Looking for a recommendation for a hand primer

[9mmepiphany]

I switched to a bench primer when I found that my hand strength allowed a lot of variables over a 600-1k run of cases...sort of important when loading competition ammo for a highly tuned revolver. I started with the Forster...just because it was cool...tried the RCBS, before finally settling on the Lee Auto Bench Prime.

I originally mounted it to a piece of 2x4 for portability. But finally gave in to optimal efficiency by mounting it to a switchable Inline Fabrication plate on the bench.

It is now twice as fast...more if you include loading the tray...and allows seating primers fully (never realize how deep Starline primer pockets were) with little more than finger pressure.

During a breakage, I discovered that it uses the same mechanism as their handprimer... they've upgraded the internals to avoid misfeeds and jams. It was just a change in the flexibility of a plastic piece

 

[rskent]

While that looks the same, they changed a couple of internal things and it doesn't have the leverage of the old one.

Interesting, both of mine and the one listed at Midway and the one on RCBS’s web site all have the same number and all look the same.
I wonder what they changed? Any idea when they made the change? I bought my last one in 2017. Maybe I have been using the “new” one all along.

I have been tempted to try a Lee or RCBS bench primer, that might be the ticket.

I hesitate to mention this, but I have a RCBS bench priming unit. I like it.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012932670?pid=457599

 

[TomJ]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I wound up ordering two, the RCBS Universal for portability such as priming while watching tv and the Lee Auto Bench Prime, which will be mounted in my reloading room. I didn't think the Lee would work for me, but it looks like using it takes a minimal amount of pressure. I'll have the Lee tomorrow and the RCBS later this week.

 

[rskent]

Old Lee hand prime here - when it gets used, still works great.

I generally love Lee stuff. But I have to say, the old Lee hand prime is a thumb busting POS.

 

[Walkalong]

I wonder what they changed?

They used to have two pieces inside, one short full diameter and a push rod to seat the primer.
They made that part one piece.


You can see the larger diameter piece here in my priming tool.


I think the biggest thing is the lever doesn't come as close to the body as it used too.
It finishes priming sooner in the stroke where there is less leverage.

 

[Targa]

K&M
Is about as good as I’ve come across, built like a tank with good leverage and adjustable depth.
Hard to go wrong especially for the $
J

I like the looks of it and it has great reviews but do you find loading one primer at a time vs. having a tray a pain?

 

[Walkalong]

I like the looks of it and it has great reviews but do you find loading one primer at a time vs. having a tray a pain?

It's not bad, just not fast, and I wouldn't want to do 800 9MM etc with one. I like my old RCBS because it has great leverage, is easy on my hand, and fast. Slide a case in, squeeze to prime, let the handle go, tilt the tool over, the case falls out, insert another case, repeat. I don't have to take the case out by hand, really speeds things up.

Match ammo.


Everything else. Just slide case in from the left, squeeze, tilt to the left, it falls out, repeat. Very fast.
Tilting to the left also keeps primers in the chute.


I also have the RCBS strip priming tool with the "universal" shell holder, cool,
works well, but not enough leverage and is hard on my hand.

 

[Targa]

Very nice! I certainly want one that’s easy on the hand. I am getting tired of dropped primers from my Lee Safety Prime and am certainly interested. I primarily load .44 and up, maybe 50-100 rounds per session so the K&M might work for me, also looking at the Franklin Armory.

 

[JFrank]

Easy pezzy watch the fake news and prime up my next great thing

 

[Targa]

Thank you. I really like the size of it, I think I’ll give it a go.

 

[cfullgraf]

When Lee discontinued the original AutoPrime with the round tray, I switched to the RCBS hand priming tool with the universal shell holder. I have both the tray version and the APS strip version. They work well for the most part but there are a few cartridges that are not contained well by the universal shell holder. Brass .410 hulls and 25 ACP comes to mind, maybe one or two others.

I've kept the old Lee priming tools for those.

For large runs of priming for progressive loading, my hands no longer can sustaining priming sessions of 300 or more cartridges. I have an RCBS APS strip bench priming tool.

 

[Old Stumpy]

The bench priming tool has a plastic 'action' that is changed for large or small primers. In my experience, the 'action' will allow more than one primer in the mechanism resulting in a jam that cannot be cleared easily. The folding plastic primer magazine (tray) is far more flimsy than the old style of hard plastic and subject to breakage.

I own the original Lee Auto-Prime with the round trays and straight-in primer feed. These are very reliable and user friendly, but I wanted to replace it and keep it as a spare.
Despite some negative reviews, I bought the New Auto-Prime basic hand tool.
This tool uses the same mechanism as the bench tool.
I had a hunch that some of the problems that users were experiencing might be just trying to go too fast and not watching the primers moving through the transparent plastic mechanism.
Also, it occurred to me that some mechanisms might have flashing inside that caused primers to hang up.
I didn't have any problems with mine however, although I paced myself and kept watch on the primers as they moved through.
The folding trays are less than ideal in my opinion, although they do work. I don't think that they are flimsy, but the folding feature just seems to be an answer in search of a question.
I would prefer an old-style tray that I can just dump a hundred primers in.
I also think that the bench prime is flawed in that it does not allow the user to shake the tray if primers bunch up and cause a hesitation in feeding. You can see it happening in hand tools and quickly clear it, but it might be more difficult when it is attached to the bench.

 

[9mmepiphany]

You just tap the folding hinge to clear hanging primers

 

[Old Stumpy]

I seem to recall that the RCBS trays can be fitted to the Lee New Auto-Prime and Bench-Prime with a little filing.

 

[waldens]

The folding trays are less than ideal in my opinion, although they do work. I don't think that they are flimsy, but the folding feature just seems to be an answer in search of a question.
I would prefer an old-style tray that I can just dump a hundred primers in.
I also think that the bench prime is flawed in that it does not allow the user to shake the tray if primers bunch up and cause a hesitation in feeding. You can see it happening in hand tools and quickly clear it, but it might be more difficult when it is attached to the bench.

As Stumpy said, you can use the Lee Bench Prime with an RCBS Universal hand primer tray. You can load 100 primers much more easily, and if a jam does occur, slide the chute lock a couple of times to clear it. The RCBS tray does require a bit of sanding or filing off the top of the chute to fit the Lee chute opening.

Amazon has the RCBS tray for $7.99.

 

[TomJ]

The Lee primer was delivered yesterday. It works great. I primed 100 pieces of brass in a few minutes. It did fail to feed a primer every once in a while, but lightly tapping the tray takes care of that.

 

[9mmepiphany]

Sounds like a successful resolution to this thread.

Thanks for letting us know how it worked out for you