Priming Moves Forward

Guns Magazine, Nov, 1999 by Charles E. Petty

Almost two years ago RCBS introduced a new tool. It uses a clever, patented, plastic strip that holds and feeds primers one at a time. It is called APS, for Advanced priming System, and it truly is. The APS mounts on top of the loading press or stands alone.

The only real drawback to the system is that you must either use CCI primers or a special tool to load primers into the strips. But the APS is so convenient that it's worth the work in the rare occasion that a load requires a different primer.

This year RCBS unveiled a prototype of a new hand-priming tool that would use the APS strips and a universal shell holder that works with a wide variety of cases. It is made of pair of wedge-shaped segments that lie on either side of the seating punch. A spring wraps around the tool to hold them together and accommodates different rim sizes.

The primer seating punch is the only part you have to change to go from one size of primers to the other. The tools come with both small and large primer punches. A special tool is include to do the job.

It was quite awhile before I got my hands on one for an extensive test and my priming methods have been permanently changed. Part of this is simply because of the type of hand-loading I do.

It's really rare for me to load large quantities of any cartridge, but I load small volumes of many. Most of the time, if the loading isn't done on a progressive, I'll prepare a quantity of primed case and then use them as needed with different powders and bullets. One of the real conveniences of the APS system is that primers, while they come in strips of 25, any number can be used. CCI's packaging comes with four strips stuck to an adhesive label. You can take a strip off the label, use what you need, and stick it right back on without concern.

One of my real hang-ups is handling primers with greasy fingers. It's an inevitable consequence of hand-loading. Even though you take care to avoid contaminating primers with case lube there is always going to be a small risk. The APS strips eliminate that concern and your hands can be just as grubby as you can tolerate.