Primer Quesion? Please!

[lizziedog1]

I am relatively new to shotshell reloading. The manual that I am using has many warnings about component substituting. The primer warning makes it sound like using a different primer in any given recipe will start a cataclysmic chain of events that will alter the Earth's axis tilt.

I have talked to several gun shop folks and they tell me that you change certain primers with each other. They claim they have done it and no harm has come to them or to their guns. I don't know if they should be trusted or they are trying to make a sale.

Over the weekend I visited a trap club. A young man was working in the pro shop. He told me he has reloaded shotshells for many years. He also said that he has substituted primers in recipes with no problem.

So, can shotshell primers be interchanged? Are there certain ones that can be changed and others that can not?

 

[USSR]

Shotshell primers can have a profound effect on pressure, and there is not a lot of leeway pressure-wise with shotguns. It really depends upon the particular load as far as substitution goes. Federal primers are the "hottest", followed by Winchester, and then the low pressure Remingtons. If a particular load called for a Federal primer, then I would have no problem substituting a Remington, but not the other way around. Just MHO.

Don

 

[lizziedog1]

Thanks for the reply. I was starting to wonder if there were any shotshell reloaders here.

What about Fiocchi Primers? How do they compare to the others?

 

[Blue68f100]

Also to add if the load call for the 209 do not substitute the 109 for it. The 109 is for light field loads and only works with a few powders. The 209 can be used in place the 109 provided you are loading light field loads. It will though increase the pressure a little but not enough to cause problems. I'm not ever sure that 109 are still available any more.

I have always used CCI or WW primers over the years with no problems, what ever was cheaper is what I bought. I load heavy loads for the 20 ga used to keep the furry tail rats under control.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

With handgun ammo primer brands are not important, in rifle loads they are slightly more important. On the other hand when loading shotshells you should follow the component list exactly. Substituting anything in the recipe will change the load and sometimes with very bad results, I would not do it...

 

[cfullgraf]

I would not substitute primers out of hand, particularly if you are loading near maximum.

But, you can research various loading data from different sources and find similar recipes (hull, wad, powder, and shot load) that use different primers.

When i shot competitive skeet 20 years ago, I had loads that I could change primers based on what primers I could find at the time. I did stick with WW, CCI or Remington primers though.

 

[lizziedog1]

But, have any of you tried Fiocchi primers?

 

[USSR]

Nope, never tried them.

Don

 

[rbernie]

I use Fiocchi 209 primers - they work fine. I have seen in several places that Win, Rem, and Fiocchi 209s can be considered reasonably interchangeable, and I use them with recipes that call for Win209s without apparent issue.

Doesn't mean that it's smart - just means that's what I do.

 

[lizziedog1]

I just got done firing some rounds using Fiocchi primers in place of Federal primers. All the other components were the same.

They sounded and felt the same.

The gun is an autoloader. The gun cycled just fine and in fact the hulls were being thrown about the same with either primer.

I am unharmed, my gun did not blow up, and Nevada is still on the map.

 

[cfullgraf]

Doesn't mean that it's smart - just means that's what I do.

That's a good way to put it. i will have to remember that.

 

[243winxb]

Shotgun Primer that can be Interchanged.

Alliant > CCI 109 & CCI 209 are ballistically identical and can be interchanged. Rem 209P is interchangeable with Rem 97 primers. Others may or may not be interchanged.