What Priming Tool to Buy

[Richard Jones]

Don't forget this fine treatise on primer seating.... That little plug is great for setup.

Primer Seating by Dusty

 

[coldboreshot]

100 at a time is no problem at all.

Exactly! I use a Sinclair "thumb priming" single. It gives the results I expect and I too, do my large batches incrementally.

 

[Shooter13]

I could have written your post. I did the same thing, there was a Primal Rights up for sale here with some accessories a few years back and I did a quick scope sale along with an " I'll Take It ". My arthritic hands thanked me.....

Regards
Rick

I'm sure!! priming last week and the fingers would just "lock" couldn't bend them until I used my other hand!! Getting old is not for the weak, I think it takes more work then when I did work!!

 

[rwj]

I started hand loading for pistol calibers over 20 years ago and bought a Dillon 650 - one of the best equipment decisions I’ve made. It is used to this day both in progressive and single stage modes to assemble rifle caliber cartridges.

Specific to this thread, priming is made fast and easy by the case/primer feeders and the leverage of the long press arm having a roller handle. Yes, seating is by feel…

 

[Webster]

K&M, with a depth gauge attached. So that you know when each primer is seated to the exact same depth

Why is the exact same depth important. The primer pockets are swaged in, not machined. All the primer manufacturers say to seat to the bottom of the pocket. Every pocket is a little different. I seat by feel.

 

[BobT]

Why is the exact same depth important. The primer pockets are swaged in, not machined. All the primer manufacturers say to seat to the bottom of the pocket. Every pocket is a little different. I seat by feel.

I think most serious competition shooters uniform their primer pockets. I will say that in my experience high quality brass is pretty uniform to bein with.

 

[Websurfer]

Why is the exact same depth important. The primer pockets are swaged in, not machined. All the primer manufacturers say to seat to the bottom of the pocket. Every pocket is a little different. I seat by feel.

In short range benchrest group shooting, which is dominated by the 6PPC, many competitors believe that consistent primer seating depth is important to consistency on the targets. The referenced tool allows you to set/measure seating depth for each primer.
Many other competitors in the same game do not consider primer seating depth to be a critical measure.

 

[Websurfer]

I think most serious competition shooters uniform their primer pockets. I will say that in my experience high quality brass is pretty uniform to bein with.

Agreed. Besides utility as an excellent cleaning tool, a primer pocket uniformer keeps primer pockets at a consistent depth. Primer pockets get shallower with firings, not deeper.
If you are a short range benchrest shooter firing 20+ loadings on groups of 6PPC cases, you best be uniforming those primer pockets, unless you want primers poking out the backside.

 

[Konocti's Wigwam]

I currently use a PMA hand primer. I really like the design as it uses a ball bearing at the end of the primer stem, so it's very smooth when you seat the primer in. It will seat all the way to the bottom if you like, but I set mine up close to the face, but below. With a straight edge, I like to just see light between the primer and straight edge. I think it depends on your intended use and/or how much time you want to spend and/or how much money you want to spend. I process 100 at a time, including hand chamfer, primer, powder and seating a bullet. I don't find that unacceptable, but I could see a motorized chamfering tool as saving me time. I bet that would save me time, but as a whole, probably not much...I saw someone mention they can't imagine processing a large amount of brass by hand. 100 is not a lot, but I often do that. I would say 500 is a decent amount to process. I never see myself processing that much again. I can't justify the progressive I used to use, which was less time-consuming to do the priming also, but it was a machine I didn't need sitting around. More of a space problem than it is a cost issue.

 

[ChrisNZ]

I think most serious competition shooters uniform their primer pockets. I will say that in my experience high quality brass is pretty uniform to begin with.

Welll, I thought so too but the box of Lapua PRC brass I got about four months ago had about 10-15% that were clearly shallow in the pockets. Had to uniform them all.

 

[jimmymac]

In short range benchrest group shooting, which is dominated by the 6PPC, many competitors believe that consistent primer seating depth is important to consistency on the targets. The referenced tool allows you to set/measure seating depth for each primer.
Many other competitors in the same game do not consider primer seating depth to be a critical measure.

In short range group shooting almost all primers are seated by feel with a hand tool.

 

[AlNyhus]

In short range group shooting almost all primers are seated by feel with a hand tool.

Morning, Jim. I did a little test with one of the 'click adjustable' primer tools versus the Lee Auto Prime tool that I normally use. When I seated the primers by 'feel' with the Lee, they measured exactly the same as the click style tool.

 

[jimmymac]

Morning, Jim. I did a little test with one of the 'click adjustable' primer tools versus the Lee Auto Prime tool that I normally use. When I seated the primers by 'feel' with the Lee, they measured exactly the same as the click style tool.

I use an old style Lee with the round primer tray and have not had issues. I have a whole box of Lee parts so I can continue as I wear them out. I also have a very nice PMA hand tool, but is a lot slower.

Seating by feel where the primer is bottomed out in the pocket has been fine for my purposes.

 

[AlNyhus]

I use an old style Lee with the round primer tray and have not had issues. I have a whole box of Lee parts so I can continue as I wear them out.

Jim, I'm a self confessed Auto Prime slut.

 

[jimmymac]

Jim, I'm a self confessed Auto Prime slut.

 

[ridgeway]

I've always hand primed and still use the Lee auto prime from time to time that I got in 1990. Got some wear on it, but still works. LR BR rounds, I've always primed with a K&M hand prime. As of late, hand priming sometimes hurts and makes my hands go numb. I decided to try the Derraco unit, identical principle of the primal rights, but way cheaper. Problem with those is, the rim thickness and pocket depth can wreak havoc on LR rounds. As much as I like it and effortless it was, I decided to go back to hand priming due to variation. Sure, they can seat to the nearest thou or better, but if rim varies 2 to 5 thou and pocket depth varies 2 to 5 thou...you can crush primers by 10 thou and never know. Feel the primer bottom by hand and let em rip.

 

[Websurfer]

I re-read an earlier post of mine, and need to clarify:
Most (all?) short range benchrest shooters consider primer seating depth to be very important (critical?). Many have developed their skill using a hand held priming tool to the point that they can seat primers to a consistent depth by feel. Others prefer seeing a number to indicate consistent primer seating depth.
Either way can work equally well.
Some folks like Ford, some folks like Toyota, some like something else…

 

[AlNyhus]

I re-read an earlier post of mine, and need to clarify:
Most (all?) short range benchrest shooters consider primer seating depth to be very important (critical?). Many have developed their skill using a hand held priming tool to the point that they can seat primers to a consistent depth by feel. Others prefer seeing a number to indicate consistent primer seating depth.
Either way can work equally well.
Some folks like Ford, some folks like Toyota, some like something else…

Absolutely!

 

[ridgeway]

I re-read an earlier post of mine, and need to clarify:
Most (all?) short range benchrest shooters consider primer seating depth to be very important (critical?). Many have developed their skill using a hand held priming tool to the point that they can seat primers to a consistent depth by feel. Others prefer seeing a number to indicate consistent primer seating depth.
Either way can work equally well.
Some folks like Ford, some folks like Toyota, some like something else…

I guess if you know what that number needs to be and know what's going on...it will work. Variables in pocket depth, rim thickness and primer dimensions is the problem. If you sort all that out to a number...then you are a numbers person. Haha.

 

[6.5 forever]

I use the rcbs bench prime, but I think the primal rights one is supposed to be the best on the market.

Me too.