Priming Tool Choices

I am humbled by your presence. It is obvious your priming tool selection is the cause of this. I don't know why you keep bringing up powder dispensers. Since you did ask your friend given the choice would he rather use a dispenser accurate to plus or minus .1 grain or plus or minus .02 grains. It is implied that you think I'm stupid for spending my money. Please don't worry I have more.

jugornot: While HD and I disagree on things, its not personal.

You seem to take offense at what I feel was a well done bit of humor.

You are obsessed with .0x, most of us are not and I have yet to see another sources that says it means anything.

Now its fully agreed with no reservations that if that makes you happy that is great. Not enough happiness in this world.

But if you can't take a bit of humor in that regard perhaps its time to just give up on us?
 
I agree with RC on this one, hard to learn anything new or correct your problems if you only talk with people that think like you do. I have learned a crapload on this forum in the last year from these people and have even had my mind changed on certain things. I never gave two thoughts about primer depth seating until UncleNick brought it up one day. There are mauser guys on here and a lot of 30-06 specialists. Pistol guys and WWII rifle guys, I try and learn from everyone whether I agree with everything they post or not
 
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I had a Hornady Hand Prime in the 1980. That was an excellent tool. Had upgraded to the new one and it was a mess - always leaving marks on the primer and seating it more on the one side. Bought a new one and it had done the same. Then changed to the RCBS Universal Hand Prime. Only trouble is that it sometimes miss align the primer. I have now been using the RCBS Hand Prime which is using the shell holder for the past 10 years. Excellent tool!
 
Getting back to the original post topic......

I've tried both the RCBS and Lyman hand priming tools when I researched taking my priming off the bench press and have found that the Lyman has a more solid slot design for where the primer tray slots into the handle and I like the tray better. The ripples in the Lyman tray easily turn over any wrong side up primers with a tap or a little shake.

With that said, until I went to hand priming, I hadn't ever put a primer in backwards or crushed a primer while trying to seat it. You're going to mangle more primers with a hand tool than you would on a press mount.

As to the "feel" of the primer seating properly, in my experience you get more feel from a hand primer than you can in a bench primer simply because of how you apply the seating pressure. I can feel a lot of things when I reload at the bench through the press handle, but the primer seating correctly isn't one of them.

And that is what my experience tells me on the topic of priming tools.

As to "accuracy" and how primers relate to that, my experience and research indicate its more the type and weight of the primer charge setting off the powder thoroughly and evenly.

I use CCI 500 pistol for my pistol loads - haven't had a problem in my pistol or carbine.

I used to use Winchester, but had found that the Winchester primers seemed to foul the brass worse with GSR. CCI 500 primers seemed to leave less residue in the base of the brass - so less to clean out.
 
I bought my 1st press along about 1967. I never used a press for primer seating.

Before I bought my 1st press, I bought the Lee hand primer (the one that had the black screw in shell holders).

I wore the Lee out, and turned the shell holders on a lathe to give me some more years from it.

One day I was looking for it and I couldn't find the damn thing. Turns out Momma thought she would rearrange my stuff. I bought a Forster bench mounted primer seater while I was looking for the Lee. I found the Lee about 2 weeks later.

Been using the Forster bench primer for a while even though it is a pain in the ass to load the tubes.

I bought two RCBS hand primer to go with the others and it works good. The second one went to my SIL and grandson.
 
I agree with RC on this one, hard to learn anything new or correct your problems if you only talk with people that think like you do.

Agree, I tend to stick in the mud, but as I have seen reference to various method and tools, I ponder it and see how it might fit in and some are bought and some not.

Lord knows, my way is not the end all be all right way, it works for me.

I don't make any claims the RCBS universal is more accurate, it just works nicely for all I do and I don't have to change out the shell holders. Seating depth is per Unclenick spec or close. As noted the slide in plastic fitting can break but some reinforcement and its good (probably will put the new one in one of these days, beef it up before I use it and life will be good primer wise)

There may be better equipment out there, I keep an eye on whats suggested and if it seems to suit will buy it (granted the Labardar is up next I think)
 
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