Help With primers! Failure to fire.

I think he just meant to pop off a few to test them without having to run up to the range. Sounds like you already tested them so there's really no point.

Like I said earlier, if you load another caliber, try them out in that to rule out a brass problem.

I read you hand prime. I'm sure the primers are seated deep enough then. It's really starting to sound like either a bad batch of primers or a sticky firing pin.

Disassemble your bolt, degrease all the parts then wipe them (not spray) with a light lube like G96. I've fixed a few fail to fire guns that way.
 
what rifle are you shooting these in? is it possable that your bolt was not completely close when you tried firing these? nothing else seams to scream problem........
 
I have been following your post, I am still not sure if you have brass that has 'never' been fired in that chamber, and that is the brass that is failing to fire, or if you have brass 'fired' in the chamber and sometimes is fires and sometimes it does not.

I had a similar problem, I just made a .284 Win, match chamber. I expanded Lapua 6.5-284 brass, neckturned it, and was fire-forming it, at the range using CCi primers I had a 40% failure to fire rate. Of those that did not fire about 1/3 fired with two strikes, but the rest would not fire. I came home and pulled them, reprimed the cases (different primer batch) and fired the primers (no powder etc) in my garage, all fired. I also pulled the primers that did not fire and hit some with a hammer, all went bang. I went back to the range with the cases that did not fire but fired in teh garage with primers only, and again at the range they WOULD NOT fire. I checked the chamber headspace and it was perfect to the go gauge, the brass that fired was also dead on spec for headspace.

I measured the headspace of the brass that would not fire and compared it to a new batch of virgin brass and found that the expanded brass was a bit 'short' compared to the newer brass. So why did it fire at home, but not at the range? I figured it was because some of my brass was just a bit too short, and at -15 degrees at the range it contracted enough to just get knocked forward by the firing pin but would not fire. I should mention that ALL the brass that actually fired in the chamber had a 100% success rate after it had been fired.

To solve the problem I loaded +10 thou into the lands, used a 5 thou squeeze on teh neck, and used 'soft' federal primers. In the remaining 80 cases I had 100% sucess and NO failures to fire.

I have never had a problem like that before, but it sounds similar to your problem, hope it helps
 
blackwater.... Will try, g96 is whats on it now, I love that stuff. Ill try a complete de-grease and light lube

yodave.....I am certain the bolt was all the way closed.... the rifle is a Parker Hale 1200 in 308 norma mag.

roberti.... Very helpful. It was cold both days I tried these rounds. Also the all brass has never been fired out of this rifle. I'm in the process of fire forming it. I have made 308 norma mag out of 300 win mag...
Your situation sounds very similar, and yet a little different. When I returned to the range with my ftf's re-primed, they all shot. Whereas yours did not. Also i could not get any of my ftf's to go no matter how many times I tried.....
I've got about 150 more to fire-form so I can try a batch with bullets sitting 10 thou on the lands and see if that helps.
 
Cleftwynd said:
I have tried touching off loaded rounds with no powder, in every case the bullet got lodged in the barrel. Primers have enough power to fire wax bullets yards enough to bust 1/4" plywood.
Click to expand...

I once tried this test, to see what primers had the most power.
I loaded 45-70, lead bullets not crimped, with no powder. One with large pistol primer, one with large rifle primer and one with large rifle magnum primer.
Not one of them made a sound and none moved bullet.
I repeated the test with a 22 Hornet, using the same typs of primers in the small size. Exactly the same results, not a sound and not one moved the bullets.
I went to 30-06 and the magnum primer moved the bullet out, but not enough to stick in the barrel. It seems like neck tension is the key.
All primers are filthy dirty, as shown when the bullets were pulled. A heavy black guck on the base of the bullet and on the inside of the case.
I too, have shot wax bullets by primer only, in the 44 magnum, and was truly surprised at the power of them.
 
Never had a primer-only discharge that I did not hear. Have had questions from downstairs if everything was OK. And on IPSC ranges, certainly heard the pop of a primer driving the bullet into the bore, just before you hear the R.O. screaming "Cease Fire!"
 
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