This is not an advertisement for WM or for Fiocchi primers, just my positive experience with both. Take it for what it's worth.
Loaded 400 rounds of 9mm last night using 300 of the Fiocchi standard small pistol primers and 100 other value brand small rifle. Did not change the seating depth on my Lee LM press when I changed brands.
Current pricing from WM taking advantage of the $300 free shipping works out to $35/1000 with tax shipped to my door. Next day delivery from Calgary.
Observations compared to other brand:
- As expected, the dimensions measured the same as another value-priced small rifle primer and CCI small pistol primer.
- Fiocchi cup material appears slightly darker.
- Primer compound is dark, not Chernobyl green.
- Fiocchi base is flatter more like CCI. Other value priced brand is rounded. I would prefer a flat-as-possible cup base.
- Cup base edge has small radius fillet. Maybe even less than the CCI 500.
- Flat base and sharp cup makes primer orient easily on the primer flip tray when you shake it.
- Flat base helps prevent primers from tipping sideways or upside down when getting pushed onto the primer plunger or into the primer pocket. 0/300 tipped or flipped primers.
- Packaging of 150 primers results in 50% less often to fill the primer tray if you dump the whole package. Although, this means you have to watch carefully for primers bridging in the primer tray.
- Packaging has nice finger grip side cuts on the plastic tray.
Tested in a Sig P320 which had not been cleaned from a match last weekend where I had shot approximately 300+ rounds of lead bullets (lubed with 45-45-10) over w-231. A filthy pig. I tested the load under that condition because I need performance in less than perfect conditions.
Took 15 randomly picked test loads to the range today along with 10 CCI primed for control and some others for comparison. All went bang. Primer pin hole did not appear any different than the control group (CCI primed) or the comparison group.
Conclusion:
Price is right.
Loads without difficulty on an unmodified Lee Loadmaster press.
Confident that the primer will not be detrimental to my unremarkable shooting performance.
