Pierced CCI primers

[ginsingjones]

Experienced my first and second pierced primers 2 different rifles, 2 different loads on 2 separate days using same lots of powder.
My loads are low start load data.
I have been using these same loads for some time, never had an issue and have fired lots of them in the past.
I'm lost as to what it could be beside faulty primers.
I contacted CCI and they said they havnt had any issues and must be a jagged firing pin or too hot a load.
Have any of you had faulty CCI no.300 primers?
If not a faulty primer what else could cause this?
Like I said I have fired many of these loads and am at or around start data

 

[Dogleg]

Pistol primers.

 

[ginsingjones]

Yes large pistol primers

 

[TedNugent]

What caliber rifle?

 

[ginsingjones]

44 mag

 

[dead meat]

Never had an issue with CCI, yet, but haven't had an issue with Win either. CCI are supposed to be the best, but who knows what might slip through in mass production.

 

[adamg]

I've never seen anyone pierce a pistol primer, and I've seen a lot of very hot 9mm major loads fired in my presence. Congratulations.

 

[horseman2]

When loading a 222 Rem with a power labeled 4197, about every 5th primer would blow.

I bought the rifle, a Remington 40XBR with two cans of the powder. Perhaps the owner experienced the same problem.

Bough a pound of IMR 4198 and never had that problem again.

Perhaps the entire load specs could be added.

My first 44 Mag, a S&W Model 29 had some pressure issues until I discovered the previous owner was loading 26.5 grains of 2400. This was over 50 years ago and the primers that came with the package were Magnum Rifle Primers so if that is what he was using, ignition was not the problem.

The pressures were so high that one shot could be ejected with the ejector. Firing all six required each one to be punched out with a brass rod!

 

[ginsingjones]

18.5 gr alliant 2400 under a 240 gr xtp and the other load is 8 gr of universal under a 245 gr cast bullet.
These loads are sedate.

 

[ginsingjones]

CCI responded today that there was a million primers in that lot and this is the first they had reports of failed primers.

 

[sniper_quebec]

I've recently had the same problem with No. 400 small rifle primers. Same load I usually shoot, new lot of primers. I shot hundreds of rounds in the past with no problems. With the new lot, I blew around a fifth of the primers on three separate range days. I even reduced my usual charge by 0.5 gr to test and blew one again. CCI also told me they had no other problems reported with that lot, and I can't really think about anything else that would cause this. Absolutely no other pressure signs are present.

Load is: 223 REM, Hornady ELD-M 75gr, 24gr Varget, 20 thou jump

 

[adamg]

Sniper, you didn't list your overall length on that load, but I would concur that you should be able to run that. I am running a 223 load with 24.8gr Varget at 2.405" 80gr ELDM. It's pretty warm, though I had developed up to 25.2gr without blowing primers. This is with Federal Gold Medal Match primers SRP.

 

[B]

I've recently had the same problem with No. 400 small rifle primers. Same load I usually shoot, new lot of primers. I shot hundreds of rounds in the past with no problems. With the new lot, I blew around a fifth of the primers on three separate range days. I even reduced my usual charge by 0.5 gr to test and blew one again. CCI also told me they had no other problems reported with that lot, and I can't really think about anything else that would cause this. Absolutely no other pressure signs are present.

Load is: 223 REM, Hornady ELD-M 75gr, 24gr Varget, 20 thou jump

I know they worked for you at one point but CCI does not recommend their 400s for .223/5.56. Cup thickness is only .020" which is the same as Magnum small pistol thickness. In fact, the CCI 400 and 550 are the same primer...

 

[bigedp51]

Standard pistol primers have a cup thickness of .017 and magnum pistol primers have a cup thickness of .020. Both the remington 6 1/2 and the CCI 400 primers are designed for lower pressure cartridges, see below.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT PRIMER - A PRIMER ON PRIMERS
http://www.sksboards.com/smf/index.php?topic=56422.0

CCI 400 -thin .020" cup, not recommended for AR15 use by CCI/Speer. Good for .22 Hornet, .30 Carbine. See Note 1 at the bottom of the page

NOTE 1: According to Speer/CCI Technical Services - Both the CCI 550 Small Pistol Magnum and CCI 400 Small Rifle primers are identical in size. Both primers use the same cup metal and share the same cup thickness. Both primers use the same primer compound formula and same amount of primer compound. They can be used interchangeably.

Below a CCI 400 primer fired in a .223/5.56 AR15 rifle.

 

[sniper_quebec]

Sniper, you didn't list your overall length on that load, but I would concur that you should be able to run that. I am running a 223 load with 24.8gr Varget at 2.405" 80gr ELDM. It's pretty warm, though I had developed up to 25.2gr without blowing primers. This is with Federal Gold Medal Match primers SRP.

OAL is 2.446!


Wow, I had no clue they weren't recommended for a bolt gun .223. Weird that I didn't have any problems up to now! CCI recommended that I use BR4s instead. Do you guys think that would solve my problem? Which primers would you guys use to make the problem disappear?

 

[bigedp51]

OAL is 2.446!


Wow, I had no clue they weren't recommended for a bolt gun .223. Weird that I didn't have any problems up to now! CCI recommended that I use BR4s instead. Do you guys think that would solve my problem? Which primers would you guys use to make the problem disappear?

Any small rifle primer with a cup thickness of .025 from the chart I posted.

Also if you bump the shoulder back too far you create excess head clearance. This allows the primer to back out too far and the firing pin can pierce the primer.

 

[B]

OAL is 2.446!


Wow, I had no clue they weren't recommended for a bolt gun .223. Weird that I didn't have any problems up to now! CCI recommended that I use BR4s instead. Do you guys think that would solve my problem? Which primers would you guys use to make the problem disappear?

Federal 205M (0.0225") are as thin as you can typically go and not pierce primers at the top end of .223/5.56. It's also a really good primer IMO. I have had luck with Winchester SR (0.021") in my bulk loading but those are likely a ways off from max pressure.

 

[ginsingjones]

Ok
Well that was helpful

 

[B]

Ok
Well that was helpful

Did you check out your gun? You seem to be just assuming the primers are no good but if CCI says you are the first to complain you should be looking elsewhere.

 

[ginsingjones]

I checked out my first rifle that it happened to. Checked the firing pin, and firing pin channel. I pulled a few bullets that I had left and made sure they weren't overcharged. When it happened in a second rifle ( in my OP I explained 2 separate rifles) I emailed CCI.
To me that's like putting gas in 2 of your cars and when they run like crap blaming your cars.