Benefits of hand priming vs priming on the press

[LiveLife]

I like the idea of a progressive, but how can I make it work if I skip the priming portion? I still need to deprime the spent cartridge.

Since I deprime/size separately on a single stage, I simply take the deprime/sizing die out of the progressive press and keep it on the single stage. I keep the priming attachment empty and skip the upstroke on the ram lever that would normally seat the primer.

For those that don't have a separate single stage press, you deprime/size tumbled cases with only this die on the progressive press. After hand priming the cases, you finish reloading on the progressive press with the rest of the dies (of course, without the deprime/sizing die).

 

[SSN Vet]

Are these likely to be tighter pockets than normal

On .45 acp, I find that Winchester brass consistantly has the tightest primer pockets...

even more so than Federal, which has the thichest side walls.

 

[mcdonl]

I had a couple primers that did not seat properly in some .357 loads, but other then that they were fine on my single stage press.

Then I started loading rifle cartridges that needed lube. Well, I will not make this mistake again. I lubed the cartridges, put them through the sizing die and primed them (New Cases...) and got about 50 into it when I realized I had case lube in the primer pocket

Had to gently deprime them, wash them and then prime by hand.

So, for rifle I will lube, size, wash/dry then prime by hand.

I love being a new reloader!

 

[RandyP]

I have to ask what may be a dumb question, why spend all the $$$ on a progressive and then do any reloading steps by hand?

Just me but I'd work with the manufacturer and friendly good folks on the net till the progressive functioned as designed with all the features I paid for?

 

[GW Staar]

Gotta add my 2 cents. My first Lee hand primer didn't even have a primer tray with it, so you can see I've used the tool for a lot of years, and still do.

However, when I load with my progressive (RCBS Pro 2000), I use the APS system on the press. Why would I do such a thing, being used to doing it for years all by feel?

The Pro 2000 has a stop under the shell plate that determines primer depth. So you work the press to the stop and go on to the next round. Yes, that could cause problems with primer pockets that are not the same depth, and you aren't going to adjust the stop for every round or brand of brass.

What makes it feasible to trust this feature on the press is by uniforming all the primer pockets to the exact same depth. I do that on RCBS's Case Prep machine. This way the depth each time is what I set it for. Its way faster that way, but for small batches, loaded on the Rockchucker, I still use the Lee.

 

[LiveLife]

I have a question about your design. How would you load it with more primers with the handle strapped to the bench?

That's why I am working on the quick release. I am thinking about a more permanent mounting of the Lee Auto Prime body to a mount that can be quickly released so more primers can be loaded to the tray.

On the pipe clamp version, I was thinking of using wing nuts and washers.

Also, I am working on a leaning Tee Pee type mount where the Auto Prime simply drops in - and having a wider/longer lever so you can use your fingers/palm.