hand primer

[plugger01]

Why do so many people hand prime with all the safe stuff out there? I'm new to this but I've been around awhile. I'm looking at every hand primer being offered. I think I trust a good feel rather then a procedure. Any thoughts on this would be welcomed. I posted the question here as I sense you guys are at a high level and I only know what I see on TV and what my wife tells me. Some of you may think I post to get a count, and that may be true, but I would like to know also. Thanks

The adverb is the poor tool of a weak mind and I appolgize for it's use here.

 

[debubba]

I have an r c b s hand prime tool and I really like it. I still use the priming tube on my press from time to time also.

 

[geordiesniper]

I first started with the Lee hand priming tool many many years ago now and it did the job very well and was very cheap and used it for 10 years or so.
Once I got into benchrest/f class I wanted something 'better' and bought the Sinclair hand tool. Very nicely made and is adjustable for seating primer depth so a nice but expensive tool. It only feeds one primer at a time but as I am not in a rush it serves me well.
I have never used a priming tool fitted as part of press as I much prefer a hand tool as I think it gives you a better 'feel' of the primer going in. Just my thoughts!

 

[markm87]

I wanted something 'better' and bought the Sinclair hand tool. Very nicely made and is adjustable for seating primer depth so a nice but expensive tool. It only feeds one primer at a time but as I am not in a rush it serves me well.

Sinclairs instructions suck with their tool. I had to go online and look at youtube videos.

I had no idea you spun each case down in the holder to prime the brass... I though it was meant to run like any other shell holder where the setting was fixed.

Thank God for youtube.

 

[amlevin]

Why do so many people hand prime with all the safe stuff out there?

Because I can do it while watching TV. I'll sit with the wife watching the evening news or whatever, and prime a couple hundred cases at a time. Kind of tough to do with my press as it's upstairs in my "loading room".

 

[floydj]

I have only recently started using the hand primer tool from Lee, although I don't think it's a particularly well made tool, you can feel when you have it seated better than you can on a press. It's nice to be able to prime cases wherever you want, and I think it's a little faster too.

-Floyd

 

[MVW]

A few posts ago this topic came up and there was a lot of discussion about the 21st Century being good. Does the K&M with the dial indicator get you anywhere beyond what the others do?

 

[BoydAllen]

If I really thought that the K&M with the dial indicator would give an accuracy advantage, I would use one...I don't, and I have never seen one being used at a short range benchrest match. This is not to say that K&M does not make good equipment, they do. Currently, I am using a 21st Century stainless, and it is the best that I have ever seen, a piece of functional art. Of course, out of fairness I should also point out that they all work.

The reason that I don't use a magazine type is that I find them inconvenient to pack in my range loading kit. During transport, primers can wander around and end up where you don't want them. I prefer to keep them in their boxes, removing as many at a time as I need for a particular batch of ammunition. The difference in time is no trouble for me.

 

[SS427]

I bought a used Sinclair model from an Internet friend for $65. Great deal and knowing what I know now would be willing to plunk down the $120 they cost new.

The earlier post about the directions being less than ideal is true, although I wouldn't say they suck. Took me a while to figure out how it all worked, and what the shims were for. I assumed at first, because of course I didn't read all the directions, the shims determined seating depth of the primer, but that isn't the case at all. The guy that I bought it from had it set up perfectly so I think I avoided a little flustration.

I'd say the 21st Century model has a slight design advantage because of how easy it is to adjust the seating depth of the primer, although I'd rather see .001 increments instead of .0025. From what I can tell with my Sinclair model there is no adjustment needed once set, so the design advantage might be a mote point.

Does it create more accurate ammo over the RCBS model I have? Time will tell but I kind of doubt it. It sure is a pleasure working with such a precise tool though, and that alone is worth the price to me. The RCBS is very clunky now in comparison.

 

[johara1]

I never felt the need to use any adj. other than feel it touch bottom. If you use wolf primers hit the bottom and smash them. Is anything out there better than the cheap K&M i don't see it, but if all the extra stuff makes you happy go for it........jim

 

[plugger01]

Now that was good, I got a list of items to check, thanks.

 

[Leaddog]

I recently retired my Lee Autoprime. After many years of use, it was getting loose and worn. I bought the Sinclair unit and am very happy with it. At first, I thought the one at a time priming would be a pain, but it is not. I definitely like the 'feel' of seating primers with this unit. Seating depth is easy to adjust, but you must take the unit apart to adjust the rod. No shims in the new units.

Yes, the tray primer tools are faster, but now I don't have to worry about igniting a bunch of primers and I have better seating control than before. I load for a F T/R rifle so I am not doing the high volume reloading like some of the gas gun guys do.