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Current Best Hand Priming Tool

I got a PMA Ball Bearing priming tool last winter.
Works great, but I have nothing to compare it to but a 30 year old Lee, so not much comparison.
 
338 dude said:
Frankford arsenal makes a great hand priming tool the depth is adjustable comes with 10 or 12 shell holders it is all metal and has great ergonomics and a decent price as well
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I have the Frankford Platinum priming tool as well and it is excellent. Top quality for sure. Just wish it had indications on the depth adjustment dial so a person could do different catridges and easily return to the exact settings every time without measuring. For build quality and hand ergonomics it’s as good or better than anything else out there.

The Frankford is far better than 21st century tool in my opinion because the Frankford uses a feed tray. You have to hand load each primer one at a time on the 21st tool which is ridiculously slow. The Frankford also changes out shell holders and plungers much faster and has a finer .001” depth adjustment. Plus the fact that it includes shell holders for every case head in existence and it’s easy to see why it’s not only arguably one of the best tools, but also the best value out there.

I have measured primer depth consistency with the Frankford and it is excellent. Have tried quite a few other tools over the years and wouldn’t own anything else. Just hope they add in some dial indication markings in the future. That would put the Frankford tool over the top for sure.
 
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I've owned or used single feed Sinclair, PMA, and 21st Century units. For tray feeding I've owned RCBS and Lee.

I'd sure like to see 21st Century or PMA build a high quality tray feed unit of their own design. I'd pay good money for that. Love the feel of my PMA. It is without a doubt the best I've used, but single feeding is a hassle for me regardless of brand. I still do it when time permits, but when I'm reloading between relays I end up using my old school Lee Autoprime. Fast and dependable...but bring extra parts for when it breaks. I have a box full.
 
338 dude said:
On this very site in another post the OP had a problem with a Hornady primer seater setting View attachment 1271824 off primers in the tray
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I guess that’s another reason why having depth adjustment on a tool is important. He was probably just smashing the primers in there as hard as he could with that crappy Hornady tool. I really don’t like anything made by Hornady.
 
Kracken McGraw said:
Oh come on guys, we have to appreciate Hornady being in the marketplace!
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It’s good for the masses and getting new people into the sport I suppose. In that price range, I personally feel RCBS and Redding are a better option. Frankford used to be total junk but they are definitely coming around and starting to put out some quality tools in certain areas. I’ve also had the Frankford tumbler for about 7 years and never a single issue with it.

BUT, not the RCBS hand priming tool. That is one piece of RCBS equipment I won’t touch with a ten foot pole! Lol.

I do use 21st Century neck turners, 2nd Gen arbor press, expander mandrel dies, and adjustable depth primer pocket uniforming tool. All excellent quality and probably the best there is on the market for those types of tools. But for a hand primer, I definitely prefer the Frankford Arsenal.
 
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Kind of off topic here, but has anyone else tried the new Frankford universal seating die kit? I picked one up a while back and it is awesome. It may not be precise enough with runout to use for hand loading on a regular basis for some of us, usually around .004” runout, but is an awesome tool for making up dummy rounds on wildcats.

Many times it’s hard to set up reamer specs on a wildcat or improved round when you don’t have dies for it yet. The FA universal seating die works great because you can seat bullets in cases for the majority of calibers out there so you have a good dummy round to take measurements for freebore and neck clearance specs. Has an adjustable seating micrometer and everything. I used to use a mallet to seat bullets and they would be crooked sometimes or I would hammer too far then have to redo it. Now I just pop it in the FA die and out comes a nice straight dummy round at the exact seating depth I want. Measure and send the specs off to JGS for a reamer (or just send some dummy rounds) then use that print to send off for custom dies and it’s a done deal.

E9B14C95-AC58-4BF1-9271-EEB75B7B8227.jpegE6DD44A4-97D6-42C8-A3B9-0781975E73C7.jpeg
 
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Ledd Slinger said:
It’s good for the masses and getting new people into the sport I suppose. In that price range, I personally feel RCBS and Redding are a better option. Frankford used to be total junk but they are definitely coming around and starting to put out some quality tools in certain areas. I’ve also had the Frankford tumbler for about 7 years and never a single issue with it.

BUT, not the RCBS hand priming tool. That is one piece of RCBS equipment I won’t touch with a ten foot pole! Lol.

I do use 21st Century neck turners, 2nd Gen arbor press, expander mandrel dies, and adjustable depth primer pocket uniforming tool. All excellent quality and probably the best there is on the market for those types of tools. But for a hand primer, I definitely prefer the Frankford Arsenal.
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I understand your point on the primer tool. I was just stating let’s not bad mouth anything Hornady, they have done a lot for the shooting industry.
 
Kracken McGraw said:
I understand your point on the primer tool. I was just stating let’s not bad mouth anything Hornady, they have done a lot for the shooting industry.
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Not really badmouthing them. Just my personal opinion that I do not like much of anything they make. I have tried various Hornady tools over the years and found them to be sub par for the level of precision I seek. One Hornady tool I do really like is their comparator set. I use that regularly to measure case headspace and bullet seating depth adjustments made with my dies. So not all bad I guess.
 
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