What's your pick on rifle Primers & priming tools?

Re: What's your pick on rifle Primers & priming tools?

Never had any problems with CCI or Winchester for anything I load. I prefer the CCI BR-2 or BR-4 for target loads.
I prefer to use a hand priming tool. I've been using the RCBS hand primer for years. I like the fact it uses standard shellholders.
 
Re: What's your pick on rifle Primers & priming tools?

Use both Fed primers as well as CCI primers. Both work well for different loads. Always like the hand held priming tools. Too bad they don't make one for the 50 BMG.
 
Re: What's your pick on rifle Primers & priming tools?

I primarily shoot Fed 210's in my .308. I've compared them to the ES and SD of the Fed 210M and CCI BR-2 Match primers and have seen almost no difference for the extra $$.

I use Wolf 5.56 SRM primers in my .223 SPR. The accuracy, ES and SD has been superior to all the other primers I've used including CCI, Rem and Fed. I have some Wolf LR primers I've haven't tried yet for my .308 and based on how well the Wolf Small Rifle's work, I'd like to see how they compare to the Fed or CCI.

I use the RCBS die primer for all my rifles priming. Its the actual die setup that screws in the top, NOT the cheesy swing arm. I've used the Lee handprimer and for some reason still prefer the more solid feel of the die method. My $.02
 
Re: What's your pick on rifle Primers & priming tools?

I bought the Co-Ax priming tool, although I did not find any reviews prior. It turns out to be a great system. Easy to flip the primers, and load the tool. The seating was easy to feel to ensure proper seating.

It's not cheap, though, but it is well-made.
 
Re: What's your pick on rifle Primers & priming tools?

I like the hand priming tool. I couldnt figure out how to put together properly or just cant seat bullets with my primer on my press.

And I like the feel of the hand priming tool because you feel it like you would a car on the road. So I just use my hand priming tool.

And I load CCI 200's and they seat nice on my once fired win brass.
 
Re: What's your pick on rifle Primers & priming tools?

CCI primers

RCBS universal hand priming tool. Works very well and you can feel the primer seat. Some complain about having to change the rod between large and small, but I don't see this as an issue. You can do it so fast that it seems like a mute point to me.
 
Re: What's your pick on rifle Primers & priming tools?

6.5BR,
I use Wolf mag primers exclusively, have for the past couple of years. I load both large and small primers.

When I am not using the Dillon, I use a couple of lee primer tools. I leave one set up for small primers and one for large. I have worn out a couple of them, and replaced parts a few times the past 25 years and continue to go back to them. Easy, good feel, inexpensive, what else could I ask for?
 
Re: What's your pick on rifle Primers & priming tools?

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I like the Forster primer tool, and load the tubes with a milled out RCBS primer tray lid with the tube clothes pined in place.
 
Re: What's your pick on rifle Primers & priming tools?

I use Fed 205M, Rem 71/2, 210M, 215M depending on the cartridge.

I have the sinclair priming tool which is a work of art; however, it mostly sits on the shelf as it is much slower and clumsier to use than a $16 Lee auto priming tool. It is $16.00 and has pretty good feel and is A LOT speedier to use.
 
Re: What's your pick on rifle Primers & priming tools?

CCI and Winchester is all I use. I like the Lee Hand Priming tool. It's a bit flimsy but I keep a bunch of spare parts for it.
 
Re: What's your pick on rifle Primers & priming tools?

I like the CCI's for my .223, and Federal and Winchester for loading LR stuff.
I'd been using a Lee hand tool and it worked OK, but I just recently started using the priming gadget on the top of my Forster Co-ax press. It takes a few minutes to set up, but it seems to seat the primers very consistently....supposedly to a .005 depth every time.
It is a little slow handling the primers individually, but I don't get in a hurry anyway.
Maybe I just haven't learned the "trick" yet, but I have some trouble seating CCI's in .223 brass that has a punched-out crimped primer pocket.
 
Re: What's your pick on rifle Primers & priming tools?

Depends on what I'm loading. If I'm running the Dillon I prefer the CCI's as they run through great with the silver finish and the cup seems to be a bit harder than most brands.

For precision loading, I really like the K&M primer seating tool as it has a great feel so you can tell when the anvil is bottoming out in the primer pocket.

I've been so disappointed with Federal's GMM primer availability in the last two years; I switched to Remington benchrest 7 1/2's for small rifle and CCI benchrest for large rifle duties. They both perform as good as the Federals I was using, and I have never found a time in which they were not available.
 
Re: What's your pick on rifle Primers & priming tools?

I find the Sinclair as fast as the RCBS (haven't used the Lee hand primer) but much more accurate in seating depth. I'm not a fan of autofeeding primers and don't actually see any speed difference. With the Sinclair, I twist the top as I put the cartridge in, and it is about as fast as I can feed cartridges. The obvious downsize is that it is not ideal for switchlng to different types of cartridges, but I use it for 308 only.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: .300 AT&T</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I use Fed 205M, Rem 71/2, 210M, 215M depending on the cartridge.

I have the sinclair priming tool which is a work of art; however, it mostly sits on the shelf as it is much slower and clumsier to use than a $16 Lee auto priming tool. It is $16.00 and has pretty good feel and is A LOT speedier to use. </div></div>
 
Re: What's your pick on rifle Primers & priming tools?

Sinclair is as good ass it gets. The RCBS if I am doing production.

On Primers a little bird mentioned that Wolf LRM and SRM are able to have some SD that are beyond question (low single digit). Still need to do some more testing.
 
Re: What's your pick on rifle Primers & priming tools?

Been doing this for over four decades. The only primers I normally use are Federal, CCI, Remington or Winchester.

I know Lee's little "cheep pot metal" Autoprimes are supposed to be weak and fall apart quickly. Oddly, I'm still happily using the first two I purchased in '87 without a problem - maybe the problems are more in the operator than the product?
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If I'm priming a 'large' volume, more than maybe fifty or a hundred, I'll often use Lee's AutoPrime II on a little Lee "Reloader" press just to save stress on an old thumb.
 
Re: What's your pick on rifle Primers & priming tools?

New to this...so I'm wondering why hand-seat the primers?
Is it for better accuracy? If so, how significant a difference is realized. I'm not a competitive shooter, but of course want accuracy- that's the whole point of handloading, right?

In the rare case my Hornady press has a malfunction or mis-feed (which really is rare), I can tell. If the primer failed to feed, I can feel the lack of pressure when seating. If the primer doesn't seat properly- high primer- the shell plate won't even rotate.

Now, I get that this is a precision shooting forum- and that's probably why it seems most here use single stage presses and load one shell at a time to precision. For others like myself, that want decent accuracy, BUT are also doing higher volume (for 3 shooters) in excess of 500-600 rounds per month- is there a real advantage to hand-seating over using the press?

I'd rather spend more time getting experience behind the trigger- and less time at the reloading bench, even if it means a small sacrifice in precision and accuracy.