Is a primer arm/feeder a worthy upgrade for a relic turret press?

Absolutely.
If all you care about is smashing primers into primer pockets, then that is the perfect attitude to have. "Seated is seated."


But if you want to feel the anvil touch down, and feel the pellet compress as the cup continues seating, then you need a better tool.
On-press priming does not allow that, on any press that I have ever used.

How it gets there is personal preference only, one is not better than the other.
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Oh, but it is.
Several benchrest shooters have published articles on testing properly seated primers against primers left flush with the case head and primers simply 'smashed' into the primer pocket (a la "seated is seated"), and shown that properly seated primers offer more reliable and more consistent ignition. (Meaning better extreme spreads and lower standard deviations, resulting in less vertical dispersion.)

At one point in time, there was an Accurate Shooter article by Frank Galli, going over methodical testing of primer seating depth and how much "pre-crush" of the priming pellet was ideal. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be up any more. (Perhaps because of his move to Snipers Hide. I don't know.)
His conclusion and what the data showed: It matters if you want the best ammo you can put together.

But if you just want stuff to go bang and have an angry mass of precious metal come out the dangerous end.... Well, there's always "seated is seated".
...Until you over-seat enough to crack the pellet to the point that it falls apart, and won't go off at all when the firing pin strikes the cup. But, hey, seated is seated, right?
 
The Lee hand primer does offer a nice tactile feel for sure, but I like the Frankford Arsenal priming tool better. It’s built better and requires much less effort to use and it feeds primers better than the current Lee setup, in otherwords smoother and more consistent than the funky folding primer tray and funky plastic springy looking thing that lifts the primers from the tray to the chamber. Just my experience after loading thousands of rounds with both tools.
 
I have a Dillon I can feel nothing with while seating a primer. I have another Dillon which is better. I have a RCBS RC which has a great feel. I have a Pacific "C" I prime on top & can tell the instant the primer seats. These presses are all mounted solid. That makes a great difference. I loaded on a Dillon RL1000 mounted to a steel table set in concrete. Even with cases in all stations I could feel the primer seat home.
 
FrankenMauser: It's apparent that primer seating is an emotional issue with you by your chooce ov evocative language as "smashing primers" and "properly seated". As I said, I've never crushed a primer, and who are you to infer my primers are not "properly" seated? As I said before, the method of seating primers is personal choice.
 
You're the one that came looking for an argument.
You got one.
You have an opinion. I am attempting to direct you to investigate fact. (I refuse to spoon-feed people.)

Don't run away now.
The spectators were starting to get entertained.



P.S.: "Smash" and "crush" are not the same word.
 
From long ago,the designed process for loading bottleneck rifle cartridges with a two die set in a single stage press,was to lube the cass,The press was equipt with a primer arm and tube priming process.

The lubed case went into the shellholder,upstroke it was sized and decapped,downstroke it was primed.

So it became sized,primed brass n one opertation. It worked prtty well for reloading. But yes,attention had to be paid to the priming.

For some reloaders who progressed to handloaders,They wanted to use a universal decap die,then clean the brass Before running it into the sizer die.
Now you have sizedmlubed,unprimed brass. Not a bad time to tumble in corncob. Clean,dry sized brass.

Yes.I can relax with my RCBS hand priming tool and just prime brass as its own project. And t is true,I do have better priming control.

Clean,sized primed brass!!

Set up the powder measure and seater die.

Charge .inspect level,and seat.


IMO, the decap /vibratory bowl stage leads to naturally batchng operations.

Which makes a hand priming operation reasonable. FWIW,I prefer the RCBS tool to the Lee
 
Please show me, by quote, from #16, #18, or #20, or #24 where in my posts that I'm looking for an argument. Your post #21 took exception to my statement that seated is seated, and that the method of seating (on or off press- for clarification) is still a matter of personal preference. That is a fact and can't be disapproved until one or the other is mandated (by whom?) for all reloaders.

We will both continue to reload by our own proven procedure to get whatever result each of us is looking for, so there never was, no is, an argument.
 
I happen to like the feel using a hand primer.
Off topic drivel indicates a thread has run its course, pwc. You are arguing when not posting discussion of priming. "You show me . . ." Right there.
 
Marco Califo said:
I happen to like the feel using a hand primer.
Off topic drivel indicates a thread has run its course, pwc. You are arguing when not posting discussion of priming. "You show me . . ." Right there.
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You like your method, I like mine.

Agree, topic should be closed.
 
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