Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Federal 205?

I tried posting this under Reloading, Varmint rifles and did not get a response, so I'm trying here. What do you think?

Been doing some loading for the AR and was digging through the primer inventory. For years I have used CCI 450 primers with BLC2 in my bolt gun. I experimented with Fed 205 Match primers and discovered they were hotter than the CCI 450s. I called them hotter because the created stiff bolt lift with (book) powder charges that the 450s performed fine with.

I just viewed the 205 Match primers as magnums and as such would not use them with small rifle cases or non ball powders.

Well, when digging around I found a red carton of Federal 205 primers I had forgotten about. Printed in the upper right hand corner is "NO. 205" and in the center of the panel is printed "SMALL MAGNUM RIFLE PRIMERS". I can find no information regarding Federal making a small rifle magnum primer. Plenty of references to 205M, meaning match.

This begs the question: are all Federal 205 primers essentially magnum in their composition?

I don't think so. The 205 and 205M are exactly the same, except the 205M has an extra visual inspection. I normally use them in my BR rifles and have for over 20yrs, but when they run low I use Winchester small rifle primers. My Ohler chrono shows no difference.

Aside from the extra inspection, the only difference in 205's and 205M's the priming compound is spread into the cups by workers who've been proven to exceptionally consistent in their technique. Other than that, they're the same.

Been using Fed205 and 205M's for years, no difference. they may work different in an AR though. Some claim they get slamfires with the 205's or WSR's because of a thinner softer cup (.0225" on the 205's and .021" on the WSR's) the CCI 450s and Rem 7 1/2 use a .025" cup in theroy more suitable for AR use.

I'm looking at a table in the Nosler #2 manual, page 20.

There is shown a Federal 200 small rifle, and a 205 small rifle magnum. I'm sure the M on 205M means match, with the last numeral 5 denoting magnum. So the 205M is a small rifle magnum match grade primer.

Like the large ones:

210 large rifle
210M large rifle match

215 large rifle magnum
215M large rifle magnum match

Mathman,

What is the copyright date on that Nosler #2 , you do know that #7 is out now ??????

Things can change every few decades or so, my batch of Federal 200 primers were made in the 70's and I have not seen any for sale in my childrens lifetime. shooting them through my chronograph there is virtually no difference in velocity. the difference is in the cup material, the 200's used the thinnest cup ever for a small rifle primer .019" the 205 and 205M stepped up to a .0225" cup so they could handle more pressure but not to create more.

boatanchor -

200s are Federal small pistol magnum primers. I have a couple cartons on hand.

I have some recollection of earlier ones, back in the 80s, being labeled for small rifle or small pistol magnum .. my guess, "small rifle" being .22 hornet, .218 bee, etc, thus the equivalent of the Remington 6-1/2 primer. This is remembering something across 30 years though and should not be taken as gospel w/o verification. "I thought I was wrong once but I was mistaken" ... and all that.

Tom

I've got 2 --> 6. I referenced #2 since I hadn't seen the 200 primers in a long time but I knew the old book mentioned them.

What made them "magnum" I don't know. Thicker cup, more/hotter priming mixture, whatever. I know Federal no longer labels them magnum even with the 5 at the end, but they did at one time. As I type I'm looking at a box that reads Federal No. 205, 100 Small Magnum Rifle Primers, Lot 2 B9560.

Mathman is seeing the same thing I am. My red box reads "No. 205" and "Small Rifle Magnum".

This, combined with the higher pressures I experienced, has led me to believe that the current Federal 205 primer is for all practical purposes a "magnum" primer.

The reason for this post is probably tied to my old age. When I first was loading for 222 and 223, the common wisdom was to use "magnum" primers for ball (335, BLC2) type powders and use "standard" primers for stick (4198, 4895) powders. I used mostly CCI so that meant 400 or 450, with some Federal mixed in (200 or 205).

Today, CCI is the only manufacturer that produces a "magnum" small rifle primer. Perhaps time has proven that from a small rifle accuracy standpoint, there was no real advantage for producing two different primers.

I guess going forward, I will keep some CCI 400s or Rem 6 1/2s around for my 25-20 and just use Fed 205, CCI 450, Rem 7 1/2, or Win WSR for everything else.

I do not know how the 205 compares with the 7 1/2 or WSR, but I definitely believe it to produce higher pressures than the 450.

The red box you've got is probably old like mine. I have newer ones in blue packaging and they're 205 but don't say magnum.

Yes, the same.

The change in nomenclature creates some confusion.

Thanks for the input!

405wcf