My primer seating method

[Dusty Stevens]

Enough folks have asked that i decided to do a post about how i seat primers these days. I like to seat my 205m primers to a .004 crush but this will work with any amount of crush. The cup on a 205m is .120 tall to i made a brass blank .120 long. I cut the pockets with my adjustable cutter to exactly .120 deep. I then put the solid slug in the pocket and zero my adjustable priming tool to stop as it hits the slug. I do this with a cps or a 21st century tool according to what im shooting. Then i can dial in the exact crush i want and move it if i want to. Here is a pic of what you need

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Or you can use this

 

[Straightshooter1]

Enough folks have asked that i decided to do a post about how i seat primers these days. I like to seat my 205m primers to a .004 crush but this will work with any amount of crush. The cup on a 205m is .120 tall to i made a brass blank .120 long. I cut the pockets with my adjustable cutter to exactly .120 deep. I then put the solid slug in the pocket and zero my adjustable priming tool to stop as it hits the slug. I do this with a cps or a 21st century tool according to what im shooting. Then i can dial in the exact crush i want and move it if i want to. Here is a pic of what you need
View attachment 1348412

I also like and use this 21st Century tool. I keep my primer pockets uniformed and this tool does a great job at giving me the consistent primer crush that I want.

 

[Beiruty]

Have y'all did a test with this method vs your other extremely low cost method? Did you observe any difference in accuracy or MV SD?

Here is my method

 

[dusterdave173]

I use the Lee as pictured--takes a little getting used to figuring out its small quirks but after 4 months I can say i love it! If you are old and your hands are stiff like mine--it is the one.
You have to fight to get to know the ji9ppy latch system on the trays and you have to keep tweezers handy to unclog it every now and then but I can do several hundred in one sitting
I have come to love the cheap little tool.

 

[NorCalMikie]

Lee Auto Prime. (old style) Has been working for me for YEARS with no issues.
I guard it with my life cause there ain't no more like it.

 

[338 dude]

Frankford arsenal hand primer !

 

[Dusty Stevens]

This is not a post about what priming tool we all use. The point is you have to be able to control the seating depth with an adjustable stop. The frankford arsenal tool does have that capability, but the point is if your pockets are not cut exactly the same you may as well be unjamming a lee tool.

 

[Bc'z]

This is not a post about what priming tool we all use. The point is you have to be able to control the seating depth with an adjustable stop. The frankford arsenal tool does have that capability, but the point is if your pockets are not cut exactly the same you may as well be unjamming a lee tool.

I agree with the primer pockets having to be a uniform depth for consistency in seating, this is why I uniform virgin brass, you'll find a good percentage that will clean up in the corners of the pocket.

 

[SecondsCount]

Good info. Thanks Dusty

 

[jelenko]

This is not a post about what priming tool we all use. The point is you have to be able to control the seating depth with an adjustable stop. The frankford arsenal tool does have that capability, but the point is if your pockets are not cut exactly the same you may as well be unjamming a lee tool.

Dusty - How about the Perfect Hand Priming Tool from Frankford? They say seating depth is click adjustable in 1/1000 increments.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Dusty - How about the Perfect Hand Priming Tool from Frankford? They say seating depth is click adjustable in 1/1000 increments.

Yes that one works for this method. I cant attest to the quality just that it has the adjustable stop needed for this method

 

[Ccrider]

The most interesting thing you said was in the other post if I understood correctly. Primer crush starts before you feel the primer hit the bottom of the pocket. I have always gone pass this point and have seen no effect on es.
Did I misunderstand what you were saying?

 

[Dusty Stevens]

The most interesting thing you said was in the other post if I understood correctly. Primer crush starts before you feel the primer hit the bottom of the pocket. I have always gone pass this point and have seen no effect on es.
Did I misunderstand what you were saying?

No somebody said they seat them til they stop. When you feel the legs touch that is zero. The crush is how far past that you go. I have seen ill effects at less than .004 and more than .009

 

[JFrank]

@Dusty Stevens
I like your idea of using a slug to set the exact depth of the zero , I’m not that clever or talented.
Thx D

 

[Delfuego]

Is this 21st Century too? Do they still sell these?

Or you can use thisView attachment 1348413

 

[Bill Norris]

Have y'all did a test with this method vs your other extremely low cost method? Did you observe any difference in accuracy or MV SD?

Here is my method
View attachment 1348422

I switched over to this one about a year ago. It works well for me and is easier on "old hands" as well.

 

[M-61]

For about 40 years I used a bench mounted C-H primer seater. It wore out and I replaced it with a RCBS bench mounted one. Works fine and I’m incapable of explaining the feel but it’s good

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Is this 21st Century too? Do they still sell these?

Yes

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Dusty, when I was testing this stuff I found that the primers wanted a certain crush past touch based on the original height of the primer. So for these kind of tools to work I had to sort the primers by height and adjust to tool for each height of primer to maintain that crush. Have you seen that, and are you sorting? I have seen some lots of primers vary only .001-.002 but my current lot of 205m primers are .008 from shortest to tallest. As poor as they are I have shot my 2 best targets ever with them. But I went back to seating by feel because Im not sorting primers.