Came upon a reddit thread that discussed some firing pin failures due to piercing of steel cheddite primers. Which 12g target load ammunition companies still use brass primers? When I look up on the manufacturer's website, they don't really specify which primer they use. I've been using mostly challenger and federal top gun target loads as they usually the cheapest and so far no issues on my citori crossover.
Which 12g target shells use brass vs steel cheddite primers?
- Thread starter greedyharris
- Start date
The issue is with Cheddite primers. I dont believe they are steel, more likely plated... The primers are prone to tearing, typically on the lower barrel of O/U's. The reason for this is due to the oblique angle of the firing pin which smears the primer at its edge. Brownings are prone to this, but I've had it happen on others. Challenger and Kent shells use Cheddite primers. You will know right away if the primer is pierced, it will show a black spot.
Cheddite primers were an issue with a few of my shotguns, but the most recent versions are much better. Federal appear to be the softest, and Fiocchi and Cheddite are noticeably harder,, but I never had any issues with Fiocchi primers being pierced in any of my guns.
I had this issue on my 725 Trap, resulting in pitting on the tip of the lower FP. Also very obvious piercing of the primer and blackening. This was with Challenger ammo.
I polished down the FP, and also switched to Federal Top Gun around the same time.
No further pitting on the FP, but I still see what looks like some blackening on the occasional shot (but no piercing). The FP suffers no new damage.
But throughout all this, I’d never had a FTF.
Since my gun is modified to extract, I’m in the habit of sneaking a quick look at the fired primer frequently, and especially if it’s the lower barrel.
I polished down the FP, and also switched to Federal Top Gun around the same time.
No further pitting on the FP, but I still see what looks like some blackening on the occasional shot (but no piercing). The FP suffers no new damage.
But throughout all this, I’d never had a FTF.
Since my gun is modified to extract, I’m in the habit of sneaking a quick look at the fired primer frequently, and especially if it’s the lower barrel.
Same experience here as Twiki...my Browning 625 lower FP was etched a bit, from using the cheapest ammo around, and from using a lot of the only shotgun primers available for a few years..Ched 209's,
Sooo I replaced BOTH my firing pins while I had it apart, and then polished the old one down to as new again with 1000 and 2000 wet sand emery paper...hardly shortened it all all...few 10 thous !
Sooo I replaced BOTH my firing pins while I had it apart, and then polished the old one down to as new again with 1000 and 2000 wet sand emery paper...hardly shortened it all all...few 10 thous !
The lower barrel on my Browning 725 trap pierced cheddite primers as did the lower barrel on my Perazzi MX14, I just quit buying challenger ammo and that solved the problem, I have never had a pierced primer with Federal Top gun, Winchester super target. AA or Remington STS ammo or for that matter Clever Mirage or RIO ammo
^^^^THIS^^^^ was exactly my thought after polishing down my lower FP. Put it back in and it shouldn't pierce them as bad...IF, at all !!
Thanks Westward...Good to know !!
This summer, I found 2 cases of new production W209's (10,000) and a few bricks of Rem STS 209's...haven't seen either since pre pandemic ! I'm using more of them now for certain loads...still poppin ched209's into my ched hulls when I load some toss loads for my semi auto
