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kmw1954
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Cratering is what this whole thread has been about and how it fix it. So if it was fixed the last time I shot why would I ask how it fix it?
Started cratering primers.
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Cratering is what this whole thread has been about and how it fix it. So if it was fixed the last time I shot why would I ask how it fix it?
2ndtimer
Member
I thought it was common knowledge that CCI-400 primers were not recommended for AR’s, particularly if you want to load 5.56 NATO pressure level loads. They definitely show pressure at lower levels than CCI-450’s or No. 41’s. Remington 7 1/2’s have the thicker cups as well. IME, S&B and Wolf have also handled warmer loads better than the 400’s. I have loaded a few thousand rounds of .223 ammo with the 400’s, but most for bolt actions, and only mild .223’s with 55 gr FMJ for AR’s. Glad you got it figured out (seems like 243winxb had it nailed back in post #5).
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kmw1954
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Please explain what the AR platform has to do with any of this? Rifle Is a Savage Model 11 Bolt.
Now after you mentioned this in Post#5 I see it was edited much after the fact that I had read it and hadn't gone back to re-read it in bold.
2ndtimer
Member
I realize you are shooting a Savage bolt gun, but a fast twist barrel with loads approaching 5.56 NATO pressures. Hence, the observation regarding CCI-400 primers at higher pressure levels. I never shoot the published 5.56 NATO loads in my bolt guns, and since they are twisted 1 in 12”, I also don’t shoot bullets heavier than 62 grains. So my experience with 69 gr bullets, high pressures and CCI-400’s have been limited to AR-15 platforms. I just shared my experience with a similar situation, confirming that other primers handle higher pressures better than CCI-400’s. And I have never bothered trying Remington 6 1/2’s for the same reason.
Demi-human
maybe likes firearms a little bit…
One thing is certain, you don’t like needing help.
Or questions.
You said you found the answer on Nature boy’s post, and then didn’t elaborate. I thought that they were no longer cratering, with the “ding ding winner” statement. I guess nothing changed, which was then the answer?
Thoroughly confusing the last two pages…
(Psst, the bold in #5 didn’t say anything it didn’t already say in normal type, you just passed by it because it didn’t align with your preconceptions.)
I’m glad you have it handled. Sorry I couldn’t be of more pointed help.
thump_rrr
Member
I went shooting last Monday and on the ground next to the bench were 20 nickel plated 6.5 CM cases all with pierced primers.@Demi-human
See this pic from my thread on the subject:
It’s a Savage, with the ubiquitous slop between the FP and FP hole that the brand is known for. That creates the cratering which becomes a weak point.
Now, why did I get away with the first 2 CCI 400s and blank the 3rd? Likely because the thinner cup puts it on the ragged edge of failure. Not every time but once is enough. Piercing a primer is a “stop, do not pass go” event. It’s not safe to keep shooting that load until you’ve figured it out.
In my case, CCI 450s, CCI BR4s, Fed 205M and Rem 7 1/2 all perform without blanking.
Q. E. D. - Savage with firing pin slop makes craters + a high pressure round like a .223 + thin cup CCI 400 = a blanked primer
Change a variable in the above and you’re probably OK. The easiest one to fix is the primer.
I thought to myself who would shoot another 19 rounds after piercing a primer.
I then reflected for a moment and answered myself.
The same kind of guy who doesn't pick up his brass after shooting.
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