Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Off brand primers

Does anyone have experience with lesser known primers like ginex, murom, and servicios aventuras?

Thanks

I used Google to check reviews.

I bought some Servicios Aventuras small pistol primers that were initially problematic, with three being pierced and numerous failures to ignite in my Colt 38 Super. I read that they are hard. Just to see what happens, I used a lot of seating pressure and seated them hard. I have had no pierced primers and no failures to ignite since I changed how I seat them. I’ll keep using them until I use up the brick, but I doubt I’d buy more unless the rest prove reliable.

Old70

Got some of those Argentine primers from Norma for sh*ts and giggles. No malfunctions in a G26 and a GP100 357, the only fail to fire was in a SCCY. The ones that failed in the SCCY went bang in the Glock.

How much are they? I'm sure you guys are seeing small pistol primers locally? CCI500's and 550's for example are $70/brick here. Is it worth the headache messing with an unknown primer company? Too bad the main manufactures can't keep up with the current need of the consumers.

I'm asking for my nephew. He's just starting to reload, and large Rifle primers from mainstream companies are almost non existent. I don't want to point him to something that will be crap and discourage him.

Too bad you didn't know someone that could help you get some good primers then. I help my buddies out all the time. There's even some instances where you can buy factory primed brass. That brass doesn't even need to be brand new or from Cabela's or Scheels. Look around a bit. Some mom and pop shops or hole in the wall shops may have what you are looking for. I recently bought some good factory primed brass from the 70's. I'd do that way before I bought anything from your list. YMMV, but that's the way I'd roll. Also, word has it that we should be seeing more LR primers by July. Maybe hold out for a couple months or find a buddy that can help with some real primers.. Just a suggestion..

I caught a sale from a email 55.00 a brick, no hazmat. Currently out of stock 75.00 per.
Don’t know about local, I am not looking as I got plenty, I just like to play and curiosity got me.


They all went bang out of the 300 I have shot, so I wouldn’t call them bad. Only issue was the firearm which has had the same issues with so called good primers.

Good info Swifty. Thanks for the report.

I don't know where the op lives or what he's loading for, but I bet even some guys here would help him out, if they were within driving distance..

They may be fine, but I've never used any foriegn primers. Handloading since the mid-'60s, I've not had a problem with any US-made primer and I've probably used them all, but I wouldn't be adverse to trying the foreign stuff if nothing else was available.

I've used a lot of S&B 5.3LR primers with very good results. Now I wish I had bought cases of them instead of bricks.

I've used plenty of S&B large rifle and small primers, which work fine. The 5.3LR produced just about the same velocity as Federal 210s in the same loads.

Also have had good luck with Tula small-rifle primers, which were sometimes sold as "Wolf" primers.

Been using magtec and wolf primers for some calibers. I have no issues with them…. Accuracy and velocity doesn’t differ much from Federal 210 M and CCI BR4’s.

One of the not-so-amazing aspects of this discussion is the apparent assumptions that any primers made anywhere but the USA are "off-brand"--which implies inferior.

Most of the initial work on self-contained metallic cartridges took place "across the pond," including development of primers, and priming compounds. European companies have been producing primers just as long as we have, and in many instances longer. But we somehow assume that because they're inferior---as in "off-brand."

With all the shortages, the first lot# of primers might be all over the map. Even in days of affordable primers, I've noticed differences in primer lot #s. Not enough to bother me, but enough to notice.

Have used S&B primers in pistol and rifle with no issues and have used the ones from south America in a 9mm and a 357/38 and have had no problems.

Saw that Powder supply, Midway and Brownells has had primers lately for around 80 or so,which is down from the 95-100 that they were wanting at the start of the year.

It was a sad day today, I loaded the last of my S&B SR primers. IME they have been great, wish there were more available.

Perhaps off brand was the wrong term. I meant simply that I've never heard of those three I mentioned before. And I've never seen load data using them.

Some more info that might help. My nephew is just starting to reload. His interest is ww2 military surplus arms. (Lee-enfield, carcano, arisaka, Schmidt-Rubin type of stuff). His main interest is collecting, but occasionally wants to shoot them. Finding ammo isn't easy nor inexpensive. So he wants to reload mostly for plinking.

I bought him a press, dies, a scale, etc. He has brass, and is getting powder and bullets. The only issue is primers. Most of the brands I'm familiar with have gotten pretty expensive when you can find them. The three brands I mentioned seem to be "reasonable" and more available. I just don't have any experience with them, so wanted input from you guys who do have experience.

FWIW I’ve used a bunch of Fiocchi (large rifle) and they have been very good in the applications I’ve tried so far.

PennDog