Primers cratering in .204

scott_r

scott_r

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Behind a .204 Ruger
I just got reading about primers and cratering and thought Id look at some of my .204 spent cases and behold they seemed to be cratering. I have read that that Remingtons are bad for this Is there danger when primers are cratered? Im not near a max load or anything and accuracy is great with this particular gun.
Can this problem be fixed and keep the same load ?

Cheers!!

Left is a reload and right is a factory load, both seem cratered and are not max loads.

204case.JPG
 
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What kind of primer are you using?

Most of my references suggest a small rifle magnum primer. That might solve your problem. Pressures in 204 can cause regular primers to crater even in sub-max loads

Otherwise, it could be an issue with a short firing pin or weak spring.

Fat
 
Mine look very similar to the photos that you have shown and I too wondered about it at first. After reading a bit about such fired primer markings it doesn't seem to be a safety issue from what I could see, and my accuracy was pretty good so that was another reason to not worry about it.


I believe that I have heard of some people replacing their bolt face with an aftermarket one that had less clearance around the firing pin, (or maybe they just were able to find and install a bushing that made for less gap.) I really don't remember which it was but that was what some people did, maybe it was both.
 
Some of the reading I have done said that its pretty normal. It was recommended to me to use Remington 7 1/2 primers...said they are less prone to cratering.

Wont know for sure until I actually get some reloads done and tested.

What kind of primers are you using?
 
When I started to reload for mine I was using Win primers and found that when I started getting higher pressures cratering was very pronounced and I was getting the odd pierced primer as well. Switched to 7 1/2 rem and now have no problems, they say the cup is thicker which you need for the high pressure in the 204.
 
That isn't a problem. If it bugs you, change primers. If it still bugs you, have a smith increase the firing pin tip radius.
 
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