Primers

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Last Post 19 March 2021
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Ross Smith posted this 12 March 2021

At our morning senior citizen problem solving session we all have questioned primer interchangeability. I (we) all figgered that push come to shove, anything that fills the hole and stays put will work.

standard caveat applies: my loads-my risk. My normal load for my springfield '03 is 25 grains of R-7 and a .310-185 Hoch bullet gc'ed. So I loaded up 50 and used large rifle, magnum large rifle, and large pistol primers. As far as I can tell, there was no difference. The noise and recoil was the same , the primer flattening looked the same and the groups at 50 yds all looked the same. Later at the bench, resizing also felt the same.

FWIW Ross

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Little Debbie posted this 12 March 2021

My limited testing has shown the same similar performance including similar velocities. The difference I’ve seen is with a rifle that will shoot MOA or slightly less. Different primers do affect group size. One of my .308 rifles definitely prefers Federal Gold Medal Match large rifle primers. I use large pistol primers in a lot of cast rifle loads with perfect satisfaction. I do try to keep loads under ( from published data or rough estimates) 40,000 psi when using

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Little Debbie posted this 12 March 2021

pistol primers. My best cast or jacketed loads in .22 Hornet use standard pistol primers.

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Ed Harris posted this 12 March 2021

Frank Marshall always said that if a rifle load was mild enough for a plain - based bullet that you could try a pistol primer as a refinement.

Some black powder single shot rifles in which the firing pin strikes the primer at a steep angle, such as Ballards, are better suited for pistol primers. You would generally limit pistol primers to loads less than 30,000 psi.

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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Ross Smith posted this 12 March 2021

This is my everyday shoot-em-up 30-06.

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4and1 posted this 13 March 2021

I have always considered the primer as the one component in reloading that will effect performance the least. But, there are differences in them and should be treated as such. I have had hang fires in cold weather with larger capacity cartridges and standard primers, where changing to magnum primers cured the problem.

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TRKakaCatWhisperer posted this 13 March 2021

someone somewhere said when you've gotten the best groups by adjusting powders and charges to try every primer you could get ahold of.

The principle being that the group size is affected, but minimally, by the primers, do the major effect changes first.

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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 13 March 2021

primers

while talking with a friend about guns, he mentioned he had a Herter's U9 in 22-250 he hadn't shot in 51 years ... he said that when it got cold it hang-fired . and furthermore his cousin had the same rifle that did the same thing ... they both missed a sitting coyote at 50 yards at the same time ...

my ears perked right up since these are really a pretty nice BSA ... and some nice Herter's wood from the '60s ...

so i set it outside in 20 F overnight and it clicked just fine 40 times in a row .... but i took it completely apart and polished and clearanced everything anyway ... hmmm ... nothing wrong ... back together and 20 reloads later no problems in freezing weather.

committee meeting subject in depth analysis conclusion maybe don't have to use Herter's primers in Herter's rifles in cold weather and hangfires might be the primers

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Qc Pistolero posted this 13 March 2021

I use 5744 in my 45-70and 4198 in my 38-55 and 30-30.When temp gets down below 35-40*F,I begin to get vertical stringing(more so with 4198).That's when I start using magnum primers.

Federal is the brand I go to in both flavors.

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JeffinNZ posted this 14 March 2021

I have always considered the primer as the one component in reloading that will effect performance the least.

In large cases I agree. In small cases primers can make a significant difference. A good example is hte .22 Hornet. Both the Hornets I have owned had real preferences for primers. Especially with ball powder. W296/H110 and Lil Gun shoot best with Win SR primers. CCI rifle and pistol will not group anywhere near the WSR.

Cheers from New Zealand

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Squid Boy posted this 14 March 2021

It is my opinion from some testing that primers don't show much difference pressure wise with light to moderate loads but start to show noticeable pressure differences as you get closer to maximum loads. Just my own experience. Thanks, Squid Boy

"Squid Pro Quo"

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Brodie posted this 15 March 2021

The only time I have seen primers make a big difference in the pressure of a reload was when I was shooting skeet a lot. Once in a while one of the guys would show us a 12ga case that was separated from the plastic or otherwise an obvious sign of over pressure. Invariably they had been unable to get their normal Winchester primers and substituted CCI's instead. That has been the only group of over pressure incidents that were directly the result of a different primer. It has been said in print many times that shot gun loading is much more a case of following the recipe than any other type of reloading.

B.E.Brickey

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Wineman posted this 16 March 2021

Tried Rem LP in a 7.62x51 Isapore with 16 gr Al2400 and a 312299. Pierced two and I stopped. Not today Satin.

I have plenty of LR primers so I will save the LP's for 45 ACP.

Dave

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RicinYakima posted this 16 March 2021

Dave, Most likely it is from firing pin protrusion, as they were made to fire 100% with NATO machinegun ammo. Poor little LP primers are getting stabbed through the heart. The cups just aren't strong enough to take it. Ric

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Wineman posted this 17 March 2021

Ric,

I agree, not a fair test 125 year old design, built to fire under all conditions. Problem is, I don't have any commercial, kinder, gentler rifles to try LP primers out on. Well there is a Remington 740 but maybe not the best cast bullet tester either. Anyway, I am well stocked with LR and LRM's so really no need to experiment further.

Speaking of Rem 740's I found a 30-06 case at the range that had no neck, It looked like a 458-06. I pondered for many moons as to how this happened. Apparently if the 740 is assembled incorrectly the barrel can move forward and bingo, a new wildcat case.

Dave