Primer Compatability

[mugsie]

Hi guys - I'm new to reloading having loaded all of about 300 .38 special rounds so far. I purchased a Dillon 550B, since I shoot mostly handguns right now (not for too much longer though!). Anyway, I'm having a problem with the Dillon and CCI primers (they don't always feed / drop correctly). I read elsewhere on the site that Dillon typically has problems with the CCI primers and people are recommending other types such as Winshester, Federal and Remington. My question is as follows;

My Speer reloading manual says to use CCI 500 primers with a specified charge of powder. I'm presently using Unique. If I switch to a Federal or Winchester primer, does that change the pressure significantly? Do I need another manual which specifies a different primer and powder charge, or can I use the Speer charge weights but just substitute the primer? CCI is part of the Spreer family so obviously they only specify CCI in the manual.

Hope I made myself clear and thanks for the help....

 

[AmbulanceDriver]

Well, there really are two options that I would consider safe. One, try to find a manual that suggests the load you are looking for with the primer you wish to use, or that just doesn't use the CCI primers. The other option is (and I don't know how close to max loads you are using) but start with the minimum load for whatever powder you are using and work your loads back up to the performance you are trying to attain using the new primers.

 

[Ol` Joe]

Cross referancing is always a good idea. The primer may or may not make a difference but should be OK to swap if you remember to start at the recommended min and work up. Here is Alliants data page. Check your load from Speer against theirs, remember they are not likely useing the same bullet or primer. The two sources should let you estimate about where the min / max is for your bullet wgt. If you have a third source, the more the better.

http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/RecipeList.aspx?gauge=&gtypeid=1&title=Pistols and Revolvers