Hand Primer tool - Recommendations
- Thread starter LIUNA
- Start date
I think I have owned or used them all, I now own a 21st Century and IMO it is by FAR the best I have ever used. Takes about 10 seconds to set primer depth and about 30seconds to change the shell holder. The tools John Perkins makes are very inovative and flawless in there design. He make an adjustable primer pocket uniformed that's very cool. Check out his arbor press with the hyd seating pressure read out. No I'm not on his team nor do I work for him. I am a long range shooter and his tool help you get that last little bit out of your ammo. Check out the21st Century site and take time to check out and read the reviews here on this forum. There is a review on the primer tool. JVON
21st Century. I bought one a few months back and it is a pleasure to use. Feel of seating primer is great and fast to set it up. The quality is top notch
bigedp51
I'll sell you my 18th Century Lee hand priming tool for only twelve payments of $9.95 plus shipping and handling. 
It is made of genuine American pot metal and was made during the gas shortages in the early 1970s and might have come with my Lee loader.
(Adds to its antique collectors value) :
"Warning: The Surgeon General Has Determined That This Priming Tool Causes Carpal Tunnel Syndrome And May Complicate Pregnancy ."
It is made of genuine American pot metal and was made during the gas shortages in the early 1970s and might have come with my Lee loader. (Adds to its antique collectors value) :
"Warning: The Surgeon General Has Determined That This Priming Tool Causes Carpal Tunnel Syndrome And May Complicate Pregnancy ."
Joe Maisto
jam711
I have a Sinclair but will tell you there are better ones for less money. The original K&M tools By Ken Merkle were 1st class.
I do not own a 21st Century primer tool. I do, however, own several other 21st Century tools, and agree with those above that they are really top notch in design and execution. Were I looking for such a tool, I would not hesitate to buy one of them.
I use an RCBS APS hand priming tool and find that it accomplishes this most dreadful task with aplomb. Plus you can load up those strips and don't ever have to put your oily fingerprints on the primer pellet whilst loading it into the seating punch.
I use an RCBS APS hand priming tool and find that it accomplishes this most dreadful task with aplomb. Plus you can load up those strips and don't ever have to put your oily fingerprints on the primer pellet whilst loading it into the seating punch.
AR Shooter
Silver $$ Contributor
Use the newer square Lee (which doesn't work as well as the round one it replaced) and hate it. So sloppily made that am always having to screw with it to make it work smoothly. But is fast and efficient when priming lots of cases.
Please tell me a bit more about the K&M. Is it single primer feed? Does one put one primer into the tool and then prime one case? Would really like something of better quality then the Lee.
Please tell me a bit more about the K&M. Is it single primer feed? Does one put one primer into the tool and then prime one case? Would really like something of better quality then the Lee.
I asked Santa to bring me a 21st Century priming tool for Xmas. My Sinclair works fine but I was tired of the hassle when changing from one case head to another. The 21st is much easier to change from .308 to magnum case heads. I really like the feel and workmanship of the 21st. Also the web site is the easiest to order from of any I have used.
Larry Bartholome
Larry Bartholome
I like my Forester bench tool, but it's a) not a hand tool, and b) won't do some rimmed cases (rim too thick). It's fast and easy, relatively.
I got a Hornady tool to prime my .17 Hornet: Warning! Warning! Danger Will Robinson! Danger! Danger! If you want to detonate a primer while priming, this is the tool to do it with, the fit is so sloppy that this thing mangles 50% or more of the primers put in.
I picked up a 21st Century tool. This thing is sweet. Primes like a dream, it's faster to put each primer in by hand than it is to try and tease one at a time out of the tray on the Hornady tool. A real, quality, piece of work. Took me about 4 minutes to prime 25 cases.
If you want a hand tool, I recommend the 21st Century one, like so many others in this thread.
I got a Hornady tool to prime my .17 Hornet: Warning! Warning! Danger Will Robinson! Danger! Danger! If you want to detonate a primer while priming, this is the tool to do it with, the fit is so sloppy that this thing mangles 50% or more of the primers put in.
I picked up a 21st Century tool. This thing is sweet. Primes like a dream, it's faster to put each primer in by hand than it is to try and tease one at a time out of the tray on the Hornady tool. A real, quality, piece of work. Took me about 4 minutes to prime 25 cases.
If you want a hand tool, I recommend the 21st Century one, like so many others in this thread.
21st is the best out there imho
I don't know what "best" is for other people, but I can tell you what's best for me. For my match rifles I like a seater that will tell me what the primer pocket depth is and what the primer cup height is and then seat all the primers in all the pockets to the same crush, whatever the variables of cup and pocket might be. There is only one seater that does this as far as I know and it is the K&M seater with the dial indicator. It has made a difference in my groups for the better.
For plinking and/or handgun loads I want a seater that can easily handle ANY primer when I dump them on the tray no matter what the shape or size of the box. I require a workable primer flipper. All that lets out both of the Lee units I now have--anyone who wants them can send me a return postage paid box and I'll give them to you even though you have not done any harm to me. I'm just evil like that. I need a seater with superior leverage as after years of dedication and practice, I have worked up my arthritis to the point where the joints of my hands feel like someone is sticking red hot needles in them when I try to use them much in the winter which is when I shoot the handguns.
To fix all that I bought a Lyman EEEZZZEEEE prime hand primer which has GREAT leverage!!!!! The primer reservoir tray is easily loaded even with Federal primers--my favs--it uses the same shellholders my press uses, the flipper works...ok...unfortunately, the tray leaks primers onto the rug and the ram tends to turn the primers sideways in the shellholder because the hole in the center of the shellholder is sloppy or the fitting that is supposed to keep it in place on the seater is too small--maybe both-- I have Lee shellholders-- I ordered some Lyman shellholders to see if that would fix the problem. Just my luck--someone transposed numbers in my zip code when I ordered the Lyman holders and they are off on a world tour of Fedex and USPS offices.
Anyway, Lyman told me they are working on all that (except the world tour) and expect to have a cure for it in a month or two. I really do hope so--the leverage makes seating a LOT easier on my poor ancient joints, so I am willing to wait for the fix............
For plinking and/or handgun loads I want a seater that can easily handle ANY primer when I dump them on the tray no matter what the shape or size of the box. I require a workable primer flipper. All that lets out both of the Lee units I now have--anyone who wants them can send me a return postage paid box and I'll give them to you even though you have not done any harm to me. I'm just evil like that. I need a seater with superior leverage as after years of dedication and practice, I have worked up my arthritis to the point where the joints of my hands feel like someone is sticking red hot needles in them when I try to use them much in the winter which is when I shoot the handguns.
To fix all that I bought a Lyman EEEZZZEEEE prime hand primer which has GREAT leverage!!!!! The primer reservoir tray is easily loaded even with Federal primers--my favs--it uses the same shellholders my press uses, the flipper works...ok...unfortunately, the tray leaks primers onto the rug and the ram tends to turn the primers sideways in the shellholder because the hole in the center of the shellholder is sloppy or the fitting that is supposed to keep it in place on the seater is too small--maybe both-- I have Lee shellholders-- I ordered some Lyman shellholders to see if that would fix the problem. Just my luck--someone transposed numbers in my zip code when I ordered the Lyman holders and they are off on a world tour of Fedex and USPS offices.
Anyway, Lyman told me they are working on all that (except the world tour) and expect to have a cure for it in a month or two. I really do hope so--the leverage makes seating a LOT easier on my poor ancient joints, so I am willing to wait for the fix............
mikecr said:
+1. Love my K&M.
Paul
www.boltfluting.com
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