Priming

[sam700]

I own an RCBS Rock Chucker reloading kit and have always used the hand priming tool that comes with the press. I have often wondered about the primer arm that is attached to the press which primes the case as the shell is brought down from the resizing die.

Is there any advantage to this system over the handprimer? I know there will be less feel, but would it be any faster?

Also, I have recently decided to switch to another brand of primers and have a few cases that I have already primed with the old primers. Would it be an unnecessary risk to decap a live primer in the sizing die in the press?

 

[Jim_M]

Stick with your priming tool. And don't decap live primers.


Jim

 

[sam700]

Thanks, the live primer thing didn't seem like a great Idea, but thought I'd ask

 

[koja48]

Priming using some press attachments "might be" a bit quicker, but you'll be more consistent by hand-priming. I played with the priming feature on my Forster Coax press, and it consistently seats primers at 0.005", however, it is much slower than my hand primer. I detonated a primer while using the priming arm on a Rockchucker many years ago . . . no damage, but it was a real attention-getter (and I discovered just how quickly my Dad could run up 2 flights of stairs). While I have very gently de-primed a very few live primers without any problem (and I DO mean "very few"), I wore both safety glasses and a face shield when doing so . . . I wouldn't recommend doing this on a wholesale basis. I'd go to the range & shoot the ammo up . . . you'll get the brass back & have a bit of practice, too.

 

[dakotasin]

press priming is slower than hand priming. i still press prime on occasion, but only when loading test loads, where 30 cases is the absolute max i'm stuffing.

i deprime live primers whenever i need to. never had trouble w/ it... but, if all you're doing is switching brands, just shoot what you have up and re-prime w/ the new primer - not worth the hassle of depriming and then re-priming, and you still have a live primer on your hands.

 

[Walkalong]

Decapping live primers for reuse is no big deal. I prime with an RCBS hand primer as well. I run my cleaned brass through my Projector with nothing but the sizer. Then I prime with the hand primer and load from there.

 

[SASS#23149]

I"ve deprimed before,and I always take safety precautions.don't just face the press as normal,just in case.
as others said it's easier and safer to just shoot them up.Only a realllllllllly dedicated bench rest shooter would worry about what primer is in his rounds.

and why waste perfecdtly good primers?