Radom Guy
Member
With so many of us using alternative primers these days (alternative meaning not Winchester, CCI, Federal, or Remington, which I also call the Big Boy primers), I want to let some folks know how some of them perform on a press.
Magtech small pistol primers (made in Brazil) “cycle” very well when loading 9mm Luger on my Hornady LNL AP. No flipping or jamming to date. The only exception was when the shell plate and carrier underneath had some small flakes of powder on it that needed to be cleaned off. Inserting primers into primer pockets was just as easy as the big boy primers.
Magtech SPP’s worked great with the Lee Auto Prime system on my Lee Classic Cast Turret Press.
Fiocchi small rifle primers (made in Italy) cycled perfectly with the Hornady LNL AP, and the Lee press. Normal force required to insert into primer pockets.
Servicios y Aventuras small pistol primers (made in Argentinia) work fairly well with the Lee Auto Prime system (used on Lee Auto Breech Lock Pro, Lee Classic Cast Turret Press and Lee single stage), but definitely require more work. When shaking primer trays (Lee as well as other brands), they need to be shaken for longer periods of time to get them all upright. It seems that the weight of them are not balanced the same as others. And as they slide down the Lee triangle style primer trays, there are always some that stick as they turn sideways during normal use of the Lee Auto Prime. Easy to resolve but an extra step.
When inserting into brass, I find that many require more effort than what is typical. Probably around 70% of them. In my experience, they will not insert into S&B brass at all, not even possible.
Regarding the Servicios y Aventuras in the Hornady LNL AP, for me, they are a show stopper. I loaded 100 of them in a primer tube for the press, and I could only get through one or two before they would either jam or flip. I had to stop that test after 20 attempts or so. After doing that I verified my primer system setup and the pawls, using my Braggin Rights products (they were spot on, but I backed out the pawls and reset them for posterity). I tried loading with them again. Same issues.
I have loaded around 400 of the Servicios y Aventuras primers by the way. 99% of them with the Lee for obvious reasons.
The primers of all three primer brands all detonated when struck by firing pins. I used hammer fired guns as well as AR style and striker fired guns. However, I cannot remember if I tested the Servicios y Aventuras with a striker fired gun.
Will I buy them again? Magtech and Fiocchi are a definite Yes. For me, they are as good as the big boy primers. I’m not sure if I would buy more of the Servicios y Aventuras. The price of those were hands down the best (5.5 cents a primer delivered). And they work. But, they obviously require extra work to be used on my reloading bench, which means extra time. My answer would depend on how much time I have at a given moment, and my personal primer supply. I can say that if I had no other primers and these were the only ones available, I would confidently buy them, knowing that they will require a little extra effort and time on my part.
Does anyone have details on how other alternative brands work, that they would like to share? I am curious about brands such as ZSR, Murom, MKE, UNIS Ginex, and even some who may have tried the new U.S. made Expansion Ballistics test batches that have gone out to lucky folks.
I hope this helps!
Magtech small pistol primers (made in Brazil) “cycle” very well when loading 9mm Luger on my Hornady LNL AP. No flipping or jamming to date. The only exception was when the shell plate and carrier underneath had some small flakes of powder on it that needed to be cleaned off. Inserting primers into primer pockets was just as easy as the big boy primers.
Magtech SPP’s worked great with the Lee Auto Prime system on my Lee Classic Cast Turret Press.
Fiocchi small rifle primers (made in Italy) cycled perfectly with the Hornady LNL AP, and the Lee press. Normal force required to insert into primer pockets.
Servicios y Aventuras small pistol primers (made in Argentinia) work fairly well with the Lee Auto Prime system (used on Lee Auto Breech Lock Pro, Lee Classic Cast Turret Press and Lee single stage), but definitely require more work. When shaking primer trays (Lee as well as other brands), they need to be shaken for longer periods of time to get them all upright. It seems that the weight of them are not balanced the same as others. And as they slide down the Lee triangle style primer trays, there are always some that stick as they turn sideways during normal use of the Lee Auto Prime. Easy to resolve but an extra step.
When inserting into brass, I find that many require more effort than what is typical. Probably around 70% of them. In my experience, they will not insert into S&B brass at all, not even possible.
Regarding the Servicios y Aventuras in the Hornady LNL AP, for me, they are a show stopper. I loaded 100 of them in a primer tube for the press, and I could only get through one or two before they would either jam or flip. I had to stop that test after 20 attempts or so. After doing that I verified my primer system setup and the pawls, using my Braggin Rights products (they were spot on, but I backed out the pawls and reset them for posterity). I tried loading with them again. Same issues.
I have loaded around 400 of the Servicios y Aventuras primers by the way. 99% of them with the Lee for obvious reasons.
The primers of all three primer brands all detonated when struck by firing pins. I used hammer fired guns as well as AR style and striker fired guns. However, I cannot remember if I tested the Servicios y Aventuras with a striker fired gun.
Will I buy them again? Magtech and Fiocchi are a definite Yes. For me, they are as good as the big boy primers. I’m not sure if I would buy more of the Servicios y Aventuras. The price of those were hands down the best (5.5 cents a primer delivered). And they work. But, they obviously require extra work to be used on my reloading bench, which means extra time. My answer would depend on how much time I have at a given moment, and my personal primer supply. I can say that if I had no other primers and these were the only ones available, I would confidently buy them, knowing that they will require a little extra effort and time on my part.
Does anyone have details on how other alternative brands work, that they would like to share? I am curious about brands such as ZSR, Murom, MKE, UNIS Ginex, and even some who may have tried the new U.S. made Expansion Ballistics test batches that have gone out to lucky folks.
I hope this helps!
Last edited: