When primers were in short supply, I started using CCI primers. Now that I can get them again, I just picked up a thousand Federals. My problem is that I tend to spill them when putting them in my Lee priming tool. The box is bigger than the tray and they tend to stick in the box. I get frustrated having to crawl around picking up primers off the floor. Is there a trick that I have forgotten, become even more clumsy, or have I eaten too many curmudgeon cookies?
Thanks
Bfly

If it is any consolation to you, I have also always found CCI primers easier to handle.

IMHO, the Federal primer packaging is not particularly practical for removing the primers (e.g. into a primer tray). I don't know if the Federal packaging is supposed to offer additional safety, but if not, the CCI packaging is more practical - more compact and allows primer removal more easily.

- mike

That's the only thing I dislike about Federal primers - the overly large packaging.

No matter the brand, I only expose one or two lines of primers as I dump them into my priming tool. Don't remember having ever dropped any.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim C. <><:
No matter the brand, I only expose one or two lines of primers as I dump them into my priming tool. Don't remember having ever dropped any.

I do the same....and I hate the big boy packaging the Fed's come in!

Just turn the box upside down flush with your load bench and slide it open. The primers will rest on your bench.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim C. <><:
No matter the brand, I only expose one or two lines of primers as I dump them into my priming tool. Don't remember having ever dropped any.

Jim C's method works well for less than full boxes. You can also dump them in small increments, but, if I am planning on using the full box, I found a small, flat glass tray that is close to the size of the Fed. box and dump primers in it first, then into the Lee priming tool.

Regards,
hm

Do what Doc said but do it on a sheet of paper. Then you can pick up the paper and hold it so a slight crease or fold appears and pour/funnel the primers into the tray.

I have never used the Lee Priming tool, so my question may seem "dumb". Does the tray on the Priming Tool have ridges in it that "flip" the primers so the bottom is up?... or do you need to load it so all primers have the bottom side up for seating?

The packaging is much larger and bulkier than necessary and takes up valuable space in your reloading cabinet. Also, the Federal primers are lying on their round sides, thus when you dump them into any receptical (tray, "primer flipper", or one of momma's Tupperware lids), many of them are going to come to rest face down rather than face up.

And how about that little paper tab on the back of the box which keeps you from sliding the box open? Yeah, you know the one that when you finally get the plastic insert to move over it the box jumps several notches and primers fly everywhere. Great safety device!

Federal primer packaging is incredibly user-unfriendly. Someone needs to email this thread to Federal. Now that primers are not in such short supply and I have a choice, I'll choose some other brand just because of the packaging.

I open the primer box to as many as I may want to load, ( usually in 50 at a time) and turn the primer seater upside down on top of the box. This allows me to ensure things are lined up propperly then flip them over held together. This (except for the feds) usually has them all the right way up with very little shaking to flip the last one or two over.

Von Gruff.

quote:

Originally posted by mike_elmer:
I have never used the Lee Priming tool, so my question may seem "dumb". Does the tray on the Priming Tool have ridges in it that "flip" the primers so the bottom is up?... or do you need to load it so all primers have the bottom side up for seating?

Not sure which side you're calling the "bottom", but the open face of the primer cup needs to be up in the Lee tool. With WW packaging where all of the primers are sitting in their little holes cup side up, when you dump them into the Lee tray they are all face up, ready to load; and you can dump the whole package of 100 at once if you wish.

Lee and Federal have been having some kind of piss fight for a number of years with Lee warning users not to seat Federal primers with their hand tool. Whether purposeful or not, Federal's packaging helps make Lee's tool less usable with their primers. I'm not sure what the fight is/was all about, but the two companies have succeeded in making my life less content.

I would just dump federal primers in to a shoe box top then pour them onto the lee primer tray out of one croner of the box top. I have loaded 10 to 15 thousand of federal primers this way.

I don't like Federal boxes either. I use a Lee priming tool for most loading and the Federals are a pain. I just dump them into my hand and then into the priming tray. Lee has now come out with a new priming tool with a big square tray to accept the Federal boxes.

quote:

I just dump them into my hand and then into the priming tray.

Me too! Pretty simple.


.

Thanks guys.
I forgot about the Lee/Federal wars. I'll try your ideas.
Thanks
Bfly

The bottom of the primer tray for the Lee Auto Prime is a primer flipper.

Since I use a LOT of Federal primers (all of my loads so far were worked up with them) I just hold the box upside-down and slowly pull the white plastic keeper tray out until they're dispensed into the flipper pan. It is very rare that even a single primer rolls away and it's usually due to myself being a klutz-

quote:

Not sure which side you're calling the "bottom",

I guess I should have referred to the exposed anvil of the primer, which is what I mean by the bottom. It can be kinda confusing, can't it?

I seat primers using my press with a primer tube and one reason I like Winchester primers is they can be picked up in the tube straight from the packet, easy to count and absolutely no touching with fingers.
When I use CCI Mags or other brands then I have to dump into a primer flipper to pick up with the tube. Don't know why all primers can't be packaged as Winchester do.