From: bartb@hpfcmgw.fc.hp.com (Bart Bobbitt)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Re: Rockchucker Primers
Date: 24 Jul 92 14:34:32 GMT

To answer some of these questions (they come up quite frequently).....

    Is the fear of the tube of primers exploding a serious one?

This depends on your own attitudes.  But primer tubes have been blown apart
by detonating primers; I don't know how many times this has happened.

   Assuming it is not is there a trick to using it. I can get it to work and
   I assume it's going to take a little practice to get comfortable with it
   but it seems to be prone to jamming. By jamming I mean when I first put
   the loaded tube in, the first few primers seem to not want to drop into
   the pocket on the primer cup cleanly. 

Some primer tubes may be too rough on the inside; primers hang up in them.
Some primer tubes may be slightly dented just enough to not let primers slide
through them.  I strongly recommend checking out the primer tube by putting in
one primer and letting it slide up and down the tube by inverting the tube
many times and seeing if the primer hangs up.  If primers hang up or get 
stuck sideways, gently push the primer out with a drinking straw.  Then affix
a small piece of emery paper onto something that can push it inside the primer
tube and polish the tube's inside.  Doing this will probably remove any burrs
or dented places that causes primers to get sideways.  Just be careful you 
don't open up the top end that's reduced to keep primers from falling out as
you charge the tube.

   Also somehow several of the primers seems to have been pressed into the
   primer pocket of the case sideways. You can't really see what is going on
   under the shell holder so I can only assume that the primer was not seated
   in the cup fully and it rubbed against something on the way in and tilted
   itself on it's side. (Of course it sould be the house gremlin !@%%$ )

This happens when vibrations, or a tight tube causes the primer to leave the
tube and get into the priming arm cocked sideways.  When using the priming
tube and arm with the Rockchucker, or any press, don't do the operation too
fast.  Go slow so primers don't flip sideways.  Removing the priming arm and
taking out the spring, seating stem and cup, then polishing out the inside of
the cup will help.  That makes the inside of the cup smooth and reduces the
chance of a primer getting cocked sideways in it.

   If you are done priming cases and there are primers left in the tube how
   do you remove the tube without sending the primers all over the place.
   The coter pin hole is to far up the tube and anyway I don't really relish 
   the idea of jamming it in to a tube loaded with primers.

I don't think there is a problem with putting in the cotter pin to stop primers
from comming down, then removing the priming tube.  Just gently insert the
cotter pin into its hole and work the priming arm to pick up a primer.  The
column of primers will stop dropping down and you can push the cotter pin all
the way in.  This whole procedure is typically a tedious one; not liked by
most folks.  The best thing to do is not to put more primers in the tube than
you will use.

The Lee AutoPrime is a lot easier to use, especially when there's more primers
left over.