Priming hand tool
- Thread starter ANDY T
- Start date
WD
I'll trade my Lee hand tool and a box of shell holders for one of your guys Sinclair's... ;D
The 21st Century hand priming tool is the best one out there hands down. I really like the RCBS bench priming tool also. My Dillon 550 press does a great job as well.
I've used the Lee tool for a long, long time then bought a Sinclair, but the 21st Century tool has made me put mine away.....have a Sinclair tool, NIB for sale, lol!
Maybe I shouldn't have said OP was doing something wrong, but it sounds like something is wrong, either his seating method or tool.
An indicated K&M really opens your eyes to what's going on with seating, and the first thing learned is that seating by 'feel' is not consistent.
And you don't have to smash primers until they smash no further. I guarantee this method is not consistent in seating results.
The object here should not be getting primers to go off, but getting them to go off the same.
If you uniform your pocket depths and seat primer to exactly 3thou of crush, every one, they will be struck the same and go off the same.
With this, it takes very little physical effort.
I say what you do beyond that is wrong. Yeah your smashed primers still go off, but they're not seated best.
If you tested primed cases from most any priming tools to measured from a K&M, you would find big variances in the primers actual crush(preload) off the pocket bottoms.
Why?
-Pockets vary in diameter and hardness, and primers vary in height at least. Uniform pocket depth is just one datum, like case head is just one datum. But both the primer height and pocket depth need to be accounted for simultaneously to set crush. This is a set anvil to cup relationship.
From this point, you're reduced to case headspacing(effective) and attributes of pin fall influencing sharpness of striking.
An indicated K&M really opens your eyes to what's going on with seating, and the first thing learned is that seating by 'feel' is not consistent.
And you don't have to smash primers until they smash no further. I guarantee this method is not consistent in seating results.
The object here should not be getting primers to go off, but getting them to go off the same.
If you uniform your pocket depths and seat primer to exactly 3thou of crush, every one, they will be struck the same and go off the same.
With this, it takes very little physical effort.
I say what you do beyond that is wrong. Yeah your smashed primers still go off, but they're not seated best.
If you tested primed cases from most any priming tools to measured from a K&M, you would find big variances in the primers actual crush(preload) off the pocket bottoms.
Why?
-Pockets vary in diameter and hardness, and primers vary in height at least. Uniform pocket depth is just one datum, like case head is just one datum. But both the primer height and pocket depth need to be accounted for simultaneously to set crush. This is a set anvil to cup relationship.
From this point, you're reduced to case headspacing(effective) and attributes of pin fall influencing sharpness of striking.
ANDY T said:
http://www.21stcenturyshooting.com/Priming_Tool_Square.php
Rtheurer said:
No - the one with Lee trays is a different tool.....
I use the Forster tool, and love it, but it WILL NOT do hornet cases (I have a 17 Hornet).
I picked up a Hornady tool, to try and prime Hornet cases, and it's a raging piece of crap, with way too much play to effectively seat small rifle/pistol primers, you have to squeeze and just hope for proper alignment.
I picked up a Hornady tool, to try and prime Hornet cases, and it's a raging piece of crap, with way too much play to effectively seat small rifle/pistol primers, you have to squeeze and just hope for proper alignment.
My Lee hand prime finally broke last night.
I used it for handgun and "blaster" rifle brass but it allways was a POS.
Lee offers the new models at half price as a replacement but i have to send the old one back which is another 6 bucks.
Maybe the rcbs would be a better alternative ?
John H.
I used it for handgun and "blaster" rifle brass but it allways was a POS.
Lee offers the new models at half price as a replacement but i have to send the old one back which is another 6 bucks.
Maybe the rcbs would be a better alternative ?
John H.
http://www.21stcenturyshooting.com/S.S_FQUY.php
Not sure which I like better, this upgrade I did a month ago or my Coax press. I very much enjoy priming now. All have consistent feel and very well made. High quality.
My Lee prime is/was a piece of junk. Primers would feel differently seating, had slop in the handle when priming, handle sticks at bottom of the stroke, etc.......
First time I used and set up the 21st I just laughed at why I had been using the Lee prime. I take every step I can to make the best possible ammo for LR competition so hand priming and single loading the primers is not that big of a deal to me. Just like weighing powder to the single kernel. Just makes me feel I am doing the most I can to help me on the range ;D
Not sure which I like better, this upgrade I did a month ago or my Coax press. I very much enjoy priming now. All have consistent feel and very well made. High quality.
My Lee prime is/was a piece of junk. Primers would feel differently seating, had slop in the handle when priming, handle sticks at bottom of the stroke, etc.......
First time I used and set up the 21st I just laughed at why I had been using the Lee prime. I take every step I can to make the best possible ammo for LR competition so hand priming and single loading the primers is not that big of a deal to me. Just like weighing powder to the single kernel. Just makes me feel I am doing the most I can to help me on the range ;D
DR1586
Gold $$ Contributor
I know I'll get beat on for this, but my favorite of my 3 hand priming tools is my lee. It works 100% of the time, it's lasted 10 years, and its the most comfortable to use. I get good results with it, only problem is it won't accommodate WSM type cartridges. Take my opinion with a grain of salt, but that priming tool has helped load ammo that was won a fair number of medals and trophies.
The BR guys may think I'm crazy, but I think the Lee works just fine for loading ammo.
The BR guys may think I'm crazy, but I think the Lee works just fine for loading ammo.
Duster_360 said:
OK good Cause I have been hearing folks here talk up the product and I have one of 21st Centry Primer tools and think its A POS. I hate it. Actually I like everything about it except the Lee Primer tray that attches to it. That part of it is is a over engineered peiece of crap. The rest of the Tool which is NOT lee is perfect. As should be expected from the rest of his products. The Wolf SRM primers dont feed well on the tray as they are a little more rounded on the edges and want to flip all the time. The feed Mechanism of the Lee tray sucks and a primer gets stuck or feed correctly or gets caught half way into the ram rod chamber or flips upside down along he way and gets seated in backward. I have to tap the side of it with the bras case before inserting it into the tool to make the primer go into the chamber.... Its just bad bad bad.
My old RCBS works like a charm. Never and issue because its simple but effective. KISS
So in fairness I want to reiterate its the Lee Primer tray that sucks. The rest of the tool is fine.
RussT
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