Primer manufacturer choice

[Vaquero]

What primers do you prefer?
I like the Remington most for small pistol and large rifle.

Any issues you've had?
I did get a lot of CCI small pistol about 6 years ago that had a failure rate of 12%.
No problems since.

 

[Mikewood]

I like the Remington. They are reliable, uniform and inexpensive.
Some folks swear the CCI and Federal are hotter and work better sub zero. I have not found that to be the case.

 

[scap99]

Federal, Winchester, and/or CCI in no particular order.

 

[TexasRedneck]

I've used all of the above, plus some of the Wolf. No issues w/any of 'em. I've run about 20k primers in the past 3 years, so I'd say that's a pretty decent sample.<G>

 

[LJH]

I try to stick with Winchester. No reason other than thats what I started with.
I did buy a couple thousand wolf after the last election as that was all I could find. I could not tell a difference.

 

[Younggun]

CCI 500 for pistol because they are usually available and my press doesn't seem to like federal, Federal for rifles just cause I got a bunch a while back, have also used winchester and never had reliability problems with any of them. The Fed. just seem to deform or flatten in my lee press(it recomends only CCI and Winchester)

 

[bryonbush]

if you dont mind, let me tell ya a story....i have always used CCI. then one day i bought some winchester. good stuff, i just had issues seating some of them for whatever reason. they would get hung up on the primer pockets and some just refused to go in even though i just poped out a CCI. a few months ago i purchased 2k small rifle and large pistol WOLF primers for 12.00 for 1K. good news for the wolf was that they all fin the case. BUT in the large pistol there was probably 1 in 7 that would not fire on the first time. had to re-cock the 1911 and they would usually fire then. loaded 100 wolfs in the .223 and they all went bang the fist time, but there was something very strange about them. there was a delay in the firing AFTER the trigger was pulled. some would fire like normal, but others, you would pull the trigger, hear it click as if the gun was empty, then it would go bang. if your taking slow, well placed shots its not that bad. but when you shooting fast it will deff throw you off. Just ordered 6K CCI's and wont look back when the wolfs are gone. hope that helps.

 

[PopsXD9sc]

10k in the past year and almost all CCI's. Never had a single one fail and they are available in bulk from Graf's and Powder Valley. My local GS is often out so the 'net is my friend. Wolf large pistols work fine but are hard to seat on my LNL AP. Haven't really had any issues with Win SP or LP or Federals. Just a creature of habit and it's CCI for me.

 

[Vaquero]

Thanks for the replies guys. My last lot of primers is down to 260. I'm no fan of the hazmat fee and want to go big on my next purchase.
I'd hate to end up with 20k of "iffy" primers.
CCI sounds like they stay in my cabinet.

 

[TexMex247]

I started off my reloading adventure years ago with CCI LP primers. I never have had any issues with them but as they became scarce, I sourced some different brands. I bought some older winchester primer for SR and LP and never have had issues with them either. When primers got really scarce I gave the wolf primers a chance in every size but shotgun. Never in over 10k loaded of various brands have I ever had a single failure. The only noteworthy detail is that I had one pierced primer cup in my AR that scarred the firing pin. That was using wolf sr primers that came with a copper colored primer cups. Several hundred before ran through my gun without any hiccups but I still don't know whether it was a thin or defective cup or debris that caught the tip of my firing pin. Otherwise, federal LR primers have doubled off in my sks but that's not uncommon with the floating firing pin design. Overall, I have noticed zero difference in performance, minimal difference in seating and every brand I have used have gone bang the first go round.

 

[Deavis]

You won't go wrong with CCI, I use their OEM primers quite a bit and they perform very well. Plated or unplated, they seat easily, feed through equipment well, and go bang often enough that I'm more worried about upside down ones than bad ones. The buzz about CCI usually is that they are harder than other primers and don't go off as easily. I'm willing to bet that most of the time, the issue is seating depth, not primers. From a performance aspect, there are differences between the manufacturers, but in most calibers under normal charges of non-magnum powders they are slight. In other words, the velocity changes are almost always within the noise statistically. If you pay attention when you prime, you can easily feel the differences in effort to seat to spec, but consistency is the key there.

 

[OLDVET]

I have loaded with all of the major brands of primers and never had any problems. I usually go with whatever is the least expensive at the time. I did find the the Federal Match primers made a big difference in the size of my M1A1 groups. They were considerably smaller. How you store and handle primers has a bigger impact on how they perform and last.

 

[skinman]

I usually use CCI for .45 acp and 9mm because that is what is usually the cheapest and most plentiful at the local reload store...

I try to keep at least 2K of each LPP and SPP on hand...I still have a few hundred Federal LPP also and I honestly do not see any difference in performance or failures with any of the brands I have tried over the years, Remington, Winchester, CCI, Federal, or Wolf but the Wolf gave me the most feeding and seating issues and I lost about 20% because of that but I would not hesitate to buy more if that was all that was on the shelf. I do not remember the last time I had a FTF with any reload ammo but I know it averages less than 1 per 5K, but some of that that may be because I take my time reloading and keep my pistolas clean and in good working order and always get solid pin strikes on the primer.

I got 2K CCI LPP Magnum primers when that was the only thing on the shelf a couple of summers back and I really like them a lot for the .45 acp...I started at the minimum powder charge and tweaked it up until I found a good load and they really rock in my Colt 1991A1 and Desert Eagle. I still have about 800 or so left. Those things with W-231, good brass, and Zero 230 gr FMJ are some of the most accurate loads I have made.

I use Federal for the 30-06 because I got a deal on just under 5k a couple of years back when the ammo scam was on full tilt and primers and powder were hard to find and I still have plenty.