Primers

headroom · July 4, 1999, 02:16 PM

I've got a box of Federal Gold Medal rifle primers sitting here and was looking at them and just looking at them they look so inconsistent in appearance. The regular federal primers usually look pretty uniform but these don't look the same. The primer cups all look good and all the anvils look good but the primers are not filled uniformly. Am I worrying about nothing or what?

By the way, who all went shooting today, seeing as its the 4th?

bfoster · July 4, 1999, 11:32 PM

Headroom... What are you looking at? The colorant is rarely uniformly applied, but, in most lots, these are some of the best performing primers on the market.

flatlander · July 4, 1999, 11:53 PM

I bought some Fed. Gold Medal small rifle primers to use in a 6PPC benchrest rifle, since that's what all the big boys use. When I chronographed loads with the Fed. primers side by side with loads primed with WSR's, I was kinda suprised to find that the WSR's gave less spread than the Fed. "Match" primers. I'm not at all sure why the BR guys use them, but my groups out of that LV PPC have been just as small using WSR's.

Colduglandon · July 5, 1999, 07:10 AM

Bought some primers two weeks ago. The Winchesters came in a new blue box. The lable on one of the boxes, the large rifle I think, said that the primer surface was now more sensitive. Lee has a warning on their hand priming tool. They say not to use primers that are too sensitive. They recommend CCI and Winchester. Does this mean that now I should stay away from Winchester?

Little-e · July 5, 1999, 10:27 AM

OK, you have gone and gotten me worried now. Winchester is pretty much all I use and although I have seen the wording on the new box, I assumed they were still meant to get pressed into the primer pocket without trouble. Has anyone heard about them going off before you want them to?

flatlander · July 6, 1999, 10:09 AM

Over on the GunTalk board a couple of weeks ago, a HighPower shooter who shoots an M1A was having problems with a new lot of VVN540 powder - his normal groups had opened up quite a bit. When all the posts were sorted out, it came to light that he's using a new lot of WLR primers, without the old nickle plating. They're in the blue box. When he switched to Federal primers(I think that was the brand), his groups shrank back to the usual size. I don't think there's any danger of the primers being too sensitive to be safe, but I'm wondering why Winchester would have fooled around with them at all - so many of us use them in our match loads - hell's bells, for ALL our loads, and they've been so good for so long, why mess with success?

Cheapo · July 7, 1999, 12:38 AM

I ran into them (the new & improved Winchester brass finish primers) in small pistol maybe six months ago. Seems to make no difference, but my 2-inch group handloads (25 yards, 5 shots) weren't that great anyway.

I say they just cheaped out and decided to find a benefit to the move. Nickle plating costs money, right? They just eliminated the plating.

Interesting to note that all the Silvertip loads I remember buying over the years had brass-finish primers.

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July 4, 1999, 02:16 PM	#1
headroom Member Join Date: March 15, 1999 Posts: 99	I've got a box of Federal Gold Medal rifle primers sitting here and was looking at them and just looking at them they look so inconsistent in appearance. The regular federal primers usually look pretty uniform but these don't look the same. The primer cups all look good and all the anvils look good but the primers are not filled uniformly. Am I worrying about nothing or what? By the way, who all went shooting today, seeing as its the 4th?

July 4, 1999, 11:32 PM	#2
bfoster Senior Member Join Date: October 13, 1998 Location: N. of Fords Switch, OK, USA Posts: 297	Headroom... What are you looking at? The colorant is rarely uniformly applied, but, in most lots, these are some of the best performing primers on the market.

July 4, 1999, 11:53 PM	#3
flatlander Senior Member Join Date: June 16, 1999 Posts: 120	I bought some Fed. Gold Medal small rifle primers to use in a 6PPC benchrest rifle, since that's what all the big boys use. When I chronographed loads with the Fed. primers side by side with loads primed with WSR's, I was kinda suprised to find that the WSR's gave less spread than the Fed. "Match" primers. I'm not at all sure why the BR guys use them, but my groups out of that LV PPC have been just as small using WSR's.

July 5, 1999, 07:10 AM	#4
Colduglandon Senior Member Join Date: March 5, 1999 Location: Mass Posts: 493	Bought some primers two weeks ago. The Winchesters came in a new blue box. The lable on one of the boxes, the large rifle I think, said that the primer surface was now more sensitive. Lee has a warning on their hand priming tool. They say not to use primers that are too sensitive. They recommend CCI and Winchester. Does this mean that now I should stay away from Winchester?

July 5, 1999, 10:27 AM	#5
Little-e Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 1999 Posts: 171	OK, you have gone and gotten me worried now. Winchester is pretty much all I use and although I have seen the wording on the new box, I assumed they were still meant to get pressed into the primer pocket without trouble. Has anyone heard about them going off before you want them to?

July 6, 1999, 10:09 AM	#6
flatlander Senior Member Join Date: June 16, 1999 Posts: 120	Over on the GunTalk board a couple of weeks ago, a HighPower shooter who shoots an M1A was having problems with a new lot of VVN540 powder - his normal groups had opened up quite a bit. When all the posts were sorted out, it came to light that he's using a new lot of WLR primers, without the old nickle plating. They're in the blue box. When he switched to Federal primers(I think that was the brand), his groups shrank back to the usual size. I don't think there's any danger of the primers being too sensitive to be safe, but I'm wondering why Winchester would have fooled around with them at all - so many of us use them in our match loads - hell's bells, for ALL our loads, and they've been so good for so long, why mess with success?

July 7, 1999, 12:38 AM	#7
Cheapo Senior Member Join Date: November 19, 1998 Posts: 986	I ran into them (the new & improved Winchester brass finish primers) in small pistol maybe six months ago. Seems to make no difference, but my 2-inch group handloads (25 yards, 5 shots) weren't that great anyway. I say they just cheaped out and decided to find a benefit to the move. Nickle plating costs money, right? They just eliminated the plating. Interesting to note that all the Silvertip loads I remember buying over the years had brass-finish primers.