I always hand primed my cases. I like the feel and the ability to inspect the cases after. I have been using a LEE Hand Primer but the thumb gets too sore after loading many cases.

I received today an RCBS Bench Priming tool after reading many reviews.

It was easy to set up except that it was missing a small spring that goes to the Primer Rod Assembly. There should have been two. The package contained only one. I’m sure I will have no problem getting a replacement from RCBS. I dealt with them before and Customer Service is excellent.

This is the first time I used a Primer Tube Assembly. It’s a bit time-consuming to load as opposed the Lee but it’s doable. The problem is that the last primer stays in the plastic tip and does not fall in the tube as it is placed in the main primer body. I used a flat punch to push it gently in. Is this normal or am I doing something wrong?

So far, I only primed 100 cases (357 mag) and I noticed two other minor issues. The first is that inserting the case is the shell holder is tight. It’s an RCBS shell holder. The shell holders I have from LEE are a little looser and I think I will try one of them next time if they fit OK. The second issue is that the Primer Rod Assembly does not always fully fall below the shell holder after the primer has been inserted in the cup of the Primer Road Assembly and before the case is inserted. I must manually push it down. It doesn’t happen all the time but enough to throw off a good rhythm. Again, are these normal issues requiring just a break in period or is there something else I must do?

As always, Thanks in advance for your help.

My only regret with my RCBS bench primer is that I didn't get one sooner.
As for the last primer picked up, I have a dummy .223 round I us to poke that one down after the tube is inverted and placed in the tool. I had same problem with both large and small primer rods hanging up, I chucked the primer cup(after removing from rod) in a cordless drill and slightly beveled the bottom edge a little, no more hang ups.

p.s. mine was shipped from Midway without pickup tubes, RCBS took care of me no problem. In my impatience to try it out I bought and modified some Dillon tubes that work fine, in fact I like the plastic tips of the Dillons better

My RCBS Automatic Bench Priming tool is one of my favorite tools on my bench. I use a q-tip to push the last primer into the tube. One thing to watch for is the primer cup spring assembly unthreading and he difficult to get cases in and out of shell holder.

I have the same issues with my RCBS and Hornady primer pickup tubes. I have heard and don't want to start a blue is best but Dillion primer pickup tube ends are supposed to not do that. Anyone know if that's true?

I like the way Dillon tips pick up primers, but the last one still needs to be poked down

I've been using the RCBS bench priming tool for 30+ years now and it's been the best $30 I ever spent on reloading equipment. Yeah, they used to be a lot cheaper. But the primer tubes back then only held around 60 primers when crammed full, not like the ones that come in the kit presently. And I did invest in new primer tubes a couple of years ago to be able to load a primer flat at a time.

As for the rod assembly sticking, it is prone to that. I've found that stuff falls into the hole the rod assembly fits in and makes it hang up. When that happens, I take the rod assembly out and give a small shot of brake cleaner in the hole to flush it out and then wipe down the rod assembly well. And the primer cup with back itself out of the rod, so you might think of using a drop of purple or blue thread locking compound on it to keep that from happening. And for pushing the last primer in from the nylon lips of the primer tube, I use a pop rivet that fits the tube.

Made the move to the RCBS Bench Primer for the same reason you did OP. I use one of the blades of my tweezers to push the primer down while not spreading the cuts in the pickup head.

After a while, filling the primer tubes caused a similar problem with my hand.

So I bought a VibraPrime . . . and wasn't satisfied. Bought a That one works well and can be improved by adjusting it to work without the "blast shield" in place.

Keep that in mind in case you travel further down my path.

I have a several-decades-old RCBS bench priming tool on my bench but it hasn't been used in many years - since I bought my first RCBS hand priming tool, anyway.



If you look right beside the RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme, you'll see it. The rougher finish, lighter green color and handle grip style give away its age. I now have hand priming tools set up for both primer sizes and use them exclusively for my rifle primers. The Dillon XL650 handles the handgun stuff.

Ed

Of necessity, the primer pick-up tube must have a slight constriction at the pick-up end, otherwise, they would fall out. I too use a suitable punch to push in the last primer.