Small rifle magnum primers

[RainDodger]

To make a long story short, I have acquired a couple of bricks of small rifle MAGNUM primers. I have no requirement for them.

Has anyone worked up any loads with small rifle magnum primers that only require small rifle primers? Specifically, the only use I have for any small rifle primers is for 5.56mm rounds. That's the only small rifle I load for.

I figured I'd back off my loads a bit and experiment with these magnum primers. I don't see that they should be a problem if I work up to my loads in an AR. In fact, since my loads are middle-of-the-road anyway, I'd guess that I wouldn't have any problem at all, even with my present loads. (these are AR-specific loads, out of the AR section of a Sierra manual, not .223 loads)

Any experience out there?

Thanks a lot.

 

[rcmodel]

Load them just like you are now.

Unless you are hanging over the bleeding edge of MAX pressure, you will never see any difference.

rc

 

[Conservidave]

some data suggests the use of mag primers for certain ball or spherical powders...H335 comes to mind.

 

[RainDodger]

Cool. That's about what I thought. I really hated the idea of trading away 2 bricks of primers, especially since they were virtually free. They're old Remington's but they'll work just fine I'm sure. As it happens, my usual powder for 5.56 is H335 anyway. Thanks for the info.

 

[tcoz]

I asked Hodgdon which primers they recommended with H335 and the said to use a magnum or military primer with their spherical powders. These powders are coated with a chemical to slow their burn therefore they work best with magnum primers.

 

[Drop45]

.454 casull

 

[otisrush]

some data suggests the use of mag primers for certain ball or spherical powders...H335 comes to mind.

This aligns with the data in my Speer manual. For .223 I have only loaded ball powders due to metering consistency....specifically BL-C(2), H335 and W748. All of these powders in the Speer manual call for a magnum primer. (I use CCI 450s).

OR

 

[TimSr]

Load them just like you are now.

Unless you are hanging over the bleeding edge of MAX pressure, you will never see any difference.

x2

I only buy Small Rifle primers of the Magnum variety because my .454 requires them, but I use them in 30 carbine and 223 as well.

 

[788Ham]

I've used SRM primers since I started reloading .223's, never had a problem. I've used 4 or 5 different powders also, hope this helps.

 

[IMtheNRA]

I experimented with CCI SRM primers after I got my first slam-fire in an AR. After loading a few test batches of my cheap plinking ammo (Hornady 55-gr FMJBTWC and 22.0 grains TAC), I saw that my 100-yard groups opened up from about 1.5" to about 2.0".

 

[savanahsdad]

I see you are using the Sierra Manual , give them a call , 1-800-223-8799, that's there free tech number , short story is that sometimes you can and other times it is a real bad Idea !,

 

[steve4102]

I experimented with CCI SRM primers after I got my first slam-fire in an AR. After loading a few test batches of my cheap plinking ammo (Hornady 55-gr FMJBTWC and 22.0 grains TAC), I saw that my 100-yard groups opened up from about 1.5" to about 2.0".

Anytime you change a component, it is recommended to drop the powder charge down and work back up.

If you would have done that you may have found the "Accuracy Sweet Spot" for that particular powder/primer/bullet combo. Just changing primers without adjusting the charge, not-so-much.

 

[Toprudder]

Remingtons - don't use the non-magnum in 223 ammo. Says so on the box. I guess that just leaves the small-magnums as the only option.

 

[rg1]

Best primer article I've ever read and it discusses loading for AR's and semi-autos. Scan down and check all the posts.
http://www.sksboards.com/smf/index.php?topic=56422.0

 

[rodregier]

CCI recommends their CCI450 (magnum small rifle primers) for .223 Rem loadings.
This is because they were designed with thicker cups to better handle the working pressures of that and other higher-pressure cartridges. The CCI400s should be used for lower-pressure cartridges.

http://www.jamescalhoon.com/primers_and_pressure.php

n.b. this table is based on the older "silver" Winchester primers.

I've moved away from the brass-only version of Winchester small rifle primers because of their less durable cups. I'm now using CCI450's and BR-4's for .223 Rem reloading.

 

[Lennyjoe]

I use them with H-335 for my .223 AR loads.

 

[W.E.G.]

I have used magnum primers EXCLUSIVELY in 5.56 ammo fired in AR-15 type rifles for the last twenty years.

I had a bad experience with "standard" small rifle primers (they DO have a thinner cup).

Several of us got together and tested our loads over a chronograph.
Several different AR15's
Several different types of magnum primers.
We got IDENTICAL velocity numbers with the magnum primers by comparison to the numbers we got with various flavors of "standard" small rifle primers.

Minus the pierced and blanked primers.

I'll never run a standard small rifle primer in my 5.56 handloads again.

 

[Toprudder]

Best primer article I've ever read and it discusses loading for AR's and semi-autos. Scan down and check all the posts.
http://www.sksboards.com/smf/index.php?topic=56422.0

Thanks for that link!!! I printed out a couple of those posts just to stick in my notebook.

 

[tcoz]

That's a great link. About a month ago on another forum I mentioned my use of mil-spec primers (CCI 34 & 41) and someone PM'd me to say that I was stupid for using them and succumbing to propaganda put out there by CCI yada, yada, yada. I told him how I had once witnessed a slam fire that was not due to a high primer and from that time on I've used mil-spec primers in my AR and M1 Garand loads. I also said that it was just my choice for a little extra protection and I fully respected his decision to use standard primers. He wouldn't kept it die and proceeded to PM me continuously for the next couple of hours. Anyway, this post vindicates me. I only wish I could remember who he was so I could send the link to him. Thanks rg1.

 

[savanahsdad]

Best primer article I've ever read and it discusses loading for AR's and semi-autos. Scan down and check all the posts.
http://www.sksboards.com/smf/index.php?topic=56422.0

Great read but someone should let John Barsness know that he is "FORMELY" of Handloader Magazine LOL I just read his Article "Bullet Myths and Maybes" April2015 Handloader No.295 , and "Bore Erosion" May2015 Rifle No.280

from the Note #1, CCI Tech. says CCI 550 and CCI 400 are the same , same cup , same thickness , same compound ,
yet the above chart says CCI 550 have a cup thickness of .017 and the CCI 400 have a cup of .020 ..... so witch is it ?

I'll guess the CCI tech is right, and they are the same, and the guy that typed up that primer chart is wrong,

oh and my favorite 9mm+P primer the Remington 5 1/2 is not a 5 1/2M it is a thick cup Rem1 1/2 , great for 357mag in the fact that it has a thick/hard cup for high PSI loads , and in fairness it dose get listed as a mag primer a lot , so I'll guess he just copied this miss information from another chart, but according to Remington , 5 1/2 and 1 1/2 use the same compound and make the same Brisance (heat/spark) yet his chart list them as having the same cups

and this was on my first read , without doing any real homework :banghead:

welcome to the super Misinformation Highway

The John Barsness article was good, as most of his stuff is ,but I'd stop reading there ,

 

[Toprudder]

from the Note #1, CCI Tech. says CCI 500 and CCI 400 are the same , same cup , same thickness , same compound ,
yet the above chart says CCI 500 have a cup thickness of .017 and the CCI 400 have a cup of .020 ..... so witch is it ?

I'll guess the CCI tech is right, and they are the same, and the guy that typed up that primer chart is wrong ,

The note stated 550 and 400 are the same, not 500<>400.

 

[savanahsdad]

The note stated 550 and 400 are the same, not 500<>400.

fix my type-o , chart still don't match Tech notes

 

[HOWARD J]

I use them for H110 in M 1 carbine rounds

 

[Toprudder]

fix my type-o , chart still don't match Tech notes

I don't see the problem with the chart. It lists all the small magnum pistol primers together, and states they are 0.017" cups, but next to CCI550 it says "see note 1". To me, that means Note 1 supercedes the info in the chart. It is no different than the following section where it says the Federal 150 primer has a thinner cup, all the rest are 0.020".

 

[lysanderxiii]

Never mind....