Challenger/Cheddite warming

We shot ~11,000 challenger last year.

Across 7 shotguns no issues... however my friends cheap o/u punches through around 30% of the primers he fires. Probably popped 350 of them so far...
 
I’ve used at least 25K Cheddite primers over the last 4-5 years. Never had an issue until last year when I replaced the striker springs in my Cynergy. Then I started getting maybe 5% pierced primers.

I started using Challenger Light Load 1oz #7.5 last summer when Remington dropped the quiz #7.5 Gun Clubs. Absolutely love the shells, but even more pierced primers.

I got a CG Summit Trap back in July. Same issue. About 6000 rounds in, almost all Cheddite primers, and I can see erosion on both firing pins with the naked eye.

Guess I’ll be going back to all reloads and Win or CCI primers. I used Fiocchi for several years, but they aren’t as easy to find.

I purchase my Fiocchi primers from Prophet River.
 
I have loaded a couple hundred thousand cheddites and no issues. I have heard from some knowledgeable guys that they are harder on your equipment. I see hummason dropped the price on win 209's to within 3 bucks of cheddites this year when we got our price list. There used to be about a 15 dollar per k spread.
I orderd the win 209s instead this year.
 
I have loaded a couple hundred thousand cheddites and no issues. I have heard from some knowledgeable guys that they are harder on your equipment. I see hummason dropped the price on win 209's to within 3 bucks of cheddites this year when we got our price list. There used to be about a 15 dollar per k spread.
I orderd the win 209s instead this year.

Yes, and that's the great thing about those of us that reload. We know HAVE an option with the Winchester 209s.

Again. No bashing here. Just be aware.
 
I've found that cheddite primers are slightly oversized (as the case with most euro primers) and leave the primer pocket slightly too big to reliably hold a domestic/north american spec primer.
With that being said, I'm not overly concerned with the piercing issue. Shotshells operate at a much lower pressure than metallic cartridges and in my experience, take quite a few bad primers to damage the firing pin to the point it's unusable. I had a remington primer puncture to the point the hole was almost larger than the firing pin, only took a few minutes with a piece of emery cloth to fix the firing pin.

I can certainly see this being a source of annoyance/concern if you were firing these out of an expensive beretta or perazzi though.
 
They are a cheap primer always have been and always will
I remember using the initial ones hard as hell on the firing pins and oversized so once you put them into the hulls it was all cheddite in your good hulls or other primers would fall out
Then they said yes we have tolerance issues so stop using I forget not the black hole and only red or the other way around and they were Ok for a while
Then piercing primers started again oh that was just certain batches they said. Be good again for a while then back again piercing
It never stops. For the pennies saved I went back to winchester 15 years ago and no more issues
Still have black cheddites here somewhere probably the originals that came to canada. Are they red now??
Here they are
Cheers
C0xg2c1.jpg
 
I've had issues with several shotguns piercing Cheddite primers. Two Brownings (725 and Cynergy) and a CZ.

The 20 ga SxS CZ got the simplest fix of all, switching to Winchester primers!

My old SKB O/U has gone through thousands upon thousands of Cheddite primers, with zero pierced primers.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that some high end Euro shotguns (maybe Perazzi or Krieghoff?) have different styles of firing pin available depending on which primers are normally used.

I've heard of this problem on quite a few guns, including a few Beretta O/U's. If you pierce enough primers, it will damage the tips of the firing pins and gunk up the pin channels with black sludge.
 
My MX8 pierced the odd one when new. I had them shortened and not one since. I assume the spare set of pins that came with the gun will need to be ground before I install them.
 
I've had issues with several shotguns piercing Cheddite primers. Two Brownings (725 and Cynergy) and a CZ.

The 20 ga SxS CZ got the simplest fix of all, switching to Winchester primers!

My old SKB O/U has gone through thousands upon thousands of Cheddite primers, with zero pierced primers.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that some high end Euro shotguns (maybe Perazzi or Krieghoff?) have different styles of firing pin available depending on which primers are normally used.

I've heard of this problem on quite a few guns, including a few Beretta O/U's. If you pierce enough primers, it will damage the tips of the firing pins and gunk up the pin channels with black sludge.

A very competent gunsmith once told me it can also enlarge and enlongate the holes and weaken the breech face around the firing pin holes with heavy usage. He had fixed many guns damaged from pierced cheddite primers including a couple of bolt replacements on a few semi’s. He told me many moons ago avoid cheddite primers.
 
My MX8 pierced the odd one when new. I had them shortened and not one since. I assume the spare set of pins that came with the gun will need to be ground before I install them.
They might be the right length to begin with, its possible they were designed to be used for that purpose.
Both my guns got similar "fixes", like you I've had no problems with them since.
I didn't object to buying different primers for reloading, it was sketchy availability of economical factory loaded ammunition other than Challenger, Estate, or Kent that had me looking for a solution. I don't consider STS or AA to be economical, although Gun Club is fine when it's available.
On the plus side, the Winchester 209 has suddenly dropped in price. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. It's just unusual to see a price drop.
 
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Our club just placed their annual reloading order, Winchester 209 primers are within $2 of Cheddite per 1000 primers on Hummason's price list.
That's quite a drop, there was a $20 difference last year. This probably means that Cheddite is now making primers for Winchester...
 
Haven’t yet. Just looking for a low priced alternative.

Be careful if you do since they make the 209 in all different diameters and charges
For me how can you beat the old winchester 209
Cheap is not better. Why spend the money and time using good components and put in a budget primer that could give problems
Cheers
 
Our club just placed their annual reloading order, Winchester 209 primers are within $2 of Cheddite per 1000 primers on Hummason's price list.
That's quite a drop, there was a $20 difference last year. This probably means that Cheddite is now making primers for Winchester...

NO.Not sure where you got that one , Same place they have always been made Winchester plant in East Alton, Illinois.
Perhaps winchester was losing too much primer business or has a surplus state side after last years big production increases and drop in sales after
 
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