Priming a brass case is one of the essential parts of reloading your own ammo. Simply put, if you don’t have a primer, there is nothing for the firing pin to strike and ignite. Therefore, you mine as well not do any more work because the only use for your bullets would be to throw them at a target.
I’ve discussed the 2 most popular hand primers on the market today, but I’d to expand on that and provide a full in-depth guide on how to use the Frankford Arsenal Hand Primer. This blog will serve as your go-to hands-on guide to the Frankford Arsenal Perfect Seat Hand Primer.
Frankford Arsenal Perfect Seat Hand Primer
As promised I’m going to give our readers a complete definitive guide on the best hand priming tool on the market; the FA Perfect Seat Hand Primer. Follow this hands-on guide to better understand what you’re getting out of the hand primer and why it’s the best. 
The FA Perfect Seat Hand Primer comes in a nice hard plastic box that is organized and even though the box was undoubtedly rattled during shipping, everything was in its original place, ready to be put together. As you can see in the box below, everything is securely and safely in place.
What Does the Perfect Seat Hand Primer Come With?
- 13 shell holders to cover almost every caliber that’s ever been made
- Self-righting primer tray can hold at least 100 primers, depending on the caliber you’re trying to load
- 3 extra posts to store your custom shell holders
- Look-up table for all the calibers you can load
- Hand Priming Pin Assembly
The table below shows exactly what you get with the Frankford Arsenal Perfect Seat Hand Priming Tool. A couple of things to pay attention to are the numbers on the shell holder posts and how those numbers correspond to the caliber you’re reloading. Always use your card to see which caliber you’re trying to reload and make sure you load the right shell holder and priming pin (more on priming pins below).
12 shell holders to cover almost every caliber that’s ever been made |  |
Self-righting primer tray can hold at least 100 primers, depending on the caliber you’re trying to load |  |
3 extra posts to store your custom shell holders |  |
Look-up table for all the calibers you can load |  |
| Hand Priming Tool |  |
| Hand Priming Pin Assembly |  |
How Do I Determine the Correct Shell Holder and Priming Pin?
This was the first question I had once I realized there were 2 priming pins. The small priming pin with the #4 shell holder is loaded, so that means you can get a .223 Remington or .380 ACP without having to change anything. As you can see from the picture below, the two priming pins look similar from the side view but are distinctly different from the top view. The pin on the left (first picture to the left) is smaller, meaning it’s meant for smaller-sized primers.
What Are the Assembly Pin Sleeves and How Do I Use Them?
You can find everything in the directions provided in the box, but since you’re here, I’d like to go step-by-step for your complete understanding. The sleeves are what holds the assembly pin and spring shown above. There are 2 types of sleeves for the FA hand primer; one is listed as “Small" and the other “Large". Put the large priming pin in the large sleeve and the small pin in the small sleeve.
How Do I Put Together the Perfect Seat Hand Primer?
- The Hand Primer comes with an assembly pin and the #4 shell holder attached with the small pin and sleeve. If you want to change that, push down on the thumb lever to compress the spring.
2. Turn the device to allow the shell holder to fall into your off-hand.
3. Once the shell holder is safely set aside, flip over the device and catch the priming pin assembly in your hand or table.
4. Remove the compression spring from the sleeve.
5. If you’re changing from the small to large priming pin, place the compression spring onto the large priming pin.
6. Insert the priming pin assembly back into the correct sleeve (large=large, small=small).
7. Place the assembly back into the priming device.
Pro-Tip- Turn the priming device on the side so your spring doesn’t just fall into the priming device without the assembly.
8. Press down on the thumb lever to add the correct shell holder.
How Do I Adjust the Primer Seating Depth?
One of the toughest and the most technical things you have to worry about is adjusting the primer depth. Fortunately, I thought Frankford Arsenal did a great job at keeping this as simple as possible for all skill levels to understand. I created a little table for you to be able to reference this blog for future reloading days.
| Turn the wheel to the left | Seat primer more shallow |
| Turn the wheel to the right | Seat primer deeper |
| Each Click Represents | 0.001" |
How Do I Prime My Brass Cases with Proper Depth and Position?
The first big step that needs to be taken care of first is the actuating of the pin. This is easily accomplished by squeezing the primer grip until you feel the pin smoothly fall in line with the device. Just follow the 3-step process below and you’ll be charging your cases in no time at all.
- Once the primer block is open, pour your primers into the tray and close up the lid.
- Once the lid is on top and secured, place the Primer block into the Priming device.
- Place the Primer block into the hand primer.
- Once the primer block is in the primer body, tilt the tool forward to allow the primers to flow to the open end.
- Insert an empty case into the shell holder.
- Apply steady pressure until you feel the positive stop or the primer will bottom out on your priming pocket of the case.
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