Primers

[IrishRangeRover]

Sorry if this has been done over and over again but...

Do you really need to use the primer your reloading book calls for a specific load or are they simply suggesting the best combo etc?

Given the shortages we're seeing everywhere, can i simply use another small pistol primer?

Cheers.

 

[stubblejumper]

As long as you use an equivalent type of primer, and work your loads up, use whatever brand you choose.

 

[IrishRangeRover]

Thanks. Thought so but...explosives ya know?

 

[stubblejumper]

And don't take your manuals as gospel, they are to be used as a guide. Not every load listed in a manual will be safe in all firearms, that is why all manuals contain a disclaimer about working up loads while watching for pressure signs. And don't expect your velocities to match the manual velocities, or the most accurate load listed in a manual, to be the most accurate load in your firearm.

 

[mmattockx]

If you are running near max loads then it is a good idea to work up to the max again if you switch primers. If you are running light to mid loads I wouldn't worry too much about the primer brand.


Mark

 

[Spawn-Inc]

it doesn't seem to make a huge difference for metallic cartridges, but it can in shotgun, as much as 3000 psi i believe was the number.

 

[hk33ka1]

Great advice above. Shotgun you are supposed to follow the load exactly.

Rifle and Pistol you need to work up from starting load, and same again when you change any part of the load. (New brand of primer or bullet or brass etc)

If manuals says 168gr Sierra bullet, Win Case, Rem Large Rifle Primer and IMR 4895 powder you must use the charges for the Powder you choose and the 168gr bullet but you can use a different brand case for that calibre, and a different large rifle primer (yes you can also try magnum or non magnum etc as long as its still a large rifle primer)

Also when you find say a 308 Winchester 147gr jacketed bullet and can only find 150gr 308 Winchester loading data yes it is ok to start at the 150gr start loads and work up. Some brands of manuals lump all their testing for bullets within 2-3gr weights on the same page/section for load data in that calibre.

 

[IrishRangeRover]

Thanks so much. Simple stuff, but if it isn't familiar, it can seem like a huge deal.

Thanks for the advice and info.

Cheers

 

[HIGHRPM]

I have contacted several ammo manufactors and asked them that very question. If the load calls for a standard primer you can substitute any other standard primer. You can also use a magnum primer, but because it does increase pressures you must work your load up, allowing for the increase and check for pressure signs as you go . I use Winchester standard primers for all my 10 different calibers, without any issues at all.

 

[Ganderite]

I used to use standard primers in all applications. never used magnum for the big magnum cases. Did not use magnum primers for ball powder.

Then I realized that I occasionally had problems with ignition. Looks like the book was right.

The Winchester standard primer is a real good all-purpose primer, since it is intended to ignite ball powder reliably.

I have found that when loading a light bullet over ball powder a tight crimp and/or a magnum primer is needed.

 

[Mark-II]

In my family we always used whatever primer happened to be cheapest at the time, and nothing we loaded called for magnum primers, so I never experimented with them, other than with BP loads in later years.

For better or worse I'm going with CCI for everything now, just for consistency (and because they happen to be reasonable - old habits don't die). I hadn't heard about using magnum primers for ball powder before joining here. Can't say I've ever had trouble with ball powders igniting otherwise, but I do use them only in rifle cases where a good crimp is required (eg 30-30 Model 94), so perhaps that is why.

I also load to the light end of the charts, even moreso considering I shoot cast in almost everything, so I don't worry about re-working loads between different primers or powder lots. Maybe foolish, maybe not, but I figure I'm safe enough in the bottom 50% of the load range.

I cross reference all of my books, and older editions from the same publisher, when I'm using a new powder. I do find that newer manuals for one reason or another are more conservative in BOTH starting and max loads, so I'll defer to that data over older stuff, taken with a grain of salt.


The only trouble I've had with ignition, now that I think of it, was with some older handloads (10 years old or so) in the 45-70 in near freezing temps last fall. I was getting squibs galore, and much unburnt powder left behind with the ones that DID fire with IMR 4198 (I believe), loaded on the light side in that big case behind a 300 grainer. Those would have been crimped, since that load is both for my modern Sharps and antique '86. and at the time I believe I was using Winchester standard LR primers.

It was getting tiresome breaking out a ramrod to drive jammed bullets out of the barrel of the Sharps.