Primer blowout
- Thread starter uncle ben
- Start date
This has been discussed many times..........what you see is a primer cup failure.......period. It is not over pressured and the extruding at the pin hole is perfectly normal for most rifles now. No your bolt face is still perfectly service able but I would recommend a primer change. I have had this happen with WLRP but have never had a problem with CCIs. I use mostly all CCIs. The firing pin hole extrusion which is shown in the photos is not a pressure issue, when it is a pressure issue the entire section of the primer where the firing pin hole is in the bolt, raises up, even the dent from the pin is raised. It is easy to identify once you have seen it. Pressure failure of the primer pocket happens uniformly all the way around the primer and the whole case head is blackened and the primer usually falls out upon extraction.
Your problem has a lot to do with the Federal brass being noted for being soft "BUT" that's not the whole story. Federal .223 cases have a thinner flash hole web that allows the primer pocket to expand more than other cases. These type Federal cases are a real bad problem with reloaders who shoot AR15 rifles. The primer pockets loosen up and can score the bolt face and the primer can fall out and jam the trigger group.
To test for these type cases with a thin flash hole web I use a 2 inch steel rod that has a counter bored end to fit over the flash hole. The counter bore fits over any burs at the flash hole and keeps you from getting false length readings. And any cases with a thin flash hole web are scrapped.
Below 95% of the brass below in my scrap brass bucket are factory loaded once fired Federal .223 cases with over sized primer pockets and thin flash hole webs.
I use pin gauges to check for loose primer pockets, I have two pin gauges .0005 smaller in diameter than the primers being used. If the pin fits into the primer pocket that brass goes into the scrap brass bucket. Brass is a expandable item and your bolt face is not, I load for my sons AR15 rifle and "Dad" isn't going to be blamed for a etched and damaged bolt face.
Any seated primer that feels loose when being seated is tested with a Lee depriming tool. And any primer that moves with just finger pressure the case is scrapped.
And last but not least when you are shooting warm loads in a .223/5.56 you should use primer with a cup thickness of .025 for their added strength.
Also how much you bump the case shoulder back controls case stretching and how far the primer can back out of the primer pocket when fired. Shoulder bump or how far you push the case shoulder back when full length resizing is equal to your head clearance. And head clearance is the air space between the bolt face and the rear of the case and how far the primer can back out of the primer pocket.
Below you can see the outside edges of the primer flattening out and becoming less rounded as the pressure builds when fired. This backing out puts extra strain on the primer edges and can cause them to rupture. Bottom line, the thinner primers are for lower pressure cartridges like the .22 Hornet and the thicker .025 cups are for high pressure cartridges.
Below is a exaggerated example of base expansion from high chamber pressure meaning beyond the elastic limits of the brass. You can also see how a thicker flash hole web adds strength to the base of the case.
Now use a black felt tip marker and blacken the base of your hard to chamber cases. If you see rub marks the base of the case expanded beyond limits and your cases are junk.
The above message was brought to you by the "Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Bolt Faces".
To test for these type cases with a thin flash hole web I use a 2 inch steel rod that has a counter bored end to fit over the flash hole. The counter bore fits over any burs at the flash hole and keeps you from getting false length readings. And any cases with a thin flash hole web are scrapped.
Below 95% of the brass below in my scrap brass bucket are factory loaded once fired Federal .223 cases with over sized primer pockets and thin flash hole webs.
I use pin gauges to check for loose primer pockets, I have two pin gauges .0005 smaller in diameter than the primers being used. If the pin fits into the primer pocket that brass goes into the scrap brass bucket. Brass is a expandable item and your bolt face is not, I load for my sons AR15 rifle and "Dad" isn't going to be blamed for a etched and damaged bolt face.
Any seated primer that feels loose when being seated is tested with a Lee depriming tool. And any primer that moves with just finger pressure the case is scrapped.
And last but not least when you are shooting warm loads in a .223/5.56 you should use primer with a cup thickness of .025 for their added strength.
Also how much you bump the case shoulder back controls case stretching and how far the primer can back out of the primer pocket when fired. Shoulder bump or how far you push the case shoulder back when full length resizing is equal to your head clearance. And head clearance is the air space between the bolt face and the rear of the case and how far the primer can back out of the primer pocket.
Below you can see the outside edges of the primer flattening out and becoming less rounded as the pressure builds when fired. This backing out puts extra strain on the primer edges and can cause them to rupture. Bottom line, the thinner primers are for lower pressure cartridges like the .22 Hornet and the thicker .025 cups are for high pressure cartridges.
Below is a exaggerated example of base expansion from high chamber pressure meaning beyond the elastic limits of the brass. You can also see how a thicker flash hole web adds strength to the base of the case.
Now use a black felt tip marker and blacken the base of your hard to chamber cases. If you see rub marks the base of the case expanded beyond limits and your cases are junk.
The above message was brought to you by the "Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Bolt Faces".
uncle ben, are you using mixed brass or is all your brass Federal .223 cases? You stated the cases with the blown primers were hard to chamber again and this indicates the base of the case has become oversized from over pressure.
Bottom line, I think the problem is your Federal brass and stretching brass.
Hey guys, I got a little bit of an update. Turns out I wasn't using cci primers after all. I was using No.6 1/2 Remington small rifle primers. I had a bunch of the No. 7 1/2 Remington bench rest primers, but used the others instead. I think the primers are the main culprit.
But I don't trust reloading my federal brass anymore. I think I'm going to buy some factory nosler rounds and keep my brass. Any other suggestions on high quality brass are welcome. Is hornady brass any good? I also am going to try to keep an eye out for pressure problems. I guess I just wasn't looking close enough for primer flattening and case bulge. I was expecting things like cracked case necks or visually bulged bases.
Now comes the fun part of taking apart about 250 rounds. Are any of the components salvageable? Should I just toss the lot? Or is the powder or projectiles still useful? Thanks again everyone for all the help.
And I also have about 600 Remington No. 6 1/2 small rifle primers FREE to anyone who wants them. Pickup in Wetaskiwin or south Edmonton.
But I don't trust reloading my federal brass anymore. I think I'm going to buy some factory nosler rounds and keep my brass. Any other suggestions on high quality brass are welcome. Is hornady brass any good? I also am going to try to keep an eye out for pressure problems. I guess I just wasn't looking close enough for primer flattening and case bulge. I was expecting things like cracked case necks or visually bulged bases.
Now comes the fun part of taking apart about 250 rounds. Are any of the components salvageable? Should I just toss the lot? Or is the powder or projectiles still useful? Thanks again everyone for all the help.
And I also have about 600 Remington No. 6 1/2 small rifle primers FREE to anyone who wants them. Pickup in Wetaskiwin or south Edmonton.
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Save the powder and the bullets, both will be fine. If you want high quality brass, buy some Lapua brass. Prophet River stocks Lapua, as does Hirsch Precision. Lapua brass comes in boxes of 100, so expect the price to be higher when comparing to other manufacturers 50 packs.
Rod B
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I bought 1000 of these for $10.00, this was many years ago at the Rochester gun show. I used them in my .223 & had three give similar results as you encountered. I ended up giving them to a friend who had
a .22 Hornet.
The 6 1/2 Remington primer was designed for the .22 Hornet & other small lower pressure cartridges. The pressure encountered in the .223 Rem is too high for this primer.(This is the info that I received from Remington customer service after I complained about the primer failures.)
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