Lapua 308 brass hard to prime?

Just bought a 1000 Fed Match primers because they seem to have a good rep. I'm going to prime some using the press instead and see if that eliminates the problem. I've had problems with the Lee hand primer before. I hate squeezing the hell out of it, makes me think I'm crushing the primer or have one in sideways or other mishap. And with the Lee hand primer (probably true of most priming mechanisms), once you partly seat a primer, you can't pull the shell out and examine what up, such as a primer flipped or on its side.

Edit: For clarification, this is new brass.

I just seated a couple of the same primers using the press instead, and it does take a lot of force to seat them flush. No wonder the hand primer didn't get them flush. I then fixed the 5 that I'd done with the hand press by seating them with the press itself. I'm done with the Lee hand primer until further notice. High primers isn't acceptable on a rifle where there is less than .001 excess headspace. I'll have trouble closing the bolt and discerning the cause with any high primers.
 
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I had issues with lapua brass and primers, I was using
CCI 200 and 250 magnum primers, also it has a short life
3 firings and necks are split even after annealing
I won't buy it no more, I get much better life. From
Remington or Winchester casings
 
Primers will be a little hard to seat on new Lapua brass. I use a Lee auto prime on my press.

HUNTERROD, 3 firings and split necks with Lapua? I have Lapua brass that is still going strong and is on it's 4th barrel. Never annealed a piece of brass in my life.
 
I'm liking the accuracy I'm getting with the Lapua brass, so I will buy more. It's no big loss to me to have to use the press to prime, instead of the hand primer.
 
Mine has been easy to prime first and second loading using an auto prime. Are they tough going in or stopping short and just needing to be forced that last little bit?
 
I had issues with lapua brass and primers, I was using
CCI 200 and 250 magnum primers, also it has a short life
3 firings and necks are split even after annealing
I won't buy it no more, I get much better life. From
Remington or Winchester casings

No idea what happened there. I have 6 reloads on 200 brass and not one issue so far. IMO, Lapua makes some of the best.

I find with my RCBS hand primer the Federal Match are MUCH harder to prime than CCI BR2's. Not a single issue with BR2's, but these Federal all seem a little different and definitely take more force. I'd like to put blame on the tool, but prior to my FM primers, I didn't have any issues with it.
 
I haven't experimented with any other brand of primer in the Lapua brass. Just Fed BR primers. I'm not ready to switch primers. I only load around 20-50 308 cartridges a week, so its no big deal.
 
Maybe I'd better put down my purse and use both hands?

I was hoping you had a funny bone, I was going to ask you if you ate your Wheaties this morning.

Even if you didn't eat your Wheaties this morning I would switch to a smaller diameter primer, your using the largest diameter primer made. ;)

(your using the primers I use on loose primer pockets that were fired more than a few times and have stretched)



Look at the link below and the flash photos of the Federal 210M and the "standard" Remington 9 1/2.

Primers - Large Rifle Primer Study
http://riflemansjournal.########.com/2009/06/primers-large-rifle-primer-study.html
 
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I have to apply a fair bit of pressure using the same Lee primer to insert CCI BR-2 primers in my 6.5X55 Lapua brass. Some cases need that extra bit of force for that final bit of the process but, by the time you will have worn out the brass, your forearm will be big as your calf muscle and you won't ever find it difficult to prime again. ;) I switch from right to left hand when priming to ensure even muscle build...
 
I had issues with lapua brass and primers, I was using
CCI 200 and 250 magnum primers, also it has a short life
3 firings and necks are split even after annealing
I won't buy it no more, I get much better life. From
Remington or Winchester casings

have to say you might have a very large necked chamber on your rifle, or you over heated when annealing. You could ask 5 million shooters using Lapua brass and no one would say Remington brass is better than Lapua some would like Norma brass better
 
have to say you might have a very large necked chamber on your rifle, or you over heated when annealing. You could ask 5 million shooters using Lapua brass and no one would say Remington brass is better than Lapua some would like Norma brass better

This "large" neck area may well be an issue in the brass life.
I had a VZ 24 in 8x57JS that had an oversized chamber at the neck, and brass life was very short.
Shot surprisingly well, but tough on brass.
Regards, Eagleye.
 
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