Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Federal Match Primers vs Federal Standard Primers

Ive always just used their standard version but read a few articles and posts saying the match version was better. My question is, are they essentially the same primer but the match is just more consistent or are they different primers all together? I.e., is one harder? One hotter? Etc...

Thanks,
Mike

Haven't noticed a difference to date, in accuracy or velocity.

I toured the Federal factory a few years ago, and part of the time was spent looking at their primer-making facility, with a lengthy explanation of how their primers are made. The Federal Match primers are made by employees who've shown a greater ability consistently apply the priming compound, so each primer is as close as possible to the others. Otherwise the Match primers are identical to the standard primers.

That difference may or may not show up in a particular load and rifle, but I doubt like hell it will show up in the average factory hunting rifle, topped by a $200 3-9x scope that's not adjustable for parallax, shooting 3-shot groups at 100 yards without any allowance for slight differences in wind between each shot. In other words, the typical handloading hunter. We won't even get into handloading techniques.

However, it can make a difference in much more accurate rifles, shot by more accurate shooters.

Have a buddy on Team USA Benchrest. He uses the standard version interchangeably and sees no difference.

With everything else I do to try and make my reloads as accurate as possible, if I can use a potentially more consistent primer, why not do so? The cost is not that much more and it just makes me feel more confident, even though as MD said, I probably can't tell the difference between Standard and Match.

I used to use CCI BR2 primers just because, but then the price difference over 200's got silly. Federal still isn't too bad about that.

Thanks all. I doubt I'll ever notice a difference between the two. However, at a cost of a few bucks spread over 1,000 primers, I think I will try the benchrest next time just for the hell of it. I just wanted to make sure I wouldn't need to develop new loads due to a primer change before buying them.

Thanks again,
Mike

The consistency of cartridges is determined by the consistency in neck tension, case capacity, charge, primer consistency, and bullet mass, probably plus a few other things.

Variation does not add linearly. If your case capacity is giving you 10 FPS of variation and your neck tension is giving you 12 FPS, with all other factors constant, you do NOT have 22 FPS of variation. You have 15.6 FPS. If your neck tension contribution is 20 FPS, then your total variation is 22.4. If your neck tension contribution is 30 FPS, then your total variation is 31.6, and the total variation is very close to just the neck tension contribution.

The largest single source of variation almost totally controls the total variation.

Without making any real measurements, my guess is that the variation from primers is less than 2-3 FPS. If that is so, then the contribution of primer to primer variation in a firearm cartridge is next to impossible to detect and not worth worrying about.

I have never tried shooting a group with different primers mixed up in the cartridges but I've used CCi BR4's and Rem BR7 1/2's and CCi 400's. When I'm shooting in a match with a target rifle, I use BR primers for the warm, fuzzy feeling they give me but, in truth, I think a person would have to be a whole lot better than me to tell any difference.
I too have heard that the BR primers are made on the newest machines by the best operators.

I didn't get to take the factory tour but saw a program showing exactly how the match primers are made.

All primers are made the same way. The priming compound starts out as a thick slurry that is spread across a perforated metal plate. Under each perforation is an empty primer cup that receives the wet compound through the little perforation. Spreading that slurry is just like spreading peanut butter on a piece of bread - the art is spreading the compound to the same thickness across the entire plate. Some employees show a talent for spreading it exactly even where others get it thinner or thicker in places.

So as Mule Deer said, the employees who can spread that compound and fill the primers the most consistently are chosen to make the match primers. The other employees make the regular primers.

There is a bigger issue here. Some loads work better with a primer change.
I learned many years ago from the bench rest shooters and used a 30 pound open class .308 to open my eyes as sometimes a good group was halved with a primer brand change.

The BR guys don't care what they use if it works and is consistent. I thought powder throwers were inconsistent and unreliable until I saw BR shooter G- Clamping them onto their concrete bench and tossing charges.

When I asked what weight they were using, they scoffed and said, "who cares" if it shoots.

Horses for courses, I guess.

John

Besides consistency brisance certainly plays a part in grouping.

I have heard to use the mildest primer one can get away with while maintaining reliable ignition and I've definitely seen that when switching from a magnum primer down to a standard large rifle.

First time was with the .375 H&H and loads of RL-15 in the low to mid 70 grain range. All three of my .375's grouped better with the standard primers.

Just a few months ago I bought a new LH Model 70 Fwt in 270 WSM. I started with Fed 215's and 4 shot groups hovered in the 1.25" range. Switching to 210's with no other change shrank 4 and 5 shot groups into the .8's.

On the other hand when I switched to a magnum primer in 270 with a R22 turned it into one holer. Also, when loading TAC in a .358 a mag primer helped tighten it up a bit. I standardized awhile ago with fed 215's when things got tight and bought a pile. Currently loading them in a 308 with 190smk and R17. Probably could get a wee bit more speed with a regular primer and higher charge weight, maybe. Just starting to think about reworking some loads with 210's and see where it goes.