hand priming tools.... whats the best?

riverratt · January 19, 2015, 02:21 PM

As the title implies which one of the commercially available hand priming tools do you like?

I ask this because my ergo prime is now fubar and i didn't really like it anyway. I seemed to be spending more time trying to get the next primer to the ram (if that's what's it's called) than I did priming. I also had 1 or 2 primers out of 100 flip on me and prime backwards (no they weren't like that before).

**Unclenick** · January 19, 2015, 02:53 PM

What is the objective? Maximum production rate or maximum precision in rifle loads? The answers wind up being different depending on the objective.

riverratt · January 19, 2015, 03:14 PM

Mainly production, I load a lot of 9mm, .45 acp, and .44 mag. In my rifles small groups are nice but in reality I don't shoot over 350 yards anymore so 4 in groups at 300 will still kill any deer I've seen.

**Unclenick** · January 19, 2015, 03:46 PM

I still have and use an old Lee Auto Prime if I want hand production, so I'm probably a Luddite in that regard. The single-primer units for precision rifle are more what I use. Their main drawback is having to handle each primer separately to get it seated, but they sure do offer the most feel and control.

I expect, though, that you want something with a primer feed tray, and I'm not going to be much help with the current lot of those. A quick perusal of the reviews on Midway doesn't seem to reveal a lot of difference in gold star count. The much smaller number of reviews on Sinclair's site pan the Ergo Prime and suggest the RCBS universal tool has maybe the best feel, but worst price. You need someone who's owned both to come along and tell us how they compare.

hanno · January 19, 2015, 04:07 PM

I've primed many thouands of cases with the RCBS and have been very satisfied with it.

Thinking about one of these though:
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/457...h-priming-tool

TimSr · January 19, 2015, 04:31 PM

I predict you'll get lots of votes for all of them. I ended up with a Hornady. One factor for me was loading odd rounds that I really needed to use my regular press shellholders so Lee was out.

KEYBEAR · January 19, 2015, 11:26 PM

RCBS Automatic Bench Priming Tool . Just one great tool fast easy with a good feel and positive . Best Primer tool I have ever used .

hartcreek · January 20, 2015, 12:21 AM

riverrat

If you had done a search you would have found this thread from a few day ago.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=556956

stubbicatt · January 20, 2015, 09:45 AM

I have had a good experience with the RCBS hand primer with the primer strips. Only fly in the ointment is that you pretty much have to buy the strip loader as well as CCI primers are the only ones that come pre packaged in the strips, and finding them can be a spotty affair.

Bigdog57 · January 20, 2015, 10:26 AM

I have two of the older Lee primer tools, and parts from a third as spares. Good tool. I keep one set up for small primers, the other for large primers. Minimizes mods to change calibers. Swapping in a new shell holder takes three seconds.
Had the older RCBS tool, and hated it. Had to disassemble the whole thing to change primers and calibers. It is now in pieces in the junk drawer.
The newer primer tools do not impress me, Lee or RCBS. No experience with other brands.
The only caliber I cannot prime with this tool is my fat .270WSM cases. Must prime on the press - not my preferred method.

schmellba99 · January 20, 2015, 11:17 AM

RCBS Universal Hand Primer. Will prime any shell from .204 up to at least .45-70 without the need for shell holders. Does both small and large primers, and a great combination of volume with being able to feel the primer going in.

**Unclenick** · January 20, 2015, 11:37 AM

Schmelba99,

That's the one criticized for it's price on the Sinclair site, but it's cheaper than the top single-primer hand tools for rifle, so I don't see that as an obstacle.

How does the universal holder work? Do you have to adjust sliding plates, or does it have plates that come to the case like the universal shell holder on a Forster Co-ax press?

BOOMST1CK · January 20, 2015, 07:31 PM

My only experience is the hornady hand primer. I only use it for .223, everything else is primed on the progressive or single stage. All I can really say is it does it's job, no problems other than hand priming is my least favorite way.

chiefr · January 21, 2015, 12:56 AM

Agree on RCBS and the older round tray LEE.
Do not buy the new Lee primer with the square tray, it is a POS.

Snyper · January 21, 2015, 03:10 AM

Quote:

riverrat

If you had done a search you would have found this thread from a few day ago.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=556956

Did you used to be a Hall Monitor?

I still use my old Lee Auto Prime, but there may be some newer ones that are better, since mine is at least 20 yrs old

mr.snakeman · January 21, 2015, 03:42 AM

I use the RCBS auto primer bench mounted but without the auto prime part (don´t even know where it is!)as I use it to even seat berdan primers in my m39b brass. One thing that I have done is to mount an adjusting bolt and lock nut on the base about an inch from the handle pivot point under the handle so I can make a positive stop on the primer insertion. As I only prime same brand brass at a time, I´ve found that proper adjustment of the stop bolt gives me a very consistent and controllable primer depth insertion regardless of the brand of brass with no fear of ever seating the primers too deeply.

hartcreek · January 21, 2015, 04:59 AM

Snyper....dont you get tired of typeing the same thing over again because someone does not use the search function......let alone all the double threads going in circles?

riverratt · January 21, 2015, 06:24 AM

Hartcreek I understand where you're coming from but for whatever reason my phone won't allow me to use the search function. Every time I try it just brings me back to a full-size version of the main page, so I search down a couple of pages and see if any title looks close. If not I ask. Sorry if I missed a post.

hartcreek · January 21, 2015, 06:31 AM

Maybe a question should be directed at the Mods here then as to correcting the problem because a lot of people use phones and if the rest of the phone users can not use the search function this site will turn into a mess real quick.

Did two searches: One on using this site with a cell phone other with using search function with a cell phone bothe came back with no hits. Also nothing under FAQ.

MILLERTIME · January 21, 2015, 09:24 AM

I have the Lyman hand primer and really like it. It uses regular shell holders and the change over for primer size is quick and easy. It's worth a look.

Snyper · January 22, 2015, 12:32 AM

Quote:

Snyper....dont you get tired of typeing the same thing over again because someone does not use the search function......let alone all the double threads going in circles?

No one is forcing me to type anything I don't want to.

The similar threads get frustrating at times, since comments have a way of spilling over, and making things confusing but that's just how forums work

When it gets to be too much, I find something else to do for a while

schmellba99 · January 22, 2015, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Schmelba99,

That's the one criticized for it's price on the Sinclair site, but it's cheaper than the top single-primer hand tools for rifle, so I don't see that as an obstacle.

How does the universal holder work? Do you have to adjust sliding plates, or does it have plates that come to the case like the universal shell holder on a Forster Co-ax press?

The universal holder is a couple of spring loaded ears that you slide the brass into - they hold down over the rim of a case, or slide into the groove on a rimless. They are concave so that it automatically centers the shell, regardless of caliber, to allow easy seating of the primer. Works absolutely beautifully.

There is a plastic guide that is sized for large or small primers that also holds the primer tray. About 2 minutes and you can switch everything over, including the primer ram. Really simple and easy.

When I get in a groove, I could load 100 rounds in about 10 minutes, including the time required to fill the priming tray up. Granted, your hand will get tired after a while, but that happens anyway.

What i like about it is that it doesn't require shell holders. I had a Lee hand primer, but it didn't implement the same shell holders that come with the die sets - you had to have a completely separate set of shell holders to use with the primer. Not a smart design in my opinion. So the only shell holders I have to worry about are the ones with my dies, an that's easy.

Those that complain about the price probably really dont' take into account the full price of others. It may be a little more expensive, but the simplicity of the tool and the elimination of additional accessories that others require to seat a primer more than offsets a few bucks in cost. To me anyway.

HJ857 · January 23, 2015, 02:23 PM

Nice explanation schmellba99.

Also unlike the Lee tool, I don't think you could ever break the handle on the RCBS tool. It's extremely beefy.

parttime · January 23, 2015, 04:06 PM

I have used "3" different hand primer tools.
The Lee auto prime hand primer with the round tray. Works extremely well and I have never had any problems with it. I do keep the pivot points lubed however.

A Hornady hand primer which I can take it or leave it, not really impressed with it.

And lastly the new Lee Ergo hand primer. I can not wait to bring it to the cabin and shoot it all to h---.

flashhole · January 23, 2015, 06:20 PM

My favorite is the RCBS bench mount priming tool. It looks like a small press. Primers are loaded one at a time. The tactile feel of the primer seating in the case is surprisingly good. They have been discontinued for some time but you can still find them on eBay now and then. They take RCBS type shell holders. A few other manufacturers made a similar tool.

January 19, 2015, 02:21 PM	#1
riverratt Senior Member Join Date: February 21, 2014 Posts: 314	hand priming tools.... whats the best? As the title implies which one of the commercially available hand priming tools do you like? I ask this because my ergo prime is now fubar and i didn't really like it anyway. I seemed to be spending more time trying to get the next primer to the ram (if that's what's it's called) than I did priming. I also had 1 or 2 primers out of 100 flip on me and prime backwards (no they weren't like that before).

January 19, 2015, 02:53 PM	#2
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,742	What is the objective? Maximum production rate or maximum precision in rifle loads? The answers wind up being different depending on the objective. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

January 19, 2015, 03:46 PM	#4
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,742	I still have and use an old Lee Auto Prime if I want hand production, so I'm probably a Luddite in that regard. The single-primer units for precision rifle are more what I use. Their main drawback is having to handle each primer separately to get it seated, but they sure do offer the most feel and control. I expect, though, that you want something with a primer feed tray, and I'm not going to be much help with the current lot of those. A quick perusal of the reviews on Midway doesn't seem to reveal a lot of difference in gold star count. The much smaller number of reviews on Sinclair's site pan the Ergo Prime and suggest the RCBS universal tool has maybe the best feel, but worst price. You need someone who's owned both to come along and tell us how they compare. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle Last edited by Unclenick; January 20, 2015 at 11:32 AM.

January 20, 2015, 11:37 AM	#12
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,742	Schmelba99, That's the one criticized for it's price on the Sinclair site, but it's cheaper than the top single-primer hand tools for rifle, so I don't see that as an obstacle. How does the universal holder work? Do you have to adjust sliding plates, or does it have plates that come to the case like the universal shell holder on a Forster Co-ax press? __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

January 23, 2015, 04:06 PM	#24
parttime Member Join Date: August 25, 2009 Location: Minnesota Posts: 83	I have used "3" different hand primer tools. The Lee auto prime hand primer with the round tray. Works extremely well and I have never had any problems with it. I do keep the pivot points lubed however. A Hornady hand primer which I can take it or leave it, not really impressed with it. And lastly the new Lee Ergo hand primer. I can not wait to bring it to the cabin and shoot it all to h---. __________________ The wants of the many DO NOT outweigh my needs.

January 19, 2015, 03:14 PM	#3
riverratt Senior Member Join Date: February 21, 2014 Posts: 314	Mainly production, I load a lot of 9mm, .45 acp, and .44 mag. In my rifles small groups are nice but in reality I don't shoot over 350 yards anymore so 4 in groups at 300 will still kill any deer I've seen.

January 19, 2015, 04:07 PM	#5
hanno Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2008 Posts: 394	I've primed many thouands of cases with the RCBS and have been very satisfied with it. Thinking about one of these though: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/457...h-priming-tool

January 19, 2015, 04:31 PM	#6
TimSr Senior Member Join Date: March 9, 2013 Location: Rittman, Ohio Posts: 2,074	I predict you'll get lots of votes for all of them. I ended up with a Hornady. One factor for me was loading odd rounds that I really needed to use my regular press shellholders so Lee was out.

January 19, 2015, 11:26 PM	#7
KEYBEAR Senior Member Join Date: January 11, 2012 Location: Indiana Posts: 1,059	RCBS Automatic Bench Priming Tool . Just one great tool fast easy with a good feel and positive . Best Primer tool I have ever used .

January 20, 2015, 12:21 AM	#8
hartcreek Junior member Join Date: April 22, 2014 Location: Washington Posts: 1,549	riverrat If you had done a search you would have found this thread from a few day ago. http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=556956

January 20, 2015, 09:45 AM	#9
stubbicatt Senior Member Join Date: September 15, 2007 Posts: 1,707	I have had a good experience with the RCBS hand primer with the primer strips. Only fly in the ointment is that you pretty much have to buy the strip loader as well as CCI primers are the only ones that come pre packaged in the strips, and finding them can be a spotty affair.

January 20, 2015, 10:26 AM	#10
Bigdog57 Senior Member Join Date: December 2, 2006 Posts: 122	I have two of the older Lee primer tools, and parts from a third as spares. Good tool. I keep one set up for small primers, the other for large primers. Minimizes mods to change calibers. Swapping in a new shell holder takes three seconds. Had the older RCBS tool, and hated it. Had to disassemble the whole thing to change primers and calibers. It is now in pieces in the junk drawer. The newer primer tools do not impress me, Lee or RCBS. No experience with other brands. The only caliber I cannot prime with this tool is my fat .270WSM cases. Must prime on the press - not my preferred method.

January 20, 2015, 11:17 AM	#11
schmellba99 Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2008 Posts: 803	RCBS Universal Hand Primer. Will prime any shell from .204 up to at least .45-70 without the need for shell holders. Does both small and large primers, and a great combination of volume with being able to feel the primer going in.

January 20, 2015, 07:31 PM	#13
BOOMST1CK Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2014 Posts: 117	My only experience is the hornady hand primer. I only use it for .223, everything else is primed on the progressive or single stage. All I can really say is it does it's job, no problems other than hand priming is my least favorite way.

January 21, 2015, 12:56 AM	#14
chiefr Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2010 Location: AR Posts: 1,401	Agree on RCBS and the older round tray LEE. Do not buy the new Lee primer with the square tray, it is a POS.

January 21, 2015, 03:42 AM	#16
mr.snakeman Member Join Date: January 15, 2006 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 20	I use the RCBS auto primer bench mounted but without the auto prime part (don´t even know where it is!)as I use it to even seat berdan primers in my m39b brass. One thing that I have done is to mount an adjusting bolt and lock nut on the base about an inch from the handle pivot point under the handle so I can make a positive stop on the primer insertion. As I only prime same brand brass at a time, I´ve found that proper adjustment of the stop bolt gives me a very consistent and controllable primer depth insertion regardless of the brand of brass with no fear of ever seating the primers too deeply.

January 21, 2015, 04:59 AM	#17
hartcreek Junior member Join Date: April 22, 2014 Location: Washington Posts: 1,549	Snyper....dont you get tired of typeing the same thing over again because someone does not use the search function......let alone all the double threads going in circles?

January 21, 2015, 06:24 AM	#18
riverratt Senior Member Join Date: February 21, 2014 Posts: 314	Hartcreek I understand where you're coming from but for whatever reason my phone won't allow me to use the search function. Every time I try it just brings me back to a full-size version of the main page, so I search down a couple of pages and see if any title looks close. If not I ask. Sorry if I missed a post.

January 21, 2015, 06:31 AM	#19
hartcreek Junior member Join Date: April 22, 2014 Location: Washington Posts: 1,549	Maybe a question should be directed at the Mods here then as to correcting the problem because a lot of people use phones and if the rest of the phone users can not use the search function this site will turn into a mess real quick. Did two searches: One on using this site with a cell phone other with using search function with a cell phone bothe came back with no hits. Also nothing under FAQ.

January 21, 2015, 09:24 AM	#20
MILLERTIME Junior Member Join Date: May 21, 2014 Location: Maine Posts: 4	I have the Lyman hand primer and really like it. It uses regular shell holders and the change over for primer size is quick and easy. It's worth a look.

January 23, 2015, 02:23 PM	#23
HJ857 Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2007 Posts: 448	Nice explanation schmellba99. Also unlike the Lee tool, I don't think you could ever break the handle on the RCBS tool. It's extremely beefy.

January 23, 2015, 06:20 PM	#25
flashhole Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2005 Location: Owego, NY Posts: 2,000	My favorite is the RCBS bench mount priming tool. It looks like a small press. Primers are loaded one at a time. The tactile feel of the primer seating in the case is surprisingly good. They have been discontinued for some time but you can still find them on eBay now and then. They take RCBS type shell holders. A few other manufacturers made a similar tool. __________________ ,,, stupidity comes to some people very easily. 8/22/2017 my wife in a discussion about Liberals. Are you ready for civil war?