Which Hand priming tool do you like ?

The old style Lee Auto Prime. Look on ebay.

I never had any problems with the Lee old or new, just have to pay attention. The Lee bench prime looks good.

I like the old Lee Auto Prime. Since it has been discontinued, I'm using mine sparingly for special needs where it just work better than my current priming tool preference.

Currently, I use an RCBS universal shell holder priming tool. I have both the tray version and the APS primer strip version. I'm happy with the RCBS priming tool, I like not having to fool with shell holders. But with some cases, it sometimes does not hold cases well if the extraction groove is not the right size.

I've used many had primers and the RCBS bench primer is THE best in my experience. It's quick and I can prime hundreds of cases without irritating my hands like the hand held primers do.

As you say it uses standard shell holders, though RCBS may work a little better than some because the hole in the center is slightly larger, but a few seconds with a file or grinder allow smooth operation.

I've got the RCBS hand primer that uses a spring loaded clamp instead of shell holders and it's good for short runs, but the effort of spreading the springs to insert and remove each case piles up. I've also managed to have some feed problems with this primer. My very best hand primer is the Frankford with an adjustable priming depth. I've also got two Forrester bench primers, once set up for large primers and the other for small, they work well, but are not as easy to load as the RCBS and occasionally I can flip a primer or smash one.

I liked the old round tray Lee ones.
The square tray ones and the current ones I don't think are as nice as the old ones (maybe a safer design but I never had any issues with the old round tray one)
Sadly the handles for my round tray one wore out and I an=m using the new one.

Frankford one looks nice, waiting to see if anybody has it and likes it.
For my use I prefer a hand prime to bench prime. (get those cases primed while watching football....)

I have several. The new type Lee 'bench' primer works okay, but I prefer the older style round plastic primer tray. And the Lee bench primer set up feels 'springy' but doesn't seem to affect usefulness.

The Hodgdon hand unit is a bit complicated to get set up (sub parts fit rather tight, have to line things up very carefully), but works well and uses shell head holders, so no 'accessory' holder is needed.

The priming system build into the Dillon XL 650 (and I suppose the XL750) works well. But doesn't process Federal primers well. (They crush.)

Have not used the higher priced ones.

I like the RCBS Universal hand primer so much I bought two of them one for large primers and one for small primers.

I am using an older RCBS hand held primer and like it alot. It lets me tell the feel of the primer pocket to identify if it needs to have more of the crimp
removed

I'm still using the old round Lee Auto Prime. The lids got very loose but were easily fixed by adding a bump of glue on the tabs.

The regular auto-prime from Lee works good for me. Sometimes it feeds the primers weird, but I think it works great. I make sure the thing has a drop or two of oil even where plastic rubs together and that fixed the feeding issue.

SunnySlopes said:

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Same here. Great tool. Quick, efficient and accurate.

I use the new style Lee Auto Prime. It can be a little finicky but does the job I need it to do.

I like the round Lee auto prime much more than the newer square version. That one seems to flip primers sideways a lot under the case, which drives me nuts.

Too bad the round one got “lawyered” and they added the frustrating little “safety gate” to ruin it.

Stay safe.

I have had a similar experience with my Ergo prime. It does feed better if you allow the handle to travel it's full swing, but that is not comfortable for me. I gave up on hand primers and now use the RCBS bench primer shown above. It is much easier on my old hands which tend to cramp up.

troy fairweather said:

I never had any problems with the Lee old or new, just have to pay attention. The Lee bench prime looks good.

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The old Lee Auto-Prime was a tool where you could sit and watch TV and not pay attention and use them quickly. Apart from bent and broken levers eventually, they were very reliable.
The new Lee Auto-Prime is also a reliable tool, but as you say, you do have to pay attention. The broken parts are the result of not stopping if you feel resistance, and trying to go too fast.
I used the original for many years and I now use the newer one.
The folding tray is a little goofy IMHO, but it works reliably.
Both tools work fine for me.

Another vote for the RCBS Bench Primer! Especially with my almost 73 year old hands doing the work. Long lever provides, well, leverage, and can be gripped a number of different ways so hand pain and or fatigue can be minimalized when doing a long run. An added plus is that the primer being seated is easy to feel and that's reassuring.

I have the Lee square try from about 5 years ago, works fine to. I would like to one a old Lee one day, I was 4 or 5 years old when dad would have me prime brass with him.

Riomouse911 said:

I like the round Lee auto prime much more than the newer square version. That one seems to flip primers sideways a lot under the case, which drives me nuts.

Too bad the round one got “lawyered” and they added the frustrating little “safety gate” to ruin it.

Stay safe.

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Same here. I've tried several others since I broke my last Lee. So far, I like the Hornady okay, but still not as good as the old Lee. I bought an RCBS bench primer and quickly remembered that I didn't like filling primer tubes. Dumping in a tray and shaking a little suits me better.

Another vote for the RCBS bench primer, but I also still have two of the old style lee hand primers.

Welcome to THR, CWTISME!

CWTISME said:

... So far I like the RCBS one that uses regular shell holders Opinions ?

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Welp, the only hand priming tool with which I have experience is my RCBS 90200 and it does a fine job ... but ... I have always thought that there is bound to be something better "out there".

I am a guy who overworks and breaks those "big spring" hand exercisers on a regular basis, but even I get tired of the manual-hand-primer squeezy-action.



The only reason that I have not researched replacement hand primers is that I no longer use it very much.

Lee hand press. It can prime and much more

SunnySlopes said:

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This is the only one I have ever used. Works great. The hand held one that came with my Rock Chucker kit never left the box .