Hand Primer tool

[Bitman]

Has anyone used the RCBS Universal hand primer?
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... hasJS=true
How well does it work with the 204 hull?
Does anyone have a recommendation for a primer tool?
I bought the Sinclair, but that seems way to complicated and slow.
Thanks, Dave

[jo191145]

I use the Lee. It puts the primers in the hole all the way to the bottom and thats good enough for me.

[varmitslayer]

I've been using it on my 204's it works great as far as I'm concerned

[futuretrades]

i am also using the rcbs universal hand priming tool. absolutely wonderful. use it on 204, 223, 270, 38 special, 357 magnum, and never have to worry about changing a shell holder. seats primers as good as anything else i have seen or used.
BUY IT, you will be glad you did!

[acloco]

I lucked into two of them. Leave one set up for small primers and the other for large.

I have not tried a Lee yet, but would like to.

[ken sage]

Dave,

Been using the Lee auto prime for along time.

A couple of months ago I broke the handle on my auto prime that was over 10 years old. I called Lee and expected to pay for the replacement handle due to it's age. They sent me a
new handle that day at no cost. Ken

On sale at Midway.


http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?p ... ber=807875

[cynergyguy]

I bought 2 of them one for small and one for large so I didn't have to change back and forth. I think you will not be dissappointed it is a great tool!

[Rick in Oregon]

Bitman: I've got to deviate from the crowd here on this one. I've used both the RCBS and the Lee (actually wore out two Lee's over the years), then got the Sinclair. True, it's a tad slower than the units with the primer pan mounted on them, but in precision handloading, speed is not the issue, it's precision.

If you have the Sinclair now, you've got the best primer seating device on the planet. Why downgrade to a lesser unit? Once you get used to the Sinclair, you'll be pleased at the relative ease and speed you will attain, and the precision can not be matched by the cheaper units. All precision machined stainless steel compared to pot metal and plastic??? No comparison. Use it for a while, and you'll see what I mean.

[Bitman]

Rick,
I can't seem to get the Sinclair adjusted properly. Or do you have to tighten and loosen the head, a small amount, everytime you place a hull in it.? I tried all the different shim arrangements.
How do you place those small primers in the tool, without dropping them all over the place? Twezzers?
It's a really nice tool, just seems more trouble than it's worth. But I'm open for any suggestions.

[Rick in Oregon]

BM: The best way is probably what I did when I first got mine....called Sinclairs and had them verbally walk me though it. Barring a phone call, I'll try to explain it for you:

Assuming you're right handed, have the primers all cup up in your primer tray. Hold the tool in your left hand adjusted to have the primer punch protrude up from the base about .005" when the head is screwed down. (This is what the shims are for....you can also vary the punch exposure with the threaded rod inside the tool with the orange Loctite showing).

Unscrew the knurled head one to 1-1/2 turns, place the primer in the tool cup up, place the case in the head, screw the head down with your right hand until snug, then press in the primer with your left thumb while holding the tool. Unscrew the head one turn, remove case.

Measure the primer depth with a dial or digital caliper to ensure the face of the primer is seated from .002" to .005" below flush. This ensures the primer cup is firmly seated against the primer pocket and will give constant, reliable ignition.

It sounds complicated, but once you get used to it, it goes very quickly. I can prime 50 cases with the Sinclair tool in about three minutes longer than with the Lee or RCBS units, and the degree of precision is about 40% greater IMHO. Dink around with it for a while, get used to it, and I'm sure you'll agree that it's much more precise than the cheaper units, and I know for a fact it produces better ammuntion just by virtue of the degree of precision it offers in the seating operation. This tool ensures 100% total axial alignment of the primer entering the pocket, and registers the case head against the tool while holding it down by the case rim. The other tools only have the case slide into their shellholders, and while "okay", there is no provision for axial alignment, nor do they securely hold the case down against the tool.

I'm not knocking the Lee or the RCBS units either, as both serve the purpose quite well. The Sinclair tool is just the epitome of the breed, being designed and produced by champion BR shooters who take this all very seriously, and produce the unit from the finest materials possible on state-of-the-art CNC machinery. I used my Lee units for well over 25 years, and have no complaints. While good, the Sinclair unit is just plain excellent.

As far as the primers being small, keep your hands clean of oil or solvents, pay attention at all times, and you'll find the little buggers are really not all that hard to handle once you've primed a few boxes of rounds. Hope this helps....now go practice.....

[Bitman]

Thanks again Rick, for the help. I shall spend some time with the tool tonight.

[Silverfox]

Bitman--I don't know if Rick is left- or right-handed, but I am right-handed and I use the opposite hands Rick uses when I use the Sinclair seating tool.

I place my tray holding the primers, cup up, on the loading bench in front of me and slightly to the left of the center of my body. I hold my Sinclair seating tool in my right hand, reach down and get a primer with my left hand, place the primer in the opening in the tool, then I grab a prepped casing, place it in the opening of the seater tool and with my left hand I tighten the shell holder collar. Then I squeeze the handle with my right hand and seat the primer. I take my left hand and loosen the shell holder collar, remove the primed casing, set it in my reloading block and start all over again by placing a primer in the primer opening of the tool.

Rick mentored me into purchasing the Sinclair primer seating tool and I am EXTREMLY glad I let him talk me into that purchase!!! Thanks again, Rick, for the excellent job of helping me spend my money!!!

[Rick in Oregon]

No worries Silverfox! My wife tells me I'm quite good at doing just that. Friends wives hate me because of this, saying "you're too expensive for 'Bob' to hang out with!"

Funny we're both right handed, and both use the exact opposite method of priming our cases. I can just pick up those dinky little small rifle primers easier with my right versus my left, bumbling hand I 'spose. Whatever works, right?

[Bitman]

Rick and Silver Fox,
Thanks for the advice. Ounce I understood how the tool was supposed to work, it was quite easy to get it adjusted and working properly. I primed 100 cases last night and only dropped one primer. I didn't time myself, but I was working on consistant form, not speed. But it didn't take very long.

[Rick in Oregon]

Bitman: Glad to hear all is well in the Priming Department now. Rest well knowing you now have the absolute best priming tool on the face of the planet, and it gets no better. The actual feel for seating the primers will most likely result in more accurate/consistent accuracy that will be aparant on your targets.