Frankford Arsenal Perfect Seat Hand Primer

[Letfreedomring]

I'm currently using the Lee auto priming tool that came with my classic single stage press and while it is ok, it is rather cumbersome and has a few deficiencies. During my recent range day I had a FTF with S&B primer in my 6.5 CM which will put a pucker in anyone's seat warmer. My previous range day I had the same problem with a reload using Fed 210LRP. Today I had a box of factory match rounds that performed flawlessly so taking a closer look at my reloads some of my primers are seated too deep causing lite strikes. With the Lee priming tool it is real difficult to get a feel how far you're seating them. Got to looking around the interwebs and came across the Frankford tool. It supposedly has an adjustable solid seating stop to prevent my very situation. Has anyone used this one in particular or recommended a hand priming tool with hard stops for gorilla handed people like me?
Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Rustygun]

It has been a few years since I loaded rifle ammo as I shoot mostly pistol, but I don’t think it is possible to seat a primer to deep. If it is possible it is because the depth of primer pocket on the brass is not correct.

I always thought the primer has to be firmly seated against the bottom of the primer pocket. If it is not, the impact of the striker will seat it all the way. So instead of denting the primer, the impact just pushes the primer the rest of the way into the pocket resulting in what looks like a light primer strike.

I would think that if you seat primers ”shallow” or not all the way bottomed out in the pocket you get even more light strike problems.

I am interested to see what others have to say.

 

[diggler1833]

Might want to check firing pin protrusion, as I'm a little suspicious of that...otherwise you are really driving those primers in.

That is not to say there isn't a problem with your hand primer. I've an RCBS basic hand priming tool that has ran virtually flawless over tens of thousands of rounds, and seats everything a few thousandths below flush...HOWEVER, it will not seat a primer properly in 7mm RM. Talk about a head scratcher. I'm left with primers that stick out a couple thousandths. I finally caved in and tried a different RCBS universal hand primer, and that seats the primers perfectly. I now use my old hand primer on everything else, but the 7mm RM cases go into the universal tool.

Have you determined how far below flush your primers sit when loaded?

 

[sklfco]

Have you determined how far below flush your primers sit when loaded?

Just looking at them momentarily yesterday at the range they looked to be .05-.08” below on the couple I saw. Firing pin strike was of course light. I also use the RCBS as the op and I discussed earlier this morning. I think it would solve his issues.
But, if he would bring those empties over we could take em out to the shop, dismantle them and a couple that did fire to find out just what happed. Bonus, he could take the rcbs tool for a test drive.
More concerning to me was the bulging on the ones that did fire, even factory rolled. That’s another reason I want to tear them down to measure the powder charge. Not that my scales are lab grade, but just to cross something off my list.
Still think we need to slug that tube.
That mid range charge of Varget should not of cratered those CCI 200’s pushing those 123’s that slow. (Don’t recall the exact numbers from the magnetospeed, good thing someone took a pic but it was slower than the factories)

 

[Letfreedomring]

The ones I measured are between flush to .011 deep with the S&B primers with most sitting at .0045 using Hornady new brass. The Lapua SRP brass ran around .002. Like I said with the Lee primer tool it's hard to feel when fully seated.
Almost flush:

To wtf:

I have no current way to measure firing pin protrusion it looks normal to me:

And while i was browsing for a different priming tool I came across this lil tidbit of 411 on the Lee that I somehow overlooked since I hardly ever read the legaleeze in instructions:

 

[diggler1833]

The ones I measured are between flush to .011 deep with the S&B primers with most sitting at .0045 using Hornady new brass. The Lapua SRP brass ran around .002. Like I said with the Lee primer tool it's hard to feel when fully seated.
Almost flush:
View attachment 267134
To wtf:
View attachment 267135
I have no current way to measure firing pin protrusion it looks normal to me:
View attachment 267152
And while i was browsing for a different priming tool I came across this lil tidbit of 411 on the Lee that I somehow overlooked since I hardly ever read the legaleeze in instructions:
View attachment 267153

Federal primers are a bit easier to set off. I don't think I'd get too freaked out about it though.

The bottom of your dial caliper should have a little depth rod. Take two measurements with it flush on the face of your bolt...one with the firing pin forward, and one with the firing pin to the rear (cocked). The difference is your protrusion.

 

[Letfreedomring]

Federal primers are a bit easier to set off. I don't think I'd get too freaked out about it though.

The bottom of your dial caliper should have a little depth rod. Take two measurements with it flush on the face of your bolt...one with the firing pin forward, and one with the firing pin to the rear (cocked). The difference is your protrusion.

View attachment 267255

Best I can tell trying to measure from the tip of the rounded firing pin is .060 protrusion. So should be plenty IMHO. I still think it is due to operator error and lack of a hard stop on the Lee priming tool. Guess I'm going to give the FA tool a try since it's only $53 on Amazon and can be returned if it doesn't work out.
Thanks for all the input and will update when I get it figured out.
Guess I just need to be thankful i got thru a whole sleeve of federal LRP's and still have eyebrows!

 

[RickN]

I used the Lee tool for years and could always tell when it bottomed out. I think it is either the primers are not the correct height, or the primer pocket is to deep. Next time you have empty brass I would check a few to see if the pocket is all the same.

 

[diggler1833]

Best I can tell trying to measure from the tip of the rounded firing pin is .060 protrusion. So should be plenty IMHO. I still think it is due to operator error and lack of a hard stop on the Lee priming tool. Guess I'm going to give the FA tool a try since it's only $53 on Amazon and can be returned if it doesn't work out.
Thanks for all the input and will update when I get it figured out.
Guess I just need to be thankful i got thru a whole sleeve of federal LRP's and still have eyebrows!

If .060 protrusion, then you can rule that possibility out.

 

[diggler1833]

My basic RCBS hand priming tool pushed the easy button for me on most cartridges. Basically when the lever is squeezed all the way to the body, the primer is a few thousandths below flush.

However, I just looked them up on Google, and the first site only gave them a user review average of 4.4. Apparently about a dozen people have had issues with it at some point...and like I mentioned earlier, I can't get primers to seat well in mine specifically with my 7mm RM. Everything else is great.

Maybe a new priming tool is what is needed? I had to buy one to get my 7 mag stuff to work.

I just watched a really good video on why NOT to uniform primer pockets (on quality brass). It was done by Eric(k) Cortina, and he detailed that uniform tools work off the bottom of the case head...while the priming tools with a shell holder all work off of the top if the case rim.