primer seaters

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wiggytelsta

Member
K&M makes a primer seater that sells for around $38 and Sinclair has theirs for $115! What is the difference that makes one 3X more expensive? Are these that much better than the Lee priming tool?
 
Priming Tool

I ave used both,the Lee is a good choice for a large number of rounds and is very cost worthy,the K&M is a very good choice for BR were we load a small number of rounds and I cannot see spending 3x the money for the Sinclair,the Sinclair looks a little nicer,but I work for my money and will spend it foon what works for the price.
Nick
 
wiggytelsta said:
K&M makes a primer seater that sells for around $38 and Sinclair has theirs for $115! What is the difference that makes one 3X more expensive? Are these that much better than the Lee priming tool?
Click to expand...

I'm sure with the difference in price, there's also a difference in material quality, but not necessarily a difference in workmanship. Both companies make very fine products. I own plenty from each. Personally, I don't care to handle individual primers by hand and therefore stay away from a one-at-a-time/single feeding operation. I have the RCBS Hand Priming Tool and paid about $35 for it. It's fast, easy to operate, not expensive, and I can load up to 100 primers in its tray. Those were the features I was looking for when shopping around and I found them in the RCBS tool. What features are you looking for ???
 
For me...

I like the RCBS auto primer tool with the universal case holder. The primer tray has a shut off lever which makes for easy storage, a primer gate for safety, and a reasonable price (about $46).

virg
 
I like the RCBS hand seater that uses the APS strips. I bought plenty of different colored strips and use them to differentiate from reg vs match vs type vs manufacturer. The strips are easy to load and the universal case holder works well. I have toyed with the idea of modifiying a K & M or Sinclair to use the APS strips but the RCBS works well enough to make that not worth the effort.
 
The K&M priming tool is a little gem...! A hellofa buy IMOP..

cale
 
Primer seating isn't rocket science. All you have to do is get them in there and be able to feel when to stop.

I tried the SInclair and it was nice but I hate handling primers one at a time.

The RCBS is a good unit but it takes a little too long to change shellholders and go from large primers to small primers. Obviously that isn't a concern if all you're loading are ppc's.

I use the Lee primer tool. It is fast, accurate, and doen't cost a fortune. Only downside to it is that it's made from pop cans. I have broke the thumb lever four or five times now. So I make sure I have spare parts in my load box at all times.
 
Lee

Have both Lee and K&M, Lee gets worn out, K&M pretty much stays in the drawer. I do not put very many primers in that tray at a time, 20 is about right, primers are made to explode. IMHO a Sinclair primer pocket uniformer is one of the best tools I have. Not for Lapua brass, but for most of the other stuff.
 
One not of Safety. The Lee priming tool is not recommended for Federal standard or match primers....large or small. Accidental detonation is possible. Big write ups on this a few years back.

Have no opinion, like most of the priming tools I own...Lee, RCBS, K&M and Sinclair.

Hovis
 
HovisKM said:
One not of Safety. The Lee priming tool is not recommended for Federal standard or match primers....large or small. Accidental detonation is possible. Big write ups on this a few years back.

Have no opinion, like most of the priming tools I own...Lee, RCBS, K&M and Sinclair.

Hovis
Click to expand...

I don't know how many tens of thousands of Federal primers I've run through the Lee but never had one blow up yet. I've even loaded thousands of Federal pistol primers through it (softer cup) and still no problems. I'd even go as far as to say that 80 to 90 percent of all the primers run through it have been Federal.
 
HovisKM said:
One not of Safety. The Lee priming tool is not recommended for Federal standard or match primers....large or small. Accidental detonation is possible. Big write ups on this a few years back.

Have no opinion, like most of the priming tools I own...Lee, RCBS, K&M and Sinclair.

Hovis
Click to expand...

Did Federal get sued?
Their boxes are 4 times bigger.
 
Wiggy,
The K&M is a quality priming tool,if you want to seat your primers to just bottom out in the primer pocket. If you like to compress your primer after it makes contact with the bottom of the pocket the Sinclair has stronger leverage and better feel. Never had a Lee,had an RCBS about 20 years ago,it was kinda cheesy.
Joel
 
caroby said:
The K&M priming tool is a little gem...! A hellofa buy IMOP..

cale
Click to expand...

I have a Sinclair I bought in '95.....It works good has held up well, and I don't have any plans to replace it any time soon, BUT.....If I had it to do over again I'd buy the K&M. It is mechanically every bit as good as the Sinclair, at half the price. It is also a little quicker and easier to use.

Like the man said, The K&M is a little gem......just like everything else K&M makes. And it sure doesn't hurt that the K&M tools are "a hellofa buy."

-Dave-:)
 
I have a Sinclair and a LEE priming tool. The LEE is fast, and does a decent job, but it doesnt seat primers as straight as the Sinclair. You can turn the case 180 deg. after seating and still get a little more out of it. Once you reach bottom with the Sinclair, its seated. The LEE also has a "spongy" feel, like the tool is weak and flexing or bending somewhere.

I have 2 of the shellholder heads for the Sinclair so that I can prime .223 and 30BR cases fairly easily. It is expensive, but you couldnt hurt it if you ran over it.
 
I have had two Lee Auto Prime tools split at the upper web; replaced free of course. Then too, there have been stories thru the years of primer detonation setting off the entire tray like chinese firecrackers. Serious injuries resulted. Recently bought a K&M after a buddy came to my loading bench and threw the Lee into my trash can. Very happy with K&M.
 
Lee primer, hand held, works great. I have used the Lee Primer for years with Federal primers, and have never had an incident.

John Henry
 
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