Federal Small Pistol Primers Ok?

Nouseforaname

Nouseforaname

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Are Federal small magnum pistol primers ok to use in single stage press ?
(out of stock on cci,winchester,and remington)

Have been told not to use in progressive loaders like Dillon as they are softer than other brands.

Will be using them in a RCBS Rockchucker.
(357 mag,win 296 powder, Hornady 158gr xtp hp)
 
I have used Federal primers for years & never had one go off in a press. I use a Lee turret and also a Dillon SDB. Not to say it cannot happen but it is rare.

I suggest to anyone reloading to wear safety glasses while doing so. Just in case.
 
Lee states not to use them in their progressive presses like the pro 1000 or loadmaster, follow that requirement. However if you have a turret press with the small T style primer bar, where you load one primer at a time you will be safe. If it goes off it will not do any real damage. This is where I use Federal primers.
 
Always follow manufacturers recommendations, specially when it comes to primer specs or brand. They know their equipment's limitations.

I've had a primer blow on me back in 1989, and I cannot remember if it was on the Pro1000, Dillon 550B or Hornady Pro-jector. Fortunately it did not start a chain reaction.

My opinion is if the primer seating operation is away from the primer feed or primer magazine, then it is safe to use any primer brand. An example is the Lee Turret T-bar system as mentioned above. With the Safety Prime attachment, the primer magazine is at least 4 inches away from the seating operation, safe enough IMO.

For example, on a Dillon 550B, the primer tube is a few inches away from the primer seating station, so I consider that a safe set-up or design. As an extra safety precaution, the Dillon's Primer tube is shielded by a thick steel tube that should direct any primer chain explosion upward away from the operator.

However, the primer feed/magazine and seating set-up in a Lee Loadmaster are just a fraction of an inch apart. This design can cause a chain explosion should the primer in the seating station go off. This is the reason I believe Lee is warning against using Federal Primers.
 
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I had a chain explosion of federal large pistol primers in my dillon 650 last week. my only thoughtbis that i seated the primer too hard and crushed it....it started in the primer being seated and set off probably 30-40 of them. everything worked properly on my dillon sending basically all of the pressure back up through the steel primer tube. it destroyed the primer follower sending it through the drywall roof in my garage. but i was unharmed other than ringing ears. dillon already is sending the replacement parts free of charge of course......guess i need to adjust my primer seating set up. and ive never had any issues with federal small pistol primers in this press. actually this is the first primer issue ive had in the last 13 some odd years of reloading.
 
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