Don't have a clue. I've noticed more "bad" pistol primers with CCI than Winchester (light strikes). My experience is very limited. Could someone share some light on the general differences between primers. Which ones are soft...hard? Which ones are hot .. cold??
Primer Primer...How to choose the best primer..??
- Thread starter Gary H
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CCI run fairly hard, Winchester are fairly soft. I have had nothing but good from Winchester primers and they are the easiest to get around here, so that is all I use anymore unless loading for semi-auto military style rifles. Then the CCI military style primer is the ONLY one I will use, slamfires suck.
Primer Reliability
For Police and Bullseye shooters at 25 yards the Federal primers are the most reliable. The Winchester primers are hotter and are used by Bullseye shooters for the 50 yard range. Remington primers are expensive but I have heard good reports.
Keep in mind:
THAT YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!.
The cheapest primers are the least reliable.
The cheapest ammo is the worst.
The brand of ammo that comes on sale the most often has the least reloading life in its thin brass.
GI weapons calibers were designed to fire GI brass.
Paul Jones author of
"How To Live With And Love Your Progressive Reloader"
For Police and Bullseye shooters at 25 yards the Federal primers are the most reliable. The Winchester primers are hotter and are used by Bullseye shooters for the 50 yard range. Remington primers are expensive but I have heard good reports.
Keep in mind:
THAT YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!.
The cheapest primers are the least reliable.
The cheapest ammo is the worst.
The brand of ammo that comes on sale the most often has the least reloading life in its thin brass.
GI weapons calibers were designed to fire GI brass.
Paul Jones author of
"How To Live With And Love Your Progressive Reloader"
I've had plenty of trouble with Remington primers. My Wife's tracker hits a bit light, but it's never had any problem with Federal primers. So that's what I use for all my .357's.
After some of my target guns started to have problems with Winchesters, I switched to Federals. Problems went way and I've never had any reason to use anything else.
Joe
Joe
Back in the early 80s when I was shooting lots of PPC (Police Pistol Combat) matches, I had some .38Spl/.357 revolvers which wouldn't fire anything but Federal primers. CCI & W-W primers were not as sensitive IN THOSE GUNS.
For stock handguns, I couldn't tell any difference in primers.
For stock handguns, I couldn't tell any difference in primers.
One thing that most people forget to take into account when discussing the relative hardness of primer cups is how they're seated. I've used the RCBS hand primer almost since the first day I started handloading and have had fewer ignition failures than I can count on one hand (knock on wood):banghead: If the primer is seated properly and you have a light strike it's not the hardness of the primer.
never had a problem with CCI primers but had problems with winchester ( we think it was a bad lot ) but federals are the most sensitive suckers I 've used , I have a clark custom 686 that uses moon clips and the federals are the only ones that will light when shooting clipless , followed by cci , then whinny's , but the federals would sometimes go off when seating them , my buddy swears if you look at them just right they might go off they are that sensitive ..
cheygriz
member
I have used Remington primers exclusively for over 25 year. I've never had a single problem with them. I don't know how many I've used in total, but in 9MM alone the figure is well over 200,000. Remington 9 1/2 large rifle primers and Remington 7 1/2 small rilfe primers are the only generally avaliable rifle primers that meet MilSpec. (CCI mnakes a MilSpec, but it's special order.)
When I was in the commercial reloading busines in the 1970s, we used Remington exclusively and never has any complaints from our customers that could be traced to the primers.
All of his is not to say that other brands are not good, but with the experience that I've had with Remington, I just stick with them.
Many, many years ago, I did use several thousand RWS German primers and they were suberp.
When I was in the commercial reloading busines in the 1970s, we used Remington exclusively and never has any complaints from our customers that could be traced to the primers.
All of his is not to say that other brands are not good, but with the experience that I've had with Remington, I just stick with them.
Many, many years ago, I did use several thousand RWS German primers and they were suberp.
Blackcloud6
Member
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- Dec 24, 2002
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- 608
I had trouble with the gold Winchester primers in my Glock 30. I switched to federal and nver had a misfire with 'em.
Steve in PA
Member
I've been using CCI primers for all my reloading (.380, 9mm, .357, .44, .45, .22 Hornet and .30/06) for 10+ years and never had a problem with them. I use the RCBS Rock Chucker single-stage press for all my reloading.
Steve,
I never had any problems with CCI in either of my Lyman Turret Presses. But in the progressive machines such as the Star Universal and the Dillon 550, they tend to jam up once in a while. I believe that it is due (my opinion) to (1. uneven anvil height not being as consistant as other brands and (2. small bits of paper slips in the box that find their way into the primer feeding mechanism and clog up the works. Quantrill
I never had any problems with CCI in either of my Lyman Turret Presses. But in the progressive machines such as the Star Universal and the Dillon 550, they tend to jam up once in a while. I believe that it is due (my opinion) to (1. uneven anvil height not being as consistant as other brands and (2. small bits of paper slips in the box that find their way into the primer feeding mechanism and clog up the works. Quantrill
Paper slivers in primers
Back in the 70s I was shocked to see a commercial reloader friend put a thousand CCI primers in a large kitchen seive and shake them gently over some black paper. The paper turned white with slivers left in the boxes of the CCI primers. I guess they have not cleared that up if it is still happening.
CCI primers do not belong in Star reloaders as they have exploded and caused many injuries mainly in C-H Auto Champ machines before I invented the safety blast tube for it. The Star reloaders have a special brass in their primer magazines that resist a CCI blast. The Auto Champ didn't.
CCI had such poor quality control that I have always advised that they do not belong in progressive reloader primer feeding mechanisms.
CCI's have blown up when a primer pickup tube rolled off of a reloading bench.
Reloading benches need to have a slight lip at the edge to keep things from rolling off especially primers.
For my commercial reloading business and personal use I use nothing but Federal primers.
Back in the 70s I was shocked to see a commercial reloader friend put a thousand CCI primers in a large kitchen seive and shake them gently over some black paper. The paper turned white with slivers left in the boxes of the CCI primers. I guess they have not cleared that up if it is still happening.
CCI primers do not belong in Star reloaders as they have exploded and caused many injuries mainly in C-H Auto Champ machines before I invented the safety blast tube for it. The Star reloaders have a special brass in their primer magazines that resist a CCI blast. The Auto Champ didn't.
CCI had such poor quality control that I have always advised that they do not belong in progressive reloader primer feeding mechanisms.
CCI's have blown up when a primer pickup tube rolled off of a reloading bench.
Reloading benches need to have a slight lip at the edge to keep things from rolling off especially primers.
For my commercial reloading business and personal use I use nothing but Federal primers.
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