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

Around 6 months ago, a local shop had a bunch of ZSR (Turkish) small pistol primers, decently (by today's standards) priced. I bought a 100 count sleeve for $6. Loaded half of them up that day in mild 9mm and .38 Special loads and fired about 40 of them in four different firearms.

I went back the next day and bought 5 bricks for $55 each. Have used several hundred of them so far in various pistol calibers, including some near max loads, with no duds yet. Pretty much indistinguishable velocities from the CCI 500 primers I've normally used for the past couple decades.

If you find ZSR LR primers, buy them.

Used quite a few of the Tula and Wolf primers thru the years. Good stuff.

Just ran 75 Cinex SR primers through my 6mmbr irons rifle, every bit as good as any other primer I have ever used , SD, ES, and velocity were right on point as was group size.
Cat

I don't think of the term "off brand" in a negative way. To me the term has always meant "not mainstream" , not "off quality". Heck, with the pressure that domestic primer companies are under these days I can't help but wonder if any QC corners are being cut in order to get product out the door. I like to think not, but.....

I use Cheddite shotgun primers.They are made in France. Since they were the only primers available, there was much discussion on a shotgun forum. The only hassle is with shotgun loads, primers make a difference and you follow the book loads exactly. It took powder companies time to test and publish. Many have declared their preference for Cheddite primers going forward as the other companies have left them high and dry.

Nobel shotgun primers have shown up, but they come in industrial packaging of 10,000 with flats of 1000. Same company , same briance (sp), different plant.

One thing I discovered a year or two ago when working on a shotgun article for Handloader is that a major American company did a bunch of pressure-tests with various primers, using the same 12-gauge load in the same gun. It turned out Cheddite primers essentially tied for the lowest-pressure results, so they can be safely substituted for common American primers, and won't result in too-high pressures. The load may not quite reach the velocity listed with other primers, but that doesn't matter nearly as much in shotgunning as rifles. (Well, it actually doesn't matter nearly as much in rifles as many hunters think, but that's a separate issue....)

S&B is not exactly "off-brand" anymore, if they ever were.

MM

I meant no slight by bringing them into this thread. They were only "off brand" to me in that I'd been handloading for 30+ years before I came across them.

I've used a lot of Tula and S&B SP, SR, and LR primers, and other than 2 cup corner primer piercings (same type of failure that was common in WW primers), they have been as reliable and consistent for me as any of the US brands.

Ginex primers are gtg, use them for 600yd and 1000yd load out of my 223 service rifle setup.

Did you find them to be a little tighter fit in the pockets than normal? So local shooters thought they were... that can be a good thing for well used target brass.

I got 5000 remington LR for 375, and 3000 winchester SP for 210 locally. At least standard brands are beginning to return. FJB by the way.

I've used Ginex SR primers with good results in .22 Hornet and .223/5.56. Used same load data as CCI with no problems. Wish I'd bought more of them. Have also used Fiocchi with good results.

The Ginex primers might have been a tiny bit tighter. It's been a year or so.

I think I remember you saying that earlier. I started using them, and #7 shot, and couldn't be happier.

I know these aren't really "off brand" but has anyone used these in place of the regular CCI 250? The description says to use the same data that has CCI Magnum as a component.

https://www.natchezss.com/reloading/primer/cci-military-34-primer-for-762mm-1000ct-cc0002

I’ve got a stash of S&B LR primers that I bought cheap at Cabela’s during/after the last Obummer Shortage. I substituted them in some .30-06 loads and saw no difference. I’ve also fired thousands of S&B cartridges in rifle and pistol ammo and none ever failed to go bang. YMMV