Reloading Supplies ▶ Priming Tools ▶ Hand-Held Priming Tools ▶

RCBS Hand Priming Tool

Product #: 329291 RCBS #: 90200 UPC #: 076683902009

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$39.99

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Out of Stock, Backorder OK

Date expected in stock: 06/25/2013

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Product Information

Priming cases with a hand priming tool can save valuable time. The RCBS Hand Priming Tool features a patented safety mechanism which separates the seating operation from the primer supply - Virtually eliminating the possibility of tray detonation. Large and small primer plugs are included and the RCBS Hand Priming Tool can hold 100 primers in the primer tray eliminating down time refilling the tool.

Technical Information

Function: Hand Priming Tool
Notes: RCBS Shellholders are compatible but are NOT INCLUDED, safety glasses (not included) should be worn any time cases are being primed

For more information on the Hand Priming Tool, please click the link below to view the instructions:

Instructions

Additional Information

RCBS Up to $50 off $300 purchase rebate!

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Customer Reviews

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REVIEW SUMMARY

by PowerReviews

RCBS Hand Priming Tool

3.4

(based on 112 reviews)

40%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Most Helpful Positive Review

Of all the different ways ...

Of all the different ways to seat primers, this is my "go to" tool. Forget the RAM prime or primer tube options. Just detach the primer tray and place the green port...Read complete review

Of all the different ways to seat primers, this is my "go to" tool. Forget the RAM prime or primer tube options. Just detach the primer tray and place the green portion upside down over your primer box, then invert them together. No muss, no fuss. Shake to get all primers anvil side up, then put on the clear cover. Watch for primers at the center of the tray, for these may be inverted when putting on the cover. The cover contains a support post at the center, and this post may invert a nearby primer. Once the lid is on firmly, the primers cannot invert or turn on their sides. My tray & cover is a nice, tight fit on the tool. If you look at the picture, you see the open side of the shellholder facing away from the tray. This is incorrect. Turn the shellholder 180 degrees so that the open part of the shellholder is facing the tray. Now, when you tilt the tool to the left to let gravity feed the primers into the tool, the case is supported. This makes for true one-handed operation. Just point the case away from your face and squeeze the handles. The directon of the shellholder opening has nothing to do with preventing or minimizing primer detonation effects. The only problems I have experienced with this tool is when I have it apart to change shellholders. If the tool opens too far, it is difficult to get the piston aligned with the push rod. Often, when I open a new box of 100 primers for the first time, there are one or more anvil side up. I missed one of these and seated a primer upside down. With slow and steady pressure from a decapping die, I was able to remove the primer without incident. Also, you can turn the clear cover on the tray counter-clockwise to close the primer feed path. You can then remove the tray and store it with primers in it, if desired. You could purchase extra trays and label them as to large/small rifle/pistol if desired. I have not experienced any of the problems that other reviewers mentioned. My tray has NEVER fallen out of the tool, a

Most Helpful Negative Review

Purchased this hand held ...

Purchased this hand held priming tool, as the Lee Auto-prime lever bent twice, and I was fed up with the cheap zinc lever. The RCBS seems well made, but in reality its a ...Read complete review

Purchased this hand held priming tool, as the Lee Auto-prime lever bent twice, and I was fed up with the cheap zinc lever. The RCBS seems well made, but in reality its a poor design. Yea, it uses the std RCBS shellholders, instead of the Lee shellholders, but big deal. To feed the primers into the area where the shellholders are, you must tip the Priming tool up in the direction that raises the primer tray. This causes the case you've just put into the shellholder to fall out, unless you hold the brass with your hand, or immediately start squeezing the lever before you start tipping the RCBS Priming tool. Both actions are counter productive. First, who wants to hold the case and start squeezing the lever and putting pressure on the primer with your fingers right there, and second, you have to use gravity to feed the primers, so one way or the other, you have to tip the tool tray up. So, tip the tray up, insert empty brass, and either hold the case as you squeeze, or lever the case, remove your hand, and start squeezing, and repeat. What a pain in the hand. I suppose, after awhile you would get very adept at the rotation, squeeze, release, etc.. maneuver, but WHY SHOULD YOU HAVE TO? Lee's design is perfect, though very poorly executed with sub-standard quality materials. I also noticed that alot of the primers that I put in with the RCBS hand priming tool are slightly flatted, and this should not be. I've never had a pre-flatted primer with the Lee. RCBS you really fell on your face on this one. My recommendation is, Get the Lee, buy a couple of extra levers for the $1.98 each, keep it lubed correctly, and try not to squeeze it too hard. The Lee is just head and shoulders above the RCBS in easy of use, feel, and being a well thought out priming tool.

Reviewed by 112 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-10

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12/4/2012

(0 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

BEST ONE I'VE USED YET

By DRWADDCUTTER

from HAVERSTRAW, NY

Comments about RCBS Hand Priming Tool:

I JUST ORDERED ANOTHER ONE OF THESE HAND PRIMING TOOLS. REASON BEING, THAT I GAVE THE FIRST ONE TO MY BROTHER. I CAN HONESTLY SAY, THAT I NEVER REALLY HAD A PROBLEM WITH IT. I'VE USED OTHERS, BUT I FIND THAT THIS ONE, MEETS MY NEEDS. IF ONE CAN UNDERSTAND DIRECTIONS WRITTEN IN ENGLISH, THERE SHOULDN'T BE ANY PROBLEM AS TO THE PRODUCTS USE. YES. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS TO A FRIEND.

11/30/2012

1.0

Don't waste your money or time!

By Andy Harl

from Colusa, IL

Comments about RCBS Hand Priming Tool:

I love RCBS products. It pains me to have to write this review, but I don't want anyone else to go through what I've had to put up with. I ordered the RCBS Master Reloading kit, which I love, and it came with this primer tool. I have had nothing but problems with this tool from day one. The tray cover fall off @ least 3 times per tray full, the priming pin will either fall out if I don't keep it pointed up or hang up during priming cycles, and it is very time consuming to change the shell holder. When you do, the linkage between the handle and the priming pin plunger comes out of alignment and is hard to put back. I have used my brother's Lee priming tool and I like it well enough, but I don't know yet what I'm going to replace this RCBS with. You have to nearly totaly dismantle this tool to change the shell holder and you WILL loose tray after tray of primers. The rest of the Master Reloading kit, even the balance scales, is GREAT and I've not had any problems with the rest of it. This tool is simply poorly designed.

11/15/2012

(0 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

2.0

not a winner

By david

from hickory, north carolina

Comments about RCBS Hand Priming Tool:

This thing never really worked well. It didn't feed primmers at all well. Constantly needing to fiddle with it to get it to fuction properly, the primer feed are very fragile and need to be replaced and will not fuction at all now. I know it needs these plastic primmer feeds, but they failed after only about 500 rounds. I'm a rcbs guy, but would never recomend this product.

11/10/2012

(0 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

2.0

Tried this. Buying a Lyman!

By ARTHUR

from BALDWIN, GA

Comments about RCBS Hand Priming Tool:

This tool was a bit bulky in my small hands, Worst of all the small primers would not seat properly because they came up at an angle.

With large primers it does better, but I just ordered a Lyman!

11/8/2012

(1 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Good, reliable, accurate tool

By Chris the GunWizard

from Western North Carolina

Comments about RCBS Hand Priming Tool:

For years I have used a Lee Ram-Prime press-mounted unit for priming. I decided that for my match-grade rounds, I wanted a hand tool so I could feel how tightly the primer fit the pocket. After breifly researching all the options, I decided on this one. I like RCBS products, and have several. I didn't want the Lee because I didn't want to have to buy separate, proprietary shellholders, and Lee's quality record isn't the best. The Hornady and other RCBS tools used either priming strips or universal shellholders, which I also didn't want. This tool says it works with "RCBS standard shellholders"... I have RCBS shellholders, as well as a couple Hornady shellholders, a couple Lymans, and a Redding. They all work just fine with this tool. I can't understand why some people can't figure out how to use this tool in one motion?!? The shellholder can ROTATE in the tool! Just rotate it to the 1 or 2 o'clock position (assuming the primer tray is 12) so the case doesn't fall out when you tilt it to feed primers! Simple, people! I like to seat my primer, then rotate the case 180 degrees, and press on the primer again to make sure it has an even, level seat. The ONLY negative detail I can say, and the ONLY reason I didn't give it 5 stars, is the shellholder adapters. There are 2 included, one for small primers and one for large. They are made of plastic, I wish they were metal. Another thing is that there are 2 rods with it, one large one small. Wouldn't it make sense to have one rod, with large on one end and small on the other? Less parts to have to keep up with. I also wish RCBS would have included a hard, plastic storage case of some sort. Otherwise, I've had mine for over 2 years now, and it's loaded THOUSANDS of rounds, flawlessly.

8/24/2012

4.0

I bought this tool ...

By Richard

from Alamogordo, NM

Comments about RCBS Hand Priming Tool:

I bought this tool because the newer Lee tool is such a hassle to use. I'm pleased with my purchase, though this tool isn't without its flaws. The design is simple and functional. The mechanical advantage is very good and primers seat easily and consistently. The primer tray is easily removable for loading and the lid fits nicely and can be rotated to close off the feed port if needed. The only downside I've found comes when changing shell holders. If you only need to prime one caliber of case head size on the tool this is a total non-issue, but for those of us that reload several, the need to almost completely disassemble the tool to switch holders is a pain. Invariably I forget to reinstall the primer seating rod and have to extract a primer from the annals of the tool. A slight change to the design simplify he process and would improve the versatility of the tool overall.

7/22/2012

(1 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

I purchased this product ...

By Dan

from Rural Slums, CO

Comments about RCBS Hand Priming Tool:

I purchased this product to replace a simple RCBS hand primer that worked flawlessly for 25+ years until the lever fatigued and broke and I couldn't devise a fix or purchase a duplicate. This replacement product is unacceptable for two reasons. First, there is insufficient travel in the lever to ensure the primer is properly seated below the cartridge head. I discovered this when I primed a case that had a slightly thin rim I failed to detect on initial inspection of the brass lot. Consequently, I would be very nervous about using this tool to prime semi-auto cartridges since a high primer is a sure recipe for a slam-fire. Second, as mentioned in a previous review, older RCBS shell holders will not fit properly onto the plastic insert probably because older shell holders have less base bevel than the newer ones. In my situation it will not work with five of seven shell holders. I've ordered the Lee auto prime and shell holders as an alternative.

7/5/2012

(0 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

2.0

Works but barely. after ...

By Chris

from Virginia Beach, VA

Comments about RCBS Hand Priming Tool:

Works but barely. after every primer you need to use something to push back priming shaft and is a major pain to change shell holders because push shaft for mechanism will not align. i gave it 2 stars because it does actually works just slowly and will get you frustrated. try other brand (mine was part of kit)

5/4/2012

(0 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

About the only positive ...

By James

from CLEVELAND, OH

Comments about RCBS Hand Priming Tool:

About the only positive thing to say about this unit is it has a well made handle and body. Now to the negatives.Inconsistent seating due to sloppy tolerance of seating stem. Uncomfortable to use for those of us with smaller hands. Changing shell holders is both time consuming and awkward due to the many small parts involved. Has a tendency to jam with small primers unless held in exactly in the correct position. Overall poor design when compared to other priming tools.Solution to all of the above...I bought two Lee auto prime tools with shell holders for .473 and .378 case heads, and spent less money than the cost of this unit and got a more reliable, accurate, and user friendly method of seating primers, while eliminating any set up time of the tool. Just grab it and go to work.

5/3/2012

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

I have read all the ...

By Tony

from LA FAYETTE, GA

Comments about RCBS Hand Priming Tool:

I have read all the reviews on this tool and don't really see what all the fuss is about. Follow the instruction and everything will work fine. Yes I have some old shellholders that won't fit but I'll replace them. I have been reloading for over 30 yrs., have the RCBS single stage press with the separate primer tool. This hand priming tool is different but it works for me. Don't let the handle go when you are changing shellholder and everything will stay together. There is probably a video on youtube on the correct way to use it. If not go to Shooting USA and there is a video. It isn't perfect but is a lot faster than the old way. You can feel the primer seat in the bottom of the case. I can use mine left or right handed. I guess it is like everything else in life you have to try it yourself to see if you like it or not.

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RCBS Hand Priming Tool

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