Frankford Arsenal Vibraprime Speeds Up Primer Tube Loading

So how many rounds per hour does your press load? It’s a question we’ve all been asked. Well let’s see, if I can keep moving I can do about 700 rounds per hour, but I have to stop and refill powder, load primers, let’s figure about 500 rounds per hour with all of the stoppages you may say. For me, stopping to load primer tubes can account for much of my down time. So when I had the opportunity to try out the Frankford Arsenal Vibraprime, I was excited.

The Frankfort Arsenal Vibraprime - what you see here is what's included - Image copyright 2014 Ultimate Reloader
The Frankfort Arsenal Vibraprime – what you see here is what’s included – Image copyright 2014 Ultimate Reloader

The Vibraprime is a relatively simple device. You add primers to the primer tray, shake until they are all facing the correct direction, attach it to the pistol grip, and then hold down the trigger while the primers drop into the tube. What’s great about this setup is that you don’t have to “stab” each primer so it’s a lot quicker and easier on your hands. I don’t have arthritis, but I imagine that if I did then conventional primer tubes could be a pain- literally! My hands get tired enough as it is loading primers the old fashioned way.

Primers slide down and into the primer tube due to the vibrations produced by the Vibraprime - Image copyright 2014 Ultimate Reloader
Primers slide down and into the primer tube due to the vibrations produced by the Vibraprime – Image copyright 2014 Ultimate Reloader

The Frankford Arsenal Vibraprime comes with everything you need to load small pistol primers, large pistol primers, small rifle primers, or large rifle primers. While you can read here about how it works, it’s not quite the same as seeing this tool in action. I’ve put together the following video so that you can see how the Vibraprime works, check it out:

Stay tuned here on Ultimate Reloader, lots more good reloading information coming your way!

Thanks,
Gavin

11 thoughts on “Frankford Arsenal Vibraprime Speeds Up Primer Tube Loading”

  1. I got one of these a couple weeks ago, it’s fantastic. I need more tubes though, can’t fine them by themselves.

  2. Works great, but I like to have about 10 primer fill tubes loaded and ready to go when I start reloading pistol rounds…I don’t like having to stop and Vibraprime another 100 primers into their one and only tube. Their needs to be a way to transfer the primers from their (one and only) tube to one of my tubes. Otherwise the time saving value is questionable IMO.

      1. I too had the same frustration so I twisted and pulled the original small primer tube out from the black plastic thing at the end. They apparently mold the plastic around the tube which is knurled at that end, but not glued in. I was nervous about breaking it, but it came right out no problem. I pull the yellow plastic pick-up end off my small Dillon tubes and stick that end up into the hole. A Dillon small primer tube is a slightly smaller diameter, so you have to hold it up in there by hand, but it loads primers smooth as a whistle straight into the Dillon tube. Once it’s done I stick the yellow pick-up cap back on the tube to keep the primers from falling out when I stack them on the bench.
        When I first got the Vibraprime primers would occasionally hang up too. I solved this by very carefully deburring the opening at the top of the black plastic piece with a RCBS chamfer tool which slightly beveled the opening. Instantly solved the problem and all the primers still stay open side up.
        I’ve also learned to tap the Vibraprime against my bench-mounted turrent press while it’s feeding. That little tapping while it’s vibrating does wonders for keeping the flow steady from the tray to into the hole.

        I haven’t removed the large primer tube yet, but I’m sure it will work just as well.

        Hope this works as well for you guys as it has for me. I’m really surprised this trick isn’t listed in the instructions that come with the tool.

  3. I bought one a couple months ago and when it is feeding properly it is great. Mine unfortunately does not feed primers into the tube nearly as smoothly as yours does Gavin. On mine primers hang constantly at the tube just prior to dropping. I did notice that the hole in the tray has a small crack so I am going to contact Frankford and see if they will send a new tray. Also I’ve heard that the plastic tip on the tube that fits in and twists to lock can have burrs around the opening. Not sure if that is the problem or not.

    I sure hope I can get mine to run as well as yours did in this demo.

    Bob

    1. Well FA responded quickly and unexpectedly. They not only apologized for my inconvenience, they also sent an entire new unit! I only needed a new tray. The new unit works great so I am one very happy customer. I will continue to buy and recommend FA products with confidence.

      Bob

  4. It’s Frankfor”D” Arsenal with a “D”. Thought it was a typo, but it’s listed as Frankfort everywhere. Not trying to nit pick, but it makes it harder to find if it’s spelled wrong.

    1. Agreed. I tried 3 of these and all of them had problems. Each one had primers hang up or get stuck going into the pickup tube. Also tried all the know fixes such as removing any burrs or excess plastic near the hole in the primer tray. Still not working as it should. So wanted it to work, but it seems to be a hit or miss with this product. For the $50 or so dollars it will cost you, you are better off just buying more pick up tubes and manually loading them. Unfortunately, there do not seem to be many alternative options unless you are willing to spend over $300 for the Dillon RF-100.

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