Which primer manufacture is the hardest?

Mean Steak

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Hey Guys,
So I've been working up reloads for my brothers SKS to take hunting however I've run into a problem. His Chinese SKS runs great with any and all military surplus ammo. No double fires at all. But when we use my reloads on occasion it will send a second round down range.
I know its not the trigger mechanism as we removed it and just let the bolt close on a round in the chamber and it will set off the odd round (4 out of 20). Each round will have a dent in it from the firing pin striking it just from inertia of the bolt closing.
I have tried the Murrays firing pin in my SKS and the spring packed up after few hundred rounds...

So my question is who makes the hardest primers? I have tried Winchester and CCI
Maybe pulling the bullet off of Surplus ammo and seating a soft point might get him through this hunting season. Has anyone done this?
I would like to come up with a permanent solution and need hard primers

Thanks
 
I find winchesters are the hardest I can find locally.. I see your form Alberta.. SKS for hunting ain't that a 223? Nothing under a 24cal for big game legal here
 
Cci makes military grade primers for semi autos with free floating firing pins.

CCI and Winchester are the hardest of the bunch. Wolf tula primers might be harder but I can't say that for sure.

Another option to consider is the Murray's firing pin with spring for the sks. http://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/bolt-parts/firing-pins/sks-enhanced-firing-pin-prod24637.aspx

Thanks I will try and source CCI military primers
I also tried a Murray firing pin but the spring it uses gets destroyed in less than 500 rounds
 
Hey Guys,
So I've been working up reloads for my brothers SKS to take hunting however I've run into a problem. His Chinese SKS runs great with any and all military surplus ammo. No double fires at all. But when we use my reloads on occasion it will send a second round down range.
I know its not the trigger mechanism as we removed it and just let the bolt close on a round in the chamber and it will set off the odd round (4 out of 20). Each round will have a dent in it from the firing pin striking it just from inertia of the bolt closing.
I have tried the Murrays firing pin in my SKS and the spring packed up after few hundred rounds...

So my question is who makes the hardest primers? I have tried Winchester and CCI
Maybe pulling the bullet off of Surplus ammo and seating a soft point might get him through this hunting season. Has anyone done this?
I would like to come up with a permanent solution and need hard primers

Thanks

Never single load a round in the chamber and let the bolt slam shut on it with any semi auto that has a free floating firing pin....you are setting yourself up for an out of battery detonation.
 
Never single load a round in the chamber and let the bolt slam shut on it with any semi auto that has a free floating firing pin....you are setting yourself up for an out of battery detonation.

Thanks for the reply.
I was only doing it to diagnose the rifles problem, and using one round at a time. Just out of curiosity; how is it any different than racking the action and not riding the bolt?
 
Oh by the way, as Spawn-Inc said earlier I think the CCI No.34 are what I need. Sight sponsor's seem to be out of stock. Does anyone know where to find any?
I'm off to put an add in the EE

Thanks again for all your help guys
 
Thanks for the reply.
I was only doing it to diagnose the rifles problem, and using one round at a time. Just out of curiosity; how is it any different than racking the action and not riding the bolt?

Stripping a round out if the mag slows the bolt down, lightens the firining pin inertia, and by design should ensure the bolt is locked up as the round enters the chamber.
Letting it slam home on a round already in the chamber means the bolt is traveling much faster and can create your slamfire situation you have been seeing. While a slamfire is dangerous in it's own right, the bolt is locked or partially locked when the round goes off. The difference between that and out of battery kaboom which would turn the gun into a grenade, with the possibly of killing or injuring you severely, is about a millisecond difference. That's when the round goes off when the bolt slams home but the bolt isn't locked up. It can happen for a number of reasons, but usually stuck firing pin, high primer, improperly sized case, etc are the culprits combined with letting the bolt fly home on a round in the chamber.
 
Oh by the way, as Spawn-Inc said earlier I think the CCI No.34 are what I need. Sight sponsor's seem to be out of stock. Does anyone know where to find any?
I'm off to put an add in the EE

Thanks again for all your help guys
Budget Shooter Supply has the primers you need. $59/1000
 
Stripping a round out if the mag slows the bolt down, lightens the firining pin inertia, and by design should ensure the bolt is locked up as the round enters the chamber.
Letting it slam home on a round already in the chamber means the bolt is traveling much faster and can create your slamfire situation you have been seeing. While a slamfire is dangerous in it's own right, the bolt is locked or partially locked when the round goes off. The difference between that and out of battery kaboom which would turn the gun into a grenade, with the possibly of killing or injuring you severely, is about a millisecond difference. That's when the round goes off when the bolt slams home but the bolt isn't locked up. It can happen for a number of reasons, but usually stuck firing pin, high primer, improperly sized case, etc are the culprits combined with letting the bolt fly home on a round in the chamber.

Awesome, I learned something new today. Thanks for the explanation. I never thought that taking a round out of the mag would slow the bolt down enough. Like you say its only a millisecond difference.
 
Odd, no CCI no 34 here,
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Hey Guys,
Just a little update. I ordered some federal No. 34 primers from Budget Shooter Supply and had a chance to load some rounds up. I loaded 200 rounds and fired them all without any problems. Absolutely zero double fires and no slam fires :)
The military grade primer (CCI #34) are great!
Just to recap I had tried CCI, Federal and Winchester commercial large rifle primers: and every now and then I would get a double firing. I ruled out the trigger mechanism as it never happens with surplus ammunition.
I Highly recommend them if your SKS is double firing with reloads or commercial ammo.
Thanks everyone for your help and input.
 
S&B are hardest, then CCI, then Win, the softest are Federals.

where would Dominion primers fall on the list?

i find that dominion primers are inconsistent with their hardness. most are fine but i get quite a few where the firing pin barely even leaves a mark and i have to put the cartridge in the duds bin.
 
The cup on the CCI 34 and 41 primers are thicker on their base as you can see from the diagram below and the anvil is not as high and requires a harder hit to set it off.

No34primer_zps010b4fce-b_zpsxsququmi.jpg


That being said Remington ran our American Lake City Army Ammuntion plant from 1941 till 1982 and used their standard 7 1/2 and 9 1/2 primers without problems.
Meaning the M1 Garand, M-14 and the M-16 never used primers with thicker cups or modified in any way when Remington ran Lake City. As stated above it is bolt velocity and the inertia of the firing pin that can cause slam fires. And the majority of problems with the SKS are caused by a dirty bolt and the firing pin not having complete freedom of movement. And I have never had a slam fire in any of the firearms I have with free floating firing pins because I keep them clean.

semi_zps9273890c.jpg
 
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