Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles shooting old primers...

I have come across some cci 20 + year old LR primers.
Problem I only will need them for big game hunting.

Can I trust them?

If they've been stored properly they should be good to go. I've loaded very accurate and reliable ammunition with 20+ year old primers using powder that was even older.

+2 on what Mathman said.

Gunner

You know what the sealer is on the bullet side of the primer? I would think deterioration there would be about the only way a primer could be compromised unless the compound is tainted during manufacture.

I have some old Remingtons in a wood tray, buff colored cardboard slide.Must be from the early 50's that my wife's grand father had.I tried a few and they still work just as good as new ones. I have a big stash of CCI's that are about 15 years old and that is all I use.

Hate to think I "blew" a hunt, based on the suspected quality of a $.03 primer. "Murphys Law" really does exist!
G

Ditto. I don't consider 20 year old components to be 'old', I use stuff like that all the time. (I have a few thousand Alcan small pistol primers from the 50's that are working a-ok in everything I've stuffed them in.) But for a hunting trip or self defense loads, I'll spring for fresh primers and powder.

Try about 20 (and you'll know)

I stumbled across a carton of CCI-450 in a LGS that contained the old style small sleeve maybe 5 years ago. It was marked $7.95. I asked the owner where he got it from and he told me an old shop that shut down. Since new primers were going for about $25 at that time, I took a chance. Everyone popped just the way it should.

I did have an issue a few months back and I think the primers were the culprit. a few years ago I worked up a load for my 270 wsm using newly manufactured primers, for some reason or another I did not load up any more rounds. a few months back I decided to load a few boxes of that particular load but decided to chronograph the load again, I was using the same lot of powder but I found a half box of old CCI mag primers that I bought during the primer shortage a few years back, the are in the old red and white small box. My origional load was running 3220, same load with the old primers was 3150, I switched back to the new manufactured primers and that load runs 3215. Only thing that has me scratching my head is that in my 300 wsm there is no difference in the speed between the old primers and ones of recent manufacture.

They'll pop.

They probably will work just fine. I have shot a bunch of rounds with primers 20+ years old. Would I use my old primers for rounds I plan on taking on a once-in-a-lifetime hunt? Probably not. Would I use old primers for hunting rounds I will use for hunting on the farm? I have done so with no failures.

New primers are inexpensive and readily available at the moment. Use new ones if you have any doubts.

I loaded some .222 rounds with primers that I know by the gunshop name on the price sticker on the box are ones that I bought in about '76 or '77. They all did their job. BUT....if I was loading for a 'spensive hunting trip, I'd use new ones. Your mileage may vary.

The only real acid test is to shoot them, if you're really concerned about reliability, load up about 40 of'em with the cheapest bullets you have and shoot'em, if they all go bang, use the other 60 in that package for hunting.

I have shot some that cost .79 and they all worked.It comes down to how they were stored.

I've shot 50 year old rounds before (although they were factory loaded) and they all worked just fine.

I still have a few hundred surplus military small pistol primers from WWII that work fine. Your 20 year old stuff is still NEW!

I've got about 15,000 old Herter 120 primers. Been using them a long time and never have had a miss fire. Also have a couple hundred primed, FA 49 cases, no missfires.

I agree 100%. I was given some .45 ACP ammo from WWII, I shot it all without a problem.