win lr primer failures or?

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brybenn

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Have to admit the look of smoke rolling out of a closed bolt action rifle leaves an uneasy feeling deep inside.

Was shooting my 25/06 the day when it happened. First I noticed a small amount of black stain on the head stamp and thought 1/10 maybe the primer wasn't flush. I wasn't shooting my best so I packed up. I had a hard time keeping steady even with the bipod. Next range trip first shot did t same with a tiny pin hole between the pocket wall and primer so I thought ill try one more. I had not left a trace on the bolt face
At the second shot the smoke rolled out around the bolt. It opened and ejected just fine but there's a definite hole between the primer and pocket wall and an ugly mark on my bolt face. It didn't cut into it but I can't get it clean

Now the brass was on its 4th reload. I usually get 8/9 loads before I toss them. I anneal after the 3 Rd round
The load is proven. No excessive pressure signs. The primers were a new 100 box from the same 1000 round brick

Now I'm left wondering was it the Primers or brass

Win lr primer
Ww brass 25/06
Hornady 117 btsp
50.2 grs imr 4831
3020-3060 fps

I've fired well over 700 rounds loaded this way and this is my first issue other than one fluke a couple years ago
 
Yes I had a bad batch. They crack in the corner radios of the primer and blow a hole back gouging the bolt face. I had 2 and quit using them. I've seen some bolts absolutely chewed up from this.
 
Yup happened to me too. Friends don't let friends use Winchester primers. Burned a couple holes in my tikka. Switched to federal match and not a problem since. If you bug them enough you might get some kind of compensation.

Duff
 
3 bad primers in 3500 isn't bad but it's not that great. The image of the smoke rolling out around my bolt still haunts me.

I seat primers on my press but they still felt tight going in. It's usually around 8/9 loads before they slide in easy and once they do I toss them
 
If you keep using them, your bolt face will look like this eventually.
coltbolt.jpg
 
bearkilr said:
Had that happen a couple years ago with Win magnum primers. I won't use them anymore or their brass. You can tell when using hand primer tool, seating is way too easy. CCI or Federal primers and no problem.
Click to expand...

I had the same thing happen for the first time ever, with any primer of any make , just the other day with WLRM primers I used in some 308 Win. rounds loaded up for my son's Model 12 Savage. Definitely pitted the bolt face, very small but pitted just the same. Bit of a concern since I have at least a couple hundred plus rounds already loaded up with these primers in more than one caliber.
 
I gave away the last of my WLR primers and I warned the gentleman about them and sure enough he had a primer failure as you described I will never use them again
 
I'm done with Winchester primers, damaged Ross bolt face. Quit using that batch and actually threw away just under a thousand. Had another batch that seemed good and was on the last of them, damaged Long Branch bolt face. Pulling the rest. No more Winchester for me.
 
OP - If you google the internet about bad Winchester primers there was a list of the bad lot numbers on another website. I had to throw-out 100 pack, but still have 1000 that seem to be firing Okay. WK
 
WeakKnee said:
OP - If you google the internet about bad Winchester primers there was a list of the bad lot numbers on another website. I had to throw-out 100 pack, but still have 1000 that seem to be firing Okay. WK
Click to expand...

I have never had that happen on a Winchester primer SR or LR but I will look into the lot numbers, thanks.

I did have smoke around the bolt with some Euro ammo in 30-06, hard to open the bolt, flow into the extractor groove and flattened primer, scared the crap out of me, happy it was a 98 action and vented safe but scary anyway. I broke down the rest of the rounds and put a starting load of 4895 in there with the factory primer and re-seated the bullet, still flattens the primers but no smoke, at least I only have a dozen or so.
 
I managed to miss the recent "bad" lots of Winchester primers apparently, since I have had none of these incidents of late..
However, over the years I have had individual primers fail in the same way, and they have come from various manufacturers.
RWS, CCI, Alcan, Remington, and Vihtavuori have all had the perforation failure at the radius of the primer.
Almost always causes a small amount of boltface cutting. D
 
I had some. Ended up with two pitted bolt faces. Winchester took that back and reimbursed me with "Winchester bucks". Had to be spent on more Winchester products. Bought shotgun ammo. No more Winchester primers for this guy.
 
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