RCBS Auto Priming Tool

I wouldn't prime on anything else. Have had the RCBS bench mounted Automatic priming tool for years. It has just the right leverage and feel. You can feel a loose primer pocket and when the primer bottoms out in the pocket. The feeding from the tube to your priming punch is almost foolproof. If you get too fast it can flip a primer and miss the punch cup but it is rare. You have to use the primer tubes to pick up the primers from a primer flip tray. It uses regular shellholders and I have heard a couple problems with the punch and cup not fitting the hole in the shellholder, being either too tight or too loose. I think you'll love the RCBS Automatic priming. Worth the price in my opinion. For small reloading jobs I place the primer in the punch cup by hand with clean dry hands.
The usual cautions about using primer tubes applies. Don't force stuck primers although I haven't had any problems with my primers or tubes. They also recommend keeping the tubes clean. I guess a lot of use "could" cause a build-up of priming dust? With my tubes the last primer that you pick up is held by the collet fingers. I use a primer pocket cleaning tool to lightly push the gripped primer down into the tube. Another caution when loading and handling primers is to wear safety glasses.

I've had one for about 25 or 30 years now. Use it for specific chores.

I've been using one for at least 30 years. It is an excellent tool. It seats primers perfectly with virtually no effort and is very fast.

RCBS Automatic Bench Priming Tool

At Midway $103.99

At Natchez $87.38

At Big Supply Shop $71.34

Seedtick

I prefer this one!
For $10 more you don't have to make tube bombs.
http://www.bigsupplyshop.com/RCBS-Bench-Priming-Tool-Kit-APS-88501_p_91.html -$83.11


Static electricity triggered tube bomb experience by an Arizona Reloader 3 months ago...posted on this Calguns Thread. Dang that's gotta hurt!

http://www.rcbs.com/downloads/instructions/PrimingToolsAndAccessories.pdf

GW Starr, I have both bench type primer systems demonstrated, I have two Piggy Back 11s, I have the RCBS rock Chucker press mounted system with the tube, I understand the tube is not shielded, when shielded the top and bottom are open, and I do not have a bench, all my stands are cast iron.

Once I started out to set a primer off, not easy, but, it is easier when the reloader has access to leverage, I gave up on the Lee automatic hand primer using Federal primers, as to the picture, graphic, and no I am not a compulsive laugher as seen on Americas Funniest Videos, he is lucky and I appreciate the effort he made to share.

The part I should have is the luxury of disagreeing, static electricity, in my opinion, punching holes in the ceiling is nothing new when using tube priming system, of the ones I am aware of all said there was something stuck/hung-up or jammed, so with additional effort they perforated the ceiling and then found a term for the near catastrophic event, something about sympatric explosion.

R. Lee wrote about the primer strip system developed by RCBS.

F. Guffey

This case was a little different from all the rest we've read. I agree that 99% of the primer tube kabooms have been due to pressure, mostly operator heavy handedness forcing something that shouldn't be forced.

This was the first one I ever heard of, where the kaboomed was merely pulling the pin on the tube to let the primers fall.

I live in New Mexico. Pretty dry here. Lots of static electricity, especially in the winter months. We get popped by static daily here...part of life. Arizona is dryer still. Location may very well have had something to do with it. Normally moving the pin won't spark anything unless its ferrous against ferrous.....static spark is another matter. That kind comes from touching the tube.....which looking at his hands, he obviously did. Exploding a primer is real easy if you got a spark.

Here in my state gas pumps have warnings to touch a ground before you dispense gasoline....and not to leave the pump and get back in the car while dispensing. You pickup static electricity again. Does static cause explosions at gas stations often? No...its rare....kind of like primer tube kabooms. But it has happened....and will again, to someone who ignores the warnings. Same goes for tube bombs.

It's nice of the manufacturers, that they now provide blast shields to slip over the tubes, so the explosions are directed at the ceiling. Too bad they opted for a band aid rather than do what RCBS did and make a safer system.

Never heard of your Richard Lee story, but if he indeed "invented" strips he should have marketed and sold them.

I suppose I am the only person that read R. Lee’s book on modern reloading, I did not say Lee invented the system, I said he made remarks about the tool, after that he made the usual comments ‘I’ have learned to expect, I saved you the editorial version.

I do not know why or how the primer tube was rendered scrap, again, if I do not have the luxury of disagreeing, I will take it.

I can duplicate the catastrophic failure of the primer tube, I believe Dillon can also, I can drop the tube, deliberately or by accident,. then make a foolish attempt to grab it before it hits the floor, in the attempt of grabbing it I could bend the tube, in bending the tube by accident I could crush a primer, again that is my story and I am sticking with it. I do not know what happen, BUT, his hand was on the tube when it failed, the tube is bent and I believe that is a better story than static electricity.

There are times when sucking air through your teeth is better than hitting the brakes, like going into a skid on ice, or doing nothing when an animal runs out in front of you, and we know swerving is the worst of choice. Add: When dropping a loaded tube of primers it is better to suck air through your teeth than grabbing for for the tube and risking bending the tube.

F. Guffey

fguffey said:

..... I saved you the editorial version.

F. Guffey

Click to expand...

Thankyou.

Mine works like a charm. I really like the "feel" it gives you along with the control.

I like the Forster Co-Ax Primer Tool a little better than the RCBS one. It also costs less with is unusual for a Forster product. While the RCBS primer tool uses shellholders the Forster has a universal jaw setup.

I also have the RCBS bench-mounted system and I agree that you can feel each and every primer going in. You can easily ascertain when a primer goes in a bit too easily, in which case I either dispose of the case and primer (after placing a drop or two of oil into the flash hole), or as I do most times, just mark the entire case bottom with a wide black marker so I know that will be the last firing of that particular case.

I also agree, although static may have been the cause, there could have been other factors in the equation that we do not know about.

Wouldn't placing a section of reinforced rubber piping over the length of the tube, a bit on the loose side, prevent any explosion of the tube from blasting laterally and, more or less, direct the explosion out the top and bottom of the tube? As long as you aren't looking down the end of the tube with each primer setting, I don't see this as an issue.

Of course, when working with powder, primers and reloading equipment, it is important to eliminate or help prevent any type of static charge during any stage of the operation! If I just slid myself off a vinyl couch and walked straight to the priming tube to pull the clip that drops the primers, I would expect to create a large static spark, and I would also expect that the tube could go kaboom.

I am not saying that what this person did was wrong, and I am not saying that what he did was different than what was claimed. We all know, in this world, anything is possible. The main question would, therefore be, is it PROBABLE?

I will say it again, if you drop a tube of primers do not do something like foolishly grabbing for it. Many years ago I taught a class on electricity, by some standards my methods were unorthodox, thinking back on some of the methods and techniques I believe I can devise an experiment, I believe I can set up a test with 50,000 volts + or – a few using a primer tube filled with primers as a conductor, to make the whole thing interesting I could force the 50,000 volts to jump an air gap to the tube, through the tube and off the other end with another air gap to ground without setting the primers off. The high voltage is necessary to overcome the resistance of ‘air travel’, electromotive force, potential difference, voltage is an interesting thing. Static electricity is not easy to get used to because of the jump, the electrons will not leave until the voltage is high enough or the gap is small enough.

Again, I do not have a work bench, meaning my presses are mounted to cast iron tables and or stands.

F. Guffey

Fguffy: You could start your own thread and do all the experiments you can dream up, using a tube full of primers....I'll read it, promise.

Meantime, we ought to go back to the O.P.'s subject....

I think both the RCBS bench primers are great tools for those who load on single station or turret presses. I prefer the strip version for the safety, and convenience. Buying CCI primers in pre-stripped APS form is currently $7 dollars more expensive per 1000. Last year I bought them at Grafs for the same price. Either way, its more than worth it to me, not to have to peck tubes every time I want to prime, just push in a strip and load.

Whatever it is...(don't really care) that causes a tube full of primers to go off, will never happen. In fact, drop a strip all you want, throw one across the room. Knock yourself out. If you use a hammer on one you'll probably set 1 or two off, but you never have 100 lined up to make for a really bad day.

Its always a hoot reading those posts, a whole paragraph ,to say one sentence.
For priming I always like the handheld kind,save me room on the bench,plus I get to sit on a lazy-boy this way.

It was my intent to avoid turning this thread into a thread that lead reloaders to believe installing primers is a scary event, and I wanted to prevent them from thinking there were going to lose a hand or fingers every time they picked up a primer tube full of primers because of static electricity, I see stuff like this all the time in the real world, it is called mass hysteria. There are not many primer installers I do not have, Dillon tried to make their primer system fool proof......

Forgive, I thought someone said static electricity was the culprit.

“ I said I do not know, what I do know is the tube should be cleaned like a gun barrel, cleaning the tube removes dust, dust and explosions? Grain silos and saw mills, and sugar refineries like the one in Sugar Land, TX..”

F. Guffey

Agreed. Primers are delicate and require care, but they are far from scary. The guy in the photo must have been pulling on his woolen long johns while he jogged in place in a 5% RH room.

I can see both ways setting off primers(on rare events). I know when you bend a pipe the bore collapses quite aways up and down from the actual bend point .A stack of primers that are trapped in that section are going to crush pretty fast,almost like hitting them with a hammer on the floor.
I probably can see that senerio more likely than static,but thats just me.I don't want to test it.