I'm Going Back To Hand Priming

[bayou]

I've used the universal press priming arm in the past, but no longer do so. Hand priming is preferred since it allows me to accurately "feel" the primer being set at the bottom of the primer pocket. No more high primers.

My favorite Lee hand primer is the old version with the screw in shell holder. These things just flat work well, and they are fast. I've got a bag full of them, each with a different shell holder. I use them routinely.

RCBS also made a hand held primer that must be manually fed, too. It's the Posi-Prime, and it, like the Lee works great.

bayou

[daboone]

I bet a bunch of us here grew up priming with the built in ram primer arms, one at a time. It worked just fine and still does. Of course the ram primes and for me the Lee AutoPrime II is still one of the best priming systems. Just to bad Lee drop that from their catalog.
I've used and still have a AutoPrime. 21th Century came out with a basic remake of the Lee AutoPrime and it uses the same shell holders and trays as the AutoPrime. It doesn't work any better than Lee's. Mine sits on the shelf. Personally I just like sitting at my bench and my old hands like press priming better than hand priming.

[larryw]

Loved hand priming but, since the explosion it's strictly
RCBS bench mount, or single stage on press.

[62chevy]

Loved hand priming but, since the explosion it's strictly
RCBS bench mount, or single stage on press.

That has been in the back of my mind plus the new Lee hand primer is getting a lot of negative review so I'm sticking to the safety prime or at least one at a time in to the primer arm.

[mr surveyor]

I use the old style round hand primer for small pistol, but the last couple of years I've used nothing but the hand press and ram prime for large pistol/large rifle. I still have enough dexterity in my fingers to pick up and set the large primers, and I do like the feel of the ram prime.


jd

[Steve]

I am still priming everything with my RCBS bench primer setup. For small runs of 100 or less I use the RCBS Universal Hand Priming Tool. Both give me excellent results.

[Reloader]

I've always primed off press until I recently purchased the Lee Classic Turret press. While I have used the on press primer for me it seems to work out better to size and prime as separate steps.

[mr surveyor]

this all makes me ask what real advantage the turret press has over the single stage breach lock bushing style press. Sounds like a whole lot of folks using turret presses prime "off press" and about the same number "batch process" (size the whole lot, then rotate the plate to expand (and generally powder separately), then seat bullets) as well. Not trying to sidetrack or highjack a thread dedicated to off press priming, but it does seem to apply.


jd

[62chevy]

I do it all at one time, size decap and prime, add powder and flare, seat the bullet then crimp. For rifle I take the case out of the press to add powder.

[Maximumbob54]

You have to do it to appreciate it. Once you add the Safety Prime and the Pro Auto to a auto indexing Classic Turret and get everything dialed in just right then it all falls into place. There is no swapping of dies, you only touch the brass to put it in the shell holder and remove it, and a few strokes of a lever later you have created a completed cartridge. People bash that you have to pull the arm multiple times and it is true but it just works. There is no shell plate rotation to bungle up, priming is positive in a way I wasn't used to on a press, and it's very easy with a steady pace and an economy of motion it's easy to have a 200 or so loaded an hour pace. Now I admit it's easy to double that with a progressive but then you lose the ease of caliber change out, primer tray refilling, and no jamming. The Pro Auto with the disks is near bullet proof in that your powder volume doesn't drift any unless you run the powder too close to empty and the rotating turret really helps refill the cavity in use each time. It's hard to say it's a disadvantage but flat out it will never be as fast as a true progressive. But I swear I use my Classic Turret more than I use my Hornady LNL AP because it's just so much easier. If one wants to prime off the press then I won't argue but I will make the point that the Safety Prime while it can be a bugger to set just right is the best priming on the press I've ever used. On the rare occasion I don't use the turret and use a single stage I still like to prime on the Classic turret.