RCBS Universal Hand Primer & .45 AR brass
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westernrover
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You want the one with shell holders. Otherwise you have to put the brass in and pull it out. With the shell holders, the primed brass will drop out of the shell holder when you release the pressure. That frees your hand to be putting in the next case.
I have both. The Universal can be used effectively by holding two pieces of brass with your hand. With an unprimed shell in the fingers, use other fingers to pick the brass out of the springs on the primer tool, and then push the unprimed shell in. This is similar to how I process brass on a single-stage press, but the spring-loaded shell holder makes it more difficult to pull the finished case out.
Depending on the primer tray used to feed the tool, they sometimes need to be shaken or knocked to keep primers flowing. Both tools will occasionally push primers in sideways -- maybe 2 out of 100. To avoid crushing primers, you can push the primer up to the shell holder so it is visible, confirm it is oriented correctly, then load the shell before squeezing the last part of the stroke. It's slower at first than just mashing the handle, but with some practice it can be sped up and ultimately it saves time by avoiding sideways primers jammed in the primer pocket and preventing the case from sliding out of the shell holder, which usually calls for crushing the primer more until the case slides out.
Regardless, out of a half-dozen priming tools, the RCBS non-Universal is my favorite.
I have both. The Universal can be used effectively by holding two pieces of brass with your hand. With an unprimed shell in the fingers, use other fingers to pick the brass out of the springs on the primer tool, and then push the unprimed shell in. This is similar to how I process brass on a single-stage press, but the spring-loaded shell holder makes it more difficult to pull the finished case out.
Depending on the primer tray used to feed the tool, they sometimes need to be shaken or knocked to keep primers flowing. Both tools will occasionally push primers in sideways -- maybe 2 out of 100. To avoid crushing primers, you can push the primer up to the shell holder so it is visible, confirm it is oriented correctly, then load the shell before squeezing the last part of the stroke. It's slower at first than just mashing the handle, but with some practice it can be sped up and ultimately it saves time by avoiding sideways primers jammed in the primer pocket and preventing the case from sliding out of the shell holder, which usually calls for crushing the primer more until the case slides out.
Regardless, out of a half-dozen priming tools, the RCBS non-Universal is my favorite.
I have the RCBS universal hand priming tool as well
As a variety of other priming tools.
The universal shell holder does have some issues with some cases. One of which s 45 Colt. If things are a little off, the case will get ejected from the tool instead of seating the primer.
I cannot exactly answer whether a 45 AR case rim will fit in the universal priming tool. But, unless I had a universal shell holder priming tool on hand to try or definite knowledge from other reloaders, I’d do the safe thing and get a priming tool that uses fixed shell holders.
So, in my case where I have a universal case holder priming tool, I’d try it first before investing in more priming tools.
So, if the universal case holder did not work for 45AR, I’d get a priming tool that uses a shell holder.
In my case, that is not a problem. I have bench mounted prining tools that use a shell holder for when I am priming cases for a large reloading run. I do not prime on the press for a variety of reasons.
As a variety of other priming tools.
The universal shell holder does have some issues with some cases. One of which s 45 Colt. If things are a little off, the case will get ejected from the tool instead of seating the primer.
I cannot exactly answer whether a 45 AR case rim will fit in the universal priming tool. But, unless I had a universal shell holder priming tool on hand to try or definite knowledge from other reloaders, I’d do the safe thing and get a priming tool that uses fixed shell holders.
So, in my case where I have a universal case holder priming tool, I’d try it first before investing in more priming tools.
So, if the universal case holder did not work for 45AR, I’d get a priming tool that uses a shell holder.
In my case, that is not a problem. I have bench mounted prining tools that use a shell holder for when I am priming cases for a large reloading run. I do not prime on the press for a variety of reasons.
AJC1
Member
I had the shellholder model and I sold it when I got the universal. I look at every primer before I insert the case. I have smashed a total of 3 primers in sideways when I first got it, not since. The only case I've ever had issues with is 223. If you miss some of the crimp the case pops out and the primer goes flying. I'll say I like it and I have adapted to make it work for me....
Just tried it out on a friend's Universal and NO it does NOT work. The case head is too thick to fit under the "case holders", leaving it seated at an awkward angle. BUT it does work just fine with my Starline Schofield brass.
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