Need info on Hand held priming tools.

Biermeister · April 08, 2011, 12:51:39 AM

Evening, I busted my Lee Auto priming tool again. Been looking at the new Lee hand priming tool , the RCBS and Hornady versions. Read good and bad reviews on all of them. I'm interested to know which works the best and lasts longer than 500 rds, seats the primers easily and doesnt leave the primers high. All info much appreciated.

Capt. Augustus · April 08, 2011, 07:04:02 AM

I have used a RCBS for years, in fact I have 2 of them. One for large and one for small. I have not had any high primers thus far.

Tascosa Joe · April 08, 2011, 07:17:21 AM

I have the older style RCBS with the inter changeable shell holders. I like it because I can prime 50-70 whereas the universal shell holder does not go that large.

pony express · April 08, 2011, 07:48:06 AM

I've been using a Lee for several years, never had any of those problems with it. Planning on getting another one.(The one I have came to me used, without one of the parts needed for small primers)

hawkeye2 · April 08, 2011, 08:15:28 AM

I use a Lee hand primer and love it. Extremely uniform results and no effort to use. I did polish the ends of the links and use lithium grease on the moving parts which improves the feel considerably. I was just thinking about upgrading to the newer one but but probably won't. The only shortcoming is having to use special shell hoders which are not expensive and the fact that they aren't avaliable for some of the calibers I'm interested in (.50-95/.50-70 for example). I'de be interested in knowing what broke on yours.

Noz · April 08, 2011, 08:49:09 AM

I have broken 2 Lee auto prime tools in the past 10 years. But then I have a grip like a gorilla.
I have tried a couple of others and go back to the Lee. That's what I'm using now.

Ranch 13 · April 08, 2011, 10:20:38 AM

I got tired of the busted thumb levers on the lee and went with the RCBS. I like the universal model for everything with rim diameters 45-70 and under, over that I have the old style RCBS that uses the shell holders, the biggest problem with it is the rod that seats the primer falls out if you turn the thing over to far. But that's not a problem in as much as if you can't find it they will send you more.

I recently bought one of the supposedly "improoved" Lee priming tools, while they did beef up the thumb lever some, that ignorant sytem of lifting the primer out of the tray before it can slide into position under the case is a wonderful way to spread live primers about the reloading room floor...

Dirty Brass · April 08, 2011, 10:27:02 AM

Same here - I've used a Lee Hand Held for years. Did break two handles already, but I see the new replacement ones are much stronger than the white metal die cast ones they originally came with. I've never used any other, so I can't comment on which is better $:-\$

Tequila Jim · April 08, 2011, 10:36:20 AM

It s my understanding that the Lee requires a seperate set of shell holders, while the RCBS " what I use " uses
the regular shell holders. Regards, TJ

kurt250 · April 08, 2011, 12:36:08 PM

i have two rcbs primer tools. each with universal shell holders one set up for large primers and one set up for small primers. i reload everything from 25 cap smokless to 45/100 black powder. the rcbs tools have reprimed hundreds of cartridges and is still going strong. if your reloading a lot of different size brass they are your best bet .kurt250

rickk · April 08, 2011, 02:57:07 PM

I have the old style RCBS priming tool and I don't think it will ever wear out.

A bit of anti-seize on the cam once in a while keeps it running smooth.

Biermeister · April 08, 2011, 04:06:45 PM

Thanks for all the responses. The lever broke on both of the Lee Auto-Primes I have. Both of them were lubed as per the instructions. Everything else is intact. Believe I will get the replacement levers for both and try using them again. I have all of the Lee special shell holders anyway. Use them primarily for .45 Colt and .45 Cowboy Special and .260 Remington. Have a great day!!

rickk · April 08, 2011, 08:21:41 PM

funny thing about Lee...

if it is made of metal, it is good.

if it is made of plastic... admire it's shiny appearance, put it down, and move on.

My opinion... YMMV, etc

I had a Lee Pro-1000 primer feed blow up in my face... sucked.

Dirty Brass · April 08, 2011, 09:45:48 PM

The primer feed system on my Lee Load Master isn't much better - I'd call it "finicky" at best....mainly with small rifle primers though, so i do those by hand...

Cookie · April 09, 2011, 01:28:06 AM

I don't use a hand primer, so I can't comment on any of them.

But, if you're looking to save money, Lee is really pushing their new Auto Prime XR, and will give you a discount if you send in your old Auto-Prime (even a broken one). Don't remember the exact details, but you can contact them and find out.

Quote from: Tequila Jim on April 08, 2011, 10:36:20 AM
It s my understanding that the Lee requires a seperate set of shell holders

True for old Auto-Prime, new Auto-Prime XR uses standard shell holders.

hawkeye2 · April 09, 2011, 11:17:46 AM

I just went to Lee's website to double check and the new hand primer tools still use the same dedicated shell holders the old version uses. I couldn't find any offer to take an old tool in trade there either.

The primer feed on my Load Master works fine and is reliable as long as I keep it full

I had to modify some of the plastic parts with a knife to get it that way though. I don't remember now what I did but it was just trouble till I did it. I haven't had a problem with Lee plastic yet but I tend to go real easy on all my equipment.

I've never had a primer explosion (to date) but I did fit the optional explosion shield to the Load Master and I wear a full face shield whenever I do any operation using primers. One, and not the only, cause of primer explosions is a buildup of dust from the primers. Routine dissassembly of any primer feed system including the tube type on single stage presses will take care ot this problem. Droping a piece of pipe over the primer feed tube will help shield from an explosion there.

rickk · April 09, 2011, 01:01:05 PM

Without picking on a specific type of primer tool, let me throw my 2 cents in on what I now look for after having a primer magazine go boom. By the way, I was lucky as hell that there were only a dozen or so primers still in the primer magazine. There is little doubt that I would be blind now if it had 100 or so in it. I was wearing glasses at the time but there was metal and plastic fragments going every which way, even with only a dozen primers. There was a bit of blood here and there as well.

Thinks I look for...

Manual feed (no magazine) doesn't bother me all that much when doing low volume sessions. My old RCBS priming tool gets hand fed one primer at a time. So does my fully manual Lee Turret press. One primer going off while stuck inside the shell holder and under the case is a fairly well contained incident. I believe there are some brands of priming tools sold now that separate the primer supply from the one being pressed into the case.

Auto feed - A primer feeder that separates the primer being inserted from the rest of the primers is important. Also, a protective tube over the primer supply that directs any blast up or away from "the operator" (aka "me") .

I shy away from plastic as it can shatter and sent many pieces flying. Metal I think is more likely to tear and remain together.

I know there are zillions of people that use priming tools that do not have these features. They have loaded zillions of rounds without incident. And then there are those of us that have had an incident. I am not sure that a zillion primers inserted without incident guarantees that the next one will do the same. And yes, I have had 2 or 3 primers go off in my preferred tools as well. The result was fairly unspectacular. I don't really remember the 2-3 specific incidents. I do remember the incident where the dozen all went off at once. It was around 1988 or so, on a sunny late winter afternoon. I was loading 44 Mag at the time. I believe the cause of the explosion was that the primer under the case turned sideways. Strange how some things aren't easily forgotten.

Abilene · April 09, 2011, 01:36:31 PM

I've primed arouind 45K on my RCBS hand primer. I use the same Lee shell-holders on it that came with the Lee dies I use on my Lee Turret press. My only complaint is, like Ranch 13 says, the ram will fall out if you turn it upside down. Thus far, I've always found it

Fox Creek Kid · April 10, 2011, 01:34:10 AM

For rifle cases it is always best to use a carbide primer pocket uniformer when new. That will solve all your problems. I do not recommend one on pistol cases.

Tequila Jim · April 10, 2011, 10:30:21 AM

What hawkeye2 said about the shell holders on the Lee hand primer , and what Abaline says about using the Lee
shell holders on the RCBS hand primer. As a side note I have had a real problem getting primers to seat deep enough
in 44/40 brass, ended up cutting a piece oh brass rod just a tad longer than the rod in my RCBS hand primer. TJ