Sometimes I crave that legendary German engineering…

I have a love/hate relationship with primer tools.

This is my current go-to tool, an RCBS that works fine, really. Doesn’t need a whole set of individual case holders, which is a big plus. Gives you enough leverage that it’s not a hand exerciser but not so much you’re crushing primers. Eliminates that idiotic elevator thing Lee tools have that seats the primer sideways half the time. But it does have one very annoying design flaw – not a deal-breaker, just annoying…


Nobody paid attention to the approach angle on the tray, and several times per session two primers will bump into each other and clog the chute. And unless you’re paying close attention, you’ll find out about it when the tray is full but the chute is empty.

I like to watch history videos on YouTube sometimes, which means mid-20th century German weapons engineering is on my mind more often than really makes any sense. And after like the third time this happened to me while only priming 50 cases, I thought “Hugo Schmeisser would never have allowed this.” Germans: They got themselves into the most ridiculously unwinnable wars, but damned if they didn’t lose them with the coolest weapons on the field.

This is how bad the ammo situation is getting: I can’t say primers are worth their weight in gold because as far as I know no amount of gold could acquire any. At any other time if I accidentally dropped one – on a floor that’s practically paved with spent primers, mind you – I’d let it go. But…


…under these circumstances I had to at least give it a shot. And it was cause for a bit of celebration when I actually found the damn thing.

About Joel

You shouldn't ask these questions of a paranoid recluse, you know.
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11 Responses to Sometimes I crave that legendary German engineering…

  1. Anonymous says:

    Don’t toss any of the old primers either…they can be reloaded also.

  2. taminator013 says:

    Ha! I dropped one and it rolled under the fully loaded chest freezer in the garage. I had to use a dolly to move it. The good thing was that I found the primer and a second one that I had dropped the week before. I do have a good supply, but I still hate to lose them. Picked up 5000 small pistol and 9000 small rifle for $1000 even from a small shop that was liquidating their reloading components. Kind of didn’t like paying 2X – 2.5X the normal price, but that’s a lot better than the 10X that they are selling for now……..

  3. taminator013 says:

    Hey, anonymous, do you have a good way to reload primers? I’m always up for a good experiment…….

  4. MN Steel says:

    http://aardvarkreloading.com/primers.html

    I picked up a Frankford Arsenal hand primer, very easy on the hand, dial adjustable for seating depth.

  5. Steve Diaz says:

    Primers, primers, we don’t need no stinking primers.

    Black powder shooter

  6. Joel says:

    In the current ammo market, smokepoles are starting to sound like a good idea. How easy is it to get powder and caps?

  7. Al says:

    BP and Caps are also very difficult to source right now. I don’t see much difference at all in availability.

  8. beaner49 says:

    Flint and steel still easy to source….
    Black powder shooter

  9. Robert says:

    Bow and arrow…
    And a buncha pellets for an air rifle that I loaned out which fell overboard somewhere on a lake.

  10. Mike says:

    Al said… “BP and Caps are also very difficult to source right now.”

    A company caller 22LR Reloader now makes the Tap-O-Cap. You can make #11 caps for your cap and ball. If you want to get one, now is the time before they go under.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxUHhawvlqY&feature=emb_logo

    https://sharpshooter-22lr-reloader.myshopify.com/products/11-percussion-cap-maker

  11. John says:

    Grodzisk Robotics now makes a 3D printed #11 percussion cap maker for 30% of the price with no shortages https://peacemaker.store/products/11-percussion-cap-maker-for-sale

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