I got the "kit" that comes with almost everything. It has the hand primer and the press had a primer arm.

Is it easier to use the primer arm after decapping or easier to use the hand primer?

I got primers coming from Wideners, should be here next week.

TIA,

Use the Lee hand primer.

MUCH easier.

Use your hand primer. I assume it is an RCBS primer with a tray? It's faster and you can feel the primers bottom out in the pocket.

Way back when I go I started reloading on a single stage press, the first thing I did was get a hand primer tool. The Lee was pretty much it back then. The press mounted is just too slow & offers less feel.

I have no problem with the press primmer. It does take a while to get the feel of it. If you let the primer arm fly back it can cause primers to fly so control the return.

Been using the primer arm feature for over 18 years. Never found it to be slow. I reload thousands and thousands of rounds every year.

+1 on the hand primer. You dont' have to touch the primer with your fingers which can get oil on them. Also, it doesn't require surgeon's fingers to pick up the primer and put it in the little cup on the primer arm.

Disclaimer - I never even bothered to use the primer arm. The hand primer is just too easy.

Your hands never touch the primer using the arm and primer tube.

I find no use for the hand primer unless you want to sit on the couch and prime a ton of brass.

When I'm reloading pistol brass, I prime and flare the case mouth at the same time. Using the hand primer would add another step.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve in PA:
Your hands never touch the primer using the arm and primer tube.

I find no use for the hand primer unless you want to sit on the couch and prime a ton of brass.

When I'm reloading pistol brass, I prime and flare the case mouth at the same time. Using the hand primer would add another step.

I've never seen the primer tube. On mine you have to pick up the primer by hand and put it in the little cup as in step 5 in the instructions:

rcbs instructions

I need to check out the primer tube because I plan to start loading my rifle cartridges on my Rock Chucker and this would make a lot more sense. Thanks for the head's up.

I'm not aware of any RCBS "tube" that feeds primers. RCBS uses primer strips to feed primers in their progressive setups.

When I first got started in reloading, I used the press-mounted priming arm. Worked ok. Then I got a Lee hand priming tool, and now I would NEVER go back to the press-mounted arm.

Try 'em both for yourself; the Lee tool is pretty inexpensive.

RCBS use to sell a primer kit for their presses. The kit included the primer arm with different size plugs for the large and small primers. It also had a tube feeder that attached (clamped) to the frame. The way it worked was you pushed the primer arm toward you into the tube feeder which feed you a single primer at a time. Then you pused the primer arm into the ram slot and lower the ram to seat the primer. The tube held around 60 primers.

The primer tube holds slightly more than 100 primers.

These are the parts on my Rock Chucker.

The first has two different sized primer cups (small and large) for use with the appropriate sized primers.

The second shows the primer tubes (small and large) and the holder than mounts to the press. Place a tube loaded with primers in the mount, pull the primer arm back and a primer is loaded into the cup.

Push the primer arm forward when the ram is up, then lower the ram while holding the arm forward and a primer is seated.

You use the tube to pick up the primers from a primer tray. Been using this system for almost 20 years, never once had a problem or thought I needed to change.

I go with the hand primer,
ever since I got the RCBS hand primer I haven't seated a single one in the press.

as far as a primer tube for the press...
yes they have the one (that Steve showed above)
but only for the older Rockchucker Press,
If you have the newer Supreme press (as far as I know) there is not one availible.
Which is why the new kits come with the hand primer.
not to mention that the Primer arm on the Supreme press Sucks

On a single stage press I have always used a hand primer. One is able to get a much better feel for seating the primer in the pocket.