Priming Tools

[9mmepiphany]

I have my Hornady L-N-L AP up and running. I'm resizing, depriming and priming the cases (started with 9mm) and sorting them until I develop a load I like. My current goal is to to work through my 30 year brass stash, by tumbling and decapping the cartons of cases in the garage. I only have a few thousand primers, so I'm not priming every case just yet.

I've been looking at hand priming tools...yes, I've tried a few different ones..and had pretty much settled on the RCBS Universal Priming tool. I like the fact that you don't need to use a separate shell holder for each caliber. But it seemed awful expensive compared to other handheld tools. I had dismissed bench mounted priming tools for their lack of portability, however...

I heard about the Forster Co-Ax priming tool, which also doesn't use separate shell holders. The article/thread/review mentioned that they mounted their tool on a block of wood which they could clamp to a bench or take into the house to use while watching TV How leverage is applied seemed better utilized; pressing down looks easier than squeezing

And it isn't that much more expensive than the RCBS

SO the question I put before the collected experience of the forum is:

Does the Co-Ax make priming easier than the RCBS tool?
Is it 25% ($60 vs. $80) better?

 

[murf]

apparently, no one uses the forster tool. i don't. i'm a lee hand priming tool guy. bought the tool and the set of case holders and away i went. that was over 15 years ago.

i don't think any major manufacturer makes a bad hand priming tool these days. so, your choice is easy.

murf

 

[mdi]

My reply may be of no help because I don't use either. But, I have always been impressed by the Forster line of reloading tools, and I'd prolly pick theirs. My preferred method of priming is a Ram Prime, (but again it's of no consequence to you 'cause you're using a LNL AP) and I can't find a hand primer that fits my hand and works without fiddling...

 

[cfullgraf]

I used the original Lee Auto-Prime until Lee discontinued it. To save my last Auto-Prime for special cases, I bought the RCBS Universal hand primer, actually two as I set one for large and one for small primers. I also like the idea of no shell holder required.

I did try the new Lee Auto-Primeand find it a great leap backwards.

I have one or two cases that do not fit the RCBS Universal shell holder well. Brass .410 hulls are one and occasionally, 45 Colt cases will pop out of the priming tool before the primer was seated.

As my hands are getting old and tired and priming hundreds of cases at one time for use on a progressive press (yes, I do not prime on my progressive presses except the Pro2000), I bought an RCBS APS bench mounted priming tool. I mounted the tool to a board that can be clamped to my reloading bench. Hence the tool can be removed when not in needed. The bench primer is easier on my hands for larger priming batches.

I would recommend looking at the design and use of any priming tool, not just price. Most of the priming tools will last near forever so the unit cost per primer seated will be negligible.

 

[Otto]

Amazon has the RCBS Universal for $54.49 shipped.
There's also a $10 RCBS rebate on it as well...so your net cost would be $45.

I'm happy with mine....

 

[rg1]

I have the Forster Co-Ax press and the press priming system is similar to the stand alone Forster tool. I have to say that I don't care for the Forster primer tool on my press as it takes some fiddling with to adjust the jaws for all different case heads plus centering the punch to the primer hole. It isn't difficult to adjust but it just takes time and you have to adjust it every time you switch case head sizes. Since my older hands don't care for squeezing a hand operated priming tool 100's or more at a time, I prefer my RCBS Bench Mounted Automatic priming tool. It has just the right leverage and feel. It does use standard shellholders so you may want to buy extra and use one in a press and the other in the priming tool. It does use pick-up tubes to hold 100 primers at a time and they feed automatically into the priming punch cup. I won't prime on any other system than the RCBS Auto Priming tool.

 

[dickttx]

You bought a press with a very good priming system. It has been thousands and thousands of rounds since I have had ANY problem priming on my LnL AP. And I can feel the primer all the way to the bottom, and with very little effort.
I keep 1k of 45 ACP and 1k of 38 Super in my loading rotation. If I ever wear those out (about 50k of reloads) I will scrap them and break out another 2k. In the meantime I only have to insert a case into the shellholder one time to get a completed round.
I don't know your age but you will probably find that your thumbs will be among the first muscles to go.
I have an old Lee seater with the screw in shell holders, one of the Lee's that I think has been discontinued now, along with the shellholders, and an RCBS benchtop auto prime. Compared to those my LnL and my LCT Auto Prime are far superior for my use.

 

[9mmepiphany]

Thanks to all for the input.

It never occurred to me that experience wit the Co-AX priming tool was that rare. I noticed that Midway was out of stock on them and just thought they must be popular

 

[9mmepiphany]

Amazon has the RCBS Universal for $54.49 shipped.
There's also a $10 RCBS rebate on it as well...so your net cost would be $45.

I'm happy with mine....

I found the tool, but I'm not seeing a rebate; do you have a link?

 

[FROGO207]

I have a pair of the old Lee hand primers as well, one set for large one for small. I love them. I also purchased the CH4D ram prime/primer swage combo kit and love that as well. I use the ram prime for the times that the shell holders in my lee kit are absent and I need to prime some brass (500 S&W, 12 GA brass hulls, etc). Never had a need to try any of the expensive ones but others that have the RCBS tool report they love theirs as well. I personally only know one person with a COAX press and he hand primes with a RCBS tool IIRC. So not much help here either.

 

[MikieG]

I used a Lee for 20 years. Today i have an rcbs. Both work well. I just happen to like the rcbs more.

 

[WestKentucky]

I have used them all...and I settled on an older Lee hand primer. If I had to buy current production it would be rcbs hands down. The forster works well enough at the bench but for versatility I go with a true hand prime. That forster tool is awfully hard to use when your sprawled out in a recliner with a bucket of unprimed brass in your lap and a bucket of primed brass on the floor to the left of the recliner with stacks of primer packs on the end table to the right of the recliner.

 

[TexasDon]

I used the lee hand priming tool for a long time, then my hands started having pain when I squeezed them. So I studied and read a bunch and ended up buying the RCBS bench mount tool with tubes, not the APS one.

I know you said you didn't like that one, but it works great.
I can feel the primer seat or bottom out just fine. It's built well and can be mounted on a board. Uses standard shell holders. Plus you can buy extra tubes and keep the full and ready to use.

I looked at the Forster bench primer, but read some things I did not like. Can't remember what they were now because it's been many years ago now.

They all seem to work ok, just depends on you and your hands.


TxD

 

[JimKirk]

I have a Forster Co-Ax press and do all my priming on it ... I've never had any problems adjusting the simple jaws that are a part of the priming system ... there are three cap screws, three slotted jaws with double ends and a primer pilot ... the ends on the jaws are for thick rim cartridges and the other end is for thin rimmed cartridges ... a person that knows how to reload should know if a cartridge is thick or thin rimmed ...

You would slide the primer pilot up into the hole that the primer ram goes ... set a unprimed case on the pilot and slide the jaws snug but not over tight against the rim ... tighten the cap screws down and you are ready to start priming... takes longer for me to type it out that to actually set the priming system up...

The really great part about the Forster on press primer is that there is a sleeve on the primer ram that will allow the primer to be seated .005" below flush and it will seat each one to that depth unless the primer pocket is out of spec. ...

The Forster Bench Primer works exactly like the press system except that it does not have the sleeved primer ram and does not seat every primer .005" below flush ... I have talked to several Forster Engineers asking them to include the sleeved primer ram on the Bench model ... but it would call for the reengineering of the whole bench model ...

Go down to about mid page of this link and there are photos showing the priming system on the Co-Ax Press ....http://www.forsterproducts.com/store.asp?pid=24822

The bench model adjust the same as the Press system does ... http://www.forsterproducts.com/catalog.asp?prodid=700679

 

[JO JO]

I use the RCBS Universal and like it alot , sometimes It gives me a poor grip on the smaller
case head of 223 they will pop out of the grip fingers but over all I like it a lot

 

[daboone]

I have and use both the Forster and RCBS bench primers. The Forster requires a bit more set up time but once adjusted it's great. The RCBS is easier to setup and fill with primers. With both units the RCBS primer flipper trays are necessary. I cut out a notch in the side of the flipper tray to accommodate filling the Forster "tubes".

The Co-Ax press by far give the most and best feel to seating primers, all be it non automated. But for small batches it's worth it.

 

[therealwormey]

I used the original Lee Auto-Prime until Lee discontinued it. To save my last Auto-Prime for special cases, I bought the RCBS Universal hand primer, actually two as I set one for large and one for small primers. I also like the idea of no shell holder required.

I did try the new Lee Auto-Primeand find it a great leap backwards.

never heard it worded like that but that is about as accurate as you you can get,,, i hated the "new and improved POS" so bad i figured a way to cut off part of the ram use the new handle, connecting rod and ram with my old trays. just takes a dremal or zizwheel. i broke my old handle and had to do something. then i started buying oldies for spares on fleabay

 

[stubbicatt]

For a hand priming tool, the RCBS with the APS strips has become my choice. I have tried others over the years, and find that the RCBS presents the best combination of safety, reliability, and consistency of those I have tried. I have yet to cock a primer, or seat one backwards and would often happen with the older Lee hand primer. I use this tool for my rifle cartridges which I tend to load on a single stage press.

That said, I use the press mounted priming systems for progressive or turret style presses, which I use for pistol ammo.