Primer seater

PEI Rob

New member
Which primer seater do you guys use? The Lee seaters wear out after awhile and I need yet another one. I'm wondering if there is a good one out there.
 
I put off getting a sinclair for years. I had settled on the RCBS but when one came available at a good price. I bought it. Let it set in the box for another year before I tried it. Well, I can't imagine using anything else for accuracy work. Until you try one, you'll never know what your missing.

Hovis
 
Another vote for Sinclair. K&M makes one also. I haven't used one, but have heard good things about it.
 
I really like my K&M, never used anything else, never felt the need to get a "better" one.....
 
No squeezing with this one. Just push down about a half inch. Great for aging hands. :)
 

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I've used other people's Sinclair primer seaters... very nice. Not sure they're worth 2x what my K&M cost, though...
 
Well I did a search on the sinclair site but it only showed the Forster co-ax. I typed "prime" and figured primer or longer words would show up.

I hate the thoughts of picking primers up with my fingers. Do you just pick them up one at a time and set them in the tool?
The hand held Sinclair is the style I like but the Forster co-ax is looking good at this point.
 
If you take a new Lee seater apart and debur and smooth the high spots and use some bolt grease on the camming and contact points it will last a very long time.

Clean and lube once a year is not a bad idea.
 
Another vote for the Lee seater. I have been using that system for many years now and it works great until the lever breaks. Fortunately, those parts are readily available at a very reasonable price, so I keep a couple on hand.

As posted by goodgrouper, I would also be willing to pay extra for a "deluxe" model made from all steel parts. Are you listening, Mr. Lee ?

Dick
 
The Lee

As some of you know, I blew up a Lee a few years ago but it was my fault. I have written to Lee and asked then to do as was suggested above but I do digress. I then went for an RCBS with the fence that eliminates the possibility of a cooked off primer detonating the others. I first bought the Round holder model that requires a seperate shell holder for different casese. I then found the model that has jaws to hold the cases making it universal and a square tray which makes it easy to place 100 primers in it. I find it seats primers the very best and is very safe and convenient and FAST to use.

Being an equipment freak I bought one of the Forster units pictured above. I like it but the feed tube doesn't hold enough primers to suit me.
 
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My problem is that arthritis is getting into both my thumb joints such that I can no longer seat primers with one hand & when I use two, I lose the sensitivity to feel the primer in. I realised that this was the case when the spreads on my best 1200 yard loads went from teens to over 30 fps.

My answer was to buy the K & M with the dial gauge head & "sight" the primer into its seat, rather than feel it in. Even so, I find that the mechanical advantage of the handle is j-u-s-t enough for me to be able to seat Russian primers into new brass. I guess the main thing going for me is that my loads are consistent again, as long as I clean out the primer pockets perfectly so the machine measures the pocket depth properly.

I can see that the Forster coax has the potential to give me the leverage I need to seat (but with two thumbs, my Sinclair did that), but how is it for sensitivity? Can you feel the primer bottoming out?

I need to make some plans for my presenility. ;)
 
I have always questioned using an indicator because unless one mics the primers to make certain the cups are all exactly the same length an indicator may not give one an accurate reading unless one's pockets are exactly the same depth and the primer cups are exactly the same depth is it?
 
The K & M measures the primer pocket relative to the dimensions of the primer to be used in it taking account of the rim thickness of that case. It's not a general or average setting you take. You have to measure up for every primer in every case - which makes it a tad tedious & substantially slower than about anything except posting your brass off for somebody else to do the work.

I was a sceptical that it did what I heard claimed of it until I held it & understand how it was doing the job.
 
If you take a new Lee seater apart and debur and smooth the high spots and use some bolt grease on the camming and contact points it will last a very long time.

Clean and lube once a year is not a bad idea.

John is on to it. Read the directions. It works great. And you can get an extra handle. I have been using mine for 3 yrs. I shoot 3-4K / yr. with this tool.
 
I really like my K&M, never used anything else, never felt the need to get a "better" one.....

I have just bought a K & M but have yet to try it and will do so this weekend. At about half the price of the Sinclair tool it's looking really good so far!

Regs,
 
Another happy Sinclair user here.I've worn out several Lee's over the years,but the Sinclair is holding up fine.I would buy another one! Lightman
 
John ...

My problem is that arthritis is getting into both my thumb joints such that I can no longer seat primers with one hand & when I use two, I lose the sensitivity to feel the primer in. I can see that the Forster coax has the potential to give me the leverage I need to seat, but how is it for sensitivity? Can you feel the primer bottoming out?

I seat using the palm of my hand with the Forster C0-AX Primer Seater shown above. And yes, I can feel the primer when it bottoms. :)
 
Used the K & M today and am very happy with it! I had been using seater that incorporates a primer tray and thought I'd miss the speed of priming; nah! I didn't.
 
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