Wolf Primers?

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Seedtick

Seedtick

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We're putting together a shopping list for a powder and primer order from Powder Valley. I keep looking at the $15.50 per thousand price tag on those Wolf primers and wondering, why ain't I already shooting these cheap suckers? At this price you can almost get twice as many for the same $$.

Is there anything wrong with these primers? What about Tula primers? Ain't Tula and Wolf primers pretty much the same except for the packaging?

I know a couple of years back Wolf had a bad run of small pistol primers but best as I can remember that is the only bad press I've heard on them.

Back when Powder Valley was running that special on Tula primers I was so broke all I could do was watch. :banghead:
I know a bunch of folks got in on that deal but I've not heard much from them about how they like these primers.

If ya'll have any first hand experience with Wolf primers speak up and let me know what you think about them.

Yea?? or Nay?? What say ye?

Thanks,

Seedtick

:)
 
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Wolf Primers

We are using Wolf Primers & they are doing great think about switching to them widners has them for around $16 a brick good primers IMO
 
I've used Wolf and Tula primers with complete satisfaction. I've done some small scale, head-to-head tests with them against both CCI LP and SP primers which showed the Russian primers to provide slightly better chronograph numbers. They might be a touch tighter when seating with my RCBS hand priming tool, but it's minor (and I don't have any way to measure the difference).

From what I've read, Wolf are made in the Tula plant in Russia, but get different packaging. I've no independent confirmation of this, but they do look very similar.
 
The only problems that I've heard about were specifically with H335 powder and then only apparently during cold weather and only with certain lots.
 
I don't have these Wolf primers, but I have heard they are Mil Spec, which would be consistent with hard seating. Military primers are less sensitive than American commercial, cup hardness could be a factor, and priming compound mix is probably different.

Mil Spec primers are the correct primers to use in gas guns with free floating primers. AR's are known to slamfire, M1's and M1a's are known to slamfire out of battery with sensitive primers. Less sensitive, ie, Mil Spec primers are the way to go in these mechanisms.

If you are a coil cutter, to get a better trigger pull, or have ancient mainsprings in your rifle or pistol, sail away from mil spec primers. Your firearm may not have enough energy to reliably ignite the things.
 
I bought 5k tula primers. I'm only about 300 into them thus far and have had 2 that failed to pop on my first trigger pull. (they fired fine when I cocked the hammer and tried again) BUT I also got a new lee loadmaster about the same time and have been having a few issues with priming and I"m not certain I'm getting a solid seat every time, which could account for the 2 FTF's. Tula primers have a nickel look to them which I prefer to gold for cosmetic reasons. (not that it matters)
 
Been through several bricks of the Wolf SP working on another brick of LR and SPM primer all have gone bang no misfires and get consistent numbers on the chrono with both pistol and rifle loads.

The Tula and Wolf primers are made by the same company in Russian no difference other than packaging. Wolf is just and importer so they probably can buy in bulk a little cheaper from the mfg.

As far as the Mil Spec aspect.

Wolf Small Rifle SR - soft, sensitive copper cup, not recommended for AR15/military rifle use or high pressure rounds.

Wolf Small Rifle 223 SR223 - "This is the newest primer available in the Wolf line. It is ever so slightly hotter than the small rifle magnum primer and it comes with a brass colored thick cup. This primer can be used in place of the SRM primer or used when a different powder is used that is hard to ignite."

Wolf Small Rifle Magnum 5.56 For 5,56 NATO cartridges

Wolf Large Rifle LR - all brass - Used by noted match shooter David Tubbs who says: "Be sure they are seated into the case - if not they can be hard to ignite. Russian primers use a different sinoxide compound (closer to the European type), which, in my testing, consistently delivers better extreme spreads over Federal..." Hard enough for use in semi-automatics.

If you notice on the Powder Valley site the product # on both the Tula and Wolf are the same.

Russian Primer Plant.
http://www.flame.murom.ru/en/default.htm
 
I have used almost 23K assorted Wolf primers and not had so much as a small problem. The added bonus of the slightly hard seating is they are a tight fit in some of my brass that had loose pockets using the US made primers thus extending the life of a lot of my brass to date.:D I know----I am a cheapskate.:neener:
 
I have a brick of Wolf LP primers I got back when scarcity was common. So far, two duds out of about 300, so they are fine for the range, but that's it.
 
Bought 1K Wolf LP to use in 45 Colt loads when others weren't avaliable, hard to seat in new brass, extra hard to seat in resized cleaned brass,no hangfires or failure to fire.

I wont buy more in LP.
 
I've loaded thousands of Wolf and now Tula primers for 9mm, .223, and .308 and like them well enough that they are all I now buy. Only exception is CCI-BR-2's which I still use for my .308 super accurate rounds.

The Wolf/Tula primers also don't give false high pressure signs like the Winchester's that seem to flatten out with just about any load.
 
I have used Wolf LP in .45acp and .45Colt with no trouble using Unique, Titegroup, and W231. No troubles with Wolf SRM in .223 and .30 Carbine either.

I did find that the Wolf LP primer won't reliably light Ramshot Enforcer in .45 Colt, but I don't think that was the primer's fault. (They had enough oomph to drive a 260gr SWC completely through the 5-1/2" barrel a couple times.)
 
Not sure if its all wolf primers but I must have a bad batch.

Small pistol loading on a lee press I have to ram those suckers in there harder than I care for. I also have gotten many FTF with them so I am quickly loading 1k rounds and using them for target practice only(no competitions).

I have another brick of them which I will be selling. Mine are in old looking packaging so that may have something to do with it.
 
Hey Ya'll, Thanks!

Thank you Gentlemen!

I appreciate you taking the time to post about your experiences with these primers. I'm gonna try a batch of them.

I haven't shot nearly as much as a bunch of you have but I have only had 2 problems with a primer. The first was last year when we had a 270 round that wouldn't pop. We tried it 6 or 7 times and nothing. I figured that the anvil was missing but when I punched it out the anvil was there and it all looked fine.

The second problem was the (Trouble With A 44 Mag Load???) leaking Winchester LP primer problem we are having now. Oh, and the one that wouldn't pop in the 270.....Winchester brass and a Winchester LR primer. I'm not saying anything bad about Winchester's primers, in fact I like em, I'm just saying that in 40+ years of shooting I've had 2 problems and both were with Winny primers.

I have loaded and shot a bunch of WSP primers and I've still got ~ 6K left that I will be shooting. But if these Wolf primers work for me like it sounds like they are working for most of ya'll and especially if there continues to be such a disparity in the prices...........well, we'll just see.

I'd still like to here about anyone else's experiences with Wolf primers. Thanks again.

Seedtick

:)
 
Wolf did in fact havea bad batch of spp. I had some too, made me swear them off for awhile. Now its almost all I use.
Click to expand...

Did they list the lot numbers of affected primers or is there any way I can see if the other brick I have is bad besides shoot them?
 
In my short experience:

Tula SPP have a slightly taller cup than CCI or Remington. They tend to barely get flush in some cases. In Win .38 special, I need to slightly crush them to even get flush.

They measure a hair smaller than CCI in diameter. They are easier to seat than CCI, but retain more seating resistance than Remington.

They are also a little rounder on top, and the cups are softer than CCI. Combining these factors makes them more delicate when seating. The soft, rounded tip flattens easily. The rounded tip also makes them nearly impossible to pick up by hand if they get turned cup-side up!

Every primer has its quirks, though. I like Tula just fine, and will be buying more Tula and Wolf Primers.

I haven't used Win SPP, so YMMV.
 
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Bought 1000 Wolf LPP about two years ago, when it was all I could find. Used them in 45 acp and 45 LC. Had a number fail to go bang. Not a large number, perhaps 10 of the 1000.

Haven't been back since.

I have not experienced those problems with Winchester, CCI, MagTech, Federal.

Coincidence? Maybe. At $15.50 per thousand, I may have to order some and try again.
 
primers

I have used 1000 of the Tula and 100 of the Wolf and had no problem. A close friend that goes to the range with me has used 1000 with no problems also.
 
Did they list the lot numbers of affected primers or is there any way I can see if the other brick I have is bad besides shoot them?
Click to expand...
Yes, they did in fact. I'm sure a search of the net would show the numbers.

I had originally ordered two bricks of SPP from them. One was in the recall and one wasnt. The bad brick had about a 10% failure rate for me, the good brick did not have a single failure. I had decided not to use them, but when I got the screaming price I went back and did it again, no complaints now.
 
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