Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Best Priming Set-Up?

It's funny you should say that. I haven't tried their system, but was going to suggest trying the Lee Ram Prime. They are kissing cousins.

Like many people here, I have tried a bunch of different priming tools. When my RCBS universal tool broke, I grabbed a Ram Prime and found the simplicity refreshing. It's not the fastest. If you have to prime hundreds of cases in one sitting there are better alternatives, but it is simple and inexpensive. Sometimes, you just need quick and easy. It is also good to have around as a spare, should your primary system break.

Beatz me. I use a Lyman Ideal tool, both the 310 and the pre-war Number 3, a 1970s-80s (I think) Lyman hand priming tool, and a Lee Ram Prime. They all seem to work just fine for the sort of reloading I do.

This is what I've been using for a long long time. Haven't watched the RCBS video, but I dump the # of primers I need into a flipper, get them all anvil side up, cover, flip, & pick them up with the small end of the tube. From start to finish 50 primers *MIGHT* take 3 or 4 minutes if you're lolligagging & clumsy is in the eye of the beholder.

I use an auto-prime at the range. Mine still works & there's a brand new old stock spare that I should probably sell now during the panic frenzy.

RCBS Bench Primer.

I just replaced the thumb lever on my old Lee hand prime. Bought a new style lever from Midway for $2.50. It needs a little filing to fit the toggle but it's great having the old hand prime working again.

WHOOPS, looks like Larry raised the price to $5.50 :

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012828329?pid=272339

Used the Lee hand prime tools for decades. Still have them and not getting rid of them anytime soon. Currently I use and like the RCBS Automatic Priming tool.

I have several RCBS Hand primers. I like them.

It is slower to load and probably more clumsy. Also if you end up with more primers left in the tube than brass to prime it takes some manipulation to get them out without spilling. Once rolling though it is easier and faster,, and I like the way it "feels" when seating the primer.

I couldn’t tell you which is the best. I can tell you that like some of the other guys I have used the same RCBS bench mounted tool for well over 20 years and it never occurs to me to try to find something better. It will be in the estate sale.

It doesn't make a damn bit of difference. I've been running my press mounted RCBS unit for 25 years now, with no trouble

Didn't watch video but the tubes are very easy to load, they hold 100 primers and you can fill the tube in a minute or less. Use a primer tray with the little swirls on it so you can have all primers upright and just press on them with the plastic end of the tube to fill it up.

I

I agree, it's always worked great for me. I couldn't find any info on why they changed it.



I've heard this from many different people.

I asked Lee Precision why they changed from the old, round tray and tool.

The original Auto Prime with the round primer trays was discontinued in October 2010 because the primers being sold in the marketplace were more sensitive than they were in the past. The tool was becoming increasingly unsafe and for customer safety, they decided to rework the tool.

Steve,

That's also what I heard from Lee, but they specified Federals as the primary problem. For a while I avoided using them the old-style Lee tools, but then decided to just go ahead--and have never had a problem. Maybe I'm nuts, but there it is.

On a more general note here, I own several methods for priming, because I can't afford not to when a deadline is looming. Have kept all the "feeding" priming methods for the several presses I primarily use--three of which are turret presses.

But my ultimate back-up is the Lee kit for single-stage presses It includes both small and large primer holders, which slide into the typical press-ram, and a holder for the top of the press, which accommodates any standard shell-holder. It's relatively slow, but if I have shell-holder for the round, I can prime cases. Since I handload so many obscure and "irregular " rounds, it comes in handy. I primarily use it in a separate, cheap Lee single-stage C-press mounted on the bench to the side of my "real" presses, which also works very well for pulling bullets with an RCBS collet tool.

Richard Lee claimed that Federals were a problem in the 1970s. The rumour that circulated years ago concerned Richard Lee's feud with them. The story continued for many years. Lee Precision even put a warning in the instructions for their older, round priming tool.

The 2010 removal was not because of the alleged Federal problem. Having dealt with them for a long time, starting in the late 70s, while in the service, I felt Lee Precision thought it was time for a change. And John Lee had a lot to do with it.

Almost everyone I knew ignored the warnings and used Federals. The old priming tool was very popular with competition shooters. Most of us used it because it was the fastest and the best priming tool at the time.

Your second post refers to the Lee Ram Prime I mentioned earlier. I provided a video for it. As I said earlier, they are inexpensive and work quite well. They just aren't the best if you need to load a few hundred cartridges.

I thought I should include this. We had a discussion some time back about various priming tools. Link here.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...47/let-s-hear-it-for-the-equipment-snobs

RCBS bench is what i have been using for years after using the Lee handheld unit.

It costs about 125 bucks but it is worth it.

I loaded as many Fed 210 and 215 primers with my old style Lee handheld priming tools as all other rifle primers combined, and did it for 30+ years. I think I read somewhere at one time not to use Fed primers with the Lee tool...........

Same here. Primed untold numbers of cases over the years with the old Lee Auto Prime. BS abounds!

I have the older RCBS hand tool and cuss it every time I use it. They fall apart when I change shell holders and won't accept many of the shell holders unless I ruin a couple of drill bits, hogging out the hole at the bottom of the shell holders.

I firmly believe that someone in Oroville years ago found some left over junk parts and stuck together the prototype.

But, it's what I have, and I'm cheap.