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Filling primer tubes


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  • 2 weeks later...
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I just purchased one of those "Vibra-Prime" tube fillers. At $45 it was a LOT cheaper than the Dillon solution. When I got it, I was prepared to not have it work very well. It just plain looked tacky.

But...it works GREAT! Took a little getting used to, but now I can load a tube in 15 seconds or less. Really neat.

Cap

This is my story too it was money well spent after years of buying every gimmick that promised fast primer tub filling.

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Mine works flawlessly with Federal and CCI small pistol primers. Winchester SPP - not so good. Haven't had occasion to try large pistol primers.

I had the same issue with mine - loaded my CCI great, but not so great on the Winchester Primers. Called them up, and they sent a new filler tube which worked, free of charge. Great customer service and a great product. Had mine for a little over 6 months now and have used it to fill my Hornady LNL Ammo plant primer feed tubes with about 8000 primers so far.

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http://shop.redtipbullet.com/PalFiller-Primer-Tube-Filler-Vibratory-Tool-PF0001.htm

I just checked out the Palfiller on the redtipbullet.com site after reading this thread and was pleasantly surprised to find it on a "Boxing Day" sale for $122.49 plus free shipping thru the end of today.

It looks like a top notch piece of gear!

When he has a 60% off sale, I'll probably pick one or two up. But, for now, it's simply an overpriced CNC gadget I can live without.

Sorry to be a negative nancy.

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It's all in the eye of the beholder. I have a pal filler and it is most certainly a very nice CNC gadget. Having held both I think the FA felt like a cheap toy. And it has certainly had it's fair share of unhappy buyers.

Do we really need $1000 presses, case feeders, bullet feeders, to make good ammo? Be honest..... Maybe to make fast ammo, but one can make awesome ammo on a LEE turret press.

I love the pal filler and Umberto has helped me with a few minor issues for basically free when all was said and done. Can I live(load) without it? Sure, but I wouldn't want to.

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Well, I got one. Not impressed. By the time I bang on the stupid thing to get every 5th primer that cocks instead of falling down, I could have just loaded a tube by hand.

I timed it, I can do 100 by hand in 45 seconds once they are ready to flip.

I had the same exact issues. I gave it to a buddy. I got so frustrated I was ready to break the thing in a hundred pieces, but figured I'd let someone else try and make it run better.

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  • 3 weeks later...

It's all in the eye of the beholder. I have a pal filler and it is most certainly a very nice CNC gadget. Having held both I think the FA felt like a cheap toy. And it has certainly had it's fair share of unhappy buyers.

Do we really need $1000 presses, case feeders, bullet feeders, to make good ammo? Be honest..... Maybe to make fast ammo, but one can make awesome ammo on a LEE turret press.

I love the pal filler and Umberto has helped me with a few minor issues for basically free when all was said and done. Can I live(load) without it? Sure, but I wouldn't want to.

I wouldn't sell my pal filler for 3X what I paid for it unless I could turn around & buy another one from Umberto - I don't consider it a gadget at all but a vital tool that takes the worst part of reloading & makes it a snap. Why do most of us load on Dillons & not Lees? Most of us here drop thousands of dollars on guns, mags, loaders, supplies, fees & don't think twice about it. Sure you can load primers by hand but if you spend a very small % of your overall expenses on something that makes your life easier, why not have one?

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Mine works flawlessly with Federal and CCI small pistol primers. Winchester SPP - not so good. Haven't had occasion to try large pistol primers.

That's precisely my experience. I have no issues whatsoever with Federal or CCI (large or small). However, Winchester primers (most of what I use now that I can't get Fed) drive me crazy. It will work for awhile and then a primer will get stuck (and want to turn sideways). I've taken to shaking it slightly, tilting it, and/or tapping it...which seems to make it a bit better. However, I'm suspicious this has caused some of my primers to flip since I've seen that in a few of my rounds lately. I've tried applying some graphite to the place where they hang up and I've done some polishing to make sure there are no burrs, etc. All to no avail.

Has anyone found the source of this problem or a mod that will help?

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It's all in the eye of the beholder. I have a pal filler and it is most certainly a very nice CNC gadget. Having held both I think the FA felt like a cheap toy. And it has certainly had it's fair share of unhappy buyers.

Do we really need $1000 presses, case feeders, bullet feeders, to make good ammo? Be honest..... Maybe to make fast ammo, but one can make awesome ammo on a LEE turret press.

I love the pal filler and Umberto has helped me with a few minor issues for basically free when all was said and done. Can I live(load) without it? Sure, but I wouldn't want to.

Can you (or anyone) confirm the palfiller will work with Winchester primers? My vibra-prime works great on Fed/CCI but I'm mostly loading Winchester primers these days and want a solution that works to load primer tubes.

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I will admit my pal filler does not like win as much as it dies Feds or CCI. It probably takes a full second longer to fill a tube if wins!

Hmmm, looks like I may have to give one a try. I really liked the price point of the vibra-primer (~$42), which made it a no-brainer. The Palfiller price for such a simple device stopped me...though everything I've read is positive. I'm sure the cost is because its milled out of billet...but sheesh does it really need to be that overbuilt!? Something targeted at a price point under $100 would seem more appropriate and get much wider acceptance.

Edited by kmc
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I hear you. When these came out they were the only game in town. Now they are in competition with a filler that is roughly a third the price. But in all honesty I am sure they both will do the job, although probably to a different level

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I recently bought the VP. Actually, ended up with 2 by mistake because I forgot that I had ordered one. I had been using a homemade one that worked pretty well. I'm not totally sold on the VP because I have issues with primers tipping. It is actually slower than my homemade one. I'm using CCI large primers. I've tried the small primers just to see if it worked but haven't used it extensively for those yet. But, I keep trying. Maybe it's just getting the right angle and holding my tongue just right that will do it. I won't bad mouth it but it didn't work as I expected right out of the packaging. I see that lots of people use it and are happy with it. Maybe I just need to open the other one and try it. Maybe the first one is off a bit.

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I've actually have two of them. When I first used the VP with CCI and Fed all was well but when I switched to Win and began having problems with primers tipping at the tube entrance, I called them. To their credit, they immediately sent me a brand new one, free. Unfortunately, it had the same issue as the first (works with large and small CCI or Fed but not either size of Win). I've attributed it to the highly technical explanation that both Fed and CCI are bright and shiny and slick. Win is dull and muted and maybe doesn't slide quite as well... Actually I'm only half kidding...

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I still like the filler I made before the new vibraprime and the Pal filler were available. I used the older Lee hand primer. I used a cell phone vibrator and Dillon primer pickup tubes.I set up a small battery box for power and old phone cords.I have one for small and large primers. It always runs well with small or large primers. Winchester primers are no problem. It's only flaw is the tray is small and not as easy to place the primers from the box. I still use it alot. :)

Edited by Youngeyes
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