Lee or RCBS hand primer?

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Shane Tuttle

Staff
mjrodney,
You're right about the popeye arms!(feels like 'em, but doesn't look it!:D ).

Cloudcroft,
All I can say is I'm APPROX. in the 50,000 round range with mine. Sure, something that is economically priced is not made as well as others. But if I recall, Lee designed his stuff originally for the poor guy, so to speak. And if it broke on me tomorrow, I think it was money worth spent.
Like you said...maybe you'll be too old and senile to notice or care!;)
 
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cloudcroft

New member
tuttle8,

"...Lee designed his stuff originally for the poor guy, so to speak."


True.

And I have been telling Lee bashers for years now that since 1958, Lee Precision has gotten more people into reloading than ALL the other brands combined.

I've also said that ALL American reloading companies make good stuff...including Lee.

His stuff is just..."different."


"Like you said...maybe you'll be too old and senile to notice or care!"


Also true...if I'm unlucky enough to live that long to see THAT day come. :(

-- John D.
 
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hinkleid

New member
I bought the Lee Auto Prime at Cabela's for under $10. I have loaded about 100 rounds so far and works fine. If it were to break after x,000 rounds I won't complain over $10... so what.

The RCBS unit was around $30 I think.
 
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kojak

New member
Price is not the issue. We spend so much on powder, bullets etc.

I own both. The Lee is better. More feel. If it breaks buy a new one. However, I tried to prime .300 WSM cases. Didn't work. The shellholder fits but the .300 WSM cases don't fit into the frame of the primer.

The RCBS tool will last forever except the plastic parts perhaps, but it is very complicated to switch to another shellholder and you got less feel.
 
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Crazy4nitro

New member
I have an RCBS hand primer that uses the strips of primers. I love it but have never used any others.....

Just my 2 cents

'Nitro
 
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Williamr

New member
The Sinclair priming tool is nice, if you can afford it. RCBS has a variety of priming tools. I don't use the primer arm on my RCBS A2 press that much anymore. I'd rather hand prime. I use the Lee Auto Prime. I am planning to reload the GP11 7.5x55mm Swiss military brass with Berdan Primers as soon as I find a source for them. But with the Berdan Primers, I might have to alter a shell holder and make the seating stem myself. I asked Lee if they would make the parts on there Special Order criterier, they said NO. Bummer!
Speaking about 7.5x55mm Swiss. I found out that Redding makes the dies that match up with 7.5x55mm brass to be fired in the K31. All other die makers to include RCBS and Lee, unless they have changed, make dies to resize the 7.5x55mm Swiss to 1911 standards. Reloading dies are available from MIDWAY USA.

williamr
 
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deadtofall666

New member
i just went from a lee autoprime to an rcbs handprimer and i hate it, it seems to be built better and im sure it will last longer but i hate the whole operation of it. When u turn it upside down the piece that actually seats the primer just falls out, and if u forget to put it in before you put primers in they fall down inside and get stuck and then while your trying to get the stuck one out the lid falls off and primers EVERYWHERE. Aswell the simple operation of changing shell holders is not simple at all and you have to take the unite completely apart to do so. THIS THING IS TERRIBLE DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY
 
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David Wile

New member
Hey Ranger,

I admit flat out that I do not like Lee stuff, and I also admit that I have been a real long time RCBS fan. When it comes to hand priming, however, I much prefer my cheaply made Lee AutoPrime over my tank built RCBS tool.

Deadtofall666 pretty well covered my complaints about the RCBS tool. While it is built like a tank and uses regular shell holders, it is simply not user friendly. Changing shell holders and primer sizes is enough to make you swear off priming. The Lee AutoPrime looks like a piece of junk compared to my RCBS unit, but that piece of junk changes shell holders and primer sizes quicker than you can imagine. Yes it does use special shell holders, but I bought a whole set of them for something like $12. I sort of feel like I should be ashamed using the cheap Lee tool, but it really is very user friendly.

Yes, I did break the thumb press thing after about ten years of use, and was I really ticked off. My RCBS wouldn't break like the cheap Lee tool did. So I started using my RCBS tool - for about two weeks. I couldn't stand putting up with the hassle of changing things on the RCBS tool. I went out and bought a new cheap Lee tool and have been using it for maybe 15 years now. I still have the RCBS tool to remind me that tank built RCBS isn't always the best tool for the job.

When it comes to primer safety, I do not see a problem with either of these two tools. I never had any problems safety wise with them, and I simply do not understand the concerns expressed by a couple of folks.

I may not like Lee stuff in general, but I will continue to use my Lee AutoPrime tool any day over my RCBS tool.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile
 
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