Herters press

[Americanmade]

Hello, new to the high road have a question. I have an old herters press and i am using rcbs shell holders on top of a conversion shell holder. The problem is the priming arm is to short and i can't prime my brass, does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[rcmodel]

Buy an RCBS or Lee hand priming tool and prime "off the press".

You will get much better results anyway because the "feel" and control is way better with the hand priming tool.

I gave up on press priming arms in 1970 something.

rc

 

[Shadow 7D]

Herters were the Lee's of the 1960
not fancy, just well built, they did their money in mail order rifles actually, when the GCA took effect, it basically put them under

That said, the newer presses with more advanced ergos etc. are much more mechanically advantaged than many of these older presses, that said nothing wrong with it.

NOW that said, the priming arm is pretty much universal (within limits) see if the RCBS jr or what ever the cheap ram holder press is, the one where you basically change out the entire ram to change holders

Um, that said, it might be the shell holders as I know there is a universal ram that takes standard holders, and there are other ones that are larger, like an inch tall?

I happen to have a couple of those rams and as far as I can tell it's pretty standard sized mec, its seems to be the same for the RCBS, Pacific and herters and lee.

 

[Uniquedot]

I gave up on press priming arms in 1970 something.

Press priming arms are much improved nowadays. I think all of the manufacturers have gone to those that prime at the very bottom of the stroke, same feel as most progressives offer.

does anyone have any suggestions?

Ram prime from Lyman or Lee.

 

[rcmodel]

I still prefer to dump all 100 in a hand tool feed tray and gofer it to picking each one up by hand and setting them in a press primer arm.

I used primer feed tubes for some time too, and it took longer to load the primers in them then what little time they saved while priming.

rc

 

[Uniquedot]

I still prefer to dump all 100 in a hand tool feed tray and gofer it to picking each one up by hand and setting them in a press primer arm.

I used primer feed tubes for some time too, and it took longer to load the primers in them then what little time they saved while priming.

rc

The thing about Lee's priming systems is that they have the flipper tray built in and there are no tubes to fill. I agree though that nothing offers the same feel as a hand primer.

 

[Americanmade]

thanks for all the info guys i bought a lee hand priming tool and i am loading ror a 300 ultra i am using fed 215's and on other threads was just told to be careful putting alot of primers together at once. The first generation lee says right in the instructions not even to prime with fed 215's. hope it's not to much of an issue.

 

[floydster]

I'm with rc, I have a LNL AP, by the time I screw around loading the primer tubes, I can prime 100 cases with my lee hand primer, no hassles ,no cussing, no probs

 

[fatelk]

I started with an old Herters C press, many years ago. There are a lot of newer, better presses now, but you still can't go wrong with the old Herters; built like a tank and weighs almost as much too.

I totally agree with RC also, in regards to the priming tool. That Lee tool will work so much better and faster than a priming arm. Just be sure to keep a little grease on the wear point between the connecting rod and the handle, and don't put too much pressure on the handle. The handles are made of cheap pot metal and they have a reputation for breaking. I broke several before I gave up on Lee and got an RCBS unit. The Lee should work fine though, if you're careful with it.

 

[res7s]

If that's the older Lee Autoprime, if you break the lever, the new Lee XR priming lever will fit it. http://www.midwayusa.com/product/272339/lee-auto-prime-xr-hand-priming-tool-replacement-lever

You might try calling CH/4D for Herters parts. http://www.ch4d.com/

 

[mgmorden]

If you prefer to press prime then the Lee Ram-Prime toll is dirt cheap ($10 or so - I think I found mine for $6) and it works.

The hand prime tools are faster. I use one of the original Lee ones and it works great, but I will admit that I've been using the Ram-prime more lately simply due to the fact that the hand tool leaves a blister on my finger after extended use. I might look at one of the newer more "ergonomic" ones to see if they do any better.

 

[Uniquedot]

I might look at one of the newer more "ergonomic" ones to see if they do any better.

I'd like to see some reviews on this one as I've been wanting to try it, but i fear it won't offer as good of a feel as the thumb operated versions.

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

I'd like to see some reviews on this one as I've been wanting to try it, but i fear it won't offer as good of a feel as the thumb operated versions.

i use the RCBS version. you squeeze it with your other 4 fingers, not your thumb. it's similar to one of those grip exerciser contraptions. i think the feel is pretty good. i certainly know when to stop squeezing and when i haven't gone far enough.

 

[Uniquedot]

i use the RCBS version. you squeeze it with your other 4 fingers, not your thumb. it's similar to one of those grip exerciser contraptions. i think the feel is pretty good. i certainly know when to stop squeezing and when i haven't gone far enough

I think i read a claim on Lee's site that said the index finger provided the feel when using their four finger version and the ergonomics of the tool certainly looks like it may force the index finger toward the feel, but nothing beats a few good reviews from those that are using them. Is the feel provided by the index finger when using the rcbs version?

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

i hold it like this:

i would say that my index finger is the one doing the "feeling" when i squeeze

 

[fatelk]

I like the RCBS unit myself. It's more of a pain to set up and change shellholders, but it is well made, much more ergonomic, and easy to use. I actually have four of them; found a couple extras at a gun show and bought them just because they were cheap.

 

[rfwobbly]

That's a common issue. If there is one cartridge you load a lot, you can still find Herter's shell holders on Ebay. That's one way around it.

 

[Maj Dad]

Adapters

Somebody used to sell adapters for Herters presses in Shotgun News (I bought one for $14) - you might find one of those here or on ebay. I had most of the Herters shellholders I needed but got a couple new calibers & couldn't find them after Herters closed (and way before ebay).