Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles When to use magnum primers???

Up til now, I have been using Win. mag primers to light 60 to 66gr. of RL22 in my 7mm Rem Mag. Recently, I read that standard rifle primers are adequate until you get near 70 grains of slow powder.
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<br> What do you guys do? When do you make the switch to the magnum primer? -Keith

I have read recently that it's totally unnecessary to use them except, as you do, on big cases of slow powder.
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<br>While I have no reason to doubt that, I was also told or read early on that I should use them with all ball powders, especially in cases that use Large Rifle primers. Having read that, I found that they work so well in my .30-30 (powder of choice is W748 under a 170-gr. bullet) that I have no reason to switch.
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<br>I also plan to use them in reduced loads for the .338 Win. Mag. and .375 H&H. Perhaps they may reduce position sensitivity. Or maybe they'll just keep me from getting confused. Or maybe it's just that I have a great big box of them that will last a long, long time if I only use them where I really need them.
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<br>John

Ball powder you say. That is interesting since I use 748 in my 308, might have to give it a try.
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<br> What you said about position sensitivity is also interesting since the most accurate loads in my 7mm don't always fill the case up.-Keith

Speer says to use CCI 250's with ball powder. A Sierra tech rep once recommended to me either a Winchester or a Federal primer over a CCI 250. I switched primers to the Federal brand and my groups stopped throwing one in three, or one or two in five out of the main group.
<br> All this in a .308. Win 748, AA2520 and 2460 were the powders. I've used the Win. LRM primers on my reduced IMR 3031 loads in my .280. Very accurate with as little as 35 grs. over a 120 gr. Sierra ProHunter.
<br> The usual advice for using them with magnum cartriages has worked well for me in the past. E
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I use Federal 210M for 6mm Rem, 30-06, 338-06. I use Fed 215M (magnum) for 300 Win, 300 Ultra, and 416 Rem. I also had good results with magnum primers with the 7mm rem mag. I guess I'd use what the rifle likes best.
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<br>Blaine

I just use what the loading manual says to use! I use standard in all but .338WM and .270WSM.
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<br>Mike

I am not sure where I read it, but in cold weather magnum primers are recommended. This might been one of those wives tales but I have been using Fed 215 magnum primers for years now and not had any problems. I use them in 30-06 and larger calibres. Seeing as how I have several boxes of them left I will continue to use them. Smokey

Very interesting question. I used to use the Sierra and Lyman books like a bible, thus I would end up with bricks of different primers. I got into benchrest shooting with the 6ppc, and used the recommended CCI BR-4 Small Rifle primer. Precision loading for precision shooting. I now use the CCI BR-4 Small Rifle primer for all my loads requiring a small orimer. I use the CCI BR-2 Large Rifle primer for ALL my calibers requiring a large primer. , from 22-250 to .460 Wtby. My magnum stopper load is 105 grs of IMR 7828, a Barnes 600 gr bullet, and the CCI BR-2 primer. I have no doubt that many will disagree, but for me CCI BR primers give the most consistent ignition. I would be very interested in hearing from others on this matter.

The advice about using magnums with ball powders is good. Ball powders have their burning rate controlled by coatings more than grain size, so naturally the coatings are tougher to start burning, especially in the slower powders. Have found magnums to produce better accuracy with ball powders in case as small as .22-250 and .220 Swift.

As far as other cartridges and log powders, it depends. The Winchester LR primer is almost as hot as some magnums. It depends on the powder and how tightly it's packed, etc. Have tried regular primers in .416 Rigby with around 100 grains of slow burners and everything worked fine.

Mule Deer,

Good article in Handloader on this very subject, arrived day before yesterday, in fact!

I'm afraid the piece on the .257 Roberts, however, is going to cost me money.

John

I use Fed215M primers in most everything. I even use them in a 22-250. They are my standard primer and I get them 5000 at a time. Only if they don't produce a good load,do I try something different,usually CCI BR-2's.

I remember reading somewhere that the only difference between a magnum primer and a regular primer was the flame duration. The temperature of the flame in both primers is the same but the magnum primer maintains a flame for a longer period (be aware that it is measured in milliseconds). This is why magnum primers are recommended in cold weather because the longer burning flame will give better ignition to cold powders or to larger capacity cases. Rick

Mule Deer, got my issue of Handloader the other day and enjoyed your articles. Keep up the good work.

Billy,

The only primers I use in a 7mm mag, 300 win mag and a 375 H&H AI are CCI-BR2 primers. I haven't used a "MAG" primer in years.

Have a good one,

Don <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

John F. and Rolly--Thanks, guys. John, money's highest and best use is a possible rifle. In fact, some argue that money is just a flat rifle waiting for a third dimension.

Mule Deer, please grant permission to quote you. "Money is a flat rifle waiting for a third dimension" would look engraved in bronze. Damn good explanation for the state of my finances too. Ward

You got it. I may have to use it elsewhere myself!

EXCELLENT!! I think I'll have that engraved on my tombstone <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I did a test one time with an accurate (it'll average in the 0.300's) 308 700 VSSF using 748 powder and F210M (standard match primer) and F215M (magnum match primer), with 168 MatchKings. Minor difference in average group size, favoring the standard primer. Then I tried the same thing with AA4064, and, the magnum primers won. The tests were four, 5 shot groups, with the targets fired round-robin, so, no particular combo had an advantage.

Then, using H450, a Spherical powder with a reputation for being a hard starter, in a 284 Win., I tried identical loads using WLR's and R9-1/2M's; velocity with the WLR's was noteably (minimum 50 FPS average) higher than the magnum, but, the R9-1/2M's grouped better.

In a 7RMag using a max load (71 grains if the old gray matter hasn't failed me) of H1000 with 162 Hornady's, CCI250's grouped better than WLR's and R9-1/2M's, but the WLR's led in velocity again.
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

I did try Mule Deer's tip (I think it was yours) in a recent article about using magnum primers with TAC in a 223, which really tightened up some of the groups.

So, now I'm using magnum primers in a little case, and standard primers in large cases.

R-WEST

Mule Deer, the bronze plaque is being designed as I write. Daughter is designing it based on my criteria - bronze with the words tastefully engraved, a border in the bronze to highlight the words of wisdom and a wooden frame. Will post pictures when done.

a new rifle is the only good excuse I got for going to work. Rarely get ot look at it flat, just appears as negative numbers in the checking acount.