Tod Hendricks
Gold $$ Contributor
Saw Shiraz at his store in Bellingham about a month ago, he was pretty excited about his new priming tool. After a short discussion he says, "I'll send you one and you give me your opinion, good or bad.
Received the tool a couple days ago, after seating primers in 400 cases of 284 this is what i emailed to Shiraz.
What I liked about it:
Very sensitive, you can literally feel the primer sliding in. Its hard to quantify this, but it is unlike any other seater I have ever used in this regard.
Very consistent feel through the entire stroke. My 21sth Century benchrest primer tool, which is a very well built unit, tends to get mushy at the top of the stroke. Which makes it difficult to determine crush or touch.
Consistent depth, most were within .001". I would guess that if I could measure from the top of the case rim to the bottom of the primer the measurements would all be less than .001".
Bench mounted, obviously frees up your other hand.
Well built with quality metals.
The bevel on top of the brass primer tube is a great modification. You only need to be close to the hole when you drop the primer and it will usually fall right in.
Adjustable handle, I rotated it so it was pointed at me, allowed me to work over the top without handle interference.
Uses off the shelf Redding shell holders.
Speed, for a single feed seater I was able to do 200 cases in 30 minutes without hurrying.
At this point I do not have any negatives or ideas for improvements. I'll let you know if I come up with any.
The Bald Eagle BE 1151
Received the tool a couple days ago, after seating primers in 400 cases of 284 this is what i emailed to Shiraz.
What I liked about it:
Very sensitive, you can literally feel the primer sliding in. Its hard to quantify this, but it is unlike any other seater I have ever used in this regard.
Very consistent feel through the entire stroke. My 21sth Century benchrest primer tool, which is a very well built unit, tends to get mushy at the top of the stroke. Which makes it difficult to determine crush or touch.
Consistent depth, most were within .001". I would guess that if I could measure from the top of the case rim to the bottom of the primer the measurements would all be less than .001".
Bench mounted, obviously frees up your other hand.
Well built with quality metals.
The bevel on top of the brass primer tube is a great modification. You only need to be close to the hole when you drop the primer and it will usually fall right in.
Adjustable handle, I rotated it so it was pointed at me, allowed me to work over the top without handle interference.
Uses off the shelf Redding shell holders.
Speed, for a single feed seater I was able to do 200 cases in 30 minutes without hurrying.
At this point I do not have any negatives or ideas for improvements. I'll let you know if I come up with any.
The Bald Eagle BE 1151
