Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints RCBS APS

I know we're not supposed to use the inline primer feed tubes due to explosion risks. I've use them with my RCBS Jr., Lyman Spar-T and Dillon XL650. I've never been real satisfied with the results from them but really like the result from my original Lee hand priming tool and the Bonanza CO-AX press. The negative is handling them individually and they are SLOW. I use latex gloves but the feel is compromised. I've been using a Lee Auto Prime II but it's finicky and I've ruined way too many primers. So, has anyone used the RCBS APS tools and what are the plus and minus results? How many times can the strips be used before they have to be replaced? Does the hand tool work well?

I've never worn out an APS strip, and have used some a LOT.

The hand tool works very well, and the universal spring-loaded shell-holder feature is handy.

As an aside, it's unnecessary to be as careful of modern primers as you appear to be with your latex gloves. All the modern big-name brands have a plastic, oil-proof covering, so there's no need to be careful about "oil contamination" from your fingertips. Most older handloading instructions talk about it, but if your fingers are reasonably clean (meaning not dripping with 10W-30) there's no danger of creating dud rounds.

Thanks John. How many of each strip do you have? Are all the variations necessary (200, 250, 400, 450 etc)? Have you used the the bench tool and is it worth it or is the hand tool good enough? (Being a technical sort I often obsese over details too much.) This sounds like a good sytem it's just a litle pricy but then if it works well no problem.