Hand priming and then loading by press... - The Firearms Forum

rnshooter · 04-10-2005, 06:58 AM

I recently purchased a Lee Pro 1000 and have loaded about 200 rounds on it so far. I like the press, however, the priming system is not the best/easiest to use. Hence, I ordered a Lee hand priming tool, which I hear are real nice and work really well. My question is, what will be the easiest way to crank out the most rounds...my though is this, I will have to resize/deprime all of my brass, then take that die out of the press to finish the round. Because I definetly do not want to attempt to deprime a case with a live primer in it. The resizing/depriming die is real easy to set-up. Is this the way to go, or is there another way and I haven't thought of it yet. Thanks for the input.

be safe

verdejt · 04-10-2005, 08:55 AM

I have a Lee 4 hole autoindexing Turret Press and I use the Lee hand priming tool. I like it a lot and works great. I usually clean and then deprime and size my brass. Then I use the hand prime and prime the lot that I am going to reload (I do lots of 100). Then I set up my press with the charge die,seating die, and crimp die. I like to measure every 5th round or so to ensure accuracy. I load handgun stuff mostly, I am just starting to reload for .308.

mtnboomer · 04-10-2005, 08:41 PM

Love my Lee Hand Priming Tool! It really give you a precise feel when the primer seats. It's not fast, so if you are loading large amounts of ammo you might eventually get a Lee Auto Prime system for your progressive press.

matty · 04-21-2005, 06:07 PM

just tell your wife you bought her a hand exerciser to work the flab out of those fingers. show her what to do and then let her at it.

my wife primes alot of my brass for me. ( she beats me at arm wrestling though, and she opens her own jars now too )

Icon-oclast · 04-23-2005, 11:03 AM

Except for cranking out large volumes of handgun ammo on the Dillon, I prime separately using an RCBS tool (don't know what it is called, but I've had it 25+ years which bolts to the bench and uses the same primer tubes as if one were using the press-mounted tooling). I'm sure the Lee hand tool works as well, and it has the added advantage of working in front of the TV. I'm not a big fan of seating primers with a press. I've done it and continue to do it, but cull out enough bad ones that I would never conceive of doing so unless I was performing a careful QC when packaging the finished rounds.

04-10-2005, 06:58 AM	#1
rnshooter V.I.P. Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: New Orleans Posts: 79	Hand priming and then loading by press... I recently purchased a Lee Pro 1000 and have loaded about 200 rounds on it so far. I like the press, however, the priming system is not the best/easiest to use. Hence, I ordered a Lee hand priming tool, which I hear are real nice and work really well. My question is, what will be the easiest way to crank out the most rounds...my though is this, I will have to resize/deprime all of my brass, then take that die out of the press to finish the round. Because I definetly do not want to attempt to deprime a case with a live primer in it. The resizing/depriming die is real easy to set-up. Is this the way to go, or is there another way and I haven't thought of it yet. Thanks for the input. be safe __________________ rnshooter -->

04-10-2005, 08:55 AM	#2
verdejt V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 59	Re: Hand priming and then loading by press... I have a Lee 4 hole autoindexing Turret Press and I use the Lee hand priming tool. I like it a lot and works great. I usually clean and then deprime and size my brass. Then I use the hand prime and prime the lot that I am going to reload (I do lots of 100). Then I set up my press with the charge die,seating die, and crimp die. I like to measure every 5th round or so to ensure accuracy. I load handgun stuff mostly, I am just starting to reload for .308. __________________ It is better to have and not need than to need and not have.

04-10-2005, 08:41 PM	#3
mtnboomer Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Oklahoma by birth. America by the grace of God. Posts: 649	Re: Hand priming and then loading by press... Love my Lee Hand Priming Tool! It really give you a precise feel when the primer seats. It's not fast, so if you are loading large amounts of ammo you might eventually get a Lee Auto Prime system for your progressive press. __________________ The cost of freedom, is eternal vigilance. The cost of bondage, is your life. - mtnboomer Support the Second Amendment - Join the NRA! > http://www.nra.org < Oklahoma State - #1 - GO POKES!

04-21-2005, 06:07 PM	#4
matty V.I.P. Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 86	Re: Hand priming and then loading by press... just tell your wife you bought her a hand exerciser to work the flab out of those fingers. show her what to do and then let her at it. my wife primes alot of my brass for me. ( she beats me at arm wrestling though, and she opens her own jars now too ) __________________ "THIS IS MY RIFLE, THERE ARE MANY LIKE IT, BUT THIS ONE IS MINE..." "IF THEY RUN, THEY ARE VC. IF THEY DON'T RUN, THEY ARE WELL TRAINED VC..."

04-23-2005, 11:03 AM	#5
Icon-oclast V.I.P. Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 173	Re: Hand priming and then loading by press... Except for cranking out large volumes of handgun ammo on the Dillon, I prime separately using an RCBS tool (don't know what it is called, but I've had it 25+ years which bolts to the bench and uses the same primer tubes as if one were using the press-mounted tooling). I'm sure the Lee hand tool works as well, and it has the added advantage of working in front of the TV. I'm not a big fan of seating primers with a press. I've done it and continue to do it, but cull out enough bad ones that I would never conceive of doing so unless I was performing a careful QC when packaging the finished rounds.