Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Primers.... what do you use?

I've always used CCI Large Rifle Primers for my 270 & 243. Tried some CCI Large Rifle Magnum Primers for the 243 (Speer manual recommendation) & had pressure problems so went back to regular primers. Haven't had much incentive to try other brands yet. Is there really much difference in manufacturers regarding uniform ignition, velocities, temp. variations etc? badger.<P>------------------<BR>Keep the traditions alive, take your child hunting.....

The only ones I have used for rifles are the WLR and CCI250. What always seemed odd to me was that loads otherwise identical that I had used both primers in would appear the same, or sometimes the WLR loads would look as if they generated more pressure. I only used the CCI250s in .30-30 and .32 Win. Spl. loads, like you, on Speers recomendation.

I use Federal 215 Magnums in everything that will take a Large Rifle Primer. I bought 5000 a few years ago and really like them. <BR>They work great in 22-250,243,270,7m/m mag,308,30-06,300 win.Mag.,338 Win.Mag.,338 Ultra Mag. I thought they were the only kind

I use CCI250 in my rifle. Bought a ton. I was told to try the Fed 215 as they were the best. I will get them and see. -t.h

I have a conglomerate of primers left over from 1970. My dad used to own a manufaturing plant that made ammo for the local police depts. Things changed and he got out. As a result I have ooohhh 20 to 30 thousand primers...(among other stuff)(needless to say, I was not worried when the primer scare of mid 90's occurred) Most are WW, some are CCI, small pistol, large pistol, regular and magnum, large rifle, small rifle, also regular and magnum, I also inhereted some CCI BR-4 small rifle, some Remington Benchrest small rifle and had some other Winchester Western that were in the yellow box. When working up a load I just pick one type and go. I never have been such an accuracy buff to worry about primers affecting groups much. Even with the old primers all have gone bang with out a hick-up. One day I just bought a brick of new WW small rifle primers and used them in place of an existing load with the old ones. I could not tell any difference.<p>[This message has been edited by blammer (edited February 18, 2001).]

Badger:<P>Odds are, you can live just fine with teh CCI 200 primers in your 243. In the 270 Win you "might" want to use the CCI 250 with slow powders like 4350 or 4831.

Hi Badger.<P>Just a thought for you. When changing from a large rifle primer to a large rifle magnum primer, the prudent thing to do is a complete series of load testing again. Primers do vary a bit from "normal" to "magnum", and also vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. When I changed my .25-06 from CCIBR2 to CCI250, I basically threw out my already developed loads, and began a new round of load testing.<P>As with changing any component, such as bullet or primer, reduce your max loads 5~8 percent, and work up. I found that making the switch caused me to reduce my loads off my previous max with several powders.<P>Somewhere out in the net is a comparison of primers (mildest to hottest), but the link escapes me at the moment.<P>Regards<BR>John<BR>

Had hoped that JJ would speak up here. I used to put Rem Mag primers in My 375HH cases, and accuracy was pretty good. A while back ol' JJ mentioned that he once tried regular WLR primers in his, and noticed that his rifle got more accurate. I knew he was wrong, so to prove it I loaded up some with the reg. primer. Groups shrank in half. Thanks again, Jim.

I like Fed 215 Match, and load them in a .30-06/.270 and .300Win/.375H&H cases.<P>Rick Bin

I use Federal 210M and Remington 9 1/2's in larger bores, Remington 7 1/2 in my .223's, and Fed and CCI primers in my hanguns.<P>Joe

Gentlemen:<BR>This thread ent around a couple of times last year. I did some tests using old 270 rifle set in a vise and level. I fired a case to fit the chamber tightly then marked it so I could put it back in the chamber every time. I then placed a cleaning rod with a flat nosed jag against the primer and shot the primer then measured the distance the primer pushed the rod. I used nine different primers Mags and standard. The CCI's were the worst of the lot in consistency as I had previously found out. Nothing had changed in the last 12 years with CCI. The Fed 215 gold medal Match and Winchester Mag gave the most consistant results and the hottest. I like these over the old fed 215's that I have used for years. I am to lazy to repost all of the info, but this is the gist of the matter.<BR>George<p>[This message has been edited by George Hoffman (edited March 05, 2001).]

When I was developing loads for my .308 varmit rig, I used CCI 200's. I had occasional "flyers" with ball powder. That means I'd shoot 3, or 4, and then one would open the group to 1-1.25 inches. On the advice of a Sierra Bullets tech. advisor, I switched to Federal 210's. The problem disappeared. I got .3-.5 groups. I had the same problem with my .25-20 Marlin and H110, or WW680, ball powders. Switching to CCI 450's, from CCI 400's, solved the problem. I haven't had any ball powder problems with WLR primers either. E

For your caliburs try Remington 9 1/2, when you have fired 10,000 rounds w/o a missfire you'll know why I like Remingtons, (exclusivly).

This from Warren Jensen;<P>Brisance, or shattering effect, is the term the industry uses to rate the relative power of detonators. The term hottest or least hot does not accurately describe the ability of a primer to uniformly ignite a certain powder, or a certain amount of powder, or a certain amount of a particular powder when it is at 0 Deg. F., or some other standard temperature. All of these are different ways to rate or rank primers by relative effect. Generally, when speaking of the hottest, or least hot, primers one is speaking in terms of additional pressure or velocity that can be added, or subtracted from a round simply by changing primers. <BR>Fifteen years ago I completed an extensive and long study of the relative effect of all of the commercially available primers. At that time I was confident that I could rank every one. Eight years ago I did this again and my confidence was shattered. The list was turned upside down and inside out. Three years ago we repeated the study and again, many surprises. Some magnum primers were ranked below some standard primers from the same maker. A lot of CCI200 primers was the "hottest" large rifle primer I had ever tested, including the old FED 215s. <P>I still think I can rank primers by their relative effect, but what I have learned is that as you go through different lots there will be many exceptions to the rules and sometimes they are quite unexpected. <P>We recently evaluated a non-toxic, small rifle primer from Russia. It had very little flash, and a short, quick pulse. It was very clean. It ended up increasing our standard load in a 223 Remington the equivalent of three grains of powder. That is a hot primer in a case the size of a 223 Remington. It also provided reliable ignition for only certain extruded powders and no ball powders at all. It was completely different from our commercial primers and some of my old rules did not apply. <P>------------------<BR>Warren Jensen<P>Warrenlostriverballistic.com <BR>lostriverballistic.com <P>

What do I use?<P>It certainly depends on the caliber, and powder.<P>I have CCI 200 and CCI 250 primers in stock as well as Federal 210 M and 215 M.<P>I suppose I could use Winchesters too, but all it does is confuse things more.<P>I could summarize it this way:<P>If the case has a Belt or uses Ball Powder, I use a mag primer.<P>If it does not have a belt, and am not using Ball powder, I use Standard Primers.<P>Primers "usually" make the least amount of difference in performance.<BR>

<P> Great thread, I had never paid much attention to Primer's, figureing the market was so tight with them that there was very little, if any, junk with them.<P> I have always used CCI's and I never once had a problem that I could trace to a bad spark, at least not an obvious one. My irst load book was a "Speer" and it listed CCI's so I bought them and have never looked back.<P> I think Im going to buy some "match grade" primer's and give 'em a whirl. Of all the powder's ive loaded 3006 with the CCI 200's have done well , BUT! , I do like to use 250's with my 3006 ball powder loads, like my H-380 load.<P> The 250 gives a relelvant increase in accuracy/velocity with H-380.....10