Is there a primer seating tool which produces consistent seating depth, without relying on "feel"?

Yes, Sinclair's priming tool is excellent.
I have two of them, one set up for large primers, and the other set up for small ones.
Two years ago, I retired the Lee Multi priming tool due to it's pot metal construction, and in some cases poor primer seating.
There may be other good ones, but I have no exerience with them, so no comments about them.
The Sinclair tool design and fabrication is excellent.

Don

Is the Sinclair tool a hand-held squeezer type? Or a bench mounted lever type?

Is there a way to adjust the seating depth?

I use the K&M Engineering tool----Outstanding and you always rely on feel to know when the primer is seated correctly. After you have done this 10's of thousands of times it is second nature to know when to let off the handle.

I use an RCBS "Ram Prime Tool", it looks like die and screws into the top of your press just like a die.

Your shell holder snaps into the top of it, another device that looks like a shell holder snaps onto the ram. This part holds a rod and the tiny cup that hold the primer.

By turning this tools die body down in small increments I can get the tool adjusted so when the ram linkage hits its stops the primer is .004" below flush of the case head.

My press is a Lee Classic Cast and the front linkage to the ram has stop tabs forged into them that stops the upward motion of the ram when these tabs contact the back links.
Using the standard priming arm system that came with this press a primer is seated to the correct depth just by raising the press handle to the stop.

I don't know if other brand presses have a similar stop feature but on this press it allows me to very accurately control primer seating depth.


I also have a RCBS APS priming system which can also be adjusted via a screw to precisely control primer seating depth, I find it not as easy to adjust because the adjustment screw thread are too course a pitch.

quote:

Originally posted by Wink:
Is the Sinclair tool a hand-held squeezer type? Or a bench mounted lever type?

Is there a way to adjust the seating depth?

Hand Held squeezer type, depth is only altered by how hard you squeeze, but it is very high quality, and easy 'learn' the feel.

I think I know what you are after in the consistent seating search, I uniform all my primer pockets, and use the RCBS universal, which will set every primer to the exact same depth, but it is not adjustable, other than to grind the primer seating plug down, seating them slightly shallower.....

I've seen a couple bench mounted lever types (not used on your press)in magazines. Which one is the best to get?

best one for mechcanical seating, assuming off press?

rcbs APS benchtop. adjustable seating death, set and pump put the primped cases .. no feel required .. just full stroke to a mechcanical stop.

quote:

Originally posted by Wink:
Is the Sinclair tool a hand-held squeezer type? Or a bench mounted lever type?

Is there a way to adjust the seating depth?

Yes it's hand held. I had to go get mine there a good set of instruction on how to adjust seating depth.

The priming tool has a shell holder head and that turns and lock the case into the shell holder. Since rim thickenss varies they give you shims to adjust for that and once that set up you can adjust priming punch push rod for seating depth. They give a good set of instruction on how to set it up.

Hey Wink, The Primer Pockets tend to vary a bit in depth. So, if you use a Primer Seater which allows you to "Set the Seating Depth", some may be too Deep(cracked Priming Compound) or too shallow(anvil not touching the bottom).

In the first situation, you might have a mis-fire. If it does fire, it will be at a slightly different Timing Sequence than a normally seated primer - changes the Point-of-Impact.

In the second instance, the anvil needs to make contact with the Primer Pocket for the Primer to fire, so the Firing Pin has to complete the Seating and then Crush the Priming Compound. It might also mis-fire, hang-fire, or fire, but again there will be more of a Timing Sequence issue which also moves the Point-of-Impact.

If you are Hunting up-close, then the difference in Points-of-Impact probably don't amount enough to worry about. However, the mechanical "CLICK", on a mis-fire, will cause Game to depart the area - unharmed.
-----

If you do get a Constant Seating Depth device, I'd recommend you "Square" the Primer Pockets and then set the Depth Adjustment.

Best of luck to you.

Wink,
I should also mention as Fish did, and that is I uniform all of my primer pockets before seating primers. I use Sinclair Primer Pocket Reamers, one for large pockets and another for small primers. These reamers are precisely made so the primer pockets are perfectly sized after reaming. And, primers seat perfectly also, to the same correct depth every time.

Hotcore,
I have never had to "Arm" a primer before, except in 50bmg cases.. .in fact, i've done a series of accuracy tests in a 222rem to see what effect primer seating has accuracy. primers go bang .030 proud!

For "plinking" ammo you may have a point but I load every round like it was going to be used in a match. All of the BR folks I know who win including HOF types seat by hand.

When you do it long enough you can even feel where there is a problem with the case.

I do primer pocket uniforming for my rifle calibers, but what I want to do now is find a way to get consistent seating depth for 45 ACP ammo to be used in a revolver with the lightest double action trigger pull possible. Obviously I'll use Federal primers, but inconsistant primer depth won't let me get the trigger pull down as low as possible. This is for sporting use, not self-defense.

Apparently it still hasn't gotten acrost. You seat the primer to the bottem of the primer pocket. Everytime. Regardless of where it falls below the head of the case. Otherwise stuff happens. All of it bad.
I think you're going at this wrong. If you want something to be precise, uniform the primer pockets.

quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:
Apparently it still hasn't gotten acrost. You seat the primer to the bottem of the primer pocket. Everytime. Regardless of where it falls below the head of the case. Otherwise stuff happens. All of it bad.
I think you're going at this wrong. If you want something to be precise, uniform the primer pockets.

It's the idea of uniforming a few thousand 45 ACP cases that led me to ask the question for a mechanical solution. I guess there ain't no easy way out.

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:
...i've done a series of accuracy tests in a 222rem to see what effect primer seating has accuracy. primers go bang .030 proud!

Did you notice any change in the Accuracy? What distance?

Jeffesso, I'm assuming that either your primers were seated to the bottom of the primer pocket OR that you had a firing pin spring that was stout enough to finish seating the primer when you fired the rifle.
My understanding of Wink's post is that he wants to be able to use the lightest pin fall possible so he can "adjust" the trigger pull on a double action revolver. Doesn't sound feasible to me but then what I know about revolvers could be covered in one small sentence.

accuracy went south..in an heavy benchgun, a shilen dga+heavy barrel that shot in the .2s if i was drivin, and in the .1s if my wife was. though I don't believe the primers to have seated in .. if a rimer can go off without a case, and the can, then arming them doesn't matter .. as what i THINK you said



Beeman, not questioning wink's approach .. the APS bench primer is his best bet.