Primer primer

[Jcinnb]

Got lucky early and got two boxes of CCI large rifle primers. I have gone through a bunch and looked for some at a kind of small show yesterday. Very little reloading stuff. One guy had CCI Large rifle and another had Winchester. I went with CCI, though they were $5.00 more expensive.

Do you think the CCI primers are worth more? I wasn't sure, but took the "if it ain't broke...." approach even if more expensive.

 

[BYJO4]

I have never had problems with CCI, Winchester, or Magtech. I would buy whichever had the best price.

 

[Slamfire]

Around 2000 Winchester changed from nickle plated primers to brass finish. They made the cups thinner and they pierce easily. I went through a handfull of dished AR15 firing pins with the brass finish WSR with loads that never bothered the old nickle plated WSR.

Brass Winchester primers are fine for handgun loads, I don't push the envelope.

CCI primers have a reputation for having a hard cup, they have always been a fine primer, if I was concerned about bolt face etching or dished firing pins, I would use them instead of Winchester.

 

[USSR]

One guy had CCI Large rifle and another had Winchester. I went with CCI, though they were $5.00 more expensive.

Do you think the CCI primers are worth more?

Have used them both with zero problems, so I also would buy whichever had the best price.

Don

 

[rcmodel]

Same here.

I'm a CCI kinda guy and have been forever.

But Winchester are very good too.

I doubt you could tell the difference in a very accurate rifle.

SO, I'd go cheap, or go home.

rc

 

[Jesse Heywood]

One advantage of using the same primer is not having to work up the load again.

During my second adventure in reloading (early 80s) CCI primers were selling for $9 a thousand. Just enough cheaper than the others to make a difference.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Like above I also use CCI and Winchester primers without issues. For no real reason but probably habit I buy CCI first but if Win are the only ones available I buy them without reservation.

 

[gamestalker]

Although I have used CCI probably more than 90% of the time for decades now, I have never experienced any problems at all with either Win. or CCI. But I don't think CCI's are worth the additiional $5.

GS

 

[moxie]

CCI and Win. work great for me, but so do Fed. and Rem. So, I'm in the cheapest is best camp.

 

[kerreckt]

I have used them all over my 30+/- years of reloading ammo and have come to the conclusion that there is very little difference between any of them. I will buy whichever is priced the lowest. If the price is the same I buy CCI.

 

[LeftyTSGC]

The only primers I have problems with are Federal, They shoot well, it’s in the de-prime department that I do not like them. CORRECT me if I’m wrong, but I believe the Federal Primers are made with a softer metal (not any less performance wise), but when I de-prime they tend to bend and concave and not always come out of the shell immediately and cause hang-ups on my Dillon SDB when depriming 9mm.

 

[James2]

I have never had any problems with Winchester. That said, I will confess I usually use CCI. Perhaps it is because it is what my supplier most often has in stock? Right now I'd be happy to find some small rifle primers. They have been missing in action here for many months.

 

[NCsmitty]

I have used CCI cartridge primers exclusively for decades, with Win 209 primers in my shotshell loads, but lately the prices allowed me to try Wolf 209's, and they work great.


NCsmitty

 

[Hondo 60]

Never had any issues with CCI, Win or Rem.

All things being equal, I'd buy CCI.
But in this age, any primer is better than none.

 

[HOOfan_1]

I use almost exclusively CCI...never had a problem
During the drought I have used Federal...no problems
In the past I tried some Winchester LP primers in a 1911....they all went boom, but a bunch of them were punctured, using pretty light loads...

 

[MtnCreek]

I had some issues w/ Win primers last year. Several popped at the edge of the cup and this was not an over-pressure issue. I'm sure anybody can make defective primers, but I moved to CCI's.



A little had to see; the primers popping were dinging up my bolt face.

 

[Slamfire]

I had some issues w/ Win primers last year. Several popped at the edge of the cup and this was not an over-pressure issue. I'm sure anybody can make defective primers, but I moved to CCI's.

I see more and more pictures of WLR's that are rupturing at the same location as yours. I believe that is a high stress location and given a thinner cup this could be the cause.

What I had to do to use the rest of my brass WSR's was to cut loads. I was down 1.5 grains in a 223 case before they stopped piercing.

 

[MtnCreek]

^ I dedicated my bad sleeve to M96, 6.5x55 loads. They do fine at that pressure and it's been a good excuse to shoot that rifle more.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I use almost exclusively CCI...never had a problem
During the drought I have used Federal...no problems
In the past I tried some Winchester LP primers in a 1911....they all went boom, but a bunch of them were punctured, using pretty light loads...

Winchester LPP are rated for both standard and magnum loads so the pressures generated by those primers will be higher than standard primers when charging the same powder weights.

 

[HOOfan_1]

Winchester LPP are rated for both standard and magnum loads so the pressures generated by those primers will be higher than standard primers when charging the same powder weights.

If they are puncturing using 4.7 grains of W231 in a .45 ACP and 230 grain bullets...I think it is a primer problem, not an overload problem.