Bench mounted priming tool

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Zendude

Zendude

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I’m looking for a good bench priming tool to supplement my hand priming tool. I will use it primarily for small pistol primers. Which one is considered to be fairly trouble free? I had to try a few different hand priming tools before I found a reliable one, so I thought I would ask for some advice before buying a bench mounted priming tool.
 
Hand priming tools never worked comfortably for me, so I used a ram prime. But when Lee came out with their Bench Prime, I got one. After I read the instructions, looked at how the tool worked, mounted the tool solidly, allowed the handle to move through it's full travel, I have had few problems. I can (and often do) load 100 primers in the tray, and stuff 100 primers in cases non-stop. I lost count, but I figger I'm nearing 5k cases primed trouble free with my Lee tool...

FWIW, earlier this week I primed 200-250 9mm mixed cases, commercial and military, with no problems and only stopped to refill the tray. I've used large and small, pistol and rifle, CCI, Winchester, Remington and Wolf primers...
 
RCBS bench prime works really well to prime large and small primers. Lots of leverage, and you can feel the primers seat. It's a very positive action.
Filling the tubes is the downside. I'm looking at one of the vibratory tube filling devices. But until then it's the hunt and peck method using the supplied tubes picking up one primer at a time.
 
I recently started using my new RCBS Automatic Bench Priming Tool and I love it! I only use it for rifle cartridges, so my volume is low and therefore I don't mind loading the tubes. The feel is about as good as my Lee Ram prime and I don't have to touch the primers. If you are on a budget, the Ram Prime has the best feel of anything I have tried and does a really good job, but you do have to handle each primer. The RCBS tool works about the same way, but has an automatic feed.
 
I loaned my son the RCBS Bench Priming Tool and never saw it again. He likes it that much !

Regardless of the name, I highly suggest mounting it to a 12" section of 1x6 pine. This will allow you to position it just right while you work, and then move it to the back of the bench during other stages. I highly suggest this same method for trimmers, powder measures, etc. Any tool that's only used during one process step doesn't need a permanent parking space on the front of the bench.

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Hope this helps.
 
I abhor pick up tubes and strips.

I love the Bald Eagle adjustable bench primer. It did take some engineering to get a Lee Safety Prime mounted as a dispenser, but it’s fast, accurate, and super easy to seat, with incredible feel on the primer pocket tension.
 
I think I have both ends of the spectrum covered, as far as bench priming tools go (at least the ones that are designed to be tube/tray fed), with the both the Forster Co-Ax Primer Seater and the Lee Auto Bench Prime

011521-primer-seater.jpg
The Co-Ax is very precise, smooth feeding, and gives great feel to seating the primer. It is of all metal construction

It doesn't require the use of shell holders for different cases as the jaws are adjustable. The primers feed from a tube with the primers facing forward to minimize potential injury should a primer ignite.

Primers slide into the tube from the built-in tray, the tubes have a 50 primer capacity

006-90700.jpg

The Lee Auto Bench Prime is mostly metal, but the priming assemblies...and of course the tray...are made of plastic.

It requires individual Lee Priming Tool Shell Holders to work with different case sizes. Primers feed from Lee's folding primer trays which will orient and hold 100 primers.

It is very important to completely release the priming handle between each stroke to aid in reliable feeding of primers from the tray to the priming assembly...don't remove the O-ring as advocated on YouTube

Observations:
1. The Lee looks more awkward than the Co-Ax but is actually capable of higher rates of priming as you can use both hands to place and remove cases
2. The Co-Ax allows for more adjustment to your specific case size, but it takes more effort (3 screws to adjust)
3. The Lee tray is more convenient...you don't really have to touch the primers at all...but the hinge is folded plastic and an obvious wear point. Also it will sometimes require a bit of jiggling to help feed primers
4. The Co-Ax is more rugged, but also cost twice as much
 
9mmepiphany said:
I think I have both ends of the spectrum covered, as far as bench priming tools go (at least the ones that are designed to be tube/tray fed), with the both the Forster Co-Ax Primer Seater and the Lee Auto Bench Prime

View attachment 785397
The Co-Ax is very precise, smooth feeding, and gives great feel to seating the primer. It is of all metal construction

It doesn't require the use of shell holders for different cases as the jaws are adjustable. The primers feed from a tube with the primers facing forward to minimize potential injury should a primer ignite.

Primers slide into the tube from the built-in tray, the tubes have a 50 primer capacity

View attachment 785398

The Lee Auto Bench Prime is mostly metal, but the priming assemblies...and of course the tray...are made of plastic.

It requires individual Lee Priming Tool Shell Holders to work with different case sizes. Primers feed from Lee's folding primer trays which will orient and hold 100 primers.

It is very important to completely release the priming handle between each stroke to aid in reliable feeding of primers from the tray to the priming assembly...don't remove the O-ring as advocated on YouTube

Observations:
1. The Lee looks more awkward than the Co-Ax but is actually capable of higher rates of priming as you can use both hands to place and remove cases
2. The Co-Ax allows for more adjustment to your specific case size, but it takes more effort (3 screws to adjust)
3. The Lee tray is more convenient...you don't really have to touch the primers at all...but the hinge is folded plastic and an obvious wear point. Also it will sometimes require a bit of jiggling to help feed primers
4. The Co-Ax is more rugged, but also cost twice as much
Click to expand...
Actually, The Co-Ax is 3x the price of the Lee tool. If the price of a 11-piece set of shell holders is added in, then the price is closer to 2x.
https://ads.midwayusa.com/product/1...MIv47_mr612gIViD5pCh2AMgPnEAQYASABEgJLAvD_BwE

https://ads.midwayusa.com/product/9...MIqMP7pr612gIVRTaBCh3v5QslEAQYAyABEgKiTvD_BwE

I agree that the Forster unit is a much better made tool, no doubt. Lee's tools are all made to a price point and the AVERAGE reloader will rarely wear one out.
Personally, I prefer the finer made tools and still occasionally break out my old Lachmiller priming tool that requires handling each primer individually. Tedious as all get out, but wonderful feel and a very precise tool.
On the other hand, I also have a RCBS universal hand priming tool and the Lee Bench Auto Prime. I do not have the Forster bench primer, and I do have the Lee tool. I had bought the 11-piece set of shell holders about 20 years ago for my hand Lee Auto Prime, so no need to buy 'em again.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1011210770/lee-auto-prime-hand-priming-tool-shellholder-pack-of-11
It is a tool that is affordable for nearly any reloader. And it works, too. As I related in another thread, the Lee tool I bought came with the side screws too tight. Loosening the screws a quarter turn allowed it to function smoothly without binding.

I'm not a fanboy of Lee, but I really can't complain about any of their stuff that I own.
 
Zendude said:
I’m looking for a good bench priming tool to supplement my hand priming tool. I will use it primarily for small pistol primers. Which one is considered to be fairly trouble free? I had to try a few different hand priming tools before I found a reliable one, so I thought I would ask for some advice before buying a bench mounted priming tool.
Click to expand...
Here is a review of 2 tools the Lee and the RCBS, Since I made this video I have been exclusively using the RCBS bench priming tool and its simply better overall.



Thanks,
Dom
 
I came close to buying a Lee, but after the reviews I've read on the RCBS and how well it's built, I sprung for it last week. It does work well, so I recently ordered the Frankfort Arsenal vibra-prime to load the tubes. I should have it by Saturday. It was on sale @ Midway, plus RCBS had a $10 rebate on it. Got it for a tad under $87 not including the rebate.
 
the old rcbs bench prime tool will last a lifetime.yur gkids will still be using when your long in your grave.

I don't mind loading the tubes with primers. my kids know what it is but ive had lots of guys ask me *** is that?

ive had lots of hand priming tools and they alwys broke.. always. for last 20 yrs the rcbs has never broken.
 
Holy Bejeezus, after watching the video I'm just going to stick with my Lee hand priming tool. It's worked very well for close to 40 years, can't see switching to either one of those tools.
 
Oddly enough, the least expensive pick up tools are those by Dillon. You can get a package on Amazon at a good price and once you use them you will have a tough time using the RCBS or Hornady pick up tubes.
 
I use the old Lee Auto prime for small pistol, and the RCBS bench primer for large primers. Neither is broke so I'm not gonna fix em.

Have a blessed day,

Leon
 
rfwobbly said:
I highly suggest mounting it to a 12" section of 1x6 pine. This will allow you to position it just right while you work, and then move it to the back of the bench during other stages.
Click to expand...
 

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I have been wondering which table top priming tool to try, just can't make up my mind. I like speed for most priming tasks.
 
I recently picked up the RCBS bench priming tool and have been happy with it. I flip-flopped for a while over whether it was worth it over the hand priming tool that I already had, but I'm glad I picked it up now. It is much more convenient and the quality good. I don't mind the process of picking up the primers with the tube.
 
rfwobbly said:
I highly suggest mounting it to a 12" section of 1x6 pine.
Click to expand...

Being a carpenter most of my life, I would probably pass on the pine. I've had too many 1x6's or 1x4's "cup" on me, then the board and whatever ever device attached to it had a tendency to rock back and forth. Wood has a way of doing things like this among other things such as "twist" and even warp just by temperature, humidity, etc. Of course if you have a thickness planer laying around, you could always plane the wood occasionally. My advice would be to use 3/4" plywood. It stays pretty flat.
 
I have the RCBS bench priming tool. It works well, and I like the feel when seating primers. As others have noted, loading the tubes is a pain, but I am used to that (I also use a LnL progressive). But most of the time when I prime by hand, I use my RCBS hand primer- I can prime faster with it and the feel is just as good.
 
RCBS bench primer here too. Been using it for about 20+ years, no issues.

Even with the hunt/peck method it's all of about 5 minutes to fill a primer tube.
 
I have the RCBS bench-mounted priming system that uses the APS strips. Works great, but nowadays, I only use it for rifle loads, although I used to use it for all of my loads, and after some growing pains, it has worked wonderfully ever since.
 
It looks like the Lee Bench Prime tool is essentially the same mechanism as the new version of the Lee Ergo Prime. I’ve had a lot of problems with the new Ergo Prime (the old version was better).
The Forster CoAx looks like the most efficient one with only one pull of the handle needed. The RCBS takes two pulls but looks reliable and costs less than the Forster.
 
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