Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles BEST hand priming tool

I've been using my Lee Auto Prime since 1981. It's all I've ever used so I don't know any better. I lost the parts for small primers so I bought a new Lee. I've got the new one rigged for small primers and the old one set up for large. Unless I lose or break something I'm not changing or buying anything else. They work good enough.

Gringo,

It’s the old version round tray. Why I’m tired of messing with it is it WILL NOT fully seat a primer in any caliber! I have to finish seating the primer on my Rock Chucker. I may as well use the RC to start with. I have noticed the LEE shell holders are very sloppy and allows the shells to move up while seating primers. I have 2 or 3 shell holders for the calibers I use it for the most and all are sloppy! PITA!

Basically sums up my frustration!

I’m getting ready to load up a few hundred 223 Rems with 50gr. V-Max bullets for an upcoming prairie outing!

Elk Country

Thanks Elk Country. It's good to have options and seems like folks are happy with several other priming tools. If my old Lee starts to give me problems, I'll look at some of them. Let us know what you go with and how it works out for you.

Grin go,

Will do. Kinda leaning towards the Frankfurt Arsenal tool right now but still checking the others out!

Elk Country

I have worn out those puny RCBS tools with metal fatigue and the handle breaking in two.
Bough a Hornady, took the plastic tray off it and use it in its basic form. This one is clunky and built like a tank but I'll never wear it out. Had it maybe 25 years or a bit more. Just a piece of milled bar stock and the handle slides in an elongated mortise and changing shell holders is a simple clip in and clip out with thumb pressure. Great tool.

The finest hand priming tool available is connected to your torso.

I have looked at the Hornady tool and it is on my short list of possibilities! May run to the local Scheel’s and play with a few before deciding!

I've had both versions of the RCBS and replaced them with the Hornady which I've used for quite a few years. My only issue with the Hornady is that sometimes primers will either tip on there side or completely flip over while feeding from the tray. If you catch it before attempting to seat the primer, it's no big deal but seating a primer tipped on edge is a real bitch getting the case out of the unit. I recently bought a Frankford Arsenal and it's far superior to the others I've used. You could'nt pay me to touch a Hornady again...

I own 4 Lee hand prime tools

All set up for different primer size and different shell holders

They work great

I use the LEE HP Tool for '06 size cases and a Sinclair International for Magnums. The Sinclair has shims that can be removed in order to seat primers fully. Love it.