Are you still using a hand priming tool? WHYYYY??????!!!

This one very slick working rig

21st Century Shooting
S.S. Benchrest Quality Priming Tool (seater)


http://www.21stcenturyshooting.com/Priming_Tool.php
 
stubblejumper said:
I still use a hand primer, and I likely always will. I use the RCBS Universal Priming Tool, which operates very smoothly, and requires no shellholders. Why do I use it? Because it is extremely fast, and I get a much better feel as each primer is seated, than I could ever get with a press mounted or bench mounted tool. I can easily load 300 primers or more at a session with no issue with my hands cramping up or getting tired.
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+1 for me too.
 
Real men don't cry when using the Lee priming tool, we just keep our priming hand in our pocket so people won't notice our right hand is twice as big as our left.

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As you can see below this reloader used his left hand to prime his cases with his Lee priming tool.

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Actually I only use the Lee tool for priming at the range and my main priming tool dates from the 1970s and still going strong.

RCBSPrimer-b_zps7e084f16.jpg
 
I used the Lee hand priming tool for years, & it is faster for priming larger quantities but sometimes use the ram-prime
with a hand press in front of a good western when I have lots of time. I like to resize my smaller cases like .32 long or magnums on it too sometimes.....
It is nice that we have so many ways to enjoy our hobbie!
 
Brutus said:
Myself I try not to point my lee hand priming tool at my own face. Because I want to keep it.
And I choose this hand primer to get instant feedback regarding possibly loose primer pockets.
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X 3

Love my Lee hand primers. I have two, one each for L and S rifle. Tried an RCBS hand primer and hated the feel and ergonomics.

Methinks the OP needs to hit the gym lol ;)
 
I bought one almost 20 years ago, and I have used it to seat many many many thousands of primers with it over the years. However, 20 years ago when I got it nothing bothered me more then having to lift the handle up every time to lower the ram so I could get the case into the shell holder, and again lift it up to remove the case after the primer was seated.

For almost 20 years I have been holding out on sharing this simple fix to automate half of the process, I used a spare key ring that fit over the shell holder, an old spring off those now almost antique folding lawn chairs we grew up around, and a drill and a tap with a machine screw, the picture is pretty self explanatory, when you let go of the handle the spring returns it to the up stroke, I only have to push the handle down to either seat a primer or load the ram from the primer tube...............:cool:


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In 20 more years I might share another trick or two.................but for now, you know how I prime
 
Kevin M. said:
When I first started reloading, I used what almost everybody started off using... a lee hand priming tool. I went through a few brands of hand priming tools over the years, but they always caused my hands to cramp up or get sore when loading anything over 50 primers in a sitting, which is irritating as I like to do a few hundred at a time. I also found that the way the tools are designed always force me to have the whole unit oriented in such a way that I have the cartridge pointing directly at my face when pushing the primer in, otherwise I have trouble applying enough pressure to consistently seat the primers the same.

I have been using this RCBS bench mounted priming tool that I bought used off CGN for over a year now, and I utterly love it. It takes all the strain out of your hands, gives you a much more detailed feel of your primer seating process, and is faster and safer to use than the hand primers in my opinion. Swaps from small to large primers in seconds, and is pretty fast to refill tubes.

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I have never heard many people talk about them before, and I don't know why, but honestly these are the best things since sliced bread when it comes to reloading for me. Makes the whole process faster, more accurate, and more enjoyable. The only thing that is even close is a press mounted priming system, but even then, many of the cheaper systems are much more fussy than this system.

Here's a quick video I just shot of mine in action.


What are your thoughts on bench priming tools? Love them, hate them, or never even heard of them? I'm curious to know what other CGNers opinions are on these wonderful little tools.
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I hope you are wearing safety glasses .
Those RCBS primer tubes can be interesting when a primer goes off inside one .
I have never used a hand primer . My Lee turret press's have the safety prime system & my RCBS single stage has the tubes
 
#1bcshooter said:
I hope you are wearing safety glasses .
Those RCBS primer tubes can be interesting when a primer goes off inside one .
I have never used a hand primer . My Lee turret press's have the safety prime system & my RCBS single stage has the tubes
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I believe that the Forster was intentionally designed to allow the primers to face outwards instead of potentially discharging into the base of an adjacent primer.
 
I have primed literally tens of thousands of various cases with hand priming tools from at least 4 different sources.

I have never had an issue with hands cramping, and while some are handier than others, I prefer a hand primer for the feel I get from them.

At present I have 4 Lees, 2 RCBS units and 2 Hornady units. Actually prefer the latter, but they all work fine.

Never had a primer blow up in any of them, either.

Regards, Dave
 
Never used a bench primer, but my RCBS hand primer works just fine. After seeing the operation of the bench tools in this thread I realize my hand primer is simpler, quicker, and gives me a real feel for primer seating resistance and depth. Not sure how a 16" handle is supposed to give a good 'feel'.....
 
Really can't figure out how the Lee Primer with the tray is hard to use. You can use it with out ever touching a primer which for me and my wet hands is a plus. I use my hands all day at work so probably why I don't find it a strain.
 
CTS said:
So far have been just using the one built into my Forster press. Seems to work pretty good.
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I have an old Bair single stage press, and I also use the built in primer arm, loading the primers one by one. No tube.

I've never had any difficulty "feeling" the primer seat, never had a primer fail to fire because I picked it up with thumb and forefinger.
 
No issues with my hands on the RCBS hand primer here either, I find it seats them very easily, but as a HD mechanic, it's one of the easiest things on my hands on any given day. I could make most anybody wince with a firm handshake, so maybe my opinion on the matter doesn't count for much. The good thing is that there are multiple designs to the equipment available to us, so one can find what works well for them. I wasn't even aware of the bench mounted priming tools, and maybe once arthritis sets into my abused hands, it will be the way of my future.
 
I use a lee hand primer and I've yet to have any issues. Works good and I can prime 100s of brass sitting on the couch watching TV. Also it's easy to feel a loose primer pocket with a hand priming tool vs priming on a machine.

Also, call me crazy but I for one will never feel comfortable using a priming tool that stacks primers in a tube. A fellow on a Facebook page just posted pics of himself in the hospitol after he had a primer filled tube go off while priming. He said it was the first time in 25 years it had happened. Poor fella has severe burns to his face and damage to one of his eyes.

I'll keep handpriming for that reason mostly.
 
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