Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles Primers

Went to the gunshow today and I was looking for some primers. Nobody had Federal Match primers. One dealer told me that she hasn't had any for two years. Another dealer told me that he wont buy them cause they wont sell, says they're to expensive for the average reloader at about 15 dollars more per 1000. WTF!! I've always used Fed. Match primers in my reloads. I ended up buying CCI 200's and Federal Small Rifles at 31.00 per 1000.

Fed match primers are always more....

probably not necessary for the average Joe reloader/shooter

I like Rem 7.5s....Rem 9.5s...Win LP & LR

http://www.powdervalleyinc.com/

Match primers are unnecessary unless you are actually shooting bench rest competition. Then you need all the help you can get. For varmint shooting and paper punching, regular ol CCI's will work just fine..

The only difference in Federal Match or CCI Benchrest primers from the "standard" primers of the same size (whether the "M" Federals or "BR" CCI's) is they're more carefully made. The cups and anvils are made from the same batch of brass on the same set of punches, and the primer mix is spread by employees who have a knack for doing it more consistently. In standard primers, the batch of brass and punches can be different, and the mix is spread by what might be called "average" employees.

Whether the match/benchrest primers makes any difference depends on many things, but for sure most of us will never see a difference int he typical factory hunting rifle. Based on some of what I've read about benchrest shooting, they may not make any difference there either. One notable shooter felt that as long as the primer went off everything was fine, and he had considerable evidence to back up that claim, from groups fired in zero wind inside a Houston warehouse.

But even the average hunting handloader is apparently willing to go to any length in his search for the one-hole groups required to take today's microscopic deer.

I used to buy the CCI BR2 primers "just because" when they were only a couple of bucks more for a brick. Now I pass them by, the price differential having grown significantly.

I use Fed 205Ms in my BR because they "seem" to shoot better, but in all honesty it's probably a placebo effect.

I have to say I've been really happy with CCI 400s. Just outstanding.

Whats the difference between the 200's and 400's?

200's are large rifle.

400's are small rifle.

Don't BR or Match primers have a harder cup?

Not exactly. It depends on what you compare them to. BR-4's have (or at least had, according to measurements made over 20 years ago, which often show up on the Internet) the same primer cup thickness as CCI450's. Federal Match 205's have a very slightly heavier cup that standard 205's.

But primer companies often tweak primers without making a major announcement.

Good to know.

I may have to measure the cups on a few fired primers--but was told while touring both the CCI and Federal primer facilities years after the primer-cup article was published that the only difference between the standard and "accurate" primers was the care with which they're made.

Over the years I've discovered many interesting things about handloading components over the years that can't be reported. A good example occurred at a well-known bullet company.

During a factory tour, the guy leading the tour said all the company's bullets used a lead core alloyed with 3% antimony. Since the guy was head of production I thought he should know what he was talking about, and reported the 3% figure in an article. Soon I got a call from a guy in the marketing/public relations department, who said the other guy didn't know what he was talking about, and the antimony content in various bullet cores was "proprietary" information.

The head of another bullet company once told me one of their big game bullets had been changed so it wouldn't open as widely, and penetrate deeper. The same guy told a magazine editor (who I work for) the bullet had been changed so it would open wider, to kill quicker.

On another occasion I bought a new batch of a rifle powder I'd used for years--which turned out to be WAY hotter than any batch I'd used before. I mentioned this in an article and got a call from the head of production at the company, who asked a couple questions--then said my new batch was indeed very new, since it was newly manufactured to replace the last of a military surplus powder from WWII. But the company hadn't made any public announcement of that fact, and in my .223 Remington the powder charge had to be dropped about 7% to "duplicate" the old load.

I was once informed by an older gun writer that the only difference between the standard and magnum small-rifle primers made by a certain company was the thickness of the cups. A couple years later I had a long talk about primers with a guy who worked for the company for many years, and just retired.

He said that what the older writer claimed may have been true at one time, but during his first years at the company the magnum primer contained more priming compound. Then, a decade or so later (now about 25 years ago) the compound in the magnum primers was changed to a hotter mix than in the standard primer. None of those changes was announced to the public.

I could go on for quite a while with other examples, which is why I tend to be at least a little skeptical about any firm claims about loading components, and if possible try to quote current sources at the company. Even then they may not be providing straight info.

What's the old saying,
how is it that I can remember every word to a song from 1967, but can't remember why I walked into the kitchen.

Don't remember any more why I do, but for much the last 15 years or so I used the Federal "M" primers across the spectrum.

One day I had some time to kill so I used a load in a rifle that I knew to be accurate. The only thing I changed was the primers.

FWIW here is how it worked out.



Now I know that this is only one load in one rifle,but it does help assuage doubt, and as was noted, the Federal match primers are hard to come by.
Consequently I'm now using the CCI 400's in my small stuff.

JAPPFT,


GWB

Yeah, it's always interesting to actually test stuff rather than assuming!

I ran a similar test, except with 10-shot groups, in an accurate .22 Hornet a couple years ago. The powder was Li'l Gun, and the primer winner wasn't the CCI 500 (many Hornet users recommend small-pistol primers across the board), CCI 400 or Federal 205M. Instead it was the CCI450, I'm guessing because the "large" (13.0 grains) charge of a spherical powder is relatively hard to ignite.

Should also note, however, that a change in powder may result in another primer working better in a particular load.

This!

I have a load for my 223 Rem that is 75 Amax's over 24.5 grs of Varget and the BR4's make a big difference over 400's and 450's and even the 205M's It would be nice to substitute 400's or 450's but for pure accuracy the more expensive BR4's win out, and with other bullet weights and powders I almost always see an improvement by switching to the br4's!

About 3 years ago, used around 5 different brands/types of primers in a rifle that shot pretty darn accurate for me. It was a 7x57 Ruger Tang Safety rifle. Sorry, can't recall all the brands/types of primers.

Think I reloaded four rounds per brand/type of primer. Shot them at 100 yds. Long story short, ended up with a vertical hole on the target. It was over 2"" tall, with the widest set being not quite 1/2". Each group of primers hit higher or lower than the others. None hit in the same spot on my target.

Jaytee: Decades ago I began using Federal Match primers in virtually all my Varmint Rifles (both small Rifle and large Rifle).
They have served me well over that time.
I DO NOT buy primers at "gunshows" and haven't for a LONG time now.
I became aware of how and where some "gunshow dealers" store their primers in between shows!
Again, I DO NOT buy primers at gunshows anymore.
During one of the last primer shortage scares I bought a lifetime supply of Federal small Rifle Bench Rest primers - so the recent primer price increases have not bothered me much.
Most of my Varminting and Rifle accuracy minded friends claim there is no difference in accuracy that they can detect between the Federal Small Rifle Bench Rest primers and the "standard" Federal small Rifle primers.
I don't know - I have never tested that contention.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy