame them since most people never taste the difference.

I have found if you find a product you really like that will last long term you should buy more then you need because odds are it will have changed by the time you need a new one years later.

 

[Rudy Vey]

Interesting for me to see how many of you guys using priming tools and not the press to do this.
I never considered to do this not on the press. Really never have an issue on the press, and side-ways or upside down primers are one in a thousand maybe.

 

[Whiterook]

Interesting for me to see how many of you guys using priming tools and not the press to do this.
I never considered to do this not on the press. Really never have an issue on the press, and side-ways or upside down primers are one in a thousand maybe.

I prime off press for rifle ammo only. This is because after sizing I am going check case length, trim if needed, clean primer pockets and then chamfer and deburr. I do this even for .223 and .300 BO even though I load these on my Dillon 550b. All pistol rounds are loaded on the Dillon and primed on press. All rifle rounds except the two mentioned above are loaded on my Rock Chucker single stage press.