Armory Sponsor
Posted: 2/12/2013 6:33:27 AM EDT
|
what works better the bench mounted or the hand held, I realize the hand held allows more freedom of use but not concerned with that
Looks like it's either a Rcbs automatic priming tool or one of the hand helds as being in stock |
|
I bought the Lee Anniversary kit years ago, so it came with the handheld primer. Never had an issue with it. I don't go for speed with reloading, so my little single stage git'up works fine for me. The only thing I did was wrap some of that tool-box shelf liner bubbly foamy rubbery stuff around the handle to cushion it. I've got dies for 9mm, 45ACP, .38 Spec, and .357 Mag. My .223 dies should be here Thursday from Precision Reloading. This will be my first jump into rifle cartridge reloading. Haven't blown myself up with any of my pistol loads, so I guess I'm doing somewhat ok.  |
| I don't like the idea of squeezing my hand hundreds of times so I haven't tried a handheld priming system. 60 year old well used hands! I've primed on presses with the ram-prime unit and swing arms but the best by far is my RCBS bench mounted Auto-prime. It has just the right leverage and great feel. Still uses pick-up tubes or you can place primers in the cup by hand. If mine breaks today I'll order another today. Don't think it'll ever break and I've used it for many years. Only issue I've ever had is I bought one shell holder with too large a hole and the priming punch didn't align with the primer pocket of the case. The use of standard shellholders could be a negative as I've ended up buying extra shellholders for some calibers. I give the RCBS bench mounted priming tool high praises. |
| if on a progressive i think that priming would be way faster, and as for feel...well once you get in tune with your equipement, you'll feel if it's seated. I give mine a nice firm but steady press. I'm a noob, but i can already tell if one may been too loose so i'll pull and check it (i.e. bang case edge on table see if it drops any or falls out completely) or...if it's tight going it is it just a little more pressure or tight that i need to pull and confirm it got a good decrimp done or not. |
|
Quoted:
Lee handheld here. I've seen people use press priming and can't understand why. Handheld is way faster and I don't have to touch my primers. I really like the primer system on 1050 and these will eventually end up being loaded on there when I can find a W shellplate and I've got enough 6.8 brass to make it worth doing. Now do I make a trip to Grafs or put in a mail order with Midway 
|
|
Quoted:
I don't like the idea of squeezing my hand hundreds of times so I haven't tried a handheld priming system. 60 year old well used hands! I've primed on presses with the ram-prime unit and swing arms but the best by far is my RCBS bench mounted Auto-prime. It has just the right leverage and great feel. Still uses pick-up tubes or you can place primers in the cup by hand. If mine breaks today I'll order another today. Don't think it'll ever break and I've used it for many years. Only issue I've ever had is I bought one shell holder with too large a hole and the priming punch didn't align with the primer pocket of the case. The use of standard shellholders could be a negative as I've ended up buying extra shellholders for some calibers. I give the RCBS bench mounted priming tool high praises. That is a very interesting tool. I don't know why I never looked for something like it. I have been using a Lee handpriming tool for rifle, and need something else. My 54 year old hands are having problems. The cartilage in the base joints of my thumbs is almost gone, and the handprimer hurts so much I put off loading. That RCBS tool looks like the answer to a question I never asked. Thanks for posting it. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
I don't like the idea of squeezing my hand hundreds of times so I haven't tried a handheld priming system. 60 year old well used hands! I've primed on presses with the ram-prime unit and swing arms but the best by far is my RCBS bench mounted Auto-prime. It has just the right leverage and great feel. Still uses pick-up tubes or you can place primers in the cup by hand. If mine breaks today I'll order another today. Don't think it'll ever break and I've used it for many years. Only issue I've ever had is I bought one shell holder with too large a hole and the priming punch didn't align with the primer pocket of the case. The use of standard shellholders could be a negative as I've ended up buying extra shellholders for some calibers. I give the RCBS bench mounted priming tool high praises. That is a very interesting tool. I don't know why I never looked for something like it. I have been using a Lee handpriming tool for rifle, and need something else. My 54 year old hands are having problems. The cartilage in the base joints of my thumbs is almost gone, and the handprimer hurts so much I put off loading. That RCBS tool looks like the answer to a question I never asked. Thanks for posting it. Kind of in the same boat, hands are trashed thats why was looking at the bench tool |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I don't like the idea of squeezing my hand hundreds of times so I haven't tried a handheld priming system. 60 year old well used hands! I've primed on presses with the ram-prime unit and swing arms but the best by far is my RCBS bench mounted Auto-prime. It has just the right leverage and great feel. Still uses pick-up tubes or you can place primers in the cup by hand. If mine breaks today I'll order another today. Don't think it'll ever break and I've used it for many years. Only issue I've ever had is I bought one shell holder with too large a hole and the priming punch didn't align with the primer pocket of the case. The use of standard shellholders could be a negative as I've ended up buying extra shellholders for some calibers. I give the RCBS bench mounted priming tool high praises. That is a very interesting tool. I don't know why I never looked for something like it. I have been using a Lee handpriming tool for rifle, and need something else. My 54 year old hands are having problems. The cartilage in the base joints of my thumbs is almost gone, and the handprimer hurts so much I put off loading. That RCBS tool looks like the answer to a question I never asked. Thanks for posting it. Kind of in the same boat, hands are trashed thats why was looking at the bench tool Getting old ain't for sissies, is it? |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I don't like the idea of squeezing my hand hundreds of times so I haven't tried a handheld priming system. 60 year old well used hands! I've primed on presses with the ram-prime unit and swing arms but the best by far is my RCBS bench mounted Auto-prime. It has just the right leverage and great feel. Still uses pick-up tubes or you can place primers in the cup by hand. If mine breaks today I'll order another today. Don't think it'll ever break and I've used it for many years. Only issue I've ever had is I bought one shell holder with too large a hole and the priming punch didn't align with the primer pocket of the case. The use of standard shellholders could be a negative as I've ended up buying extra shellholders for some calibers. I give the RCBS bench mounted priming tool high praises. That is a very interesting tool. I don't know why I never looked for something like it. I have been using a Lee handpriming tool for rifle, and need something else. My 54 year old hands are having problems. The cartilage in the base joints of my thumbs is almost gone, and the handprimer hurts so much I put off loading. That RCBS tool looks like the answer to a question I never asked. Thanks for posting it. Kind of in the same boat, hands are trashed thats why was looking at the bench tool Getting old ain't for sissies, is it? Think the hands would be in better shape ifthey had been smashed by fewer crab pots 
|
|
Quoted:
Lee handheld here. I've seen people use press priming and can't understand why. Handheld is way faster and I don't have to touch my primers. whats hard to under stand? i crank primed brass out of it faster than loaded, and thats quick. always use a press if you have one available. i use a 650, i have NO problems feeling how well it primes. |
|
Like someone else mentioned, my Lee progressive has a terrible primig system. I gave up on it and hand prime with an RCBS tool.
Speaking of RCS, I had one of the plastic pieces needing replacement and they sent me a whole new set for large and small primers for free. Thats pretty dang good! |
|
Quoted: I have the other version, the RCBS APS Bench Primer and a strip loader, too.Quoted: I don't like the idea of squeezing my hand hundreds of times so I haven't tried a handheld priming system. 60 year old well used hands! I've primed on presses with the ram-prime unit and swing arms but the best by far is my RCBS bench mounted Auto-prime. It has just the right leverage and great feel. Still uses pick-up tubes or you can place primers in the cup by hand. If mine breaks today I'll order another today. Don't think it'll ever break and I've used it for many years. Only issue I've ever had is I bought one shell holder with too large a hole and the priming punch didn't align with the primer pocket of the case. The use of standard shellholders could be a negative as I've ended up buying extra shellholders for some calibers. I give the RCBS bench mounted priming tool high praises. That is a very interesting tool. I don't know why I never looked for something like it. I have been using a Lee handpriming tool for rifle, and need something else. My 54 year old hands are having problems. The cartilage in the base joints of my thumbs is almost gone, and the handprimer hurts so much I put off loading. That RCBS tool looks like the answer to a question I never asked. Thanks for posting it. http://www.midwayusa.com/product/713545/rcbs-aps-bench-priming-tool  |
|
To me, this just looks like a bench-mounted press. It wouldn't qualify as "off-press". Instead of buying one of those, I'd just use my press. BTW, the reviews of this are divided 50:50. Some like it. Others hate it. No one is in the middle.. It also appears that the silver fixture could be mountred on a single stage press. Do they sell an aps attachment for single stage presses? |
|
I have the RCBS hand tool. Much more ergo, therefor comfortable, than the Lee. (Although I think there might be a newer Lee model from what I've used.
I like to hand prime rifle and small batches of pistol, like .44 Mag. Have to admit though, the Dillon 550 does a great job of priming, so my hand primer only gets used as above, for non-bulk loaded rifle and pistol. |
|
Quoted: It's a bench mounted tool and has a different feel than priming on the press does. All bench mounted priming tools will be similar in some fashion. They don't make a APS unit that primes like the old tube feed SS, but they make a unit that attaches to the Top where the dies screw in. I wonder how many of the people who didn't like it took the time to RTFM, 1st? The RCBS Pro 2000 uses APS primer strips, too.To me, this just looks like a bench-mounted press. It wouldn't qualify as "off-press". Instead of buying one of those, I'd just use my press. BTW, the reviews of this are divided 50:50. Some like it. Others hate it. No one is in the middle.. It also appears that the silver fixture could be mountred on a single stage press. Do they sell an aps attachment for single stage presses? |
|
I use my 550B for most priming operations.
When I hand prime, I use a Sinclair tool. It is a well made tool and will last a lifetime. It also has a very nice "feel" when seating the primers. I recently bought a Redding T-7 press but I have not yet used it for priming. |
|
Quoted:
Lee handheld here. I've seen people use press priming and can't understand why. Handheld is way faster and I don't have to touch my primers. Same for me. It's hard to believe, but I've been using the same Lee handheld for going on 35 years now and it still works great. I tried using a press and it just doesn't make any sense to me, hand priming is so much faster and has a better feel to it. |
| Been using the original Lee Auto Prime in the last 35 years (went through 2 in that time). The newest one started to short prime (wore out) so I ordered the new and improved version. Pfffft - they ruined a good hand priming tool. What a waste of money. Figured the reviewers were just having a bad day. Not! Going to try it on a different caliber but guys - I can't say much good about the new Lee. |
|
Quoted:
Been using the original Lee Auto Prime in the last 35 years (went through 2 in that time). The newest one started to short prime (wore out) so I ordered the new and improved version. Pfffft - they ruined a good hand priming tool. What a waste of money. Figured the reviewers were just having a bad day. Not! Going to try it on a different caliber but guys - I can't say much good about the new Lee. Good to know, that's too bad. |
|
Quoted:
Been using the original Lee Auto Prime in the last 35 years (went through 2 in that time). The newest one started to short prime (wore out) so I ordered the new and improved version. Pfffft - they ruined a good hand priming tool. What a waste of money. Figured the reviewers were just having a bad day. Not! Going to try it on a different caliber but guys - I can't say much good about the new Lee. about 12hrs late with that post
|
|
Quoted:
I don't like the idea of squeezing my hand hundreds of times so I haven't tried a handheld priming system. 60 year old well used hands! I've primed on presses with the ram-prime unit and swing arms but the best by far is my RCBS bench mounted Auto-prime. It has just the right leverage and great feel. Still uses pick-up tubes or you can place primers in the cup by hand. If mine breaks today I'll order another today call RCBS customer service. Don't think it'll ever break and I've used it for many years. Only issue I've ever had is I bought one shell holder with too large a hole and the priming punch didn't align with the primer pocket of the case. The use of standard shellholders could be a negative as I've ended up buying extra shellholders for some calibers. I give the RCBS bench mounted priming tool high praises. FIFY Just use RCBS' awesome customer service and get it fixed. I purchased one of these at a yard sale and I love it. Called RCBS for the part number for a missing piece, explained tool was purchased used. Four days later, discussed parts were in the mailbox... for free.
|
|
Lee handheld priming.
Once primed, I use a Dillon 550 progressive press for powder dispensing, bullet seating, and crimping. The Dillon 550 priming system has not proven satisfactory for me with 5.56 ammo. This is partially due to the variances I get from primer pocket swaging of crimped military brass. So to avoid the annoyance and guarantee good primer seating, I have switched to the Lee. The rest of the loading process is exceptionally consistent and fast with the Dillon 550 and W748 ball powder. |
|
Quoted:
Been using the original Lee Auto Prime in the last 35 years (went through 2 in that time). The newest one started to short prime (wore out) so I ordered the new and improved version. Pfffft - they ruined a good hand priming tool. What a waste of money. Figured the reviewers were just having a bad day. Not! Going to try it on a different caliber but guys - I can't say much good about the new Lee. The new model AutoPrime is "improved" due to a personal injury lawsuit, that I think involved Federal primers. I too have been using them for many years, and have not suffered any loss of digits. |
| I've always primed with my press and have never felt the need to 'feel the primer better'. Recently used a hand primer though and it worked much easier than the LEE I bought decades ago. I didn't however like how much the round primer pan jammed at the outlet and had to be shaken. My hands are also trashed from 60+ yrs of abuse but the RCBS hand tool took so little effort that I was most impressed and just bought one of their 'universal' hand primers with the square pan which does not require changing shell holders out and I must say I would highly recommend it to anyone. It works like a dream, even with old arthritic hands. I'm guessing the bench mounted primer tool would work very well also. I still can't buy the 'feeling the primer better' thing though. I can always feel them just fine in my Rock Chucker press and will continue my 35+ yr program of doing it that way when I'm not wanting to clean primer pockets before putting in fresh ones. |
Armory Sponsor