Reloading Equipment IV (Priming)

Priming Tool

A key operation in reloading is priming your brass by inserting a new primer into the case. Most presses have an attached priming arm, but many reloaders prefer to use a separate hand priming tool. Hand priming tools usually incorporate a priming tray that holds primers and feeds them into the priming tool one at a time. A benefit of the separate priming tool is that most eliminate the need to handle primers with your fingers, which could potentially contaminate them with oil from your skin. Larger turret and progressive presses usually incorporate some type of manual or automatic priming system.

Primer flipping tray

While not an essential piece of equipment, a primer flipping tray is a handy tool to have on your loading bench. A primer flipping tray is simply a small, flat, plastic tray with grooves milled into its surface. When primers are dumped into this tray and the tray is shaken from side to side, the grooved floor of the tray catches the edge of the primers and flips them anvil side up. This is important as it allows you to easily pick up and place primers into a priming tool by hand with a minimum amount of handling. If you are going to be using a hand priming tool with a feed tray, a separate flipping tray is unnecessary. To minimize handling primers, always try to dump out only as many primers as you need for the batch of cases you are currently priming.

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