Challenger/Cheddite warming

I gave up on challengers after shooting a trap tournament with a sxs that had gas vents. About every 3rd or 4th shot burnt my arm. Both barrels were punching thru. I switched guns have way thru. Still pierced primers but the next gun didnt have the gas vents. Bad way to go thru a shoot

I use cheddites with my reloads and only my hammer gun pops them occasionally but its pins are huge
 
I am now done with Challengers as well. I tried some in my Blaser F-3, and about one in five primers were pierced. No issues at all with Kent, so I am sticking with the 1 ounce Velocity loads. This is the only gun that I own that has an issue with the Challengers.
 
No - I have several over and unders, of various manufacture, that consistently pierce Challenger shells. The manufacturer is rumoured to have corrected this, but I find this hard to believe... My main gun, a Beretta 686 has no issues with them.
 
I'm shooting the new Kent Elite Target loads, which I confirmed use Cheddite CX2000 primers although apparently with a different basewad made exclusively for Kent. I've had no issues with pierced primers in my 725 Sporting.
 
This issue has been around for a long time.

I used to use Challenger shells exclusively without an issue. I bought a used 101 and instantly started seeing pierced primers on the lower barrel- one or two per box. I also noticed that the lower pin had a small pit on it from the piercings- probably from the previous owner but I probably had a couple dozen pierced primers to add to that. This was 2012-ish?

I bought a new firing pin but before I fitted it I thought I would mess around a bit. I shortened the wrecked pin to near minimum extrusion and re-profiled it to be more blunt. I can't remember exactly but originally the pin extrusion was closer to max spec. It is all written down in my book somewhere if someone needs details. I've put many flats through and not a single pierce since. The 101 is the only gun to have an issue- everything else was fine. Never a problem ever with the Win 209 primers.

For what it is worth...
 
I have two 725's and a 686 SP1 Sporting, and an A400. Only 1 of the 725's has an issue with Challengers, and even then, only the lower barrel. I've purchased new firing pins with the notion that I will re-profile them, but still haven't gotten around to it yet. For now that 725 only eats Winchester.

Thanks,
Cal.
 
From the last time we discussed this, which was a couple years ago, 3macs1 had an excellent explanation, a quote actually, of what the problem was.
Try searching the trap and skeet forum for references to that thread.
 
Last edited:
I recently went through 10 flats of the Kent Velocity 1oz 1300fps (7 boxes of 7.5's and 3 boxes of 8's) with my Citori 725 sporting. I had approximately 3-5 pierced primers from each flat. All through the bottom barrel.
 
Mancino said:
I recently went through 10 flats of the Kent Velocity 1oz 1300fps (7 boxes of 7.5's and 3 boxes of 8's) with my Citori 725 sporting. I had approximately 3-5 pierced primers from each flat. All through the bottom barrel.[/

Were they the Elite greens ? What did you think of the recoil ?
Click to expand...
 
Mancino said:
I recently went through 10 flats of the Kent Velocity 1oz 1300fps (7 boxes of 7.5's and 3 boxes of 8's) with my Citori 725 sporting. I had approximately 3-5 pierced primers from each flat. All through the bottom barrel.
Click to expand...

I just put ten flats of Kent Elite Target's through my Perazzi and Beretta and not one pierced primer in fact, not a single problem at all! Prior to the Kents, the previous couple of dozen flats were challengers with no problems either.
 
Falconflyer said:
I just put ten flats of Kent Elite Target's through my Perazzi and Beretta and not one pierced primer in fact, not a single problem at all! Prior to the Kents, the previous couple of dozen flats were challengers with no problems either.
Click to expand...

I've heard the Citori have issues with the Cheddite primers due to the angle the bottom firing pin impacts the primer. I have also shot Challengers/Kent through my Beretta's without a single pierced primer. Seems to be more of a Browning issue than a Cheddite issue.
 
My Berettas can handle Cheddites , however, I have had pierced primers in the bottom barrel of my Baikal, Browning, and Brno shotguns. As an experiment, I re-rediused the firing pin on my Baikal to be more centred, which worked.
 
I’ve concluded it’s your guns, not the primers. I’ve seen 10’s of thousands of cheddite primers go bang with zero issues.
 
Falconflyer said:
I just put ten flats of Kent Elite Target's through my Perazzi and Beretta and not one pierced primer in fact, not a single problem at all! Prior to the Kents, the previous couple of dozen flats were challengers with no problems either.
Click to expand...

My MX8 pierced lots of primers when I first got it. I returned it and no pierced primers since. I assume they ground the pins.
 
Westward1 said:
Mancino said:
I recently went through 10 flats of the Kent Velocity 1oz 1300fps (7 boxes of 7.5's and 3 boxes of 8's) with my Citori 725 sporting. I had approximately 3-5 pierced primers from each flat. All through the bottom barrel.[/

Were they the Elite greens ? What did you think of the recoil ?
Click to expand...

No, they were the blue Velocity shells. However, I've shot the green Elite 1oz 1290 FPS and they are identical. They feel similar to the 1 1/8 1200fps winchester shells.
Click to expand...
 
I don't shoot clays or skeet but hunt grouse with them and have had no problems with a Citori or my A303 Beretta.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom