Installing the Mark 7 X-Prime on the Apex 10 press
Welcome back to Jim's Armory. In this one, Jim moves forward with the automation of his Mark 7 Apex 10 reloading press by installing the X-Prime automatic priming system from Mark 7. After already adding a Mr. Bullet Feeder, an LED tool head light, and an overhead mirror to the press, the priming system is the next logical upgrade in his march toward a fully automated setup. Here's how the install went, including the parts where things didn't go quite as planned.
About This Video Before diving in, Jim is upfront about what this video is and isn't. He paid for all the equipment himself and isn't sponsored by or affiliated with Mark 7 or Lyman, nor is he being paid to review or provide instructional content. He notes that official instructional videos already exist and are professional and informative, but his goal here is different: documenting what the experience is actually like for a regular guy with minimal reloading background, mistakes included.
Why Upgrade the Priming System Jim explains that there's nothing functionally wrong with the factory priming system on the Apex 10 - it works fine. His issue is the process: dumping primers out on the table, orienting them all right-side up or down, picking them up, and sliding them down into the tube. He calls it tedious, especially flipping all those tiny primers over by hand. The appeal of the X-Prime is that you just dump the primers in and let the collator handle the orientation and feeding automatically.
Unboxing Opening the box, Jim's first impression is that the unit feels heavy-duty and like a serious piece of equipment. Inside he finds the hardware, some wiring, a power adapter, and an instruction manual.
Removing the Factory Priming System To get started, Jim removes the priming tube, which is held on by two screws requiring a 3/32 hex. He then removes the primer disc cover, a plate, and a couple of other small parts as directed by the manual - finding a spent primer piece still in the system along the way.
Installing the X-Prime With the factory cover removed, Jim installs a small ramp using the tiny Allen wrench and screws provided in the kit, bolting it to the machine with two of the screws. He reinstalls the primer disc and disc cover, then works through a series of small parts - a tiny washer, a tiny screw, an eccentric that threads into the plastic plate - piecing it together largely by trial and error since, in his view, the manual glosses over some of these connection details and shows the parts without clearly explaining where everything hooks up.
Pro-Tip: Jim found that a small bend or "snap" into place on certain components (like the eccentric) is your confirmation that a part is properly seated, even when the manual doesn't spell it out.
Making Wiring Connections The wiring is another area where Jim has to work out the routing himself. He identifies one connector for the motor, another that he initially can't place until he traces it to the bottom of the unit, and notes there are also wires on top that the instructions don't clearly label. He eventually identifies a connector for auto drive (to be tried out later) and one for power. Once everything is connected, the unit powers on.
First Run Following the instructions, Jim loads the hopper with between 100 and 300 primers - he starts with about 100 plus what was left over from the factory tube. He watches primers vibrate up toward the top, where a component called the "reject finger" checks that each primer is oriented correctly before letting it continue up the ramp into a plastic guide. At this stage, though, primers start getting stuck at the ramp.
Adjusting the Feed Ramp Diagnosing the jam, Jim discovers a dial mechanism that raises and lowers the ramp - something he admits he skipped over in the instructions the first time through, attributing it to being preoccupied with filming. Per the manual, the ramp needs to be level with the primer bowl exit chute and should not be touching it, since contact can stop the bowl from vibrating properly. After taking the unit apart to clear out primers (including a manual assist with tweezers), he tests running it with the top off and dials in the ramp adjustment, watching how it changes the feed behavior in real time. He notes the documentation mentions this adjustment may need to change depending on the primer type, since different primers can vary in weight and resonant frequency.
Second Run With the ramp properly adjusted, Jim reassembles the unit and runs it again, this time with primers feeding correctly.
Running the Press with the X-Prime Once dialed in, Jim runs the press with the X-Prime engaged and confirms the automatic priming system is working as intended - no more manual sorting or orienting primers by hand.
Final Thoughts Jim calls the X-Prime a great upgrade and says he's glad he made the change, since he doesn't want to manually sort primers ever again. With the Mr. Bullet Feeder, tool head light, mirror, and now the X-Prime all installed on the Apex 10, he considers himself ready to take the "training wheels off" and move on to the next upgrade: the auto drive system, which he already has on hand.
Stay tuned for that next step, and if you enjoy this kind of hands-on, warts-and-all content, like and subscribe - not just to this channel, but to other 2A creators as well, since it helps keep this kind of content alive on the platform.
