Hand Primer suggestions??? I have issues??

[Whiterook808]

I am leery of the Lee bench priming tool because it looks very much like the Ergo. I am pretty sure it used the same adapters which are giving me trouble. I seem to have jams at the safety gate quite a lot. I appreciate the safety aspects of the tool, but I find myself having to take it apart too much to get it going again. Brownell's just shipped my RCBS Automatic Bench Priming tool, so I hope that will be more reliable. The original Lee Autoprime was a great tool!

 

[glaizinman]

I use the RCBS AUTOMATIC BENCH PRIMING SYSTEM. I love it no more sore hands!! It works with my Lee shellholders. I prime all my 556 on it.

 

[bikemutt]

One of the things to note about the Frankford Arsenal hand primer, and perhaps others, it is more of a workout than operating a press. Usually my first 5-10 squeezes makes enough arthritis knuckle-cracking noise to wake my dog

Just saying, I'm just 62 but that slow Co-Ax priming thingy may still have a place in my reloading future.

 

[cfullgraf]

Usually my first 5-10 squeezes makes enough arthritis knuckle-cracking noise to wake my dog

Yes, at 65, I can't operate a hand primer as long as I used. The wrist and hand begin to tire after only a hundred or two rounds.

So, I hand prime for small batches of ammunition.

I bought a bench primer for the big priming runs. Mine is the RCBS because I like the APS strips but I'm sure others work well. The bench primer is not quit as handy as the hand primer but lots easier on the aging joints, bones and muscles.

I just could not see priming on a single stage press.

 

[Bottom Gun]

I tried hand priming tools made by RCBS, Lee and Hornady and wasn’t satisfied with them so I bought a bench mounted RCBS priming tool. It’s a MUCH better tool.

 

[Ireload2]

I thought priming on a press was a joke 50 years ago.
I have used a lot of priming tools in the last 50 years.
My favorite is the REAL Lee original with the screw in shell holders. Yes you can only handle one primer at a time but I get perfect results.

Other good priming tools include the small RCBS bench tool that has been discontinued. This tool has no primer feed.
Both Lee and RCBS ram primes work well for odd balls when I do not have a Lee screw in shell holder.
The K&M tool is ok but nothing special considering the price.
The first LEE auto prime was only ok if you looked at every primer to make sure it did not flip on its side or upside down.
The LEE ergo prime broke. Lee fixed it and I traded it off.
The Bonanza/Forster Coax seemed to be the slowest most awkward design possible. I sold mine.

 

[Livin_Cincy]

I use the current Lyman hand primer tool. I went to Cabalas and held each one they had to see how they feel in the hand. It works for me and my hand.

The Lee Bench Prime mounted on a cutting board would work great in front of the TV.

 

[Walkalong]

Cabelas had it on sale, so I am the proud owner of the Frankord Arsenal hand primer. I am hoping I like it and it will do small primers without putting a smiley on them. Not that the crease ever stopped them from working.

All I need now is something I need to prime.

 

[GW Staar]

All I need is someone to prime FOR me! I'm on week two after a carpal tunnel release surgery......so I'm on hold.

After priming for many many years on Lee's various hand primers, I bought an APS RCBS hand primer with the universal case holder. Liked it a lot.....but the "old" disease got me.....so I bought what cfullgraf uses to lazify the process, the APS bench primer pictured below:

The only improvement I'd like to see is adding the universal case holder.
The RCBS bench primer the O.P. bought ought to be just as good. Review it!

Walkalong.......you of all people know we require a review of your new hand primer as well!

 

[KYregular]

I have the same RCBS universal and it works great now. However, the white insert was a little off square and was causing the seating pin to come up at a very slight angle, making it seat the primer at an angle. The white insert comes apart allowing you to file it down a bit. Since doing this I have had no problems, just give the case a little twist before seating the primer to make sure it's secure and you should be good to go.

 

[santacruzdave]

Another vote for the RCBS Bench Prime. I just primed 350 9mm cases with these old hands and am feeling just fine, I could do another 350. I like the leverage and the feel. Good tool for me.

 

[armarsh]

I am still happily using old Lee Auto Prime which has been discontinued. I only broke one handle and bought extra handles before they stopped making spare handles. I may even make my own replacement handle out of steel if I break all the handles. ...

This. I did not have the foresight to buy extra handles but I had five complete Lee. Still have four complete. I have also considered making new handles. I have one sitting by my desk right now to draw it up.

 

[doubleh]

I bought a RCBS hand priming tool shortly before they brought out the universal. I found it can cause some problems with small primers until you figure out what not to do using it and it's been trouble free since. I don't load much of anything anymore that requires large primers but if I did I would purchase another just to not have to change back and forth. I know, it simple and easy but I'm getting lazier as I get older.

 

[Walkalong]

Walkalong.......you of all people know we require a review of your new hand primer as well!

It puts a worse crease on one side of small primers than the RCBS does. *Sigh*

But I did have an idea pop into my head on how to fix the RCBS tool. Should have thought of it long ago.

 

[boom boom]

All I need is someone to prime FOR me! I'm on week two after a carpal tunnel release surgery......so I'm on hold.

After priming for many many years on Lee's various hand primers, I bought an APS RCBS hand primer with the universal case holder. Liked it a lot.....but the "old" disease got me.....so I bought what cfullgraf uses to lazify the process, the APS bench primer pictured below:
The only improvement I'd like to see is adding the universal case holder.
The RCBS bench primer the O.P. bought ought to be just as good. Review it!

Walkalong.......you of all people know we require a review of your new hand primer as well!

How do you load the APS primer strips? Was interested in this at one time when you could buy primers already loaded on APS primer strips before the Great Shooting Shortages began. Like others above, I have arthritic hands and increasingly find it difficult to handle small things like individual primers. Have been using one of the old style Round Tray Lee primers and have several spare handles for them.

 

[hdbiker]

I bought a Lee Hand Primer Tool, back in the early 70's, with the screw in shell holders. Worked great until I wore out the threads changing shell holders. I found a good used one online locally and it's still going strong. I see them once in a while online and at gun shows . hdbiker

 

[cfullgraf]

How do you load the APS primer strips? Was interested in this at one time when you could buy primers already loaded on APS primer strips before the Great Shooting Shortages began. Like others above, I have arthritic hands and increasingly find it difficult to handle small things like individual primers. Have been using one of the old style Round Tray Lee primers and have several spare handles for them.

RCBS makes an APS strip loading tool. Once you get the process worked out, I can load four strips (100 primers total) about as fast as "hunt-n-pecking" primer tube loading.

Strips can be loaded numerous times and last a good while. I've probably loaded in the neighborhood of 10,000 primers through APS strips and have only trashed two or three strips.

You can still get pre-loaded strips and at least up to a year or so ago, new, unloaded strips were still available (I have not looked for them in a while as I have a good supply on hand, both pre-loaded and new, unloaded strips).

GW_Starr has some good modifications for the strip loading tool that make it function better.

The only improvement I'd like to see is adding the universal case holder.

I've toyed with the idea of installing the RCBS universal shell holder on the RCBS bench priming tool. Even bought an extra hand priming tool to rob the parts from but that is about as far as it has gotten. It is a bit more work that I feel like tackling at the moment along with all the other irons in the fire (Who ever said you'd have lots of time once retired was not retired!).

The plastic inserts for the shell holders to center the primer when raising it from the strip to the case was a bit of a headache for me. I modified the shell holders to accomplish the same thing with a more durable material.


Apologies for the photo being a little out of focus but you can see the modification adequately enough. Nothing like pushing the limits of a smart phone's camera.

I took a piece of 1/4" dia brass rod and tig brazed it with silicon bronze rod to the shell holder filling up the "funnel" in the back of the shell holder. Machined things smooth on both sides, drilled a hole appropriate for the size of the primer, and used a countersink to cut the "funnel" on the back side.

I made my prototype using JB Weld which can be easily smoothed with small files and sand paper. With careful jigging on a drill press with a drilling vice bolted to the drill table, the hole and countersink can be drilled adequately on center. No lathe needed.

But, I have noticed a little bit a shaving of the JB Weld by the primer cup which means the JB Weld insert will wear out much sooner than the brass/bronze insert. I've loaded at least 1000 primers through the JB Weld modified shell holder with no loss of performance so life should be good, just not infinite.

 

[boom boom]

RCBS makes an APS strip loading tool. Once you get the process worked out, I can load four strips (100 primers total) about as fast as "hunt-n-pecking" primer tube loading.

Strips can be loaded numerous times and last a good while. I've probably loaded in the neighborhood of 10,000 primers through APS strips and have only trashed two or three strips.

You can still get pre-loaded strips and at least up to a year or so ago, new, unloaded strips were still available (I have not looked for them in a while as I have a good supply on hand, both pre-loaded and new, unloaded strips).

GW_Starr has some good modifications for the strip loading tool that make it function better.



I've toyed with the idea of installing the RCBS universal shell holder on the RCBS bench priming tool. Even bought an extra hand priming tool to rob the parts from but that is about as far as it has gotten. It is a bit more work that I feel like tackling at the moment along with all the other irons in the fire (Who ever said you'd have lots of time once retired was not retired!).

The plastic inserts for the shell holders to center the primer when raising it from the strip to the case was a bit of a headache for me. I modified the shell holders to accomplish the same thing with a more durable material.

View attachment 782474
Apologies for the photo being a little out of focus but you can see the modification adequately enough. Nothing like pushing the limits of a smart phone's camera.

I took a piece of 1/4" dia brass rod and tig brazed it with silicon bronze rod to the shell holder filling up the "funnel" in the back of the shell holder. Machined things smooth on both sides, drilled a hole appropriate for the size of the primer, and used a countersink to cut the "funnel" on the back side.

I made my prototype using JB Weld which can be easily smoothed with small files and sand paper. With careful jigging on a drill press with a drilling vice bolted to the drill table, the hole and countersink can be drilled adequately on center. No lathe needed.

But, I have noticed a little bit a shaving of the JB Weld by the primer cup which means the JB Weld insert will wear out much sooner than the brass/bronze insert. I've loaded at least 1000 primers through the JB Weld modified shell holder with no loss of performance so life should be good, just not infinite.

THANKS. You may have just saved me from some pain both in priming and in getting the blasted things to work better. I am definitely looking into this now.

 

[Walkalong]

I modified the shell holders to accomplish the same thing with a more durable material.

Very cool idea.

 

[GW Staar]

RCBS makes an APS strip loading tool. Once you get the process worked out, I can load four strips (100 primers total) about as fast as "hunt-n-pecking" primer tube loading.

Strips can be loaded numerous times and last a good while. I've probably loaded in the neighborhood of 10,000 primers through APS strips and have only trashed two or three strips.

You can still get pre-loaded strips and at least up to a year or so ago, new, unloaded strips were still available (I have not looked for them in a while as I have a good supply on hand, both pre-loaded and new, unloaded strips).

GW_Starr has some good modifications for the strip loading tool that make it function better.

Here's the link to the little mods I did to the strip loader. https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ps-strip-loader-video-demo-at-the-end.710373/
There is a little video in there somewhere.....the purpose was to prevent the primers from not being seated deep enough causing hangs and aggravations using the APS priming tools. RCBS's instructions is simply to run a round dowel or pencil over the finished strips....that works for the most part, but the marble I used recesses them and makes hangs impossible.

I like cfullgraf's brass replacement of the shellholder inserts!

It puts a worse crease on one side of small primers than the RCBS does. *Sigh*

But I did have an idea pop into my head on how to fix the RCBS tool. Should have thought of it long ago.

Waiting on pins and needles!

 

[Walkalong]

My idea failed. Since the large primer seater stem is straight and doesn't do it, the idea was to make a new one with a large diameter at the bottom and the small one at the top, but it was too much of a pain to assemble.

I do have another thought, the bottom of the seater stem must be off center, and since the first idea didn't pan out, the idea is to make a new piece that goes between the seater stem and the part that pushes it up. It is a straight piece with a round indent (cup) on each end. I guess it has worn out of round in the middle of the cup over the years. I could use something like this or maybe this to cut the cups in the ends of it.

Or just call RCBS.

 

[Dudedog]

Side Note
I have found that if I take a piece of 1/2" soft clear plastic tubing and put it on the handle of my Lee hand primers they are much more comfortable to use.
Cheap mod.

 

[cfullgraf]

The plastic inserts for the shell holders to center the primer when raising it from the strip to the case was a bit of a headache for me. I modified the shell holders to accomplish the same thing with a more durable material.

View attachment 782474
Apologies for the photo being a little out of focus but you can see the modification adequately enough. Nothing like pushing the limits of a smart phone's camera.

I took a piece of 1/4" dia brass rod and tig brazed it with silicon bronze rod to the shell holder filling up the "funnel" in the back of the shell holder. Machined things smooth on both sides, drilled a hole appropriate for the size of the primer, and used a countersink to cut the "funnel" on the back side.

I made my prototype using JB Weld which can be easily smoothed with small files and sand paper. With careful jigging on a drill press with a drilling vice bolted to the drill table, the hole and countersink can be drilled adequately on center. No lathe needed.

But, I have noticed a little bit a shaving of the JB Weld by the primer cup which means the JB Weld insert will wear out much sooner than the brass/bronze insert. I've loaded at least 1000 primers through the JB Weld modified shell holder with no loss of performance so life should be good, just not infinite.

FYI, for anyone who is interested, I use a #13 drill for small primers, a #2 drill for large primers and a 90 degree countersink for the back side of the shell holder.

So far these have worked well for me but other drill sizes in these ranges may work well as well. Of course, too small will bind up the primer when going through and too large may allow the primer to get too far off center to seat properly.

 

[GW Staar]

Perfect! Thanks cfullgraf......saved me from having to ask you!

 

[rskent]

A friend of mine uses the regular RCBS hand primer that uses exact shell holders and he has no issues with small primers.

This is what I use. I wore out the first one, so I bought two more. I use one for match 223 only and one for everything else.