hand prime vs press prime?

Wow Dave, those are fantastic. Shows us how far all of this reloading hoopla has really come.

Depends. When using my Lee turret press for pistol cartridges I use the safety prime system which comes on that press, which works well.

Since I load my rifle cartridges on a single stage press, typically I will hand prime, as the step after resizing is trimming, and I need an empty primer pocket to use the Lee trimmer.

A couple/few years ago I upgraded my Lee hand primer to a RCBS APS hand primer. It is more fatiguing to use, but I feel the added safety of the APS strips and the reliability of this tool outweigh the loss of sensitivity and added effort. Never a cocked primer or reversed primer using the RCBS tool.

Since my posts about the 19th Century tools seem to have generated some interest, here's a better look at the Ideal Number 6, with built in bullet mold and sizer.



The long post sticking out of one handle is used to size a bullet by pressing it through a matching hole in the opposite handle.

I would suggest you try them both out and see what you like. I do bench, hand, and progressive press priming depending on what I am loading. They each have their benefits/advantages in my opinion. Whatever you do, do it safely.

Cool looking old tools !

I do all my priming on the Forster Co-Ax press .... does about as a good job as anything I've tried ... pretty much seat them perfect every time ... I use the "batch" method to reload ...

I have an RCBS hand primer and an RCBS bench mounted primer. I also have just enough arthritis in my hands that the hand primer causes problems after 20 to 30 rounds.

I do it both ways. Usually, hand prime handgun rounds and bench prime rifle rounds. I get good "feel" from both methods and have never had problems seating the primer to the correct depth. The key for me is to concentrate on the task at hand.

Press prime cuz im lazy.

I prime on my presses.

Tried hand priming & all I got was cramps in my hands.

If the LCT you are using is the 4 hole Lee Classic Turret, then by all means you should use the priming system that comes with that turret. I did for about 4+ years and I love it. Once you have it setup it works excellent except for the last 2 primers. They need to be coaxed a bit. But that priming system is a nice setup.

Off press I bought the RCBS universal APS and I love it, but after priming about 800 9mm cases for the loadmaster I am thinking I have fingers of steel now.

I primed from the upstroke on the press for many, many years. Handprimer looked like it would require more muscle. Even bought ram prime die for large primers, because it took a lot of muscle to seat them from the press. A couple years ago I bought a Hornady hand primer and I now kick myself for all those years of wasted effort!

I loaded a lot of odd calibers and went with a unit that used my regular shell holders. Just something to be aware of when choosing a unit with its own shell holders or shell plate.

So far so good with the new Lee Bench top primer.

I have primed on my LNL progressive, but I prefer to hand prime.
I deprime, clean cases, hand prime and have the primed cases ready to go when I start loading.
I can hand prime faster than filling up the tube on the press.
Always hand prime when using my old Lee "Deluxe" turret.

And I can watch the news on the tube and prime case etc..(always wear safety glasses when priming)

First I will comment that every one has their preferred method and mine may not be best for you. I have tried a bunch of different ways over the last 30+ years and find hand priming off the press the best answer for me. Those that say you cannot feel the difference are what I would tend to call a bit heavy handed. When I hand prime I can definitely feel both the anvil hitting as well as the primer cup loading. I can also tell reliably if the pellet gets crushed or is being inserted crooked and stop pressing it in before it gets ruined.

I started off with the Ideal 310 Tong Tool when I reloaded with my grandfather. We later went with a RCBS Junior press and used the press mounted primer next. Then I got a RCBS Rock Chucker in the late 70's for myself. At that time I got the Lee single hand primer with the screw in shellholders. I also got a Lee O press shortly after that as a backup. After that I got a pair of the Lee round hand primers when they came out. Along the line I got a Ram prime as well so I could prime the ammo that had brass that did not fit the universal shellholders in the Lee kit I bought. YMMV

ohihunter2014 said:

using a LCT now and curious about press priming vs hand priming.

I'm new to reloading so want to be as simple as possible. I'm using a lee hand primer now but the press comes with a priming tool.

whats your thoughts and why?

Click to expand...

Unlike scythefwd, (post #2), I find priming on-press to give more "feel" and control.

The extra leverage, rather than being a detriment to control, allows me to use my fingertips on the operating lever and feel better than the hand primers (RCBS and Lee) I have tried. Hand primers required me to use my whole hand's strength.

Both the force on the operating lever and the visual observation of the amount of movement of the lever give me my feedback.

I have found this to be true with RCBS RockChucker and Lee Classic Turret. Not so much with the Lee Pro-1000. It's primer seating feel was superior to the hand primers, but not as sensitive as the RC or Lee Turret.

This is just my experience. scythefwd and others are in the majority, so I do not seek to deny you the benefit of their experience. I think it best you try both methods and judge for yourself.

Lost Sheep