In this article we will continue on our series of the basics of reloading. This time we will show you how priming cartridges for reloading is accomplished.

Before we start, let’s keep the lawyers happy, shall we!

DISCLAIMER: For reloading information: WARNING: Reloading can be dangerous if you have not been properly schooled in how to reload ammunition. The loads shown are for informational purposes only.  They are only safe in the rifle shown and may not be safe in yours. Dangerous chamber pressures can occur resulting in serious injury, damage to rifle, or even death if proper reloading steps are not followed.  Consult appropriate load manuals prior to developing your own handloads.  Craigsoutdoorsports.com and its authors, do not assume any responsibility, directly or indirectly for the safety of the readers attempting to follow any instructions or perform any of the tasks shown, or the use or misuse of any information contained herein, on this website.

Now that we have that out of the way, lets teach you how to go about priming cartridges for reloading.

There are several different primer manufactures including CCI, Remington, Winchester, Wolf, Eley, Federal, and others. When determining which primer to use it is best to start by looking in a reloading manual to see what was used with that particular load data.

There are only a few options in primers which is determined by primer size. The primer pocket hole of each cartridge case determines the size primer used. Small and Large pistol primers and small and large rifle primers are the common sizes used for most ammuntion. Some specific loads will require Magnum primers which burn hotter to ignite the powders used in magnum loads.

Safety should always be remembered when handling primers.

1: Never handle primers with wet or dirty hands. Moisture, oil, and any liquids from wet hands will kill a primer if it is introduced into the cup of the primer.

2: Never handle primers while smoking or around any heat source. Primers do go BOOM! This seems obvious, but accidents do happen.

3: Do not mix primers. Pick one brand and one type and stay with it!

4: This seems silly but…….. DO NOT install primer upside down! It’s easy to get into a rhythm and make this simple mistake.

There are two different ways to install primers. 1 way is on the press. Most presses will have a way on the press to manually install primers. Below is an example on an RCBS Partner press. This press utilizes a priming arm to install the primers.

In the above picture you can see the priming arm when it is at rest and ready to have the primer loaded. The primer fits in the small cup on the arm. As the press arm is pulled up the priming arm rides along the arm which aligns it into the priming pocket hole on the ram of the press. As the arm continues to go up and the primer is aligned, it will go through the hole on the top of the ram and prime the case.

Another option is to use a hand held priming tool such as this Lee model.

With this tool all priming is done off the press by loading a cartridge in the tool and depressing the handle to seat the primer. The advantage of this tool is you don’t have to touch any primers, and you can feel the primer seat easier. It is also faster to prime and it is not an expensive tool. I’m all about inexpensive equipment!

Priming cartridges for reloading is not rocket science. As long as you follow the proper steps, you will end up with a primed casing that is ready to reload.

Below are links to previous articles in this series.

Article 1: https://craigsoutdoorsports.com/learning-to-reload-ammo/

Article 2: https://craigsoutdoorsports.com/preparing-cartridges-for-reloading/