RCBS Bench Priming Tool ???

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The Sarge

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I want to move from a hand held priming tool to a bench mounted one and have been considering the RCBS. I see they have two models: The old style Automatic that uses the primer tubes and the new style APS Bench Primer that uses the APS Primer Strips.

Which one do you recommend? For the APS there is a separate tool to load the strips: APS Primer Strip Loader. Is this necessary and recommended?

I thank you for your help and good advice.
Bill
 
The old style with the tubes is the way to go - also get a primer flipper tray to go with it. Been using that setup for longer than I can remember...
 
I think the APS strips are great. I do not have the tool but bought a case of CCI primers in the strips. I punch them out with a wood dowel into my primer tray. The box takes up half the room that a standard package of primers does.

I was looking at the RCBS Progressive press and it comes with the tool to load the strips. It looks (by video) to be a piece of cake and very easy and safe. You load a whole strip (30) in no time while with the tubes it s like pecking for seeds.;)

This gadget:

RCBS APS Primer Strip Loader
aps-primer-strip-loader

RCBS APS Bench Priming Tool

RCBS Automatic Priming Tool - YouTube

Here is a good video of the press mounted version I guess they have the whole unit as one piece now.

RCBS APS Strip Press Priming tool and strip loader - YouTube
 
fwiw..... My neighbor is the guy who invented and later sold the AP strips to RCBS. Never care for them.
 
I have the old model and it works great. I guess I'm old school but I just don't like to prime on the press.
 
I have the old style, love it, I mounted it on a board and mount
it with C-Clamps where ever I want to do some priming.

I just recently took my Franklin Arsenal VIBRA-PRIME (both it's tubes fit in the RCBS bench unit) but, you have to redrill the release pins a new hole about 3/8" above the original hole to work with the RCBS.

I fill VIBRA PRIME primer tube and transfer that tube to RCBS Bench primer, pull the pin and start priming cases. I no longer need to use the RCBS tubes.
 
The Sarge said:
I want to move from a hand held priming tool to a bench mounted one and have been considering the RCBS. I see they have two models: The old style Automatic that uses the primer tubes and the new style APS Bench Primer that uses the APS Primer Strips.

Which one do you recommend? For the APS there is a separate tool to load the strips: APS Primer Strip Loader. Is this necessary and recommended?

I thank you for your help and good advice.
Bill
Click to expand...

After trying various bench mounted systems I went back to the old handheld method.

IMHO, the handheld method is direct, quicker and more efficient. And, I prefer limiting priming to the fewest number of steps. :)
 
I have the RCBS bench model with the tubes. I mounted it to a poplar board and used it for a while. It works fine but I went back to hand priming. Just didn't like the time spent filling the priming tubes, and not being able to use it in many locations.

I wasn't interested in the strips due to added cost and potentially limited availability. I just couldn't see loading them.
 
I have the APS system mounted to my bench and use the tube style with the Piggyback 2 progressive conversion. Between the two I prefer the APS system, in fact I prefer it over any type of priming tool I have ever used, including hand helds and Lee's auto prime two.

It does take time to load the strips, but not very much. If you get enough strips you might actually save time over the other methods as they can be linked together endlessly. And you will need to buy the strip loader unless you buy them already loaded, but that will limit you to only using CCI primers.

The APS is adjustable for seating depth and there is nothing to poke you in the eye like the tubes do. Switching between large and small primers takes only a few seconds. There are plastic sleeves which you are supposed to use in the shell holders, although I often use it without them. RCBS did send me some for free when I asked about buying extras due to the large number of calibers I load.
 
I've been using the rcbs bench mounted primer (tube feed) for all but about 6 months of my reloading.

It is much more ergonomic, but most importantly to me it provides significantly improved results. No more crescents on the primers.
 
The Auto Prime works well for me. If you go that route I suggest extra tubes. And as others have said, if you have problems, such as arthritis, it beats the hand held device...especially if you're loading several hundred at a time.
 
Sorry for being a little late to the party. I have an old-style bench-mounted tool but haven't used it in years as I like the hand-held tools much better. You can just see the priming tool in the lower right of the photo behind the Rock Chucker IV's handle.

GunRoom2_zps6ef51e00.jpg


I find the RCBS hand-held tools (I have one set up for each primer size) very easy and quick to use compared to the bench-mounted one.

Ed
 
I've got the old tube-style RCBS bench primer. I like it and, like the rest of my RCBS stuff, it's been working fine for decades. A few years ago I added a Hornady LnL AP for my pistol reloading, so most of the priming these days gets done on that. But I still use my Rockchucker for my rifle loads and still prime those on the bench tool. I've heard of guys who cut the length of the handle down for even better "feel" in seating primers, but I never found that to be necessary.
 
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