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Hand tool for easy depriming?

37K views 23 replies 19 participants last post by  jaguarxk120 
#1 ·
'Nuther Newbie question for youse...

Wondering if there's an easy to use deprimer for short money that would enable me to crack primers out of my brass, like shelling pistachios, while I watch SPORTS on TV and the occasional KILL shot on the Outdoor Channel???
 
#2 ·
Good Evening:

I don't know if you are a Lee hater, or admirer, however, Lee has a Hand Press, that is about 18.00, and you can buy a Lee Universal decapping die for about 5-7.00. I have a lee handpress, and I love it. i don't use it alot, however, it is perfectly capable of full lenght sizing 30-06 cases. You might want to look into it.

Justin Korpal
920-471-8008
shooters forum member K0RPL
 
#5 ·
midway is probably one of the better options, you could also check with graf's, midsouth and natchez
 
#6 ·
I use a Lee hand press with a universal decapping die. Got them both from Midway, which is my primary source for reloading supplies. I have nothing but praise of the highest order for both. The hand press does double duty for crimping after bullet seating for the rounds that require it.
 
#7 ·
I've always wondered why one would want to just decap, as a separate operation, when one can decap while resizing? Why run the brass thru 2 dies, and double the handling?
 
#15 ·
I've always wondered why one would want to just decap, as a separate operation, when one can decap while resizing? Why run the brass thru 2 dies, and double the handling?
For some, me included, being "super efficient" isn't necessarily desired. Handling a case one extra time makes little or no difference to me, actually it extends my pleasureable time reloading. I reload because I like to. I have no quotas, nor am I in any hurry. Reloading for me is a relaxing/rewarding time that if extended a few minutes per session, just makes it that much more time spent working my hobby.

I decap seperately sometimes just to keep my press clean. I then vibrate/clean and reload...
 
#8 ·
I deprime first because when I tumble the brass, the primer pockets get some cleaning, also, I like running clean brass through my sizing dies, less chance of getting them scratched by a piece of something on the case
 
#10 ·
Deprime and tumble is one reason. Another is once in a while the ammo companies will turn out a case with an off-center flash hole. The decapping pin will be trying to find the flash hole while the sizer die is trying to follow the casemouth. If this has never happened to you, you are very fortunate. At least if you're only depriming, you can move the case around in the shell holder until the decapping pin finds the flash hole.
 
#11 ·
Thanks for all your input!

I ended up getting the Lee hand press 'kit' from Midway, as it comes with the ram-prime tool also.
I got the set of 11 Universal shellholders -- good for all the calibers I'll need in pistol or rifle.
I also picked up a deal on 40 s&w carbide dies so I've sized and deprimed a bag of those. Then, went back, and in one night, maybe couple hours decapped all my other brass (up to 30-06) with the universal decapping die I bought....just kicking back on the floor watching the boob tube, nothing to it.

Very functional and easy to use. A+ (except it could use a more comfortable finger grip on the tool side) But hey cheap is good, and it's plenty portable.
 
#12 ·
Way back when, my brother and I got into reloading we both bought the Lee Loaders, and they came with a decapping rod and base, my brother brazed his to a pair of channel lock pliers. He was at the time reloading for a 06 and a 30-30 thing is it worked.
 
#13 ·
The Lee universal de-primer rod is the way to go. I finally did bend mine and made one just like it on the grinding wheel. It was made out of better steel though so it has lasted now for more than 30 yrs. You need the base though to get the brass off the living room floor and then you can put the hammer on the deprimer and give it a tap and out goes the primer. You can then watch the outdoor channel and deprime while you watch. be carefull to get the punch tip in the primer pocket and keep the rod straight. That's what finally got my first one was a tap on the brass and not the primer.
 
#20 ·
Are you talking about the hand press? or the hand primer? These guys are talking about a simple deprime tool, and although it may be machined it wouldn't offer the strength of a hand press. A machined part is just a machined casting, you get better fit but not stronger parts unless they were originally cast with better materials. Then again machining helps find defects in the casting though. Design and it's intended use should be a better guide for cast parts vs machined castings.
 
#19 ·
I use a LEE handpress with a LEE universal de-capping die to remove the primers from my BP brass so I can pre soak it in the field/range to slow down/stop the BP corrosion until I get home to do a proper cleaning. It works really great and has never been a problem yet. It gets occasional use for de-priming other smokeless brass at times too. A good tool at a good price which can be important if you are on a budget.

No doubt the machined aluminum Harvey tool is a great piece of workmanship & certainly less prone to breakage but then it may be just a bit spendy for some.

Then, just how much pressure can you apply when de-priming a brass case?????
 
#21 ·
I was talking about the Harvey Priming tool that another poster had linked. The hand primer is machined from a solid bilet of alumium. If memory serves alumium is extruded from a liquid melt. This then becomes either a shape in cross section or solid bar in cross section. He is milling this solid bar into the hand part of the primer.

Die cast is powdered metal that fills a mould then run through an oven to melt the outside metal a little and bond the remainder. It is very porous when broken in pieces. Cast alumium is liquid metal that is poured into a mould and allowed to cool. It is then machined to final dimensions. Cast alumium parts can have stress areas within the casting if not done properly as well as voids.

I surmise he is using a CNC mill to make the handle parts and lathe setup for the punch. You program the mill for the operations you want and then let the computer control the machine while it fabricates the part. One person can oversee numberous machines in this manner lowering labor costs.
 
#22 ·
Die cast is powdered metal that fills a mould then run through an oven to melt the outside metal a little and bond the remainder. It is very porous when broken in pieces. Cast alumium is liquid metal that is poured into a mould and allowed to cool. It is then machined to final dimensions. Cast alumium parts can have stress areas within the casting if not done properly as well as voids.
Thanks for the info as i didn't really understand how die cast parts were struck.
 
#23 ·
Excellent overview, hailstone; thanks!

Still, one has to ask: While a mil-spec field radio is certainly capable of allowing me to talk to my kids from across the room, is it really 'better' than just talking to them? To me, that's the comparison here between a Lee decapper and the alternatives. The Harvey looks like a nice, convenient tool, but no more so than the Lee hand press + universal decapping die (which combination is more versatile), and I predict that it won't last even 2 minutes longer than the Lee combo if you never do anything but de-cap. I guess I just don't get it (people say that about me a lot :) )
 
#24 · (Edited)
Lets see the lee press and die cost $51 and the Harvey costs $55, the lee is five times larger than the Harvey. Chances are it weighs less than the press and die.

A trip to the range I want to carry what I need and having something that takes up that much room in my shooting kit just to do one job so cases will be clean takes about two seconds to decide that the Harvey works better.

By the way how does one operate the lee hand press, one hand to hold the press, one hand to operate the lever, one hand to insert the shell.

I only have two hands, seems like I would be fumbling with cases and operating lever.:rolleyes:
 
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