November 4, 2022Smart Advice to Efficiently and Safely Priming Cases
The anvil is a thin, tripod-shaped piece of metal that protrudes above the bottom the primer cup. It is important to have a good sense of how the primer sits on the bottom of your primer pocket without it being too tight. Unfortunately, Glen Zediker died in October 2020. His writings continue to share his wisdom. This article is based on Glen Zediker’s popular reloading books as well as his articles for Midsouth Blog. Glen Zediker provides helpful advice on priming in two Midsouth Blog articles. First, he discusses what happens to the primer when it is placed in the cup. Glen explains why some “crush”, and why you should never leave a high primer. Glen also reviews a number of priming tools, including his favourite — the Forster Co-Ax Bench Primer Seater. He then provides some safety tips. Glen offers solid advice on priming. We recommend Glen Zediker’s book Top-Grade Ammo for great reloading tips. Speed
Glen writes: “The best priming tools have less leverage. This is because we can feel the progress in that very short time between start and finish. As is so often the case, there is a balance between speed and precision in tool selections. “Benchtop Priming Tool — The Forster Coax
Glen believes that the benchtop, stand-alone, priming station is the best option, in terms of both “feel” as well as productivity. The one shown below is my favorite because it is reliable in feeding and has a feel that is good enough to do a perfect primer seat. It strikes the perfect balance between speed and precision. “Load Tuning & Primers
Glen warns that you should reduce your load whenever you switch to a not-yet tested primer type. “The primer, in my opinion, is the greatest variable that can affect the performance of a load combination. This is mostly to say, ‘pressure’. Never, ever switch primer brands without backing off your propellant charge and proving to you how far you can take it back up or to back it off even more. When I try a new primer brand, I always back off one grain of propellant. “Priming Safety Tips from Zediker1. A good primer flip tray is necessary for filling some feeding tube tubes. Double-check that each primer is being fed right side up (or left, depending on your perspective). Unintentional detonation can be caused by trying to fill a stuffed magazine with too much primer. Keep track of your progress and count. Do not try to place a primer higher than necessary on a finished round. It may be possible to explode a high primer by applying enough pressure to overcome inertia and re-initiate motion. Do not punch out a live primer! This can cause a lot of panic. Spray or squirt a little oil onto the primer to kill it. This makes the compound inert. Keep the cup clean. This is the little piece into which the primer sits. Any small piece of brass can be turned into a firing pin. It has happened! These Tips on Priming are from Glen’s Zediker’s excellent book Top Grade Ammo, which is a great resource for precision handloaders. We also recommend Glen’s New Competitive AR-15 : The Ultimate Technical guide, which contains good general information about AR components.
