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Priming tools
Ok now we are getting to the “what works” portion of my lectures
Priming tool vary from press mounted units to hand operated devices.
I have used most of them and here is my breakdown.
Press mounted: I've used the pacific /hornady press primer system (not progressive) and the Forster co-ax systems and they work but are last on my list of useable priming systems. The co-ax will not “overseat” a primer ever but you must fiddle with the shell holder to fit your cartridge and feed and touch each primer in the process.
Lee ram mount, same complaint about handling each primer, but if you load with Lee then you have the shell holder.
Forster bench mount primer is nice but it is terribly hard to adjust to a particular caliber. It has good design that will never detonate the clumsy primer tube (hard to fill but safe).
Hand primers include RCBS and Lee and for the money the Lee auto-prime wins hands down. The RCBS has the universal shell holder but is very clumsy to switch between larg and small primers.The Lee auto prime is my old standby but requires special (if cheep) shell holders and the lever is clumsy. It has a decent primer holder and the newer versions are pretty safe.
The best primer handling and seating tools are the sinclaire unit and the 21 century device.
The Sinclair is a one at a time affair that puts the empty round in concentric alignment with the single-loaded primer, and many folks use it exclusively.
21 century has two types of primers and offers some good primer depth options same one at time.
The best for everything is the other 21 century brass primer that uses the Lee primer holder
It uses the Lee primer resivoir and is adjustable for seating depth. It offeress volume loading and careful seating depth. It's not cheap but is well built.
This post was written before I had much exp with the 21century/Lee priming combo. I love this set up even more after several hundred rounds loaded. Buy a Lee auto prime (for the trays) and the 21 century unit and you will be set.
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