WHAT'S THE BEST WEAY TO SEAT PRIMERS

[Calgary Bill]

For many years I have been priming with a RCBS tool where I can stack 50 or more primers in a tube and do my priming rather efficiently. A good friend has suggested that I would get better reloads if I used a hand priming tool such as that made by Sinclair, and probably others.
One concern I have is that the hand tool is slow.
I would appreciate your comments. I do a lot of ground squirrel shooting and reload a 1000-2000 rounds each year around this time.
Bill

 

[STS]

20 pages minimum.

 

[6MMsteve]

don't change

 

[LVLAaron]

Stick with what you have... unless you wanted to move up to something like a dillon

 

[M-61]

And ‘your good friend’ has determined this how?

 

[ARW]

I have a 21st Century priming tool and I doubt you could go any better, but I don't load anywhere near the amount of rounds that you do.

 

[snert]

So he wants you to switch to a slower method and you load 2000 at a time? Im glad he is not my best friend.

stick to what you are doing. Squirrels will never notice, nor will you.

 

[Bill Norris]

Agree. Stick with your method. Bottom the primer out in the pocket and rip them ground squirrels.

 

[6bra1k]

For many years I have been priming with a RCBS tool where I can stack 50 or more primers in a tube and do my priming rather efficiently. A good friend has suggested that I would get better reloads if I used a hand priming tool such as that made by Sinclair, and probably others.
One concern I have is that the hand tool is slow.
I would appreciate your comments. I do a lot of ground squirrel shooting and reload a 1000-2000 rounds each year around this time.
Bill

if it is working for you , dont change.
the goal is uniform primer pocket depth, seated to the bottom and a small crush (.002) in place.
i use dillon 550 presses for some ammo and hand load single rounds for most match ammo. my p-dog ammo was done on a 550. powder that measures well in a dillon is the limiting factor.

 

[wkdickinson]

I have been using the Lee hand primers for 25 years, they work great, easy to feel when you "bottom out" the primer. I personally feel "bottoming out" the primer is the "right way" to seat a primer. I recently bought and started using a Lee Bench Priming Tool and love it. Great feel, fast and much easier on old hands, but it does have some primer feeding issues.

Anyway, I would stay using the tool that works for you! If you are, or aspire to be at the top of the game, where matches are won by "X" count, then maybe those extremely accurate tool will make a difference, at least in your mind.

 

[Dgd6mm]

I just received my RCBS benchtop priming tool today. I didn't buy it for speed at all, I bought it to make it easier on my arthritic hands. If you have a good tool you like and it gets the job done for you, then stick with it. On another note, if you wanted to show off to your buddy you could buy a Primal Rights tool.

 

[Devin Wiggett]

I use the same rcbs tool to seat the primers a little high, then set them to depth with a 21 st century hand tool, very accurate and much faster than doing it completely by hand.

 

[K22]

As long as you are properly seating the primers with your current system, I don't believe you'll achieve any "better" reloads by changing to a hand primer if "better" means more accurate.

I've used the Sinclair hand primer for many years now because I like to seat my primers by feel and I like its reliability. It's an expensive but well-made tool which will last a lifetime. The reason I switched was because my RCBS primer tube / arm system would occasionally flip a primer the wrong way or not center the primer and I got tired of the malfunctioning RCBS system. However, I did not notice any accuracy improvement in my loads by hand priming.

But I'm retired and I have plenty of time so speed in not an issue with me.

 

[AckleymanII]

I have extra OLD Lee hand priming tool with the large and small primer tray. I sit in the living room with a large towel across my lap, and prime while watching TV. $45 plus postage

 

[ebb]

A little less than flush. Not 20 pages 5 words

 

[59FLH]

The absolute best way to seat primers I have found is to push on the base of the cup.

 

[bozo699]

For many years I have been priming with a RCBS tool where I can stack 50 or more primers in a tube and do my priming rather efficiently. A good friend has suggested that I would get better reloads if I used a hand priming tool such as that made by Sinclair, and probably others.
One concern I have is that the hand tool is slow.
I would appreciate your comments. I do a lot of ground squirrel shooting and reload a 1000-2000 rounds each year around this time.
Bill

If you have been loading for 50 years with the same rcbs tool I’m guessing your 70 plus , I have the best of the best benchrest hand priming tools!…. I’m only 58 and have horrible arthritis on a good day it’s a pain to do a couple hundred on a bad day 50 is too much!…. I’m going Primal Rights but if your happy with your rcbs I would stick with it I doubt any bench model will seat any faster that what you have including the ridiculously priced Primal Rights
Wayne

P.S happy rockchuck hunting

 

[GLO123]

And ‘your good friend’ has determined this how?

Exactly my question. How on earth is a hand primer going to be a better reload than a bench primer system? Honest question here, what makes his hand primer a better reload?

 

[Bill K]

There are numerous primer tools and methods to seat them into a case. Your RCBS is one of the top best one's, so just stick with it. Seating a primer is not rocket science, and who can say a hand primer is the best way ? They all work. It is the brand of primer, like the powder, bullet, etc. used that YOUR rifle likes best for a accuracte load, which is the important part.

 

[Drop Port]

With a tune up your tool is as good as it gets. If you haven't already cleaned up and polish the cam lobe surface and primer push rods it will give you even better feel.