Priming tools

I like the sensitivity of a hand priming tool. It lets me feel the primer bottom out in the primer pocket. You don't get that feature with priming on your press.

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This is not true in all cases. To increase the sensitivity on your press, try adjusting the handle shorter. On my press, I squeeze the primer in with my fingers, not my arm (and not my thumb... or two thumbs). I grip the front of the O-frame with my fingertips, ball of the lever in my palm. This gives me good feel and just the right amount of leverage. Way better feel than the Autoprime. I can feel the primers bottoming out, just fine. With my press, I know exactly where to expect the primer to bottom out, I can feel it bottoming out, and I have the leverage to push the primer in even the tightest of pockets with ease, nice and gently, until it bottoms out. I can also predict when a primer pocket is just a little too loose and the primer is going to come out with an easy manual push with a decapping pin, versus just tight enough to be ok, with pretty close to 100% accuracy.

I also like the fact that priming on a press, you can take these easily pushed out primers and easily reuse them on the next case after scrapping the loose case. Instead of setting them aside for the next time you reload your handpriming tool, or backing up the primers and trying to get it back in rightside up. And that if a primer gets stuck halfway in a crimped pocket, you can back it out with your press - or if you don't have a decapping die installed, easily crush it in to remove it from the shellplate and set it aside for later (although this never happens to me, anymore. I can easily feel when a primer doesn't start right and remove/chamfer the case before the primer starts in). And that you can keep a decapping pin for testing loose pockets and a chamfer tool for removing crimps for when needed, since you're at your bench, anyway... All these things that can go wrong while priming make priming on your couch while watching TV better in theory than in practice, IMO. Just as soon as you get comfortable, Murphy shows up.

With a high quality tool like the Hornady or the Sinclair, you don't have these issues. The Hornady tool has the additional benefit of speed.

GLOOB said:

I also like the fact that priming on a press, you can take these easily pushed out primers and easily reuse them on the next case after scrapping the loose case. Instead of setting them aside for the next time you reload your handpriming tool, or backing up the primers and trying to get it back in rightside up.

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I do not have to wait for an emty hand primer tray to re-insert a primer, just tip the primer tray down to prevent feeding the next primer and put the loose primer back into the seating station by hand. Or, don't fully retract the handle so the seating stem continues to block the primer seating station.

This works at least with the original Lee Auto prime and the RCBS Universal.

GLOOB said:

I can easily feel when a primer doesn't start right and remove/chamfer the case before the primer starts in).

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The effort required to seat a primer with a hand primer is learned pretty quickly. But, then, I have some friends that will wring off a 1/2" bolt every time they pick up a wrench.

If a primer starts "hard", I find the cause before smashing the primer. Sometimes there is a missed crimp and sometimes the case needs to be aligned a smidge for the primer to start properly.

It is similar with loose primer pockets although primer seats too easily.

I have been using the original Lee Auto Prime for about 25 years. I bought 2 of them so I can leave one set up for large and one for small primers. I have never had a single problem with them. I have primed all kinds of handgun and rifle cases with them.

I have two of the older RCBS tools. One set up for small, one set up for large primers. Tried the new one that has the square primer tray and doesn't use sheellholders. That was a big disappointment for me as brass was always popping out of the universal holder and I had to constantly 'fiddle' with the brass to get it to line up properly.

I don't like the Lee hand primer. I only load for rifles and use my press one at a time by hand. If I were to reload for hand guns and shot more I'd get the Lee Auto Primer and go full auto with my press for reloading them.

The thing about priming tools is there are many that work very well. It's more to do with preference over quality. I personally like the RCBS universal over the other 5 methods I have, however sometimes just to change things up I will prime on a press using a method already described here. If you use your fingers and grip the frame of the press the feel is actually quite good.