Priming Question

[Whopper Stopper]

I have a question about priming tools. I have done some reading on the importance of primer seating regarding accuracy. The consensus was that a person should seat primers with the same pounds of seating force to get the most accurate cartridges. My question is who makes a priming tool that measures force? Also reading the boards it seems that the old lee throw away (Auto Prime) tool probably has primed more cases then any other, why are these so good? My problem with these tools is I use Fed. 210 match primers and they say don't use Fed. with the auto prime tool. I have a RCBS hand tool and have used it for a few years. I am just trying to better my process. I am just wondering what you people use.

WS

 

[NYLES]

I have an RCBS kinda new I bought 2 years ago(newer than the one I had anyway.

But I dont see where seating force is an issue.....if its all the way up its all the way up! it can only go so far. Squared pockets and deburred flash holes would seem to be more important.

I may be wrong.....if so, someone help us out here!

 

[Big_Tex22]

Fill me in, why not use the federal 210's with the Lee Auto prime?

And, whats the best tool to square primer pockets?

 

[Chawlston]

[ QUOTE ]
I have a question about priming tools. I have done some reading on the importance of primer seating regarding accuracy. The consensus was that a person should seat primers with the same pounds of seating force to get the most accurate cartridges. My question is who makes a priming tool that measures force? Also reading the boards it seems that the old lee throw away (Auto Prime) tool probably has primed more cases then any other, why are these so good? My problem with these tools is I use Fed. 210 match primers and they say don't use Fed. with the auto prime tool. I have a RCBS hand tool and have used it for a few years. I am just trying to better my process. I am just wondering what you people use.

WS

[/ QUOTE ]

DOn't confuse seating primers using the feel method to seating them with equal force. The feel method is the feel at the bottom of the primer pocket with the primer fully inserted.

James

 

[NYLES]

Chawlston,

Im really confused now!...Explain more please!

 

[CatShooter]

[ QUOTE ]
Chawlston, I'm really confused now!...Explain more please!

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll give it a try.

"The feel method is the feel at the bottom of the primer pocket with the primer fully inserted."

It means that you push the primer into the case until it doesn't go anymore, and you haven't crushed it (hard to do).

Don't let that anal compulsive stuff ruin your loading.

.

 

[Chawlston]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Chawlston, I'm really confused now!...Explain more please!

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll give it a try.

"The feel method is the feel at the bottom of the primer pocket with the primer fully inserted."

It means that you push the primer into the case until it doesn't go anymore, and you haven't crushed it (hard to do).

Don't let that anal compulsive stuff ruin your loading.

.

[/ QUOTE ]

Bingo! Give that man a stuffed monkey.

James

 

[AJ Peacock]

[ QUOTE ]
Fill me in, why not use the federal 210's with the Lee Auto prime?


[/ QUOTE ]

In my experience, federal primers are softer than winchester. Winchester are softer than CCI. I believe that the Federals are a little more apt to 'prematurely ignite' if handled 'roughly'. I know that guns that won't set off Winchester or CCI due to light primer strikes can be used with Federal primers because they are softer/thinner. My guess is that its a safety issue with the hand primer tools, where your face is so near the primer tray. I believe one of the primer manufacturers recommends a small number of primers be placed in the tray when using a hand primer (to lessen the chance of injury if/when a chain fire occurs). They also recommend safety glasses (a good precaution that could save your sight during the few minutes you use these tools).

I've witnessed a chain fire of more than 100 small pistol magnum primers in a Dillon press. The Dillon contained the explosion, I'd hate to see a chain fire in a plastic hand held device.

BTW, when I'm not using my Dillon progressive, I use a Lee handheld priming tool, I try to only dump a few primers (10-20) at a time. I use Remington and CCI primers mostly for my rifles. I use Winchester primers in all my Cowboy Action competition loads.

I've tried the federals and they are so soft that I end up bending them in my progressive, so I don't use them.

Hope this didn't ramble too much (drove more than 600 miles + worked today and I'm a little tired).


Don

 

[Desert Fox]

Use the Lee Prime exclusively for my rifle reloadings. It so cheap that I bought two. I set one up for large primer and another for the small primer. Used all types of primer and most were the Federal Match kind and never have any problem or mishap, at least not yet /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif.

 

[Whopper Stopper]

Thanks for all the responses!

 

[drenge]

This is directly from Lee's website:

Primer Brand Warning

"We recommend only Winchester and CCI primers be used in the Auto Prime because Federal and Remington primers pose a potential danger to the operator. In testing, we found that the latter two brands of primers almost always chain detonated if the primer being seated was accidentally set off. A primer going off near your hand can be compared to an M-80 firecracker.

When a full tray of primers explode, it does so with enough force to cause injury to the operator and anyone else standing within a ten foot radius.

The older Improved priming tool and our current production Ram-Prime only accept one primer at a time, so this hazard did not apply.

We take no position as to the quality of primers and mention this only because of the increased danger of chain detonation with some brands only."

 

[Forester]

I have used the RCBS handheld priming tool, the Lee handheld tool, the Forster bench mounted tool, and the RCBS bench mounted tool. In my opinion the bench mounted RCBS is tops of all, with the Lee hand tool a near second.

Seating based on feel will give the best results, I use a RCBS primer pocket uniformer mounted to their case prep center to clean/square up the primer pockets.

I have put tens of thousands of primers through the Lee hand tool. For the life of me I can not figure out how a person could pay so little attention to what they are doing while reloading to end up setting a primer of in one of these things, regardless of brand.