Hand held Priming Tool

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mikebsr

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I am in the market for a hand held priming tool. So doing a little research I was surprised to find that there are so many choices. I load mostly .38 and.357 and use a RCBS Jr. Press. With age and arthritis creeping up I am finding it is no simple task handling the small pistol primers any more. So, anyway, my choice is to get the primer device for my press or a hand held. I am leaning toward a hand held. Does anyone have any likes or dislikes with a particular hand held ? It looks to me that with the device for my press one would still have to load up the tube and I want to get away from that sort of thing. The hand held look like they would be easier to load.
 
For about $19.00, the Lee Precision Auto-Prime XR , has a square tray, that a box of primers can be set on , then inverted , to put all the primers on it . A bit of tapping and shaking gets them right side up. You don't have to touch the primers...the down side is you have to squeeze the handle with your fingers (on mine I use my two thumbs to press with) depending on how well your fingers work this might be an option. The Lee unit has been copied by others, they charge twice as much for it. Might be worth trying out, I like the hand held one I have, especially not having to handle each primer.
Gary
 
I looked at the Lee and liked it but I thought the down side of the Lee was having to get the set of shell holders. I wonder if the shell holder I use on my RCBS press will fit the lee tool.
 
Nope, different shell holders from the lee to the rcbs. The assorted kit of lee shell holders is pretty reasonable.
 
I use a RCBS universal hand primer works great and no need for shell holders,
 
In my experience, the current crop of Lee hand priming tools is a great leap backwards from their original, round tray priming tool.

I've kept my old Lee auto-Primes for special tasks but now use an RCBS hand priming tool with the universal shell holder. RCBS also have a version that uses press shell holders.

As my hands have aged, I have trouble making large priming runs, 500 plus cases, with any hand priming tool. I have an RCBS APS bench priming tool for the the long runs.
 
The RCBS hand primer uses the same shell-holders as your press and has rods for small and large primers. Handle is big enough for two hands. I get better "feel" using both hands instead of just squeezing hard with one hand.

The only thing golden about the golden years is the front of your underwear...
 
I have worn out a couple of Lees in the last 30 years. I'm not happy with the current Lee and switched to a K&M Shooting Primer Deluxe which requires hand loading primers individually. The tool is very adjustable and gives a lot of feedback as you seat the primer.It is very well made and I doubt I'll wear this one out. If thet feedback isn't adequate they have a model that measures in analog the effort to seat the primer. The systems use Lee auto prime shell holders.
Sinclair and 21st Century also sell high end hand priming tools that are similar.
 
The rcbs is way nicer to use than the lee. Plus I had a problem with out of spec she'll holders on the lee not fitting.
 
I'm still using a Lee XR hand held with the square tray. The clear plastic cover has broken off and has to be held with rubber bands, otherwise still serviceable. Takes two thumbs, though, and lately I've been taking them out and rotating them to make sure they're seated fully and squarely. A lot of work, especially when case rims are less than perfect! Good price for the Lee XL but a press system might be a lot less work for you, and also may have more tactile feedback when bottoming out the primers. I load in small batches so the Lee XR works for me but it can be a lot of work for the hands and I believe a press system would put more joy into your reloading.
 
I've had my Lee Auto-Prime (the old round one) since I started loading in 1990. I love it. I has a great feel that I don't find with press-mounted priming. The downside, as already mentioned, is that you have to use your newly arthritic hands to operate them. If you don't have any issues squeezing, though, you should be OK.
 
I have a Lee with a round tray. Had it forty years and never thought to try anything else. My Dillon 450 handles the pistol, but I use the Lee for rifle.
 
If you want one that loads one at a time and cost is not an issue, my vote is for the 21st Century. I have used many of the other high end brands like Sinclair and K&M, but the 21st Century is far and away the best IMO.
 
With age and arthritis creeping up I am finding it is no simple task handling the small pistol primers any more.
Click to expand...

With age and arthritis creeping up you may find the manual dexterity of a hand priming tool to be difficult. I am 65 and no problems. I use a 25 year old Lee hand priming tool which requires the different shell holders and I also have and use a RCBS hand priming tool. They both work fine for me. I can prime while watching TV, and yes, I inspect my priming when done. :)

Ron
 
ericuda said:
Nope, different shell holders from the lee to the rcbs. The assorted kit of lee shell holders is pretty reasonable.
Click to expand...
The shell holder set is cheap. No big deal.
The Lee Ergo-Prime has the handle on the opposite side , so you can squeeze with your fingers and not just your thumbs.
 
All very good info. I can always count on this forum for good information. I think I settled on one of the RCBS units, probably the one with the square tray because of not needing shell holders. We'll see what happens. I always like getting new stuff.
 
In my experience, the current crop of Lee hand priming tools is a great leap backwards from their original, round tray priming tool.
Click to expand...
I liked the old ones better as well. The square trays are nice but the little safety "elevator" is a pain. Never had issues with crooked primers in the old ones. The new ones are not bad at all (I still like them) I just preferred the older "less safe" design.

The set of 11 shell holders for the Lee is $15 otherwise they are $3.20 ea.
I needed 9mm, .357, .45, .223 and 7mm Rem mag so it was cheaper to but the set and have extra.---HHmmm may need to buy a gun that uses on of the unused shell holders.. :)
 
I prefer to prime with hand tools and have used the old style Lee for decades. It works great but after a few hundred the thumbs can get sore even with out arthritis. I've gone through three or four Lee tools over the years.

I recently got a pair of the universal RCBS hand primers that don't require shell holders and like them. I am hoping the metal body will hold up better than the plastic Lee tool. Got two of them so I can have one set up for large primers and one for small. I've primed over 1,000 cases of various calibers and it has worked great. Since I just have to squeeze gently with my whole hand, it isn't as tiring. This matters more in my 60s than it did thirty years ago. :cuss:

I have big hands and handling individual primers is difficult, so these hand priming tools are a big help. The only time I deal with individual primers is when using the Lee whack-a-mole loaders or percussion caps for my BP guns and I often use tweezers for them.

Jeff
 
I have the RCBS hand primer that uses shell holders (I use my Lee shell holders with no issue, they fit nice and snug) The same one that hoghunting posted a link to in post #10.

Just change the pin, shell holder, and shell holder-holder and you're in business. :D

Takes a few minutes to set up, but once you're going, you can go through 100 primers pretty fast.
 
I am a fan of the RCBS APS hand held primer tool. I find that it does a good job. I also purchased the strip loader for the event that either pre loaded strips become hard to find, or I would wish to use a different brand than CCI. One can place primers by hand in the strips if he wishes, but it is slow going.
 
I had several Lee tools and gave up on them as they all broke at the same stress point. I use an RCBS that uses their shell holders and it will use Redding's as well. Nice thing is if it breaks RCBS will replace it under their lifetime warranty,Lee 2 years I believe.
 
I started with the Lee round unit, (they tell you to lube the pivot point) I then got the RCBS Universal, thought the LEE worked just as well. The round one will be a collector item and I will sell it for thousands on Flea Bay!:D

I prime on the press now. so much easier on the old bones.:)
 
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