Remington 6 1/2 primers

blue dingo · January 27, 2009, 11:22 AM

Howdy all. I've looked at this forum many times in reference and decided to join in. My question is about the Remington 6 1/2 primers. I'm seeing conflicting and confusing details about what their use is and wanted to see if anyone uses them in either the .223 Rem or .17 Rem. My Hornady 7th manual shows where this is the std small rifle primer and the 7 1/2 is the match primer from Remington. I've read some accounts where the 6 1/2 was too thin for the .17 Rem and might result in pierced primers on firing. I've read where Remington developed the 7 1/2 just for the higher pressures of the .17 Rem yada yada... Since the election scare has made the 7 1/2's almost extinct I've found some of the 6 1/2's but not sure if they are suitable for anything but the Hornet class rounds. Thanks for the help and great forum.

saber9 · January 27, 2009, 03:11 PM

I was told many years ago by a experienced and knowledgeable gunsmith and reloader that the Remington 7 1/2 primer was their small rifle Bench Rest primer, that it was developed for their .222 and .223 cartridges. The main difference in it and the standard 6 1/2 small rifle primer was the thickness and/or hardness of the metal. I also have seen in some publications the 7 1/2 referred to as a small rifle magnum primer.

I would suggest looking at several sources of reloading data and seeing what they call for in the .17 Remington. The safest thing would probably be to use 7 1/2 primers or the small rifle bench rest primers from CCI, Winchester, or Federal.

DaveInPA · January 27, 2009, 04:38 PM

There is a warning directly on the box that the 6 1/2 primers should not be used in .223, among others. They're basically just for the .22 Hornet, IIRC.

Shoney · January 27, 2009, 05:39 PM

Here is a page that lists the primers by manufacturer:
http://www.lasc.us/primerchart.htm

Generally, if you have a bolt or semi-auto weapon, it does make a difference which primer brands you use. Beacuse semi-autos are prome to slamfires, harder primers are prefered. CCI makes on of the thicker cupped primers.

Where to use a standard or magnum primer is often dictated by the powder used. Spherical (ball) powder use magnums, while many extruded powders are listed with regular. The loading books will tell you which primes they used with their recipe.

snuffy · January 28, 2009, 03:45 AM

Using the rem. 6-½ primers cost me a new bolt for my AR-15! They pierced right along side of the firing pin dent, the resulting hot flame cut grooves in the bolt face. The 7-½ primer is fine for use in the .223. I don't know about the 17, don't have one or load for one.

January 27, 2009, 11:22 AM	#1
blue dingo Member Join Date: January 16, 2009 Location: East Texas Posts: 23	Remington 6 1/2 primers Howdy all. I've looked at this forum many times in reference and decided to join in. My question is about the Remington 6 1/2 primers. I'm seeing conflicting and confusing details about what their use is and wanted to see if anyone uses them in either the .223 Rem or .17 Rem. My Hornady 7th manual shows where this is the std small rifle primer and the 7 1/2 is the match primer from Remington. I've read some accounts where the 6 1/2 was too thin for the .17 Rem and might result in pierced primers on firing. I've read where Remington developed the 7 1/2 just for the higher pressures of the .17 Rem yada yada... Since the election scare has made the 7 1/2's almost extinct I've found some of the 6 1/2's but not sure if they are suitable for anything but the Hornet class rounds. Thanks for the help and great forum.

January 27, 2009, 05:39 PM	#4
Shoney Senior Member Join Date: February 21, 2002 Location: Transplanted from Montana Posts: 2,311	Here is a page that lists the primers by manufacturer: http://www.lasc.us/primerchart.htm Generally, if you have a bolt or semi-auto weapon, it does make a difference which primer brands you use. Beacuse semi-autos are prome to slamfires, harder primers are prefered. CCI makes on of the thicker cupped primers. Where to use a standard or magnum primer is often dictated by the powder used. Spherical (ball) powder use magnums, while many extruded powders are listed with regular. The loading books will tell you which primes they used with their recipe. __________________ I pledge allegiance to the Flag - - -, and to the Republic for which it stands….Our Forefathers were brilliant for giving us a Republic, not a democracy! Do you know the difference??? and WHY?http://www.wallbuilders.com/LIBissue...les.asp?id=111

January 28, 2009, 03:45 AM	#5
snuffy Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 2001 Location: Oshkosh wi. Posts: 3,055	Using the rem. 6-½ primers cost me a new bolt for my AR-15! They pierced right along side of the firing pin dent, the resulting hot flame cut grooves in the bolt face. The 7-½ primer is fine for use in the .223. I don't know about the 17, don't have one or load for one. __________________ The more people I meet, the more I love my dog They're going to get their butts kicked over there this election. How come people can't spell and use words correctly?

January 27, 2009, 03:11 PM	#2
saber9 Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2008 Location: West Texas Posts: 165	I was told many years ago by a experienced and knowledgeable gunsmith and reloader that the Remington 7 1/2 primer was their small rifle Bench Rest primer, that it was developed for their .222 and .223 cartridges. The main difference in it and the standard 6 1/2 small rifle primer was the thickness and/or hardness of the metal. I also have seen in some publications the 7 1/2 referred to as a small rifle magnum primer. I would suggest looking at several sources of reloading data and seeing what they call for in the .17 Remington. The safest thing would probably be to use 7 1/2 primers or the small rifle bench rest primers from CCI, Winchester, or Federal.

January 27, 2009, 04:38 PM	#3
DaveInPA Senior Member Join Date: January 20, 2008 Location: Berks County, PA Posts: 1,106	There is a warning directly on the box that the 6 1/2 primers should not be used in .223, among others. They're basically just for the .22 Hornet, IIRC.