What Small Pistol Primers Are Best?

[Gryffydd]

There is a valid reason behind Lees warning.

Agreed. That's why I use them in my GP-100. But at the same time, I use them in my Lee Loadmaster and my Lee hand press. I've completely crushed several of them with the Loadmaster...no kabooms. They don't seem to react to slow pressure any differently than other brands.

 

[alfack]

Like in the movie "Meatballs," "it just doesn't matter." I can't tell a difference with any of them and I have used all of them mentioned, except Wolf. The only thing I don't like about Federal is the packaging. Fer cryin' out loud Federal, make a package that you can pour into your flip tray w/o spilling and don't need special pick tools to bend the cardboard flaps up to open.

 

[lgbloader]

"it just doesn't matter."

Bill Murray at his best

LGB

 

[Otto]

Millions of Federal primers have been loaded in progressives. Jeeez.....

So what? That doesn't change the fact that you shouldn't use them.

 

[alfack]

So what? That doesn't change the fact that you shouldn't use them.

I have to call BS on this. Who says you shouldn't use them in progressives and why?

If it were true, in this CYA society we live in, there would be a big warning on the box.

 

[Otto]

Federal warns not to use their primers with feed tubes, that warning is printed on every box of primers they sell.
You can choose to follow the manufacturer's warnings or not.

 

[Gryffydd]

Funny how none of Lee's products use tubes...

 

[ants]

The only safe primers you can use are Fiocchi.

All others are extremely dangerous, and you shall avoid them completely.

All others will explode spontaneously and cause great harm.

Go out there and buy Fiocchi exclusively.






(There, that should keep them busy for a few years looking for Fiocchi, and take demand off the primers I need. Gee, I didn't think it would be so easy.)

 

[Smokey Joe]

Main objection to Federal primers...

is the gol-durn huge packages!!! Gotta agree w/Alfack:

Fer cryin' out loud Federal, make a package that you can pour into your flip tray w/o spilling and don't need special pick tools to bend the cardboard flaps up to open.

Before the current primer shortage, I decided that I'd not buy any more Federal primers until they quit using up such gobs of my shelf space and use primer trays a body can pour into the case priming device. (BTW, Federal--your big primer trays encourage the dropping of primers onto the floor, to be lost and subsequently stepped on--BANG!!--now whaddya think of that, Federal?? Nice and safe, huh, Federal?) Now with the shortage, mebbe, just mebbe, I'd buy some Federals, but if 2 brands of what I want are available, and one of them is Federals, I'll still buy the other.

 

[apachejack]

I have never had any problems with any primer except winchester. I had a few that would not fire but I think that was just a bad batch. I called winchester and they were very cooperative in helping me with a certificate for another 200 rounds even though just four or five didn't go off. They got the batch # and did the right thing with me. Of course that was 1981 when this happened. Since then I haven't had a problem with any of the primers I use and I use anything I can get.

 

[alfack]

Ha! Guess I should have read the box first, lol . This warning will not prevent me from using them in a tube, though. I don't believe there is any magical property that makes them more dangerous than other brands of primers. Maybe they had a suit filed against them by someone who did something stupid and happened to be using a tube?

 

[1SOW]

If you want to lighten the main/hammer spring as much as possible, Federal sp primers will ignite with very light hits.
My CZ's light springs won't reliably fire a CCI or Win primer, but it fires Federals without fail.

 

[don]

Federal primers seem to crater worse than others I have used. Powder, bullets and brass all the same. The only difference being primers. Federal cratered worse than others I have used.